We are just back from 12 days away during which we left our 6 month old Jessie with my mother in law. She is an experienced dog owner of golden retrievers and labs, but hasn't had a puppy for a very long time and clearly struggled with having Jessie who is very high energy and does pull towards other dogs and people dreadfully. My mother in law made me feel like i have a badly trained delinquent. But at 6 months old, surely this is normal puppy behaviour? I socialised her loads as a smaller puppy, but her desire to get to people and other dogs is still very very strong. We regularly go to classes and our trainer tells me I need to get the focus on me, rather than letting her interact with bad manners with other people and dogs which I work on everyday and before we went on hols, I felt was going great! My mother in law said i need to let her interact more? Her recall is great apart from away from other dogs. And she can walk on a loose lead beautifully if given enough treats! But I've just seen this as a work in progress at 6 months. Am I wrong to think this or do I need to take more drastic action? To top it off my father in law apparently tried to teach her to walk at heal by hitting her on the nose with a stick which surprise, surprise didn't work and has left me feeling quite annoyed and sad. I have jet lag and had some sad family news on my return, so possibly feel over emotional about it all, but could just do with some advice!
So sorry you are so upset. It sound like you have worked hard with your pup and she sounds very normal for a pup. I think i'd feel very emotional if i found out theat someone who i trusted had been abusing my pup whilst I was away. get some rest and think about what you have achieved already, don't loose heart it just takes time with pups. The trainings there they just don't seem to be able to access it until they are older. She sounds a lovely pup and walking well on a loose lead is very good for a 6 month old. hugs from us all
Sorry to hear that you're feeling down about all this. Your doggie sounds totally normal to me - I think that one of the biggest challenges us Labrador owners face is the huge desire our dogs have to say hello to everyone and everything My dog Obi is just like that. He especially wants to run over to other dogs, and his natural response is to bark if he doesn't get to do this. I have used the same kind of approach that your trainer has recommended to you, which is to not allow interaction on lead or, if off lead, if I don't think the other dog is safe for my dog to say hi to (in this case we go on lead and move away). Instead I get my dog to focus on me (or look at the other dog then look at me). This has worked really well with my dog and he's improved a lot. I know for sure that if I let him go up to any dog he wanted he'd just be dragging me over to other dogs all the time and barking his head off like a nutcase So J think you've been doing exactly the right thing and I would keep doing it. As you said, it just takes time (months) and there are no quick results. But your approach will get you there in time It is sad that your father in law hit your dog on the nose, and you have every right to be mad about that. I'm sure your dog is ok though (but no doubt thinks a lot less of your father in law now...). It's not your fault that this happened, you weren't able to predict that he'd do that to your dog. It's good that you found out because now you can avoid leaving your dog with them. Take heart, things will be ok, and now that you're back home you can just keep going with what was working for you before It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job. Sorry to hear that you have had some sad family news. Take care.
I don't think you should worry too much, this age is hard!! Mole is the same age as Jessie and I have been constantly training like you! He is also a very high energy lab compared to my last one. I think this age is the beginnings of teenage years anyway so I would keep doing what you're doing. I noticed Mole was getting harder to recall on walks as other dogs were more interesting and I only had boring treats with me. I started taking chicken again on my walks (which I used when we started doing off lead recall) and he is happily checking in and coming back now. I think I stopped the high reward treats too soon. We do a lot of "look at me", treat when there are no distractions so that when other dogs appear I can use that to get his attention and it is now beginning to pay off with high reward treats. Jessie is still a pup like Mole - I think we have a way to go yet so don't give up!!! And sorry to hear you have had sad news. Sending hugs from Sam and Mole
You mean you actually listen to what your in-laws say? Seriously though, your dog is perfectly normal and you have been doing exactly the right thing. Keep in mind that you have been training Jessie to walk well with you - this doesn't necessarily mean that she will walk that well with everybody (you may have read or been told that dogs don't generalise well). I'd also be hinting to father-in-law that he may be due some training with a stick! You may be more forgiving than me
I agree with what sdegg and Rachael say. I would be so if anyone, and I mean anyone hit my dog. I would tell my Father in law that you Never hit a puppy or any animal. I would never leave my dog with them again. Sorry about your sad news. Hugs to you and Jessie xx
Oh no,nobody should hit your dog.I had to have a firm word when a relative pulled Dexter's front legs out from under him to make him lie down ...just not on. Sorry you've had bad news to come back to.But you sound like you are doing a great job so take no notice of your relatives views and outdated methods of training.Stay consistent and you will get the results,your dog is still only a pup x
The problem seems to be that some people have the idea that labradors emerge from the waves like Venus fully trained. They are great dogs but like all dogs it takes time and understanding to get them to a stage were they are the Uber dogs they can become. My OH just can not cope with pups but loves it when they change into calm swans(yeah right) Most because of the Labs great reputation arn't given the grace to be young silly and a puppy sometimes.
So sorry you have come back from holiday to not only sad news but also unjustified criticism from the people you trusted to look after your puppy. Sounds to me as though you have put in a lot of work with Jessie and are making great headway into training her into the sort of dog you want. Keep going as you are, your methods are different from your in-laws, who although experienced sound old-fashioned in their methods - but hitting a puppy with a stick . My younger sister is more experienced with puppy training than I am (I am a first time mum) and I would not train my boy as she trains her dogs - however I am happy to leave my boy with her, but we have spoken about our different methods and she respects my views and follows my lead with my pup (who is 10 weeks younger than hers) whenever she watches him for me. However, both dogs are turning into lovely, friendly dogs - unless they are together and then it is mayhem and more mayhem until they both curl up together for a snooze! I would keep going as you are - Jessie is your dog - she also sounds a typical adorable puppy to me
It sounds to me that you are doing very well with Jessie, so keep on with what you are doing. I'm so sorry that your father-in-law did that - you must have been very upset and sad. But don't worry, you can just go back to your normal training routine now. Six months old is a tough time... big strong dogs but with the brain of a toddler!!! Keep at it, you'll get there
Thank you all for very kind words. They have really helped. I've always felt it was a marathon and not a sprint with her training! But at the end of the day feel totally clueless as a first time puppy mum without a real clue what I am doing. Feeling better today after a good nights sleep and a wonderful walk with Jessie last night. She is a pure tonic to the worlds ills, watching her gambling around a meadow, ears flapping, tongue lolling on a beautiful summer's evening as the sun went down just filled me with joy (until she lunged after dog and rolled in fox poo ). I look forward to the swan emerging! Thanks again everyone who commented, this board is truly amazing. Xx
Fantastic Well, except about the fox poo... Great to hear that you're feeling better though and also that you had a lovely walk with your girl.
Isn't it wonderful how our puppies and dogs cure all the ills of the world...I am lucky that my boy loves cuddles and I find at the end of a frustrating day a big messy cuddle with Bailey makes all seem right! So pleased you are feeling better today - nobody - apart from our four legged friends - likes fox pooh!
