Almighty Adolescence program

For Dogs 5 Months to 2 Years

Adolescence is where the cute puppy stage starts turning into something a little more complicated.

Your dog is growing, becoming more confident, testing boundaries, becoming more interested in the world around them, and sometimes acting as though the things they already learned have suddenly disappeared.

This stage is also where everyday habits begin to take shape.

Almighty Adolescence is designed to help you guide your young dog through this stage before small problems become bigger ones.

This is not a behaviour rehabilitation program. It is for adolescent dogs who are generally doing well but need training, structure, clearer expectations, better manners, and an owner who understands how to guide them through the transition into adulthood.

Every program follows the Royal K9 framework:

UNDERSTAND

Before we start adding commands or correcting behaviour, we look at the dog in front of us.

We look at:

• Temperament and personality

• Current habits and behaviours

• Household routines

• Daily structure

• Existing training

• Owner responses

• Where boundaries are being tested

• Where expectations may be unclear

• What your dog already understands

• Where more leadership, consistency, or follow-through is needed

Understanding what is happening gives us a clearer picture of what needs to change and what your individual dog needs from you.

LEARN

Adolescent training is as much about teaching the owner as it is teaching the dog.

You will learn how to communicate more clearly, provide direction, create expectations, and follow through consistently.

Depending on your dog and your goals, this may include:

• Royal K9's Leadership framework

• Understanding your role in the training process

• Consistency and follow-through

• Setting household rules and boundaries

• Training tools and their proper use

• Marker words

• The release command

• Understanding timing and reinforcement

• How to introduce new skills

• How to recognize when your dog needs more guidance

• How to respond when your adolescent dog begins testing boundaries

• How to build training into everyday routines instead of only practising during formal training sessions

The goal is for you to understand why you are doing something, not simply memorize what to do.

TRAIN

Once the foundation is clear, we begin putting it into practice.

Training is tailored to your dog, but Almighty Adolescence may include work in the following areas:

Obedience Foundations

• Sit

• Down

• Place

• Wait

• Stay

• Release commands

• Building duration

• Adding distractions

• Improving reliability

Leash Skills, Engagement & Focus

• Leash foundations

• Engagement with the handler

• Focus around distractions

• Improving everyday walking

• Teaching your dog to pay attention to you instead of everything happening around them

Recall

• Building a clear recall foundation

• Recall games and exercises

• Creating value in coming when called

• Increasing distance gradually

• Introducing distractions appropriately

• Building reliability over time

Household Manners

Adolescence is often where everyday habits start becoming more noticeable.

We may work on:

• Jumping up

• Counter surfing

• Rushing through doors

• Demanding attention

• Stealing household items

• Ignoring established rules

• Pushing boundaries

• Creating clearer household expectations

Impulse Control

Young dogs need to learn that they do not get everything they want the moment they want it.

Training may include:

• Waiting for food

• Waiting at doors

• Settling while activity is happening

• Remaining calm around visitors

• Learning patience

• Practising self-control around distractions

• Moving from excitement back into a calmer state

Structure & Everyday Life

Training does not only happen during a lesson.

We look at how your dog's training fits into real life, including:

• Household routines

• Feeding routines

• Doorways

• Visitors

• Walks

• Excitement in the home

• Expectations around furniture or personal space

• Attention-seeking behaviour

• Daily opportunities to reinforce good habits

Prevention

One of the biggest advantages of training during adolescence is being able to address things before they become established problems.

That may include helping prevent:

• Poor household manners

• Selective listening

• Lack of impulse control

• Weak recall

• Leash problems

• Attention-demanding behaviour

• Inconsistent rules

• Dogs learning that boundaries are optional

PUTTING IT INTO EVERYDAY LIFE

The goal is not to have a dog who only listens during training.

We work toward taking the skills you are building and applying them where they actually matter: inside your home, on walks, around visitors, around distractions, and throughout your normal day.

As your dog progresses, we review what is working, adjust what is not, and continue building reliability.

BUILT AROUND YOUR DOG

No two adolescent dogs are going to move through this stage in exactly the same way.

One dog may need more help with leash work. Another may struggle with household boundaries. Another may need more work around distractions, impulse control, or recall.

Almighty Adolescence gives us a clear framework, but the training itself is tailored to your dog, your household, your goals, and what comes up along the way.

Understand the dog.
Learn what needs to change.
Train with clarity, consistency and purpose.

TWO WAYS TO WORK TOGETHER

Every adolescent dog is different, and so is the amount of help their owner needs.

Some owners simply need professional guidance to get the foundations right and make sure they are heading in the right direction.

Others want more time, support, and coaching as their dog moves through adolescence and all those little things begin to pop up along the way.

Almighty Adolescence offers two levels of support.

6-SESSION GUIDANCE PROGRAM

Get the foundations right.

This option is designed for the owner who feels things are generally going well but wants some professional help navigating adolescence.

You may need guidance with communication, leadership, obedience foundations, leash work, recall, everyday manners, or simply understanding how to be more consistent with your young dog.

Over six private sessions, we establish the essential foundations and give you the knowledge and practical skills to continue building on them yourself.

A good fit if you:

• Have a generally well-adjusted adolescent dog

• Want help getting your training foundations right

• Need some direction with everyday manners and obedience

• Want to improve communication, consistency, and follow-through

• Are comfortable practising and continuing the work independently between and after sessions

Format: 6 private sessions over approximately 6–8 weeks.

3-MONTH COACHING PROGRAM

Coaching through the adolescent journey.

Adolescence rarely unfolds in a perfectly straight line.

Your dog may be doing well one week and suddenly testing a completely different boundary the next. Counter surfing appears. Listening changes. Distractions become harder. Household manners slip. Recall gets selective. New questions keep appearing.

The 3-Month Coaching Program gives us the time to work through those changes together.

We still build the same essential foundations of leadership, communication, obedience, manners, leash skills, impulse control, and recall, but we can go further into applying them to your everyday life.

Rather than simply showing you how to get started, I am coaching you as your dog progresses so we can troubleshoot, adjust, strengthen skills, and deal with the smaller challenges that arise along the way.

A good fit if you:

• Want more guidance throughout adolescence

• Prefer ongoing coaching rather than figuring out the next step alone

• Want help applying training to everyday situations as they develop

• Need support with household habits, boundaries, distractions, and consistency

• Want more time to develop reliability and strengthen your own training skills

• Want someone there to help you adjust the plan when something new pops up

Format: 10–12 private coaching sessions over approximately 3 months.