Hi everyone, I'm in desperate need of advice and help regarding my 1yr old male black lab. He is very snappy and can't be smoothed or greeted without trying to bite or nip people. I was told he would grow out of this and was mainly doing it due to teething etc but after just turning one he is still doing it. He is very hard to control when greeting new people even though we have tried to teach him not to jump up, I am covered in scratches and bruises from him. I have a glove type brush and attempt to brush him every day but always get chewed and scratched to the point of tears. I have tried offering treat concealed in my hand to get him to sit but he repeatedly jumps and bites at my hand to get the treat. When I shout 'No' and tell home to sit etc he gets nasty and growls, jumps at me snapping. He is a very large dog and I'm finding it increasingly hard to cope with him. He is a pure lab (or so his papers say) but vets and people have commented that he looks like a mix. Could this effect his temperament? Any advice would be great, thanks for reading x
What type of training are you doing with him? Have you taken him to a group obedience class? Are you able to spend quality time with him? And it could be that he is picking up on your anxiety when working with him. If you feel anxious or unsure maybe this affects his behavior.
Hi , please don't take this the wrong way, but if you shout at him, he will react . I know its hard when they seem to be unresponsive , but he will definitely act accordingly when he senses your frustrations . Could I suggest you buy Pippa`s book , The Labrador Handbook ? Sometimes, we all need a little help and I`m sure you will find help and guidance in the book as many others have done . Labradors are sensitive dogs , and also very clever dogs , most thrive on training , which in turn tends to calm them and make them far happier dogs ! Welcome to the forum by the way , you will find lots of sticky articles to help you along the way , and in answer to your last question , Labs come in many shapes and sizes , but even if he is a mix , the training exercises will help enormously to channel his energy !
Hi Marie@cornwall I'm not an experienced lab owner although I have had other breeds through my life, Cassie, now 15 months, is my first Labrador. She is beautiful and a delight but has been challenging at times, which you will see on my other threads. I agree with @kateincornwall that the Labrador handbook is very helpful, and also the main site. There are exercises you can do to help them get used to being touched etc., and training which means they have to use their brain which they love to do.
The main thing that will help is training alternative behaviours and being consistent. My girls doesn't like being brushed, but after lots of desensitisation she now let's me. I started by getting a family member to give her treats after every stroke of the brush. I can know do 3 strokes then I give her a treat. Jumping - whenever we greeted new people I would put her lead on and stand on it, allowing her to sit comfortably but not able to jump. I encouraged her to get a toy when someone new comes to our house as it keeps her busy trying to get them to chase her. I highly recommend the Labrador Handbook and also looking into obedience lessons or something fun like agility or gun dog training as it will help tire his mind and give him focus.
Hi @Marie@cornwall can I ask who told you that your puppy would grow out of the biting and nipping? Not all puppy biting is due to teething or lack of bite inhibition sometimes it is actually a puppy saying it doesn't like something in the only way it can if other signals are missed. From your post it soubds as if your dog snaps/bites at any touch to his body whether a stroke or for grooming and without physically seeing what he's doing it certainly sounds like he is telling you he doesn't like it in the only way he knows and there is a risk that the level of bite will increase if action isn't taken. Although there are articles on the internet that can help your first step, in my opinion, should be a full assessment with a behaviourist who uses positive reward based methods. The behaviourist working with you and your dog will produce a rehabilatation plan to overcome the body touch/biting issues, the jumping, the snatching of treats etc.
I'm sure it's a pretty difficult set of behaviours to deal with and I can definitely understand you being near tears at times. I agree with the above recommendation to seek the help of a behaviourist here, and definitely only one that uses reward based training (ie using food and nice things the dog enjoys). The behaviour is part of an interaction that involves you and your dog equally, and it would be really valuable and important to get help from someone who can watch you both interact and then teach you strategies and skills that can be used to resolve this problem that is having such a big impact on your life. Dogs just do what works for them and, for whatever reason, this behaviour is working for and makes sense to your dog. Part of solving this problem will be identifying what it is that he's getting out of it (fun? attention? relief from something he does not like?) and showing him a better way to get what he needs...and showing you a different and better way to provide it. I'm confident that there is a solution and that you can fix this with some skilled, kind and knowledge professional help.
