Hi. I’ve got a beautiful chocolate lab named Leo, he’s almost 3 years old. We got him at 12 weeks old. Leo is very nervous around strangers that come to our house, I’ve seen him so scared that he pee’d on the floor. Usually after a few minutes he’s better. Good friends of ours that he’s more used to he’s not so nervous when they come to visit. Once Leo was old enough to attend we started letting him go to doggy daycare a couple of days a week. He loved going there but started getting aggressive with some other dogs and had picked fights. The staff said he was great with them but said we was unpredictable around the other dogs. So we stopped sending him. Leo is not aggressive to my wife, children, or myself, but he recently growled and grabbed one of my friends kid by the wrist- breaking the skin. We are not completely sure how this happened as no adults saw it, but we are still very concerned and grateful the child is ok. My wife is worried when my kids have friends over. I like most members have had several labs in the past. Up until now by biggest concern with them was them getting in a car with a stranger and me never seeing them again because they were all so friendly. This fellow is not like that! He’s walked daily, he is fed quality dry food and gets treats and leftovers. He’s in great shape- likely around 80lbs and tall. He has a nice big fenced in yard to run and play in. He is spoiled like every dog I’ve ever had and I just don’t know what to do with this fellow? I’m not the trainer type like a lot of you members are? I’m just a Labrador lover? Are there any natural remedies to help his nervousness? Like CBD oil or something? Is this a chocolate lab trait, as this is my first chocolate? Thanks
Hello, my girl has an nervous side to her, always has always been easy to spook. She is 2 now and getting better all the time, with so many things, which is lovely to see. I’ve had to work on building her confidence and ease around things over time and reward all the good decisions she makes over and over . One thing I’ve learned is that you have to take it at your dog’s pace and not too put them in situations that they can’t handle. I’m no behaviourist and hopefully someone may help you out here. You may need to get a positive and rewards based dog behaviourist to see your dog to get the right advice for him. Hope that’s helpful in some way.
I would agree that a behaviourist is a good starting point and in the meantime, please keep him away from children.
My SO and I adopted a highly neurotic dog a year ago. We've made a little progress regarding his anxiety, but it's probably not something you're going to be able to train him out of completely, short of using medication. Desensitizing helps, as you said. We also taught him the "calm" command, and we have to remind him "let's go" when we're on walks and he gets stressed, and we give treats when he can successfully pass a dog/person without screaming/whining/barking (a few snorts or huffs and puffs Tutuapp 9Apps Showbox are ok).
I am in the USA.....I have a very high strung lab, he is 18 months....he is beautful, sweet and not aggressive at all, but since I got him at two months old, he constantly paces, panting and very anxious, all the time. He is walked a lot and we have a large fenced in yard too. He loves to run and chase the frisbee. After two trainers , at our wits end, due to his destructive behavior and nervousness, we ended up at the Veterinary Behaviorist and they diagnosed him with a brain chemistry issue, and they put in on a course of anti anxiety medications. He is actually doing better...He is not perfect, but he is about 60% better and calmer. The thinking is that we have reduced his anxiety, so he can focus on training, and we work with their trainers on how to teach him to calm down by laying on his mat, etc. Its slow going, but we are making progress. Sometimes an anti anxiety or anti depressant can work wonders. I know that there are many schools of thought on this, but we are having some good results. I probably was more receptive to this than most b/c I work in the mental health field and I see how much progress people can make with the same medications, while learning how to calm themselves and focus on a program of recovery.
