I have a beautiful 10mth choc lab, he is friendly, knows every trick you can imagine and was a fantastic pup to train. He was well socialized as a pup and has consistently been socialized, he has regular interaction with my partners parents black lab and we live right next to dog walkers central - its a huge field with bridle ways. He is walked twice a day, is patient at feeding times and is perfection in the house, he is crate trained and now I have a job which allows me to bring him to work, he has the life of luxury! We are now experiencing issues that we hadn't before, he is a heavy working stamp (not overweight at all) just well formed and muscly - but he has started to pull on walks, I have hyper-mobility and it doesn't take much for my ankles to dislocate, when he pulls he is strong! I am becoming weary when walking him in case I get injured! We have tried him on a normal collar, harness, half check collar and now he is walked on a slip lead. When we correct him by getting his attention, sometimes making him sit before proceeding with the walk, he will stop pulling for a short amount of time but then starts again, it is requiring constant correction. He has also become a nightmare off the lead! His recall was perfect, but it is taking longer and longer to get his attention and when he sees another dog that's it! I am always armed with treats or noisy toy whilst walking him, he is just becoming fixated and blanks us out. He has also started JUMPING UP! I absolutely hate it, he was trained to sit when greeting people. He has not been neutered - I have done vast amounts of research and also on vet advice decided that if they come off, he will be at least 18mth old. I keep getting told that if he gets done he will calm down, but I know to much about how getting them off before he is developed can contribute to early onset of hip dysplasia. The reason for this long winded request for help, is because I wanted to make you aware that we are experienced dog owners and know the breed, we have done alot of research before getting him and believe we give him the best we can! TODAY he ran out of the garden (before I had a chance to close the gate) jumped up at a woman and when she went to grab him for me he pulled her over and she hurt her knee!! For him to continue coming to work with me we need to address these issues, I was extremely embarrassed and shocked by the way he went on today. Is it hormonal? Is there something I am doing wrong?!
Welcome to you. I would buy ‘Total Recall’ and start working straight away on the last chapter which deals with lost recall. I did this to the letter with Bruce (I got him at 10 months old and he had no recall at all, his recall is now 100%). The over-excitement is very normal at this age but some are far worse than others. Mollie was a total shock and nightmare at 8 months. We’ve had lots of dogs but she was of another league! She’s about to qualify as a Guide Dog now This thread is very useful - https://www.thelabradorsite.com/excited-puppy/. I went back to it often with Mollie. .
Thank you so much! I will certainly look for the Total Recall book! I thought it may just be an age thing, he can get extremely excited! He is big, strong and heavy so I definitely need some tips on harnessing that energy! Mollie has given me hope Thanks for the advice - I'll take a look at that link now.
They do seem to go through a teenage faze. Rory wasn't particularly terrible but I do remember thinking why did I do all that training.some boys do seem to get a bit silly when the testosterone peaks as they develop. They do calm down again when everything evens out Rory became a lot more stable when he got to 15 to 18. Months he's still not neutered at nearly 5. I just kept training and he gained confidence and is now a calm boy. Practising loose leading walking helped and so did changing direction or turning in a circle when he pulled. I use a harness with a back fastening d and a chest d so I can attach a lead to both when he pulls it helps to turn him. I have some physical problems so this does help.
Just while you train a loose lead walk I would try a front fastening harness too. Don’t neglect the training ‘tho or come to rely on the harness, but it’s a good idea while you get it sorted imo
It's spring too and that seems to be a season for silliness. Lots of exciting smells that are very distracting.
Thank you! I will give the harness another go, it has the option to attach the lead to the front.. I'll try anything! When he caused that lady to hurt herself today I was mortified, his brain just turned to scrambled egg and he started the zoomies in the street when she let go of him as she fell! It was a disaster! ~It was definitely a moment where I wanted the ground to swallow us.
It might be worth just walking up and down the street until he can do this without pulling. Then walk a bit further each time. It took me about 3 months to be able to walk to the local shop and back, but so worth it. Remember to reward him for walking nicely. I had to go back to basics with my girl as I never persisted with it before. I have spinal injuries so ouldnt have her pulling me. Consistency is key. He has hit adolescence and sometimes they need to go back to basics. Good luck
Expect erratic behavior between now and age 2. A mental and personality transformation occurred for the better when my boy reached the two hump. So the next year will be a challenge. re: pulling -- you must teach him the heal command. My method involved my stopping and giving the "backup" command then when in position saying "heal" as I take a step. I had to repeat this repeatedly. You must work on this every time you walk him. BTW no food was used to reinforce this good behavior. Praise and holding a tennis ball was all I needed. Good luck.
All you need is a reward . Remember, it shouldn't be a bribe. It's OK to bribe/lure initially, but fade that very quickly. If I used a ball in my hand that would probably send Coco crazy. I can produce one from a pocket as a reward, I'd have to throw it for him though. But holding a ball? I daren't even contemplate the mayhem.
