A dog’s owner’s amusing take on the “teenage puppy phase” has gone viral, and it’s easy to see why!
The pet parent, known as @bear_thegerman_shep, posted a chaotic clip of her German shepherd, Gus, caught red-pawed while demolishing a house plant on her light-colored couch. The scene quickly took the internet by storm, racking up over 510,300 likes and over 5.5 million views on TikTok.
“No one warns you about the teenage puppy phase,” her caption humorously noted, as she stared at the mess and exclaimed, “What did you do? Oh my God.” Gus, looking unapologetically comfortable amid the dirtied couch, wore an innocent expression that only added to the hilarity of the situation.
German shepherds are intelligent and fiercely loyal, but they can be quite the handful during their teenage years.
The American Kennel Club suggests that consistent training begins early to help manage their boundless energy and instincts. This training is essential as they grow and develop into adults.
This testing “teenage” phase typically begins between six and twelve months and can last until they are about eighteen to twenty-four months old. Much like human teenagers, canine counterparts start to push boundaries at this stage, making it a tricky time for owners.
According to the U.K. charity RSPCA, these adolescent pups may display stubbornness alongside their energetic and destructive behaviors, so a solid training routine is a must.
To keep their mischievous tendencies in check, ample exercise and mental challenges are essential. Owners can engage their energetic pups with obedience training, agility activities, or interactive toys that help them channel their energy in productive ways.
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TikTok users certainly resonated with the struggles of raising a German shepherd, finding comedy in Gus’s antics.
“The German Shepherd puppy stage is not for the faint-hearted!!” one user remarked, while another quipped, “He literally looks like a teenager, I can’t explain it.”
A third user nicknamed Oscar labeled it the “velociraptor stage,” saying, “He’s like, hi mom.”
Willow contributed, “A German Shepherd with a white/cream/beige couch—you are brave.”
Another user humorously added, “We love what he’s done with the place.”