Normal Lab puppy, all of it I got one of my puppies at 14 weeks, so, no, you didn't get him too late. More time around the other dogs might have actually made him a bit better, believe it or not My latest pup was a real horror for the water bowl thing. She couldn't have access to one, I just had to offer her water at very regular intervals or she'd either tip the bowl or dig it all out. She grew out of it, just as she grew out of everything else, with patience, humour and gin.
Thanks for your words Snowbunny. I am feeling a bit calmer now that I've been able to process this and go through your site, it has been a wonderful help! I feel like the water dish problem may be one of my own making though....He didn't do this until a few weeks back, right around the time I brought him home a little puppy(kiddie) pool, it's as though he thinks his water dish is also something to splash and play in.
I would say it's very normal lab behaviour. So are worse some are better. They are hard pups and do take a lot of work. At 19 weeks he is going to have accidents he is very young still he didn't mean to poop in the shop. I know it feels really bad but it does get better.
My puppy now 7 months does this - embarrassing when we have guests . As forum members said to me 'this will pass' and it does .
I feel like it's 2 steps forward 1 step back. The most obvious problem is his obsession with the one cat and the cat's unwillingness to fight back. We have another cat and Hank knows not to go near her, she taught him a proper lesson. But Kenny just lays there while Hank jumps on him and bites at him? I can't understand why. Anyone ever heard of such a thing? This can not continue, I'm afraid Hank will kill him (accidentally of course)
Hi HanksMama. I feel for you. I really do. And your poor kitty. Our lab Honey is exactly 19 weeks today and I have yet again discovered several broken branches and destroyed plants in my garden just now. She has made me cry a few times I have had her since the age of 8 weeks. I also desperately searched this site for some consolation and guidance I understand how the jumping is also a real issue. She jumped into my son's plate today which was on his lap, whilst he was having a sandwich and she managed to lick the lot in one jump. The agility and reflexesShe did the same to my other son who had a mug of hot coffee in his hands at the time and he spilled the whole lot on himself so it is actually dangerous! Every day with this pup will fill a horror book with stories. I love her but sometimes I really dont like her and thats ok. I know it will change. The weeing etc is also a bit out of hand but I do want to encourage you. It will get better. Week by week you will see the changes in leaps and bounds (pun intended). For sanity sake we have a magic box. Its called a crate. When she gets like this, she is either in the crate (with a nice treat like a filled kong - I have three so I always have a frozen one ready) or she goes outside. This is not a punishment and is not dealt with as such, just time out to get a breather. She also has restricted access to the house (only allowed in the living room where the patio doors lead to the outside) via stairgate (she jumped over the first stairgate so we had to improvise with a higher one). Restricting her access is also very helpful for keeping everyone calm. Try and remove things that are valuable to you. I have tried to build a good relationship with her (even though I was constantly gnashing my teeth) by playing throw and catch and teaching her to let go. I never rip things out of her mouth or chase her. She now lets go of my stuff (shoes etc) on command. Most of the time. Remove the brooms. I lure her with her own toys and I put nice things in her crate to find so she goes in there out of her own. Only started doing this for the past two days, otherwise, I had to lure her with treats or a toy. Have you taken her to have some puppy classes? It really helps so much. They will also be able to offer valuable and practical advice. The jumping I was told to ignore and unless it is dangerous I do or I give her the command to sit (that was the first thing I taught her) and when she sits I reward her. I never pay attention to her when she is overexcited like when I come home after a while out. She has learnt to calm herself and THEN she gets lots of praise and cuddles. It kind of distracts them from their excitement for that moment. I try never ever to get her excited because then they just become silly and unmanageable. The waterthing is a lab thing. Most of them do it! I actually now fill her paddling pool with water to drink as she cant "dig" the water out, however, I caught her weeing in it several times So then I have to refill it all. Remove things that he is able to reach if at all possible (e.g. your ciggies and lighter). Choose your battles by removing things he had already accessed and has found entertaining. He will therefore keep doing it I'm afraid. Walking on a leash I dont even want to talk about at the moment! These doggies seem incredibly bouncy, strong willed, impulsive and enthusiastic about life! I am originally a staffy mama so I thought I had seen it all. Was I ever wrong! However, they are also very loving, eager to please, big babies who are not deliberately trying to annoy you they are just goofballs who need some guidance and training. I am sure he is not rejecting you or unhappy. If anything he is probably having too much fun at your expense Try and keep your kitty away from her. Good luck and let us know how things work out. And make sure to give yourself a break away from him just to put your feet up and have a cuppa.
I absolutely loved reading your story, there are so many similarities that it's very refreshing to have someone that understands and can truly sympathize. I have not taken him to puppy classes yet, those start next Saturday. But we do a lot of training with him at home. He does sit, shake, lay down, all the way and stay. That's about it for now. But we are working on another trick called "my cat", he almost has it down. Crossing fingers it does. He is also crate trained, we have one in our bedroom and a larger one in the living room so he has his own space when we are all gathered. Yesterday he was playing "manic puppy" and I was on the couch, figuring the husband had it under control but nope, out of nowhere he came! He jumped up on me, his giant wet paws landing square on my chest knocking the wind out of me. It was pure reaction to a giant beast pouncing on you, but he went flying into the coffee table, I don't think he will do that again. Disclaimer- He wasn't hurt and I didn't mean to of course, it was just a reaction because I was so startled and I went to defend myself and push him off of me. But there is good news to report- The day after I wrote my first post here, and after reading everyone else's puppy blunders, I had a different attitude. Mind you I was so upset and bawling my face off that when I called my husband and told him to find Hank a new home, he had found him one by the time he got home. I guess my BIL wants him so Charlie has a playmate. My reaction...hell nah. That's my pup. But it's nice to know that if it does become too hard to control that he has a place to go, and the only way that would happen is if he becomes a true danger to the cats, and if I am a good mama, that should not happen. Anyways, things are starting to look up, the hubby took Hank for the rest of that day so I had some time to myself and then that night we went to my cousins and Hank met a new doggy friend. I warned my cousin that Hank was wild and was she sure we could bring him and she said sure, her 4 year old is still crazy. Well, that night changed things for my....my cousin said I was crazy and he was a great dog and extremely well behaved and intelligent for a 19 week old puppy (20 as of yesterday!) and that really helped me see things different. So much in fact that the next day I dared to take him to a restaurant with a dog friendly patio. I was so proud I could have cried. At first he played "hostess" and had to greet everyone that came through the gate, which we sat right next to, but he didn't jump (though I had the leash tightly so that might be why) and he was well received, mostly people approached him and if they didn't show interest in him I just held onto him as he watched them go by. By the end he just laid there silently watching the crowd go by. He was so regal, almost as if he were proud to be a part of such an amazing thing. SO in light of that, I think I'll have to change my avatar so I can remember all of the good inside of Hank. Even if I could name 5 annoying things he has done in the past hour. hehehe
Wow! Well done. You have done amazing and so did Hank. I know that feeling of pride. What a difference a good nights sleep does and a few more days of maturing. We took Honey out yesterday for her first off lead walk in a massive field and she was fab. Her recall, despite other dogs was also wonderul. She was storming towards another person across the field when I called her and she turned straight back and ran towards me! I could not believe my eyes. You know my husband said he has never heard of a support group for staffy owners, only one for lab owners lol! I guess that says it all. Unfortunately Honey took another flying leap into my son's plate this evening and left with a chicken drumstick as her spoil. She did not get to keep it for very long. Im afraid I went ballistic. I simply do not know how to handle her blatant thievery, its akin to armed robbery in my book I guess I shall be asking for advice on this page!I am not even sure a wild wolf would be so brazen. May you have many many more good days and when a bad day arrives, hold onto the good days because they are sure to happen again and much more often.
I was having a really hard time a week ago. Crying every day, feeling suicidal, all because the weight of responsibility of taking care of a dog was too much for me. She's going to be a service dog, I have PTSD, I was aware of the work and commitment that goes into taking care of a puppy but I thought I could handle it. My mental health was rock bottom a week ago though and I actually thought about giving her up. For the record, Juno is NOT a difficult puppy. She is very well behaved, but she is still a puppy and some things just drove me crazy (whining for attention, nibbling, having to wake up early every day). She was very energetic and ran around a lot, which is hard for me to handle, as I have extremely low energy and simply felt like I couldn't give her what she needs. But the last few days things have turned a corner. Juno is fifteen weeks old now and mellowed out practically overnight! She has become a lot more snuggly this past week, not seeming as interested in play as she was, content to just lay down and be next to me. I'm so relieved. She's still a puppy, she still has those little puppy mannerisms and behavior, but she's learning that she will be happiest as long as she just mellows out and hangs out with me. I highly recommend anyone who is struggling with a hyper puppy to do what I have been doing. Do not pet her when she's hyper! Do not give her treats when she's hyper (unless for training purposes)! Do not sweet talk her when she's hyper! Save all of these things for when your puppy is laying down and relaxing. Give lots of pets and random treats -- for example, while they're sleeping, put a treat in front of their mouth so they have one when they wake up. I feel like this helped a lot.
So glad I found this group. I am the exhausted and frustrated mom to a 15 week old yellow lab pup named George. Funny thing, our 10 year old lab is probably as tired as I am, lol! George terrorizes our poor Rocky (the 10 year old) and it's comes to the point where Rocky has stopped standing up for himself and wants us to rescue him. George Bites, really hard! puts everything in his mouth, digs holes in the yard and has this crazy obsession with eating dirt, it's driving me nuts! I dread taking him to the backyard because it's the first thing he goes for. Any ideas on how to get him to stop? Sticks too! I can't tell you how many times I've had to pull sticks out of his mouth and ended up with a bloody finger from chomping piranha teeth. He grabs clothes and takes off with them wanting to be chased which is actually quite comical to watch. He has started a bad habit of jumping on us which I see from the thread is quite common. Potty training is challenging as he is a complete water hog but luckily he sleeps through the night without accidents. As much work as his now we do thoroughly enjoy him. He is quite the goofball and his personality is awesome. Reading your posts has made me see I'm not alone and gives me renewed strength to go on so, thank you!
Hello all, I just got a girl puppy 'Enya' last week. She is 9 weeks old today. I knew she would be a lot of work but did not expect my life to be turned completely upside down We all have fallen in love with her and I am so so glad that I found this forum for support. I am taking her out every 11/2 - 2 hours during the day and a few times in the night. She has not had any accidents in her crate so far but, the moment I let her out to play in the family room, she will pee in a few mins even if I had taken her out just before. What am I doing wrong? Thank you!
Hi, and congratulations on the puppy! I don't think you are doing anything wrong unless the trips outside are too short. She is still a baby with a small bladder and getting used to her new home. Sometimes they can be so stimulated by the environment that they forget to pee when they go out. It took 2 weeks for me to housebreak Spencer and then he would still have accidents occasionally. But he was 3.5 months old when he came to live with us.( Breeder had trained all the puppies to use a litter box). Just be patient, she will get there.
@Rene and @Priya71 when we got Harley I swung between tears and horror. She bit us ALL the time and she was a quiet pup compared to some. I saw my supervisor, a fellow psychologist, and just burst into tears when she asked me how I feel and I sobbed about making a HUGE mistake by getting a puppy. Luckily she is a huge animal lover and incredible therapist...and to be honest I don't think I was her first, or last, "labrador pup" case But it does get better and I wouldn't swop her for anything, I adore her and she is such an important part of our lives. Good luck.
SpencerBoy and HarleyQuinn, thank you for the kind words! I know that is what everyone keeps telling me. I have a long way to go before she mellows down. I have to learn to enjoy the puppyhood before it is all gone
Our Gracie is 6 months old now, and it like she's in her terrible twos...Housebreaking and crate training and chewing seem fine, thank goodness. She used to be a sweetheart, but now... We have blatant disobedience in jumping on furniture, looking at me and laughing (I can see it in her eyes) from on top of the bed. Going from playing nice with our shih tzu to tackling him full force in the yard and dragging him by his tail (he now won't go in yard with her, wants a separate walk for himself in the morning). And she digs. So fast. She seems to know when I'm picking up the poo she has 30 seconds and goes for it. She'll grab something and run. I may not know what it is, but when I see that run, I know she knows she shouldn't have it. And the jumping on people, not us, but guests. This is brand new, and given her increasing size, not good. Everyone looks at me like I'm crazy because I said how great she was and we go to training twice a week... I know it will get better, but I'm tired...when does this phase end???
Hi Laura and welcome to the forum. I can absolutely guarantee your dog isn't laughing at you, nor is she going out of her way to defy you. That's not how dogs work. What they do do is find out things that work to their advantage, and use it. They're smart! I have a nine-month old who is far more of a terror than my last two ever were, but she has me in stitches most of the time, because I can se how her mind works. She's a complete menace when she's bored. That's the prime time for mischief. And, you're right, she does look like she's laughing when she grabs something she hasn't and runs off with it, but it's not because she's laughing at me, it's just because she's inviting me into a game. She knows that grabbing something she shouldn't have means I'll engage with her, one way or another. I (usually*) don't chase after her when she grabs something, because that is the best game ever to most dogs, so makes the problem worse, but I do ask her to give back whatever she has taken and, because this means spending a little time training (I don't just take it, we play a "give and take" game which reinforces that giving something to me is a good thing to do), she is still being rewarded through attention. So, I chalk it up to experience and try not to let her get that bored again. I know the times of day it's most likely to happen, so, if I am smart, I notice her getting "that look" and I either engage her before she tries to engage me (that way, it's on my terms) or, if I am too busy, I just give her a frozen Kong to chew on for fifteen minutes, until I can do a spot of training or take her for a walk. As for jumping up, you need to train a conflicting behaviour, such as "go to mat". Try popping her in a different room or in her crate as your guests enter, with all that kerfuffle, and only let her out once the guests are settled. Another approach is t put her on hr lead and collar and stand on the lead so she can't jump up. But I think, for now, the former is the better approach, as greeting your guests and controlling your dog can be a bit much bother. I don't think you should rely on the phase ending on its own. She's learning all sorts of behaviours and responses at this age, and it's worth spending the time to ensure they're the ones you want her to learn. Must dash, the puppy just woke and is looking for mischief.... * usually: There have been a couple of occasions where I have chased her a few steps, all the while realising that a) it's futile and b) it's completely counter-productive. I don't claim to always be able to maintain my rational head, though
Thanks for this. I just joined the forum as my friend recommended this site. My black lab is 14 weeks. Potty training and separation anxiety is the worst. He cries anytime he can't see someone if he is in his crate. I am almost at my wits ends. We start a training class in two weeks. I left him for two nights with a baby sitter and she said he did not do well. He peed in his crate and didnt signal. She was very frustrated with him although I told her we were still working on house training and he doesn't like to be left alone in his crate. I guess she didn't believe me. He was also around a lot of other dogs and he gets very excited. Im just looking for any help and advice. I feel Thanks for this. I just joined this site. My black lab is 14 weeks old. He is a hand full. The potty training and separation anxiety is the worse. He hates not being able to see anyone when he is in his crate. I left him overnight with a babysitter for the first time and he didn't have do well. She said he peed in the house but I told her we were still house training. I just need some help and reassurance. I feel like im working really hard with training him but im failing miserably.
Hi there Kendra and welcome. I am sorry you are having some issues with your puppy at present. I feel for you with the crate - my puppy (now 21 weeks old) hated the crate so badly that we eventually gave up with it... He just sleeps in his dog bed in the hallway now. Toilet training is one of those things that just take a bit longer with some puppies than others, but believe me they all get there in the end. I'm sure you aren't really failing, you are just finding it a bit hard at the moment. You may find the training class helps you - at least there will be other puppy owners there who will be struggling with the same sort of things as you. Hang in there, things will improve. I'm sure you really love your puppy, and once you get over this difficult stage you'll find yourself with a lovely companion.
Hi all! My name is Patti and this is my first post here. I have 20 week old chocolate lab. Up until about 3 weeks ago, Koda was a text-book perfect dog. Then he became the demons spawn. He's driving us all nuts with his constant barking for attention, mouthing everyone at all times, and flying around the house like a maniac for no reason. I try to exercise him and take him for walks, play catch, toss toss around the room, etc. but it seems like the more we play, the more he wants, and the more hyper he becomes. I have to crate him to get him to rest -otherwise he'd go and go and go for hours and I know at only 4 months old, he can't do that. He needs to rest. He'll be panting and clearly tired, but wont stop and refuses to lay down. It's to the point where I can't sit anywhere if he's not crated. The minute I sit, he barks at me to play. I"m not sure how to stop this. We had a yellow lab before - we lost him in December when he was 12 1/2. He was the laziest dog I've ever met. And we only got him when he was 6 months old so we missed this 4 month old torture. Does it stop? Will he calm down? Will he eventually learn that exercise is supposed to tire him out, not make him more energetic? Because I'm dreading the next 2 months, to be perfectly honest! I have a lot of reading to do here. There's so much information! Thank you for sharing your experiences. Some of you sound like you have a little maniac dog just like me and that does make me feel better!
Thanks for the tips, will keep on working at it. Yes, I can see the 'chase' being a game. Yes, boredom is definitely part of the issue, and we do use lots of treat toys and puzzles. We've also been practicing knocking at the door and entering, hoping to continue to get the right behaviors. Thanks for letting me join the forum, looking forward to sharing and learning
