Hello from 2 year old Molly and me. I replied to you last week but being a computer klutz I managed to loose the post in the process of editing it and didn't, realise till today. So here goes...... I was 66 and my husband 73 when we took on Molly just about 2 years ago. There were times that I thought I'd made a massive mistake and had ruined our retirement. I had lost my previous terrier of 13 years six months previously. Adapting from a smallish quiet old lady to a large bouncy young dog is difficult at the best of times. Labs are big dogs and what was barley noticeable in a small dog (like pulling on the lead) is a major problem with a larger dog. I had only ever seen older quiet dignified Labradors and when she rapidly changed from a little and cute bundle of fluff to a non stop and large ball of energy it came as a massive shock. I swear people hide them between cute puppyhood and maturity Right now you are dealing with an adolescent dog. Which is hell on 4 paws. Mollly would suddenly jump up and paw at me. No fun at all when I was wearing shorts and a singlet in the summer I was covered in scratches. She would also decided to grab my wrist and she bruised it many times. I never thought it was aggression on her part, just an outburst of energy with nowhere to go. I never found out what triggered them, though I think they were more frequent if she were tired. I longed for the winter to come so I could wear trousers and coats to protect myself and I could walk my nut job of a dog under the cover of darkness. I was so embarrassed by my inability to control my dog. There was no point in shouting, yelling or reacting in any way. She was completely beyond it. I used to cling on to fence posts and lamp posts while my dog flailed around me on the end of the lead. Any reaction would merely have escalated matters. I am only 5 foot 2 inches tall and weigh just over 112 pounds I took quite a battering. I will not lie to you, this will go on for some time to come, it may even get worse before it gets better. I remember one awful day who she was about 10 months old when it happened 5 times in about 200 yards. I was walking along a broad path by a busy road and just had to hang on for dear life. And that was the last time it happened. I have visiting Grand children ( currently 4 years and 18 months) for a very long time I have had to keep them apart. Molly means no harm but a large enthusiastically tail wagging can knock a little one flying, whether it is intentional or not is immaterial. I have worked hard at getting them to a point where they can interact. I found a house line most useful in controlling the situation. I taught Molly not to snatch food. She takes it very carefully from an outstretched hand ( and provokes laughter when her whiskers tickle). I taught my four year old Grand daughter basic commands and hand signals for 'Sit', 'Wait' and 'Give Paw', these are rock solid in Molly and can keep her bum on the ground. Today I caught the 18 month old giving Molly the 'Wait' signal. There were times that I longed to give up and put Molly into rescue. But I felt that it was my fault that I had got the wrong breed and I didn't want to send her to rescue with all that implied about the dog when it was my mistake. She is a boisterious beast and always will be. But I am glad that I persevered as I now love her warts and all Though I am still not crazy about all the hair, mud..............
Thank you so much Tina for sharing your experience & adventures w/Molly with me. So much of it sounds like what is going on w/me & Leo. I'm trying so hard but I feel like I'm not getting anything right w/him. I feel like I'm failing him & honestly, like I'm just a failure. I agree that you don't notice things as much w/the smaller dogs. My little dogs never dug holes, never bothered w/the plants in my garden, couldn't counter surf, could be scooped up & put in another room if they weren't nice to company. Leo has eaten my last blueberry bush, we had 2 20 yr old sago palms we spent an entire weekend digging up because he was so attracted to them but we knew they were lethal, he goes counter surfing, steals & chews my mail. He did that this evening & I had a difficult time getting it away from him. Once I managed to get the mail away from him as soon as I turned my back he snatched the tv remote & ran w/it. I had accidentally left it on the living room chair while I was trying to get the mail away from him. I was concerned b/c the hair on his back was raised, his tail was high, & he was growling. I know those are signs of dominant behavior not just an overly excited or overly tired adolescent puppy. I did manage to get the remote too. He had jumped on the couch w/it & everytime he tried to get down or away from me I stood in front of him & blocked him. He eventually gave it up. That probably wasn't the proper way to handle it but although he knows the drop command when we're playing fetch it didn't work for this situation. So now I'm feeling like maybe I haven't shown him that he's not the one in charge here. That maybe he has it in his mind that I'm a pushover. And I'm no longer thinking that he may not be the right dog for us but maybe that we're the wrong people for him. That's what my thoughts are at the moment b/c today was a rough day w/him but it seems that every new day brings a new resolve to do better. I was diagnosed w/breast cancer 3 years ago. I thought that was the biggest challenge & toughest battle of my life...that is until Leo came along...LOL!!!
Thank you Karen. You have some valid points there. Today's walk didn't go so well. One of my neighbors was out walking his sheltie. Leo has met them both out on walks w/my husband & loves them both. As soon as he saw them across the street he wanted to make a beeline over there to say hello. I wanted him to settle down a bit & was going to let him say hello but he just wouldn't calm down. That was pretty much it. I couldn't do much w/him after that. I had brought one of his favorite toys along w/us but he had no interest in it. And, as I was telling Tina in my other post, he snatched up mail & the tv remote today & I had a difficult time getting him to turn them loose. He can be very possessive which could cause a problem if someone or another dog were to approach. Thank you for the welcome Snowbunny, Willow, & Shadow
Oh I remember the depressed, beaten feeling so well. You are busting a gut, pouring everything into this dog and nothing is going right. You feel like a total FAILURE and as mature adults it is a feeling we don't like. Leo is still a pup, of course HE isn't getting it right all the time. Training a dog is not an instant thing. It requires repetition, repetition, repetition until you are bored witless. Worst of all, you don't recognise your successes, just your failures. There is a plethora of dog programmes and videos around demonstrating "How to train your dog in 30 minutes". How come THEY can subdue and train a dog in 30 minutes and you can't. The answer is they can't, they don't video their many failures. You are doing it in real time which is a totally different thing. My trainer said to me (with a huge grin on his face) "This is the time of adult body with a puppy brain". Put like that, you can see the problem. Do you use a crate or somewhere you can put his to calm down. I found one invaluable for when she was playing up and for the times when frankly I'd just had enough and wanted a few minutes peaces from the ****** monster. Do you have any interactive toys like Buster Cubes, Treat Balls etc. Make the little devil work for his food, and it gives you a break from the constant vigilance that is needed to protect your property from his onslaught. Best of all FROZEN KONGS. They are a bit of a chore to prepare, but they will buy you quite a long period of peace. When Molly was Leo's age I had about seven on the go. Your battle with Breast Cancer definitely tops puppyhood disaster and you have the right to expect tranquil seas and plain sailing after that. It is quite in order to come here for a rant and I, for one totally understand it if you say you simply don't like Leo. What's to like with this enormous hairy creature crashing around and ruining your life. I used to say to myself "Eyes on the Prize" and believe me I had to say it a lot, but we have come through.
Good Morning!! Well had 2 extremely good days w/Leo. Tuesday walks went very well. My brother came to visit & met Leo for the 1st time. That went very well. Yesterday we had some nasty weather come through so we were pretty much housebound but found other ways to keep him occupied...hide & seek, mini training sessions, stuffed kongs, etc. Could hardly believe he was the same dog. This morning not off to a very good start. Let him in the yard to do what I refer to as "his reading the morning paper"...lol. We have a fairly large yard & he sniffs/explores every inch, nook, & cranny of it to make sure everything is in order then we usually get on w/our games. Found a hole filled w/water from yesterday's weather & started digging away. Ended up covered in wet black mud. Got a case of the zoomies & raced around the yard several times then !!!BOOM!!!...attacked me. Started jumping on me growling, grabbed hold of my arm & wouldn't let go, ripped my jacket (had to throw it away). Didn't lose my cool but IS now in a time out in his crate as I sit here covered in mud, writing this, & nursing my wounds. I don't blame him. Guess he was just so excited to be outside after being cooped up in the house yesterday. I even told myself to expect something like this after having 2 great days w/him. As they say..."Rome wasn't built in a day (or 2)", right? Lol.
Nope, Rome wasn't built in a day, for sure! One of the things I found helpful with my dog is Molly's tip - make him work for every bit of kibble he gets. Either in a game, in training, in a kong or similar. Just wear that furry little mind out with things to do.....
Too true. Wear the little darling out. Why should he get his food for nothing. I scatter handfuls of kibble in the grass, very popular with husband and dog. Husband because it works best if the grass is a little long, less mowing for him. Hang on to Leo and send your nephew to hide kibble round the house then release Leo with a "Go Find". Eventually you will reach the stage where you can get him to sit and wait for his treasure trail to be laid out. This will teach him self control. Sounds a bit pompous for a dog, but is a necessary skill. Glad you are feeling more positive. It is when you think that you are the only person on the planet with a nutty labrador that it gets you down.
Hi and a warm welcome to the forum from me and my 11 month old choccie lab. You have been given loads of fabulous advice I don't really have anything to add. The one thing I would say is make sure Santa puts The Labrador Handbook in your Christmas stocking you'll find it a massive help plus a good read too. X
I do make him work for his food. Don't even use his food bowl. He's had a Buster cube almost immediately after we got him. One of his favorite things is finding his treats in the yard. I will hide them all over the yard & tell him "go find it" & he loves it. Another one of his favorite games is I'll throw a ball on the roof of the house & let it roll off so he can catch it. I also attached a rope to one of the branches on the tree in my yard w/a rope toy attached to it so he can play tug of war w/the tree. So he has a variety of outdoor activities to help drain some of that excess energy in addition to walks & training.
I also make him lie down & wait before giving him his cube. He always does it although begrudgingly. He lets out this long sigh like "Ok, I'll do it but I really don't want to"...lol.
Sorry if this has been asked before, but are you in the US? Does Leo get to be off lead anywhere except your own yard, or is that not possible for you?
Yes JulieT, in the US. I live in a subdivision in a small town. And yes, he's only off lead in the yard as of yet. There are a couple of small parks & there's an area called the Spillway where he would have lots of room to run. I know I need to take him places like that but just haven't been able to muster up the courage yet to take him on my own. Guess you could say I have a terrible case of the "what ifs"? What if he's not ready? What if I haven't trained him well enough? What if he runs away & I can't get him to come back? Come to think of it, pretty much all the same "what ifs" I had when my kids were growing up...lol. I also know the best cure for a terrible case of the "what ifs" is to take a leap of faith. I'd rather take that 1st leap of faith w/backup though. I keep telling my husband "WE" need to take him somewhere on weekends where he can just run but w/my husband as w/Leo, that's easier said than done. As I said in my very 1st post, my husband & 15 yr old grandson insisted we had to have a Lab as our next dog. The reason I hesitated to agree to it at 1st was b/c I knew the majority of the responsibility was going to be dumped in my lap & that I would basically be in this by myself. I've been the one who did all the research/reading trying to educate myself as well as them, the one who tries to find things to keep Leo occupied & as content as he possibly can be, I'm also the one who does all the nagging that we all have to be on the same page where Leo is concerned. Now that my husband knows all what it entails to own a lab, he admits he didn't take any of that into consideration. His only thought was that I needed a big dog to protect me while I was at home by myself during the day. The grandson, well, as much as he insisted he wanted a lab I think we should have just gotten him an enormous stuffed dog for as much time as he spends w/Leo...lol.
Ah, I do understand, it's tough. But hang in there, it really will get better. They do calm down, and get more sensible. It would help though if your dog could have some time off lead outside your own yard. I suppose he is not meeting other dogs very much? So, from his point of view, he is growing up and all the things that growing up dogs want to do - explore, sniff, meet other dogs - etc. are things that aren't in his life. It's probably quite frustrating for him, even if he doesn't know why. I don't think though you should take him to a wide open space and just let him off his lead. You would have to build up to that gradually - it really is unlikely that any recall you have taught him in your garden would just work outside the garden. But still, it is a worthwhile thing to build up to being able to do. Is there a half way house at all? Somewhere that is fenced for example? A dog park perhaps?
No dog parks in my town...yet anyway. They're supposed to be building one but I have no idea when that's going to take place. On his walks in the neighborhood he gets to meet the neighbors & actually has a few favorites. He's met a few of the neighborhood dogs. A sheltie named Corky, a little female lab mix named Bella. He's played w/them a few times but I know he needs more than that. One of our neighbors actually has a female chocolate lab a month or 2 younger than Leo. Have thought about & would love to set up playdates between her & Leo. They both work & leave her in their backyard alone all day long. Actually I think she's strictly an outside dog. I'm not sure if she even gets out for walks. I'm not being critical as I know their circumstances are different from mine. Haven't asked them b/c I know they both work & we're not really "close" neighbors but more just aquaintences.
Play dates for dogs are great - go on, ask your neighbours. They might be thinking the same as you "don't want to ask....". Getting your dog out to do new stuff really helps. New things stimulate their minds, and this tires them out. You'd need to start with Leo on a longer lead in order to practice your recall outside, and keep him close and entertained in a game with you, and then make the lead longer, then you drop it so it's trailing (and you can get hold of it quickly) and so on. But, it really is best to do this with someone who has experience - particularly with a big, strong dog. Are there any other owners around who seem to be doing a lot of dog training that perhaps could give you a hand?
"So, from his point of view, he is growing up and all the things that growing up dogs want to do - explore, sniff, meet other dogs - etc. are things that aren't in his life. It's probably quite frustrating for him, even if he doesn't know why." I understand what you mean by this. Our daughter had our little grandson 15 years after she had our granddaughter so it's almost as though he's an only child. He just made 4 years old & has never attended daycare. He's mainly been w/adults (his parents & senior citizen grandparents) & not much around children his own age. When I used to watch him for my daughter whenever we played together it always had to be on his terms & he liked to play rough too. I would have to get up & walk away from him just like I have to do w/Leo. It was like having a 2 legged Leo...lol. He gets so excited when he does get to play w/other children.
