Hello Everyone
Last night I got to thinking about the dog I am training and how old he is. Generally when you tell someone your dogs age, you give an estimate. Turns out, I was about 6 months off what I was telling people. When you say your dogs age, like kids, there is a certain set of behaviours that they should exhibit. We do not expect a 5 year old to know how to have a rational conversation, behave appropriately in public all the time or solve complex problems. However, we can assume that they are still trying to figure it out as their minds grow, what are the consequences and benefits of how they act, why are things the way they are (generally by asking why) and how do I communicate in a way that adults will understand me.
When gauging whether a dog has what it takes to be a service dog, we have to first take into account their age. I always laugh when people say that puppy behaviour lasts until they are 8 to 10 mo. This is in stark contrast to many pet foods that say feed puppy food until they are 2. Turns out the puppy food manufacturers are closer to the truth. People hate it when you compare raising a dog with raising a child, in my experience it is kind of the same, except in fast forward. The behaviours that parents have to handle for 2-3 years, dog moms only have to deal with for 3-6 months. Take in mind, just like children, as a puppy grows it goes through those same stages, baby, toddler, child, adolescent, teenager and finally an adult. This whole process takes 2-3 years and just like children, if you do not raise and train them right, they can turn into terrible adults.
The same reason that dogs are re-homed/surrendered is also part of the reason that dogs fail out of being a service dog. Dogs that mature faster and catch on faster are easier to work with, their is less time and money into teaching them what to do and for people trying to train their own dog, there may be a limit to what you are able to do and how much you are able to handle. Don't get me wrong, there are some innate behaviours that are not due to age, but general temperament, and usually these behaviours continue through all the phases of puppyhood or come as random tendencies that the dog displays without warning or cause, it is these that it is important to document and analyze the situation around.
The dog I am working with is going to be 2.5 in April. For many people this is an adult dog and they should "get it". Sorry to burst that bubble but for many breeds like Labs and Newfoundlanders (more social driven dogs) this is their teenage years and like a general teenager they question the rules, get upset and cranky, try and find ways around things and sometimes can not control their impulses. The things to watch at this stage is whether or not this behaviour continues past 3 in which case means it may not be worth it. The dog I am working with now can be restless/impatient and even though he is friendly with dogs, when the leash goes on and we come across another dog, he can be a jerk because he knows that with the leash on he can just do what he wants and go say hi. When I compare the frustrating behaviours I am working with now, and at times that make me want to give up, I remember a Lab that I trained, who is amazing at her job, but was just a terror to work with at this age. Pushing through these stages and staying consistent with the training makes a huge difference in the end. It is when you stop and give up that the dog realizes the behaviour is okay and you may be stuck with some of those behaviours going forward, the dog never living up to their potential of being a service dog.
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