Hi all, I am really looking for reassurance. I have had Bryn since he was 8 weeks old (he's a working line fox red) and I have found the whole puppy experience very challenging, he has been an incredibly high energy puppy and he has struggled with any calm behavior (at some points when he was 4-5 months old he would literally not sleep unless he was locked in his crate and would be a total terror most days). He has improved slowly with being calm inside the house, and can now nap outside of his crate when he's very tired. I am still having a lot of problems with him around attention seeking behavior when I am working at my desk (pawing at me, jumping up at the desk, barking for attention, chewing furniture). He seems incapable of just lying down and chilling out. He only naps around 2-3 hours across the day. Is this normal? To give you an idea of our routine, he gets a 30-40min walk first thing (both on and off lead), at lunchtime we will play fetch in the garden and do a 20 min training session (at the moment we are working on loose lead walking and self-control exercises) and a third 30-40min walk early evening (both on and off lead). He goes out with a dog walker twice a week on a group walk to give me a break! When I can't entertain him I give him filled kongs, scatter feeds of his kibble and natural chews throughout the day to keep him busy. I feel like I am constantly having to entertain him with something or he is attention seeking. I don't really want to exercise him any more as I'm aware of the impact on his growing joints. By 8pm he is usually so exhausted he falls asleep on the sofa, and will then nap until we go to bed where he sleeps in his crate from 10pm-7am. I have been working on asking to lay on his bed next to my desk and give him regular treats but he will only do this for 5-10 mins at a time. Am I doing the right thing? It would really help to know if this is normal for an 8 month old lab? Many of my friends who have had puppies have never had this problem and their pups/dogs are so chilled and I just feel like a failure.
Hi Leah, welcome to the forum You're not a failure at all - some puppies just come with added bounce! And you're clearly putting a lot of care and effort into meeting Bryn's needs, which is amazing. Take a look at this article Pippa wrote for our main site, I think it will help you out: Relax My Dog! How To Get Your Lab To Chill You might also find the first part of this article useful, which specifically talks about hyper 8 month old puppies! Hopefully it will reassure you that what you're going through isn't unusual Good luck, and let us know how you get on.
Hi Sarah, thank you, and thank you for those articles I have had a good read. I've had a number of people comment that he's 'a live wire', 'a handful', 'crazy', 'my dog was never like that' etc which I've found very disheartening, I don't know if I am doing something wrong or that this is just his personality? Great to read that I am on the right track so I will keep going with rewarding calm behavior (when I see it!).
How are you doing? I have a young dog from working lines and I believe she has benefited from being left alone at home for a few hours when I work. I think this gives her the time, space and quiet she needs to switch off and rest. I have read that working dogs have been bred for their focus on their environment and therefore get easily aroused by things around them. This helps me understand my girl a lot. Providing a low arousal sleeping space and times in the day is so important. Plus when they are young everything is more interesting! Puppies are different to each other, my current girl has challenged me more than any other dog I’ve had, she’s a different dog with different personality and different needs. It will get better over time, lots of things used to get my girl hyper, somethings out of my control , such as rain , but she/ we have learned to stay calmer , hopefully that reassures you a little.
Thanks SianMJ, and for you reassurance! I am working on getting him to lie on his bed next to my desk which seems to be working for short periods. I have tried closing the door to my office to give him some alone time but he hates it and scratches at the door and whines and then starts to chew the doorframe! I think you are right with them being overstimulated by the environment, I might go back to crate training, although he hates being in there in the daytime as he doesn't like missing out on anything.
My 6 month fox red is exactly the same. She'll only settle in her crate or if completely exhausted on the couch at night. Otherwise needs constant attention/ supervision. She devours most chews in minutes and isn't interested in any toys. Hopefully those articles will help!
Hi, I am new to this forum and have. Four month old girl who sounds exactly the same and I was just wondering how things have gone and if you have any advice now having been through this. My little girl won’t settle during the day unless the house is empty or it’s nighttime. thanks
Hi Briggsy, Bryn is much improved with his settle in the day now when I work from home, he has just turned 11 months. The reinforcement of rewarding him on his bed has paid off and he will now nap for 2-3 hours in the morning after his walk, then another 2-3 hours in the afternoon after our lunchtime play/training session. When I am sat at my desk he now automatically goes to his bed to nap. He still gets lots of enrichment and I never feed him out of a bowl, I have found engaging his brain as well as physical activity has been key to managing him. I have even got rid of his crate now, which is brilliant! Next steps though for us are to get him more comfortable being alone, as he really struggles to settle while we are out and paces and cries, we're working with a trainer on this. There's always a new challenge around the corner it seems! Good luck with your girl, I am sure you will get there. Just make lying on her bed the best most rewarding place to be!
