I recently adopted a lab puppy, he stayed at a vet from day one of being found. He was there for 2.5 weeks before we got him. They weren't sure of his age but I was told around 3 months old. I've had him for almost two weeks now, he is being crate trained and his crate is surrounded by a play pen. He's been quite good until now; doesn't bark much, although there have been bursts of barking in the morning and when he's bored - I think. He hasn't had an accident in his crate or the play pen. We don't let him out of that area. We have left him home alone for up to 4 hours and he has been fine. I always leave toys in the pen for him, but he seems disinterested in Kongs... HOWEVER, two days ago I noticed he got the zoomies after a short walk. I thought I had over-worked him, so I brought him in for a nap. He then proceeded to bark, then he played really roughly with a chew toy and then eventually calmed down. Yesterday, I took him for an evening walk again. He seemed fine this time, but when I brought him in, he proceeded to chew and tear at a big box we are using to divide his adult sized crate; he was growling and tumbling around in his crate. He eventually calmed down after 10 minutes or so. So I decided this morning I'd take him for a long walk and see if it exhausts him. We walked for 45 minutes, stopping and starting - he's not the best walker yet. Some of the walk was at an incline and there were also short flights of steps. I thought he should definitely be tired after that! I even did a quick run of 'sit, down and leave it' before going in. But no, first thing he does when he gets back into the pen is go into his crate and tear at that box..again, growling and tumbling around. He has now calmed down after 10 minutes. Lucky he didn't bark this time. I'm beginning to get overwhelmed and feel like crying.. and I really dislike if he barks, as we live in an apartment complex. I really want to keep him but if neighbors complain, I'll have to send him away I've been doing the ignore and turn my back method for barking...but still...it does my head in. What am I doing wrong? Is he developing a really bad habit? Advice please! Does he need MORE exercise and play time? I work with a flexible shedule, so I could manage more commitment ...but I wish he'd be a good boy more of the time Thanks.
Welcome and I can certainly remember being tired and frustrated as well. I'm not an expert beyond living with Edsel since he was 9 weeks old but it sounds like you have a normal, active healthy puppy. I'd be cautious in trying to walk him for great distances or lengths of time to tire him as it can be too much work on his young joints. Lab puppies need plenty of time and room for just general romping but also need mental stimulation and training. I found that just 10-15 minutes of working on basic obedience like sit and come or playing some retrieving games would tire Edsel out more than physical activity at times. If I could manage 4-5 short sessions of training daily it helped immensely. Does he have to be in the pen when you are home with him or can he have more space to safely explore and move about with supervision? While all dogs have different personalities, Labs are likely to be active, bouncy and playful pups and he is still quite young.
Not at the moment. It's either go outside or he's in the pen. I let him follow me on a leash in the kitchen today, I noticed he was happy about that.. but he just wanted to chew on everything and when I told him to 'leave it' he didn't listen, nothing could distract him... so I picked him up and he growled and tried to bite me .. I may try again later, I just can't manage it right now as my husband is away on a business trip and I'm losing my mind a little already. I did read that too much exercise isn't good for them... but I really need him to expend his energy somehow. Thank for the tip, I will try to do more training sessions with him. When playing, he sometimes gets nippy and starts biting, when he does this, I immediately put him back into the pen. That's when he usually barks
@TeresaC all that is normal. It gets better tho. Ignore the barking and only let him out when he calms down. What I did with Arnie was playing fetching games with small treats into his crate. I'd throw the food in there and he'd run and get it. Then when he fell asleep in random spots during the day I'd pick him up and put him in the crate. At you little ones age they try n chew everything. It's all about management and supervision. Distract him when he's doing something he's not supposed to. Keep a constant eye on him. When he starts nipping too much stop interacting. We would say "naughty" in a stern voice and put him in the dark bathroom for no more than a minute really. He soon learnt that nipping gets him isolated.
I never thought about isolating in a dark bathroom. I can see how it would work! will definitely try this, as I think he knows the crate is his 'nice place', not so horrible to be isolated in a place you like.
I wouldn't punish him, even by "just" saying he's naughty sternly - if it works, then you're punishing him by doing so, if it doesn't, then it's pointless. He's just being a puppy, with normal puppy exuberance. When younger, my two would always get the zoomies after a walk. You think it's bad in an apartment with one? Try it with two! The best thing to do is to offer a calming distraction. Maybe a good chew that takes him a long time to eat. You say he's not interested in kongs - what have you tried filling them with? Maybe it just wasn't tasty enough. Don't freeze them to start with, that can come later, once he's hooked on them. Try something really smelly, like tinned sardines or tuna. Alternatively you could try popping him on his lead , put a bed by your side and then put your foot on the lead - not so tight that it's pulling on him, but so that he can't go anywhere. This can then become your cue for settle outside, too (and is worth practicing while you're out and about). Just don't expect too much; he's still a baby and shouldn't be asked to do these things for more than a few seconds at a time to start with. Finally, exercise doesn't wear a puppy out anywhere near as effectively as mental stimulation does. All you end up with by increasing the exercise is a fitter dog that can run for longer before getting tired. And, as pointed out, at this stage, it could be bad for his joints. So, maybe think of some training games you can play instead. It only needs to be for a few minutes here and there. There are loads of ideas on the kikopup channel on youtube; some of them are "proper" training and some things just for fun. Hiding a toy somewhere in the room for him to find is great fun, too - I've just started doing a bit of scent work with my two (following the Talking Dogs Scentwork book and DVD) and they absolutely adore it. Good luck, and let us know how you get on.
All puppies have endless energy - it's our job to channel that energy into the right places, play and training ...
I find that Kara (10 weeks) is at her snappiest when she's tired. So I try to remember to put her down for a sleep before the total monster emerges!
My pup is only a little younger than yours, but I've found my days much easier (comparatively speaking) since I've expanded her world from the kitchen to the living room. I can still pop her in the kitchen and close the gate for a minute if she's getting too bitey and the stand/ignore isn't working, but giving her more of the house has really helped. You just have to accept that some of your furniture will be damaged, but that's part and parcel of having a puppy. You have to puppy proof as much as possible (clean surfaces etc), then work on a strong "leave it" cue (there's an article on this on the main site). I tried redirecting with toys when mine was chewing the corners of the coffee table (poor, poor coffee table), but I've found "leave it" much more effective. It (the cue) doesn't last for long, but I'm hoping that if I keep at it she'll give up. Should have just put bumpers on the corners like you do for a baby!
Love your title but I'd change a word in it and change your punctuation as my answer. I'd change your "or" to AND and change the question mark to a period. Puppies have endless energy and they are destructive. Yup, that's normal. Zoomies after a walk are absolutely normal. There is another thread on them currently. http://thelabradorforum.com/threads/puppy-lab-laps-frantic-state-of-mind.15460/#post-236631 Training is a better idea for controlling zoomies than exhaustion. Exhaustion prompts destructive behaviour for one thing, just as an overtired little kid might act out, so might a puppy. Worse, too much exercise at a young age can be damaging to joints. There are several versions of five minute rule you could look up. They do apply to leashed walks though, if your 45 minutes was off leash that's likely ok. Your puppy never gets out of penned crate in your house? Did I get that right? How will he learn to behave in your house then? Yes, you would have to supervise every second when he's out but that's what puppy's are for, to force you to sit and take some time and just watch and enjoy them.
