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Ever heard the saying, "it gets worse before it gets better?"

Welcome to the teenage phase.

Here's how to survive it. 👇️

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If you've raised a Belgian Malinois, you already know what happens after they turn 4 months old.

So what's actually happening in their brain?

Between 4 and 36 months, a dog's prefrontal cortex (the part responsible for impulse control) is under construction.

A University of Nottingham study confirmed that adolescent dogs become less responsive to their owners during this window.

Working line dogs hit this phase even harder because their drive and energy amplify every teenage behavior.

Which is one reason why more than one Belgian Malinois is surrendered every other day…

How To Survive The Teenage Phase

1️⃣ Restrict unsupervised access

If you can't watch them, they need to be contained in a crate, kennel, exercise pen or a puppy-proofed room.

Bonus: Teaches them how to settle down without sacrificing any furniture.

Maligator Mom has a great video on how to set it up. 👇️ 

2️⃣ Increase mental enrichment

A bored teenager is a destructive teenager.

If you haven't already, check out 🔑 How To Stimulate Your Malinois for the full breakdown on puzzle feeders, scent work, and enrichment.

3️⃣ Shorten training sessions 

3× 5-minutes sessions beat 1x 30-minute session.

4️⃣ Go back to the basics

The commands they "forgot" aren't gone, they're testing whether the rules still apply.

Drop back to a low-distraction environment, shorten the duration, and use higher-value rewards.

5️⃣ Lower your expectations, temporarily. 

You're not a bad owner and your dog isn't broken. This phase ends.

If you're in it right now and questioning everything, that's normal. Keep showing up.

Tail End

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Until next Thursday, ✌️

Sam