Why Are Adolescent Dogs Abandoned To Shelters?

"Researchers looked at 69 dogs before adolescence, at 5 months old,  and then again during their adolescence, at 8 months old. They found that in adolescence, the pups took longer to respond to the "sit" command even if they knew how to do it."

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I think any keen observer of dogs has noticed that some dogs are not as obedient during adolescence. One of my dogs, Dillon, profoundly changed starting at about 8 months of age. As he started becoming an adult, then things started shaping up again.

Prior to that time, his obedience looked terrific. Once the hormones kicked in, he became a goofball... distracted, didn't retain lessons as well.

I think a lot of adolescent dogs get bullied by their owners, thinking that is the right solution. Instead, if you understand this phenomenon and recognize it happening, you realize that maturity will fix this. As the article mentions, a lot of dogs are abandoned as adolescents, and this might explain why.