I have a 5 year old male lab who I've had since a puppy and he knows the basic commands etc, my major issue is he gets so excited when he sees other people or dogs and now he is a grown dog (and he is a very big boned male) I can't hold him. He doesn't listen to me when he gets like this - it's like he goes deaf! I want to take him on walks with my young children, but I can't as I can't control him. I tried puppy classes when he was little and they just didn't work, and one to one I tried with a gun dog trainer wasn't great as he advocated the use of a training collar with metal digging in which I didn't agree with. So consquently I tried to train him at home but wasn't supported by my partner who falls for thsoe big lab eyes, so there was no consistancy. I don't want him on the sofa, I want to be able to take him on nice walks around other people with my young children and I would really like him to be better behaved. So now I have a lovely natured, but extremely boisterous lab who knocks my toddlers over, jumps up at people and basically does what he wants and takes food at any opportunity! He just loves everybody and wants them know! I really want to get control again as I feel my partner treats him like a child and he is a dog who needs firm boundaries, but obviously lots of love too! He was socialised as a puppy so it's not that. But have we left it too late now at 5? Are there any approaches which work best for an adult dog? Thanks for any advice.
Re: Can a 5 year old lab be trained? Oh my goodness me Louis, a very warm welcome to the forum. please don't take me wrong but I've had a smile on my face reading most of your post ( not the bit about the prong collar ,well done coming away from that ) but the whole joie de vivre of your boisterous lab......I have a feisty 2 year old so I feel your pain....they are really strong dogs and can wreak carnage not knowing their own strength....at 2 we are still a work in progress.....I can't answer your question definitively but I don't see why you can't help a 5 year old to learn his manners...he's still a relatively young dog..ll In my opinion and experience ,puppy obedience classes don't work for puppy's ;D don't get me wrong,I think if you find the right one with a good trainer they are massively valuable ....but for a young lab pup I think that they are more about socialization than any kind of obedience steadiness ....it's just tooooooooo exciting.they helped me though as a novice to learn techniques to take things away to work on at home and then I went back to a second round of classes when our dog was about 8 months old to practice around the distractions of other dogs ......this could be something to consider....maybe speak to trainers in your area and see if you can join in....I thought we would be the oldest at 8 months but there were 2 year old dogs there. I am the principal task master in our house...my Husband loves Dexter to bits but in the past hasn't always been on board with training and discipline......we've had a few bumps along our way with different issues so we now agree on consistency .......it can be confusing otherwise...for everyone. Have you managed to look on the main site and read some of Pippas training articles...there is a wealth of information there .... I might be wrong as I'm only going on my experience with one dog but you sound like you have an adult dog with puppy behaviours,certainly the jumping up....things might take longer with your dog being older but the forum can help you with advice . More experience will come along but you've come to the right place,there's lots of help available from very experienced lab owners x
Re: Can a 5 year old lab be trained? Thanks for the reply! Yes he is definitely a big puppy, in fact most people can't believe he is 5 he is so bouncy! I can't hold him on the lead now, if he pulls I go with him and I've had some embarrassing incidents being pulled along whilst my dog wags his tail and we happily crash into fellow dog owners and I can't do a thing about it. He is so soft and he also seems to attract male dogs who just want to attack him as he is so submissive. He just wants to love the world, but a huge dog running towards you isn't everyone's cup of tea and some people can be afraid (although no need he'd lick you to death first!). I had a look at the website and found all the info a bit overwhelming as he seems to fit so many of the categories. He isn't naughty though, just not trained properly and as owners I must take responsibilty for that. Thanks for the resassurance though that I'm not alone. Consistancy is hard. I ask family not to feed him - they don't listen. I ask people to ignore him if he jumps up - they don't listen (I get oh it's Ok I like dogs and I don't mind. I just want to say no it is not OK for him to jump up!!). I also find it hard to be firm, without shouting and I have two toddlers and I don't want them seeing me shouting but I'm not sure what firm without shouting means? Anyway thanks again!
Re: Can a 5 year old lab be trained? Hello, a very warm welcome! I was interested in this question - is it harder to train an older dog? And explored it a little time ago. The reason I asked is because at 18 months, my dog was starting to be called "an older dog". He missed out on a lot of training as he was injured, and although we were doing fine at 8 months, at 16 months we were way behind and I was a bit shocked to hear "well, with an older dog....". The good news is that the answers I got were along the lines that it is doubtful that it is inherently harder to train an older dog, but the longer the undesirable behaviour has persisted, the harder work it is to change bad habits. I do not think you should be deterred. It is perfectly possible to train an older dog, there are masses of people who take on difficult rescue dogs with seriously bad behaviour problems and turn them around. Not without tears, but they do it. I have a few thoughts on your problems... [quote author=louis link=topic=7885.msg110697#msg110697 date=1411066699] I can't hold him on the lead now, if he pulls I go with him we happily crash into fellow dog owners and I can't do a thing about it. [/quote] Well, you are training him. You are training him to pull. And if you crashed into me, you might be happy but I'm not sure I would always see the funny side of it... If he pulls, you follow. You have to stop that. If it's so bad you can't physically hold him, you might have to resort to a harness - although you'll have to research whether there is a long term solution in this. Perhaps a mix of short training when you'll have to stand still, and a harness to prevent the behaviour. [quote author=louis link=topic=7885.msg110697#msg110697 date=1411066699] I had a look at the website and found all the info a bit overwhelming as he seems to fit so many of the categories. [/quote] I'm not sure you should be looking for a category. It just sounds like you need to work out how to train your dog. How about some 121 lessons with a trainer to give you some pointers and get you started? [quote author=louis link=topic=7885.msg110697#msg110697 date=1411066699] I'm not sure what firm without shouting means? [/quote] Perhaps you could try a few books? Clicker training is good and there are loads of good clicker training dog books available. You could try Pippa's Total Recall - although it's about recall, it also has a good introduction to basic training methods. Otherwise, I can recommend Kay Lawrence's "Clicker Revolution" and "Learning Games" and "Perfect Foundation" as good books to get you started.
Re: Can a 5 year old lab be trained? Being firm doesn't mean shouting Welcome by the way. Being firm is giving a command and seeing it through, for example, if I say heel to my dog and he is eager to go out and walks forward and pulls, I just either return to the door, or stand still until he returns to heel, no shouting, no pulling. A good way to discourage people who say 'oh I don't mind if he jumps up' say "I am afraid he has mange, so I should not touch him" ;D I am sure you will be able to train him, even despite the rest of the family, you can always train him so that when he is with you he is perfect. Little and often is the secret and a calm frame of mind. Pretend he is one of your children and give him bounderies that you give your children!
Re: Can a 5 year old lab be trained? Hi, he does sound like a typical teenage lab. I guess he has sort of never grown up. Labs are bright though and I do think if you go back to basics and be consistent you will get there. I am sure you would benefit from some support either classes or 1:1. As you say he is not naughty he just needs to be taught. That requires patience and commitment from you and your partner. There are loads of classes about for older dogs that need life skills. You just need to find one that suits. You also don't need to shout to train your dog there are many ways to change behaviour without resorting to shouting. I think you just need to go back to basics, treat him as a big puppy and start from scratch and get some support from a trainer. He sounds a delight and am sure will get there in the end. Good luck.
Re: Can a 5 year old lab be trained? Hi there, welcome to the forum! Lilly is 4 years old and my first dog, so I don't have a huge amount of experience. My best tip is to consolidate your position, have a "family conference" and discuss your worries and concerns and aspirations. I think your best approach is going to come through consistency. Everyone needs to be on board for that. I think it is so important. If you think that part it is going to be a struggle, you need to think carefully about how best to manipulate your OH into believing they are making the decision about this. Develop a plan and stick to it, even in the face of those big brown eyes. Prioritise what is most important, and break it down into bits. Then if you need help with tackling each step, then just shout! jac
Re: Can a 5 year old lab be trained? I would nightly recommend doing clicker training with your boy. We acquired our dog when he was a year old, he came with many bad habits and he had completely learned to ignore a "no" or other verbal commands (other than sit). I had never done clicker training before, but I have quickly become a convert. It gives you a whole new way to communicate with your dog, and it really works. Look at the main site, there are articles there on how to start. Then I would pick the two or three most annoying or dangerous behaviours and start to work on those. Don't be afraid to come back and ask more questions, we are here to help!
Re: Can a 5 year old lab be trained? [quote author=drjs@5 link=topic=7885.msg110768#msg110768 date=1411080407]... you need to think carefully about how best to manipulate your OH into believing they are making the decision about this ...[/quote] Do you mean to say that all these years of me making decisions they had actually already been made for me? Surely not?
Re: Can a 5 year old lab be trained? Hi, welcome from us, Hattie 7 years and Charlie 3 years. I totally agree with Jac everyone must be on board or you can't succeed. My children are much older than yours, but even so I had to train them as much as Charlie : and now I have cooperation and Charlie has learned to take instructions from all of us. I found breaking down my list into 3 achievable tasks at a time worked rather than a long list that seemed unachievable. I think you can train a 5 yeard old out of bad habits but you must be consistent as this is the key. Charlie was a complete hooligan when he came to us from the rescue centre at 9 months, and an absconder to boot, but now I am happy to say his is a good boy with excellent manners but that has taken 3 years of solid training and it's still ongoing Everyone is behind you and here to help in any way we can. You can do it!! xx
Re: Can a 5 year old lab be trained? [quote author=UncleBob link=topic=7885.msg110812#msg110812 date=1411110086] [quote author=drjs@5 link=topic=7885.msg110768#msg110768 date=1411080407]... you need to think carefully about how best to manipulate your OH into believing they are making the decision about this ...[/quote] Do you mean to say that all these years of me making decisions they had actually already been made for me? Surely not? [/quote] No, no not at UB. You were completely in control the whoooooole time ;D And louis I don't doubt that a five year old can be trained but I agree with Jac some level of consistency is needed so the dog knows what is and isn't expected of him. Good luck, looking forward to hearing how you get on
Re: Can a 5 year old lab be trained? Thank you to everyone for such helpful comments. I'll take them on board and persevere. I must say that I am petite, so I definitely can't physically hold him as he is a HUGE dog. I should have known, those big paws as a puppy were a give away! Still I wouldn't swap him! I've been practicing making him sit at the top of the stairs when I go down with the children, then giving him permission to come down once everyone is safe and so far so good, so there is hope! (I'm stopping with my Mum, usually he isn't allowed upstairs!). Anyway thanks again!
Re: Can a 5 year old lab be trained? i have similar problems as you with my lab 15months now and does the same runs up to everyone out on walks she is very strong on the lead and i am 5ft1 so find it very hard to hold her
