I posted a few months ago regarding our then 5 month old lab puppy. She is now over 6 months old. She is extremely hyper, defiant, and disobedient. I want to train her, give her exercise, and have her become a part of the family. However, because she bites, runs, jumps, and disrupts everything she ends up in her crate or outside. We cannot sit on the floor without her biting us. She eats socks, gloves, or whatever she can get her mouth on. She runs from us when we try to get forbidden items from us. She does not listen to 'come' at all. She is hard to walk on a leash without biting the leash, or jumping on us. We cannot have guests over without her jumping and tripping them. My kids put her in her crate when they play because she attacks them by biitng, jumping, and hurting them. I want to exercise her, but she won't listen to us at all. Hyper, does not even describe this dog. She has 55 acres to run on, but we cannot let her loose for fear of taking off. Fencing is not at option at this time. Help.......
Welcome to you. No dog is defiant or disobedient - just untrained Here is a great place to start, it takes a lot of work but is well worth it - https://www.thelabradorsite.com/excited-puppy/ .
Young puppies are really hard work and I remember my puppy biting me when I was sat on the floor. It was a very deep bite on my hand but I knew she hadn’t meant it, it was all part of the croco pup stage. By 6 months she was calming down and we had got into a good routine. I know it’s more difficult for you as you have children - I have grandchildren so I know how what young dogs and children can be like. Training is the key - a good one is ‘on your mat’ then given a kong. Use a lead if necessary - I did. You can then in build calm into the day. My dogs have three kongs a day and rush to their mats to await their kong - guaranteed quiet for at least 20 minutes.
As @Boogie has said, puppies (and dogs) aren't defiant or disobedient. If she doesn't do what you are asking it's because you've not trained her to do so, that's all. Less interaction with her will result in any interaction being more exciting, so the excited behaviour will be worse. It sounds like you're frustrated and in a bit over your heads, so I would suggest seeking professional help from a positive methods trainer who can come to your house and help you with management and training. The link Mags has supplied is a good place to start for what is absolutely normal puppy behaviour, and for teaching a recall I'd highly recommend the book Total Recall, which lays out an easy-to-follow programme for teaching your puppy to come when called. It will also describe in detail how to "proof" your recall against different levels of distraction.
As for this, you might find this post I wrote useful: https://thelabradorforum.com/threads/teaching-drop-give-and-leave-it.21345/#post-326288
I appreciate any advice I can take. Thank you so much. I have been a big fan of this site since we have gotten Zuma. I am struggling so much with her, that even in spending time with her, she does not calm down. If its just me and only me, she will sit on my feet if there is no other distractions. I cannot move or talk during those times, otherwise she is jumping or biting. She goes on these benders of running frantically throughout the house, knocking over everything, and if we go to remove her from the situation or try to put our hand on her she snaps at us. It is then that I worry she is being aggressive. She has bitten all of us, but goes the most for my son, he has been bitten by the dog more times than I can count. I feel we must control everything she does because she cannot be trusted or left alone. However, it saddens me because I want a well trained dog, but feel like I cannot even train her when she acts this way. We do have small children (6 kids total) and they love her to death, but it often ends up that they are crying because the dog bit them or hurt them somehow. The dog even knocked over my 80 year old grandmother. The dog fights us on everything, from putting her outside to to the bathroom to getting into her crate. Everything has become a battle.
Hi @Stephanie Malcolm although much of what you describe are basic training issues but there are also other behaviours which you really need a professional involved in to modify - in particular the number of bites. You need help to get things under control and to.improve your relationship and handling skills.
Zuma was a puppy given to our children and we are financially unable to afford any professional help, that is why I am reaching out here. I certainly hope I do not receive any judgement here. We are providing for the pup the best to our ability, but training or classes are of out of the question at this point. Another site pointed me in the direction of giving OTC meds like Benedryl to calm her...
Please don't give your dog benedryl! There are certainly better ways to calm them. Walking for one. At six months she can have 30 minutes. 55 acres is great! If you're worried about her taking off attach a long line for her to drag and let her tire herself out with all the sniffs. Training. Use food time for training sessions and have her earn her tea. Teaching sit, stay and leave I think are the ones that help with every day life the most. If you can teach and sit and stay, it's easier to get your washing done etc! Kong's. Give her a stuffed Kong for 20 minutes peace. Just fill it with her lunch, soak it in a mug for an hour and freeze. She'll have to lick it out and it will take a good while! Hide and seek. This will tire her brain. Hide bits of kibble round the living room and have her 'find it'' Feed from a Kong wobbler, this will make her tea last longer so you can get on with something and will tire her more as she has to work for it. Chews. Try deer antlers, yaks milk chews etc. These will keep her occupied for a really long time. Play dates. Do any of your friends have friendly dogs? Have them bring their dog round to play in the fields. This will tire her out. She is just a puppy. Please don't drug your dog. It will get better. Just be firm and consistent and do a bit more to tire her brain.
She does love her Kongs, chews, and treats. She can do a sit-stay for 10 seconds and then she is distracted. She has not been able to master lie down at all. She is outside with us all of the time, but gets so frisky and hyper that we will go inside. It is hard to get past that point of her being hyper..
Can you get a tie out (a very long one) to play with her outside? You can get heavy duty tug toys to play with her. It really sounds like she is bored (as well as untrained). I was going to suggest doggy day care or play dates with other dogs, as well. I know you said professional training is out of the question but if you do choose to save up for it it's also helps teach you how to work with her. Puppies are like toddlers that speak a different language and have sharp teeth. You could try a clicker or using a marker word. She should be receiving 3-5 short (5-15 mins depending) training sessions a day. Use high value treats. She can do a sit/stay for 10 seconds? That's great! Practice it over and over and give her an amazing treat at 10 seconds. Next time, try 11. If she can't do it, ignore the fail and ask for a sit and reward quickly. Build her confidence. Puppies are A LOT of work and some are more work than others. I'm sure your life is very busy with 6 kids but if you truly want to make this dog a good dog for your family it is going to take some serious dedication and consistency.
I'd really recommend signing up for a professional training class *outside the home* (if you haven't already and if there is one available near you). It will make sure you have a scheduled time each week (ideally), away from the distractions of home and the children that is devoted entirely to training. I saw an immediate improvement with George (and, conversely, an immediate regression when we stopped going every week!). The place we went to let entire families come so that the children can watch and practice with the dog as well. It does sound to me like your puppy is just overwhelmed / overexcited by all the activities and people at home and could benefit from training first in a quieter, more focused environment - once she has a solid foundation you can then try transferring those new skills into more challenging and stimulating environments.
Hello, your pup sounds very normal for this age. My Meg had me in tears at this point. I think if you read old threads there are many who have had the same experience . Labs are all those behaviours you describe at 6 months. I too had young kids but I just kept them apart for months, till she settled. They are best pals now. It takes lots of repeated hard work and effort to train them into being the doting family pet we all dream of. I took Meg to obedience class week in week out for over a year. We started out the worst in the class (more tears from me) and but the end of it she smashed her Silver KC Obedience award. She then was pretty much set up for life. it was blinking hard work but so worth it. I know you cant get to classes but you have had some great advice on her books to read and links to follow..they are a great start. You have to put the effort in, train, train and train again. At this point they have the attention span of a goldfish...but with work it all does pay off. Good luck with your pup
I think you've got to ask yourself if now is the right time to have a puppy. You say that she was given to your children (not by you?) 6 kids are a lot to handle at the best of times. 6 kids plus a puppy? That's more than what most people can cope with. Your kids may love her to bits, but let's be honest, they're not the ones training/walking/feeding her etc. It might be best for her to be rehomed to a reputable breed rescue.
Please don't interpret this as a negative judgement or criticism, but sometimes we can bite off more than we can chew at a particular point in our lives (pun intended). Six kids...wow...you certainly have your hands full, so it's no wonder you have little time and minimal financial resources to spend and expend on a puppy. There is no shame in admitting this isn't the right time for you and your family to attempt to raise a puppy into a trained and well-behaved dog - because Labrador puppies really are quite time consuming and exhausting...and unless you can commit to the long haul, you're going to have a 30ish kilogram monster on your hands. In any case, all the best in whatever you decide
Hi phew it all sounds pretty manic,I feel for you and the puppy.my puppy is 6 months and he is pretty good...but I’m very structured..everything same time,pig knuckles to chew on,Kongs ,walks..it’s really exhausting.We go to puppy classes but there is a 3 week break over and I try and do some training at home.My pup has to be slightly separated from the others as he just wants to play!they all have bad days at classes!I hope things change for you.
Can I start by saying I know how difficult it is to have young children and a puppy. My 1ten month old lab gets very hyper when my grandchildren come round. They want to play but don’t understand that by running around and laughing etc makes Nellie excited and then she jumps up and they get scratched or bump heads etc. Then they get upset. Today I told them that if they want Nellie to be calm then they have to sit and be calm. Something that is difficult for kids and pups. I am feeling the same as chococheer.Maybe it’s not the right time for you to have a pup. Are you really being fair to the dog and to yourself? I know I would find it extremely difficult to cope with six children and a dog.No critisism intended just trying to be realistic
this post is a bit old now so I have no idea how you ate getting on. are things any better? i only have one child and he is 9yo and we are only now starting to keave him in the room alone with the puppy (4mo today). which is hard! my pup rarely nips anymore and has learned nipping at my husband and i is one thing (not allowed) but nipping at our son is a HUGE no-no! We didnt do anything specific to instill that in him, he just figured it out. one thing that helped was having my son watch some youtube videos for kuds on how to behave around a puppy. i believe they were Cesar Millan who I realise is unliked here, but we found the videos helpful. ie/ when tbe dog is nipping, stand like a tree: srms crossed, head high, not looking at puppy or acknowledging him. my pup was 8-10 wks at that time so i know a 6-7mo puppy is 10x the size so it might not be as effective or easy. Also we sat next to our son when they played and we trained our son how to play with the dog, ANY nips or bites and my son stood up, turned his back and the fun ended. My son walks the dog in the garden only, so they both get used to each other. The puppy has to learn my son is just as much "in charge" as my husband and I. But, at the same time, my son's safety and comfort is our highest priority. We chose not to crate our puppy - when alone and overnight he is in the kitchen with a baby gate. Otherwise he is free to roam the house, and he never chooses to go anywhere we aren't. But it is helping him get used to the movements of day to day life. When my son has a friend over and the friend is either afraid of a jumpy puppy OR they aren't afraid but they don't know how to treat a puppy (one of his friends purposely teases and antagonizes the dog despite being told repeatedly not to), i lock the puppy in the kitchen with me. I stay with him so he is not being "punished" just "protected." For beginner training, sit, down, etc we watched Zak George videos as a family. It helped my son to "get" the concept of what goes into training new commands. His videos are short and simple and once you get the hang of shaping your dog's behaviour you are able to apply it to anything new you want to teach him. I don't know how old your kids are but if the oldest is old enough (9+) then I would start with the oldest one and train your child and puppy at the same time. The oldest can then model behaviour for siblings. I'd also keep in mind puppies do need a lot of calm and quiet - they are growing and need to sleep A LOT to help them grow. Sleeping brains process new information and help to remember it all. Our 4mo still sleeps far more in the day than he is awake!
