Self-paced course
The Teenage Dog
The training worked, then it stopped. Here is why, and what to do about the seven to eighteen month dog.
Your dog did not forget. It opted out.
Your puppy's training stopped working because it was paid for in food, and at around seven months the world started paying more. Your puppy was lovely. Then the recall went, the lead went tight, and the dog that used to look at you started looking at everything else. Other dogs, smells, the park, a bin. The chicken did not get less tasty. Everything else got more valuable.
You have probably been told to go back to basics with more treats. That is the one thing that will not work, because teenagers stop taking bribes. Think about a child on Halloween: they will walk two hours for a bag of lollies. A teenager won't. A teenager walks two hours if their friends are going.
This course explains what actually changed, runs a privilege audit on your house, rebuilds your dog's week in the proportions a teenager needs, and sorts the lead out without a single command. Your dog is not being bad. It is being a teenager, and nothing has been lost.
Enrol
$99 AUD
Self-paced, online, yours to keep. Eighteen readable lessons across five modules, real demonstration clips, and four one-page downloads to print and stick on the fridge.
Enrol now, $99 AUDAs a digital course with instant access, it's non-refundable for change of mind (this doesn't affect your Australian Consumer Law rights).
Buying for someone else? Give it as a gift and I'll enrol them.
250 five-star Google reviews
Owners of young dogs
★★★★★
Since we started working with Diona around 6 weeks ago, we have seen tremendous improvements with our 1 year old, Robbie. He is now a pleasure to walk and it is not a stressful experience to take him out and about!
Riley K
★★★★★
We adopted a one year old kelpie X, and have invested a serious amount of time, money and energy in trying to train her reactivity, high stress levels and inability to relax. Her true personality has come out.
Antony Corrales
★★★★★
Our dogs recall and behaviour has improved so much in just a short amount of time. Diona's training sessions were always clear and easy to put into practice.
Sinead Tynan
What's inside
Module 1
Why the training stopped working
Why bribes stop working, the amplification map (whatever the puppy carried small, the teenager carries big), and why it did not forget. It opted out.
Module 2
The privilege audit
Freedom is the drug. What comes off, what comes back and when, why the rule only works with play, and the teenager that is too obedient.
Module 3
Rebuild the week
The teenage proportions of PLAY, ANCHOR, CALM and EXPLORE. CALM for half the day, ANCHOR without a command, and the combined outing.
Module 4
The lead
Why your lead's not long enough, fifteen minutes to a loose lead with play first, and the dog that wants to say hi.
Module 5
Holding it to adulthood
Marking and what it tells you, the honest check for when it is not behaviour, and where to go from here.
Plus four one-page downloads: the amplification map, the privilege audit, the teenage week, and the outing card.
Who this is for
Owners of a dog between about seven and eighteen months whose puppy training has fallen apart: recall gone, lead tight, jumping up, selective hearing.
Owners who did puppy school, did everything right, and are now being told to go back to basics with more treats.
Owners outside Melbourne, or not ready for private sessions, who want the exact way I set up a teenage dog, to do at home at their own pace.
Questions people ask
Why did my dog's training stop working at seven months?
Because most puppy training is paid for in food, and adolescence is when the world starts paying more than the food does. The dog did not forget. Other dogs, smells and the park simply outbid the treat. The fix is not a bigger bag of treats. It is a relationship and a week that a teenager can handle.
What age is this course for?
Roughly seven to eighteen months, and up to two years for some breeds. If your dog is younger, the Good Puppy Blueprint is the place to start.
My teenager lunges at other dogs. Is this the right course?
If the lunging is mostly excitement, a dog that wants to say hi and can't, this course covers it. If your dog reacts out of fear, or the reactions are getting worse, The Reactive Dog Reset is the better fit.
Do I need to be in Melbourne?
No. It's online and self-paced and works anywhere.
Can I get a refund?
This is a digital course with instant access, so it's non-refundable for change of mind. This doesn't affect your rights under the Australian Consumer Law. If you can't access the course or were charged in error, email [email protected] and I'll fix it.
Get the teenager back on your side
Enrol now, $99 AUD
About Diona
I'm a Melbourne dog trainer with a degree in veterinary science, a Masters in Early Childhood Education, and fifteen years across zoo, wildlife, and private dog training. A lot of my work is with teenage dogs, the ones that were lovely puppies until about seven months. Nothing is broken. The dog grew up, and the training was built for a puppy.