Wait… wasn’t she good at this?

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Understanding puppy development, adolescence and those unexpected training wobbles

If you have been following along with Pebbles, you will know that she is now coming up to six months old.

And I have to admit, there have been a few moments recently where I have found myself thinking…

“Wait… wasn’t she good at this?”

Her recall has been brilliant. Then it has been slightly less brilliant. A cue that she has responded to beautifully suddenly needs a little more work. The world is becoming much more interesting, and she is becoming much more confident about exploring it.

And this is exactly why development is such an important part of puppy training.

Development is not a straight line

One of the things I think is important for puppy owners to understand is that development is rarely a nice, steady progression.

We can spend weeks teaching our puppy a behaviour, gradually building it up in different environments, and feel like they have really got it.

Then suddenly… it falls apart.

Recall becomes less reliable. A previously easy cue needs more repetition. Your puppy seems more distracted on walks. Or perhaps something that did not bother them before suddenly makes them hesitate.

It can be frustrating, particularly when you have put so much work into your training.

But it is important to remember that a behaviour being established does not mean we can stop supporting it completely.

Have we accidentally faded the reinforcement too quickly?

When we first teach a behaviour, we tend to reinforce it frequently.

Our puppy responds to their recall cue — they get something great.

They come back when called — they get something great.

They offer the behaviour we have been working on — they get reinforced.

Over time, as the behaviour becomes more reliable, we naturally start to reduce how frequently we reinforce. And ultimately, that is part of teaching behaviours that can work in everyday life.

But sometimes we can accidentally go from “you get paid really well for this” to “I expect you to do this because you know it” rather quickly.

If our dog’s environment is becoming more interesting at exactly the same time, it is not surprising that a previously brilliant behaviour starts to wobble.

So if your adolescent dog suddenly seems less reliable, it is worth asking yourself:

Have I changed what I am putting into this behaviour?

Reinforcement does not always have to mean food, either. Depending on the dog and the situation, reinforcement could be access to sniffing, continuing their walk, getting to play, going through a doorway or accessing something else they want.

Sometimes we simply need to go back to reinforcing more generously for a while.

The world is getting more interesting

As our puppies develop, they can also become more confident and independent.

That means the environment can start to compete with us much more strongly.

A four-month-old puppy who thought you were the most interesting thing in the world might suddenly discover that the scent coming from that hedge is far more important.

That does not mean they are being stubborn or deliberately ignoring you.

It means we need to think about the level of difficulty we are asking for.

If your dog’s recall is fantastic at home and in a quiet field but falls apart when they spot another dog running in the distance, the answer probably is not to keep repeating the recall cue louder and louder.

Instead, we can make the situation easier, increase the distance, use better reinforcement and build the behaviour gradually.

Set them up to succeed.

The same principles we used when they were tiny puppies still apply — we just need to apply them to a more capable, more confident and increasingly independent dog.

What about those sudden worries?

Another thing that can happen during development is that dogs can go through periods where they become more cautious or sensitive to things that previously seemed completely normal.

The timing and intensity of these periods can vary between individual dogs, so I do not like to think of it as a simple checklist of “your puppy will have a fear period at exactly this age.”

Instead, think about watching your individual dog.

Perhaps your puppy suddenly becomes unsure about a person they would previously have happily approached. Maybe they startle at a noise, hesitate around an object or seem less comfortable somewhere they have visited before.

If that happens, we do not need to force them to interact with whatever is worrying them.

Give them space. Allow them to observe. Reduce the intensity of the situation where possible and pair the experience with things they enjoy.

And if something is genuinely worrying your dog, do not simply assume that they will grow out of it.

Our job is to help them feel safe while they work through these changes.

And this is where Pebbles is now

I am starting to see some of these developmental changes with Pebbles as she approaches six months old.

She is still the same dog I have been training since she came home, but she is becoming much more aware of the world around her.

She is growing physically, but there are also changes in her confidence, independence, attention and interests.

That means I cannot simply rely on the behaviours that I taught her when she was younger and assume they will always look exactly the same.

I need to keep training.

I need to keep reinforcing.

And I need to keep adapting the difficulty to where she is now, rather than where she was a couple of months ago.

That is something I would encourage all puppy owners to do.

Don’t forget about sounds

There is another reason I am particularly thinking about this now.

It is nearly October, which means fireworks season is approaching.

If you have a young puppy, now is the time to think about sound preparation, rather than waiting until the first fireworks are going off outside.

We want to build positive associations with different sounds while our dogs are relaxed and comfortable.

For example, you can use good-quality sound recordings at a very low volume and pair them with something your dog really enjoys. Personally I have been using Spotify any YouTube for puppy socialisation noises.

The important bit is that the volume should be low enough that your puppy remains comfortable.

We are not trying to recreate a fireworks display in the living room.

We are gradually teaching them:

“That sound happens, and good things happen too.”

If your puppy shows signs that they are worried, the volume is too high or the situation is too difficult. Reduce the intensity and give them the opportunity to feel comfortable again.

And remember that this is not just about fireworks. We can think about a whole range of everyday sounds — traffic, household noises, alarms, storms, construction work, other dogs barking and all the strange noises that our dogs encounter throughout their lives.

The earlier we can build positive experiences around sounds, the better.

So, has your puppy forgotten everything?

Probably not.

They are growing up.

Development can make previously reliable behaviours look a little less reliable for a while. Their environment may suddenly become more rewarding. Their confidence may change. They may become more independent or, at times, more cautious.

That does not mean all your hard work has disappeared.

It means it is time to revisit it.

Go back a step if you need to. Increase reinforcement. Make the environment easier. Practise in smaller pieces. Build up gradually again.

And most importantly, do not be disheartened when your puppy has a wobble.

Training is not about getting to a point where we can tick a box and say, “That’s done.”

Our dogs continue to learn throughout their lives, and our job is to keep helping them succeed as they grow and change.

So if your six-month-old puppy suddenly seems to have forgotten their recall, their cues or their manners…

Take a breath.

Your puppy hasn’t broken.

They’re developing.