Hi all, So happy to have found this forum! My partner and I recently adopted a Lab mix puppy just this past Saturday and have named him Max. Max was picked up from a high kill shelter by a non-profit adoption center. That being the case, we're not really sure what mix he is. The adoption center told us he was a Mastiff mix, but Max has the lab ears, the webbed toes and a whole bunch of the Lab personality! I'm so happy I have found this forum since my partner and I have truly felt exhausted in this short period of time. In fact, we felt as if we were bad Lab parents and were even thinking about returning him (to the adoption center, not the kill shelter) because we felt that we were not providing Max with the best possible home. Max is 10 weeks old, has a brindle coat, and weighs 30 lbs (approx. 13.6 kg). My partner has had experience with English Bulldogs and I have experience with Malteses - needless to say Max is an entirely new experience for the both of us! Even though we've had him for only 2 days, Max has done the following: - Bite, nip at both me and my partner even though we have repeatedly yelped to discourage him from doing it, which only makes him want to do it even more (we also tried walking away but he just kept chasing after us!) - Had 3 pee accidents, 0 poo accidents (we consider ourselves very fortunate in this regard as we know the number could be much higher) - Whines in his crate - Sleeps for 4 hours at a time, last night he woke us up at midnight because he woke up alone and afraid, which caused him to yelp and whine - Jumps. a lot. - Tries to bite our Christmas tree (we usually try to either just sternly say No, or distract him with a toy) But he has also done very cute things, such as: - Cuddle under our feet - Play in the snow - Play a short game of fetch with my partner - Go for walks and do his business outside! - Does not tug at the leash or try to chase any approaching strangers - Relax immediately when we put on Smooth Jazz (he usually naps very soon after we put the music on) Even though we have had Max for a very short amount of time, we are very happy with him. However, at times my partner and I have felt as if we made the wrong mistake - maybe we weren't ready for a puppy, maybe we cannot handle the personality of Labs, and how can we stop him from biting us, our clothes, our socks, and jumping? We know it takes a lot of time and effort, but can barely see the light at the end of the tunnel. We just recently signed up for puppy training classes, and we have already made playdates for Max to socialize with our friends' puppies (they're Golden Retrievers). Thank you all so much for being so supportive - will share pictures of Max when able to!
Hey @JerseyMax and welcome to the forum! I've moved your post to a thread of its own so you get more replies, as things can get lost in the puppy problems thread! I look forward to seeing some pictures of Max, he sounds lovely - and a typical puppy!
Welcome from Holly and me in Wales. Unfortunately pups do nip but s little persistence break this habit. You're doing the right thing yelping and stepping away. It'll reinforce the message that biting is not rewarded with play. How about giving Max a toy to bite when he moves to bite you?
Welcome to the forum from me, Wispa (6) and Tuppence (4). Do post some phtos of Max. Puppies certainly take a lot of time and effort, but are worth it. It sounds as if you’ve made a very good start with Max.
Welcome to you and Max from Mags, Tatze and Keir from Manchester UK Tatze is my pet dog, a black Lab and she's four years old. Tatze means 'paw' in German. Keir is my fifth Guide Dog puppy, a yellow Golden Retriever/Flatcoat cross and he's seven months old.
Hi and welcome from me and 4 year old girl, Harley. I always used to shove a toy in Harleys mouth when she went to nip/bite. She now gets her own toy when she gets excited which is good. It will get better as he is teething and consistency in giving him a toy and removing yourself will help all of you. Look forward to hearing more about Max.
