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Published today, my latest research led by @asherblab and with @BeccaSomm provides the first data on adolescent-phase behaviour in young dogs 
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Thereâs a lot of data & interesting findings in it, so Iâm going to summarise the paper in this threadhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="đ§ľ" title="Thread" aria-label="Emoji: Thread"> https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0097">https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.10...
Thereâs a lot of data & interesting findings in it, so Iâm going to summarise the paper in this thread
Adolescence is a vulnerable time for parent-child relationships in humans, but little is documented about dog-owner relationships at this time.
Neurologically, the teenage brainhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="đ§ " title="Gehirn" aria-label="Emoji: Gehirn"> undergoes huge changes that impact behaviour, reducing impulse control & heightening emotions.
Neurologically, the teenage brain
Data from human and rat studies show that adolescence is a sensitive period for development.
Behavioural challenges at this time could strain the dog-owner relationship, potentially increasing risk of relinquishment or future behaviour problems.
Behavioural challenges at this time could strain the dog-owner relationship, potentially increasing risk of relinquishment or future behaviour problems.
Although the adolescent period is little studied in dogs, and there are likely to be breed differences, itâs typically thought to begin at around 6 months of age and end with behavioural maturation at about 2 years of age.
Based on knowledge of human & rat biology, we formed three hypotheses:
1) dogs would show reduced obedience towards their caregiver during puberty
2) this would be more pronounced in dogs with insecure attachments to their caregiver
1) dogs would show reduced obedience towards their caregiver during puberty
2) this would be more pronounced in dogs with insecure attachments to their caregiver
3) female dogs with insecure attachments to their caregiver would enter puberty earlier (as is seen in human females)
We studied a cohort of 285 juvenile guide dogshttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="đŚŽ" title="Blindenhund" aria-label="Emoji: Blindenhund"> of various breeds and cross breeds using both observations from behaviour tests & owner report questionnaires.
We studied a cohort of 285 juvenile guide dogs
First, using behavioural data collected by @BeccaSomm in a modified strange situation test, we showed that dogs with higher scores on the CBARQ scales âAttachment and Attention-seekingâ & âSeparation related behaviourâ can be considered to have an insecure attachment type.
Using CBARQ scores from dog caregivers at 5, 8 & 12 months of age, we showed dogs had lower https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="âŹď¸" title="Pfeil nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach unten"> scores for Trainability during puberty (age 8m) & scores for Separation-related behaviour were 36% https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="âŹď¸" title="Pfeil nach oben" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach oben"> at this time.
Yet when scored by their trainers there was no dip in Trainabililty
Yet when scored by their trainers there was no dip in Trainabililty
scores for Trainability during puberty (age 8m) & scores for Separation-related behaviour were 36% https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="âŹď¸" title="Pfeil nach oben" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach oben"> at this time. Yet when scored by their trainers there was no dip in Trainabililty" title="Using CBARQ scores from dog caregivers at 5, 8 & 12 months of age, we showed dogs had lower https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="âŹď¸" title="Pfeil nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach unten"> scores for Trainability during puberty (age 8m) & scores for Separation-related behaviour were 36% https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="âŹď¸" title="Pfeil nach oben" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach oben"> at this time. Yet when scored by their trainers there was no dip in Trainabililty" class="img-responsive" style="max-width:100%;"/>
Supporting this finding, we showed that dogs which at 5 months of age (pre-adolescence) responded to a known command âsitâ were less likely respond to their caregivers when aged 8 months (during puberty), but they still responded well to a stranger (me!) at this time.
This suggests that dogs can still cognitively process a previously learnt command, but that there is a socially-specific breakdown in obedience towards their caregivers only during puberty.
This behaviour mirrors human teenagers & may function to test relationship strength.
This behaviour mirrors human teenagers & may function to test relationship strength.
As hypothesised, we found that dogs categorised as insecurely attached to their caregivers when 5 months of age (pre-adolescence), showed a greater decrease in sit response and Trainability during puberty at 8 months of age.
The finding with perhaps the broadest relevance was that the quality of the dog-owner bond was related with the age at with female dogs had their first oestrus.
Dogs that were more insecurely attached (with higher AAS scores) were more likely to enter puberty earlier.
Dogs that were more insecurely attached (with higher AAS scores) were more likely to enter puberty earlier.
This result was significant even when controlling for diet and weight (two other factors that impact oestrus timing).
This is the first evidence of such a cross-species impact on reproductive development & could have implications for other captive & companion animals.
This is the first evidence of such a cross-species impact on reproductive development & could have implications for other captive & companion animals.
Beyond the world of dog https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="đ" title="Hund" aria-label="Emoji: Hund"> science, these results show that the dog-owner relationship could be used as a model for studying the adolescent-parent relationship.
Adolescence in dogs is hugely understudied, but experiences at this time could have long lasting impacts.
Adolescence in dogs is hugely understudied, but experiences at this time could have long lasting impacts.
Itâs important that new puppy owners remember that their dogs might be struggling a bit more when theyâre 6-12 months old.
Key tips would be to try & cut them some slack, support them more, donât punish disobedience & donât give up on them: they wonât be teenagers forever!
Key tips would be to try & cut them some slack, support them more, donât punish disobedience & donât give up on them: they wonât be teenagers forever!
