We have a 9 week old black lab so I've come to this board for learning and some advice over the past 2 weeks. He's crate trained and is doing well wth the houstraining although not fully there yet. The family all adore him but I'm a little overwhelmed as I keep reading about lots of issues and challenges with pups especially as they enter the 6+ month period. Can you provide any advice on what you did to keep the issues with raising a pup to a minimum? I guess I'm looking for more positive stories/success stories with raising a pup. We've had a lab puppy before before kids long ago so I know some things to expect but am getting nervous about having a crazy pup in a few months. Looking back what are some of the best things you did to have a positive puppy experience?
Do buy The Happy Puppy Handbook by Pippa Mattinson, it will show you the pitfalls and how to avoid them. My second Lab was no problem at all
I would agree with Stacia's comment above. Had labs before but since following the happy puppy book and all the great advice on this board my now 10 month old puppy has been a dream compared to my last dogs!! Obviously he still has his moments but generally very well behaved, great recall etc. We have followed the book stage by stage and it has really helped. I wouldn't worry too much, if you follow all the early training advice it makes things much easier when they reach the teenage stage. Lots of short training sessions, up the rewards when you need to (especially in teenage years) and look at it like a work in progress! I am loving the results and I have a very high energy working lab who likes to chew so had I not followed all this advice it may have been different!! Have fun with it Sam and Mole
Hi and welcome Harley is my first ever dog / pup and in all honesty I was worried after reading about the teenage stage, but apart from a few things she was amazing. I wish I persisted with loose lead walking because by the age of 10 months she could pull me over. She is generally better now (aged 3) but it was my fault for not teaching her from day 1. I practised recall with her every day since she was little and we had 2 hiccups during adolescence but that was it. I would recommend you train recall every day and go back to basics if needed. The only thing I still struggle with is the jumping up on people. She won't jump up at children, but gets very excited when she sees certain adults and still tries to jump up on them. Apart from these few niggles, I didn't have any other issues with her. She never chewed anything she shouldn't, never ate poo or rubbish chucked in parks and always settled well at home. I've always done several short training session through the day since she was like and she still loves doing them. We actually started clicker training today as she's injured and I don't want her getting bored. I hope this gives you a bit of reassurance that it's not all doom and gloom
Every dog is different, and so is every owner. I have no idea what my two (yes, TWO puppies, from the same litter) would have been like with a different owner. They may have been far better off with someone who knew what they were doing. But, I trained them every single day, sometimes serious stuff, sometimes fun stuff, and our teenage time wasn't horrific at all. I won't lie, we had some awful individual days, but they were less to do with the dogs and more to do with the unplannable situation that arose being far too much for the dogs to deal with. You know what? Even those worst days, we got through with gritted teeth and false chirpiness and we came out the other side with stories to tell. I think I learned early on that training is, and always will be, an ongoing process, and once you accept that, you enjoy (and can forgive) the dog you have in the moment.
If you've owned a Lab before you'll be fine! Though I understand how easy it is to forget difficult times. I just scrolled back to posts I made when I first joined this forum, when Molly was 7 months old and I was having trouble with her eating dead birds (which I remember clearly as it took a lot of training to overcome) and running up to other dogs. Well when I read that last bit I just couldn't remember that at all! Molly never does that now and I suppose it must have not lasted long. As to tips for what we did, well I used the Total Recall book, which is a training program and also played a lot. In my early posts I wrote that my (adult) son wasn't having any recall problems, but that he played with Molly and distracted her by running if he thought she might take off, so I took a leaf out of his book. Puppies are exhausting and time -consuming, but at the end of a couple of years you get a gorgeous dog!
Hi there, It's perfectly normal to feel like this when you've made a big commitment. Do try not to worry. You might find the following articles of help: Labrador Puppy Blues Six Month Old Lab Questions Answered
Positives about having a puppy -- listening to the snoring while they sleep, watching the growing physical confidence as they explore their world, the delight on their face when they start to bring you objects (even if they don't quite get why they've done it). Find a good trainer, who respects what you wish for your dog and uses methods you are comfortable with. Mine told me it would be 2 yrs before I have the dog I want, she was aged 9 wks then. I think of that everyday. Maybe your pup won't do the things you've read about that worry you!
For me it's been like this. Age 2 months = OMG what have I done, somebody please save me. Age 3-4 months = Most time spent whinging about puppies and dealing with crocopup. Age 5 months = Actually this isn't so bad, I quite like having her around. Age 6-7 months = I love this dog so much, she's the best thing ever!
