Hi! I am really struggling since my puppy turned 7months old. He was the usual puppy at the beginning. But soon learned quickly and has never ruined anything in our house. He use to chew the edges of his mat outside his crate when he was 3/4months old but we soon got over that. All of a sudden I come home one day (left for up to 3hours) and he shredded our nice rug and the the non slip mat underneath. Then he’s gone back to doing the mat outside his crate. Now he just seems so disobedient in and outside the house and I don’t know why. Ive kept up his training and I do play games like hide and seek (which he’s far to good at) so I know he’s intelligent. But even fetch he won’t bring the toy all the way back to me just lays down and starts chewing it. Rewards are treats and praise but I’m finding I’m getting frustrated because he doesn’t seem like he’s trying anymore and has started turning into a new puppy again. We’ve just finished our training session and are looking to book another set but he’s gone so far backwards I’m not sure whether to try something new. Any help would be so appreciated, it’s just me and my husband.
Hi there, i just wanted to reach out and say your not alone. Me and my husband are going through very similar problems with our13 month old lab. The only reassurance i can give is that i know pups go through an adolescence phase where it seems like all the training you've done with them vanishes! Just keep up with the consistent training and try not to be to hard on yourself. It's really hard work having and training a pup but eventually we'll have well behaved dogs we can be proud of, I hope!
Hi and welcome. I have an almost 6 month old. I have been putting all sorts of mats and rugs away into storage. Recently she has taken to chewing the back foam off her crate pad as well so out that went too. I decided that I better embrace the sparse look around the house for awhile. I did find some really flat, industrial looking area mats that she doesn't seem to chew, and they were cheap. Good luck with your pup!
Thanks everyone for your replies, I will keep on the training and hope he will grow out of it, but I’ve taken everything away that I think he could chew and hope it was a one off!
Hey Aimee - your pup is bang on schedule to start his teenage phase! Some pups go very badly backwards in training and behaviour, and with some its barely noticeable. As Guide Dog Puppy Raisers we are forewarned about this phase in our pups development, but it can still come as a surprise! This is also when a LOT of Lab pups are handed over to animal shelters, because they seem to lose the plot - even if they've had schooling. Our Puppy Raising Supervisors advice is to go back to "square one" with their training. If you started with puppy school, it will be that much easier to work with your pup. Hang in there - they do outgrow it!
