Behaviour
Surviving Maltipoo adolescence
By Nelson and Kim, AVS licensed pet shop owners · Updated 13 July 2026
What happens during Maltipoo adolescence?
Between roughly 6 and 18 months, hormones and brain remodelling turn your compliant puppy into a teenager: cues get ignored, fears resurface, and boundaries get tested. It is a phase, not a failure; keep routines identical and reward generously, and the settled adult emerges on the other side.
What changes, and when
The teenage dog phase arrives quietly. Somewhere around six months the puppy that came when called develops selective hearing, and the confident explorer suddenly startles at a bin it has passed fifty times. Fear periods, boundary testing and energy spikes arrive in waves through roughly the eighteenth month, earlier and milder in toy breeds than large ones.
Owners describe this puppy regression as the dog forgetting everything. It has not; it is re-evaluating whether the rules still apply now that it has opinions. Yours is not broken, and no, you did not ruin it.
What to hold steady
Keep every routine identical: same toilet spot, same pen, same walk timing, same cues in the same tone. Consistency is the message that the rules survived puberty. Reward compliance more generously than you did at four months, because you are now competing against hormones for attention.
Do not escalate to punishment when cues fail; regression punished becomes anxiety, and this attachment-heavy breed takes it personally. Shorter, more frequent training sessions beat long frustrating ones.
The parts specific to this breed
This adolescent dog behaviour is normal, and adolescent Maltipoos often get more vocal, so re-run the quiet-marker drills from the training guide as if teaching them fresh. Alone-time tolerance can also dip; rebuild the absence ladder in small steps rather than assuming it is fixed forever.
Sterilisation typically lands in this window, from around seven months per most vets, and doubles as the moment your licence fee drops. Many owners report the wildest edges softening in the months after.
Adolescence survival card
- Window: roughly 6 to 18 months
- Regression is re-testing, not forgetting
- Keep routines identical, rewards generous
- Re-run quiet and alone-time drills
- Settled adult arrives on the other side
Frequently asked questions
When do Maltipoos calm down?
The teenage edges soften through the second year; most owners call their dog settled between 18 months and 2 years. Consistent routine through adolescence decides how calm the adult is.
My 8-month-old suddenly fears the lift. Normal?
Classic fear-period behaviour. Do not force it; let the dog observe from a comfortable distance, reward curiosity, and it usually passes within weeks.
Should training pause during adolescence?
The opposite: this is when training matters most. Shorter, more rewarding sessions keep the habits alive while the brain renovates.
Does sterilisation fix teenage behaviour?
It helps some behaviours in some dogs and is no magic switch. Its certain effects are medical, plus the licence fee drop; timing is your vet's call from about seven months.
Why has my Maltipoo suddenly stopped listening?
It is re-testing whether the rules still apply, not forgetting them. Keep every routine identical, reward compliance more generously than before, and avoid punishing the lapses; the obedience returns as the hormones settle.
How long does the teenage phase last?
Roughly six to eighteen months, milder in toy breeds than large ones, with the wildest edges softening through the second year. Consistent routine through it decides how calm the adult becomes.
Meet your Maltipoo
Come say hello at Balestier
2 Balestier Road #01-701, Singapore 320002 · Weekdays 12pm–6pm · Weekends 10am–6pm. Or message us first: tell us about your home and routine, and we'll tell you honestly if a Maltipoo fits.
Ask us mid-crisis
Our WhatsApp thread stays open long after handover, adolescent chaos included.
Revisit the training guide