This visionary canine behavior expert showed us how to support adolescent dogs by truly seeing the world through their eyes
Adolescence. Just say the word and dog guardians everywhere raise their hands to heaven. It’s a time when many dogs end up in shelters, when caregivers feel overwhelmed, and when the joy of puppyhood can give way to frustration and confusion. But what if we’re looking at adolescence all wrong?
The late Sarah Fisher, founder of Animal Centered Education (ACE) and beloved faculty member at the Victoria Stilwell Academy for Dog Training & Behavior (VSA) dedicated her work to transforming how we understand and support dogs, and especially adolescent dogs. In a recent conversation on Victoria Stilwell’s Positively Podcast, Sarah shared groundbreaking insights that challenge conventional training wisdom and offer a more compassionate, effective approach to this critical developmental stage.
Movement Matters: The Foundation of Development
Sarah’s approach to adolescent dogs begins with a fundamental question: What if the behaviors we see in adolescence aren’t new at all, but are actually linked to something we missed—or inadvertently taught—in puppyhood?
“I switched from having that excitement and joy about what I was going to be able to do to support adolescent dogs to saying, ‘Hang on a minute. I need to stop and consider what I can learn from these adolescent dogs,'” Sarah explained. “The foster puppies I had that came to me around five months of age and stayed through adolescence have taught me the most.”
One of Sarah’s most powerful insights centers on movement. She observed that when we walk with young puppies, they often learn to trot alongside us—a pattern that can contribute to leash pulling as they mature. Research on human babies shows that early movement patterns can predict developmental challenges later on. Sarah applied this same lens to dogs, asking: Are we creating movement patterns in puppyhood that make life harder for adolescent dogs?
Studies on laboratory mice have shown that when animals don’t move their large muscle groups, it has a hugely detrimental impact on the nervous system. “Why are we crating puppies and young dogs at a time where movement is probably more critical than any other stage of life?” Sarah asked, challenging one of dog training’s most common practices.
The Sensory Side of Mouthing and Biting
Sarah’s work with John T, a young Rhodesian Ridgeback, illuminated another crucial aspect of adolescent behavior. When John T felt overwhelmed by disruptions in his environment—sounds, movement, even hand contact—he would mouth feet, jump up, hump, and bite. His caregivers became so overwhelmed that they had fleeting thoughts of dropping the leash and walking away.
“One of the things they highlighted in what they wrote for me said that when I said, ‘If you’re struggling through adolescence, it means your dog is struggling,’ they said that was one of the most powerful sentences they could have read,” Sarah shared.
Rather than viewing mouthing simply as a training issue, Sarah encouraged us to consider the sensory aspect. Research shows that adults and children who are struggling with sensory overload will bite to help calm their brains. Could the same be true for adolescent dogs?
“We need to have this discussion around the sensory side of the bite,” Sarah said. “Might it actually be to do with struggles and needing to bite to try and help calm the brain?”
Rethinking Reward-Based Training
In a surprising twist, Sarah questioned whether our enthusiasm for reward-based training might sometimes be counterproductive during early development. She observed that some dogs, like her own companion Henry, seemed to develop comfort eating patterns.
“Are we mistaking this as a dog’s desire to learn and trying to accelerate learning through reward-based training at a time when we actually need to stand back, watch more and do less to allow all these amazing connections to develop and strengthen at a pace that suits each individual dog?” Sarah wondered.
This doesn’t mean abandoning positive reinforcement, but rather reconsidering the pace and intensity of training during critical developmental windows. Sarah advocated for less influence from us and more support—creating environments where puppies and adolescent dogs can develop naturally, with our gentle guidance rather than our constant intervention.
ACE Free Work: Letting Dogs Lead
Sarah’s ACE Free Work approach embodies this philosophy of watching and learning from dogs rather than constantly directing them. By creating enrichment stations with various textures, scents, and materials, then stepping back to observe, we allow dogs to show us what they need.
“I’m not trying to compartmentalize and think about what a dog might need to learn at specific times of their life,” Sarah explained. “I’m thinking about supporting that whole dog from as early an opportunity as possible.”
This holistic approach acknowledges that adolescence isn’t just a period of training challenges—it’s a time of extraordinary growth and development that deserves our patience, understanding, and respect.
The Caregiver’s Role: Changing Our Own Behavior
Perhaps Sarah’s most transformative insight was this: Before we try to modify a dog’s behavior, we need to examine our own.
“People say, ‘How are we going to modify or change the behavior in the dog?’ Forget that. We actually first need to look at how we might need to modify or change our behavior and habits,” Sarah emphasized.
In John T’s case, the breakthrough came when his caregivers learned to watch for early signs of stress—the tightening eyes, the ears pulling closer together, the increasing tail tension. By recognizing these subtle signals and changing their own behavior before John T became overwhelmed, they could help him reorganize his body and calm his nervous system. The mouthing stopped because the caregivers changed first.
A Legacy of Compassion and Insight
Sarah Fisher passed away unexpectedly in December 2025, leaving behind a profound legacy in the dog training world. Her ACE approach has helped countless dogs and their caregivers navigate adolescence with greater understanding and compassion.
“It’s not just growth for the dog. It’s growth for us,” Sarah reminded us. “It’s growth for us as canine caregivers, it’s growth for us as canine educators, and it’s actually growth for us as a species, because we need to be more empathetic, and we need to connect more.”
Her message was clear: adolescence is challenging, yes—but it’s also an incredible opportunity. An opportunity to slow down, to watch more carefully, to see dogs as the individuals they are. To recognize that when we’re struggling with an adolescent dog, it means the dog is struggling too. And most importantly, to understand that the solution often begins with changing ourselves.
Sarah Fisher inspired us to watch dogs closely and see them as individuals. Her legacy lives on in every caregiver who pauses to observe before intervening, in every trainer who prioritizes the dog’s developmental needs over training goals, and in every adolescent dog who is given the time, space, and support to grow into their full potential.
Listen to the full conversation with Sarah Fisher on Episode 194 of Victoria Stilwell’s Positively Podcast: Acing Adolescence – Understanding & Supporting Teenage Dogs.
To learn more about ACE Free Work and Sarah’s approach, visit tilleyfarm.org.uk.
Learn more about preparing for a rewarding career as a dog trainer with VSA’s premier Dog Trainer Course.
