Meet: Angelina of the Terrible Teens

I was tempted to post all the adorable pictures of Angelina I could find and leave it at that. But, I fear that such high levels of cuteness could be seriously detrimental to humans.

So, instead of just oogling little Miss Angie in a dreamlike trance, as I'm apt to do, I'll share some of my experiences with adolescent rescue dogs.

Angie was 9 months old when she was dumped. She was at the beginning of her adolescent phase, which in dogs is from around 8 months to when they reach a little over a year.

And just like human teenagers, doggy teenagers can be a nightmare! They are stubborn, defiant, and enjoy not only testing boundaries, but seeing you pull out your hair when they do! They are in this totally awkward growth period where their antics aren't as easily excused because of their sweet puppy faces. And all of a sudden these teenagers have needs they didn't seem to have before. They need lots of exercise, attention, and consistent training.

So, when people get a puppy and they survive the months of housetraining, teething, puppy destruction and crate training, they expect to finally have a harmonious and easy life with their dog. And for about a month they do. Then their dogs become teenagers and the obedience training is out the window, the garbage is spread all over the house, and the humans are easily frustrated.

A lot of times, they dump their dogs, seeing them as hopeless causes, perpetual pains-in-the-ass. In fact, this is the most common age for a dog to end up at a shelter or a rescue.

But, the reality is, just like the peeing-all-over-the-house stage of puppyhood, this defiant and stubborn stage is just a phase that will pass. And when people consistently reward their dog for the behaviours they want (lying in their bed, calmly asking for attention, politely playing) and ignore the other hair-pulling, teeth gritting behaviours the dog will grow up into a well rounded and well behaved companion.

So if your dog is a teenager, or getting there, be prepared to hide your shoes and socks, lock the garbage cabinet, and spend a lot of time outside exercising. Oh and you might want to brush up on your deep breathing!

You and your dog will get through this. I promise! And when you do you'll have that balanced, harmonious and rewarding relationship you hoped for. Consistent training, keeping your cool when your dog does something you see as naughty, and keeping your dog mentally and physically exercised are key.

So count to five, take a deep breath and work on keeping your relationship with your dog a loving and strong one.

Enjoy your dog for everything she is right now, because you might even miss her crazy antics when she grows out of them. Oh, and be thankful your dog isn't a human- you'll only have to deal with this for a couple months instead of a couple YEARS!

This post is a big shout-out to my mom and dad, who unfortunately decided to have a me instead of a dog and had to suffer through many years of door slamming, screaming fights, sneaking out and all those other lovely typical teenager behaviours. Admit it, you miss it a little....kidding!