Hello, and thank you for a great forum. Being a first time lab owner is both challenging and fun. Our 11 weeks old pup is having a 'war' against our fireplace, especially if it's burning. She will go so close to it that she will burn her nose, and then start barking like crazy. There is no way stopping her if you don't go to sit on the floor with her. Giving her a toy or in some other way trying to distract her works for a few seconds only. In all situations where she is acting up or doing things she is not allowed to, redirecting with a toy or a little play works like a charm, but not in the 'war against the fireplace' Any suggestions? Or should we just continue to sit down with her and calm her down when it happens. We live in the cold Scandinavia, so it happens a lot, as the fireplace is almost running 24/7 at the moment. Thanks a lot in advance. Kind regards RogerV
Hi @rogerv Welcome Two suggestions. . 1. Use houseline to prevent her from going too close. Use a crate/playpen when you are not supervising her. 2. Teach her a boundary. Have two prominent bits of furniture form an imaginary line in front of the fire. If she crosses the line with you as you walk towards the fire, then tell her to back to be on back on the far side of the imaginary line. Tell her to sit. And then reward her. Reset and repeat. She is really too young to get a reliable boundary. So use 1 and then train 2 when is older. I think it is the case that dog crates are banned in Sweden. I don't know whether the regulation applies to all Scandinavian countries. I hope I cause no offence but that legislation is really short-sighted and ill-considered. I hope you have some way of preventing her from getting burnt when you can't supervise her.
Just a thought...does it have a glass front or is it open...? If it’s glass could she be barking at her reflection...I had one that when the room was low lit she thought her reflection in a low window was another dog ...brighter lights on..she stopped. They keep us on our toes for sure , hope you get to the bottom of it.
Thank you for the reply, much appreciated. Maybe I can get something to work with boundaries. I try to have a playfull approach to everything right now, so I will see what I can make work in that regard. Strangely enough, we have been up and around for 6 hours now, and it have only happened once today. I know that crates are forbidden in Sweden, and I totally agree with you. Thankfully we live on a small danish island in the Baltic Sea - and our little pup is allready taking all her naps and relaxation periods in her crate. When she is home alone, she gets a Kong filled with some goodies. Allready now she runs to her crate by the sight of it. Kind rgds
It has a glass door, so I guess that could be it. But when the fireplace is not burning she does'nt care. And her reflection is much clearer. The problem starts once it's burning inside. It's almost like she is 'fighting' the heat coming out of it.
I would really (for physical safety's sake) get a fire guard up around the fire to prevent her from being able to get too close to it. After that, it is really just about time and habituation. She will get used to it, especially if you have the fire on so much...
