Or the times when your angelic golden little pup wrestles every other half grown puppy in the neighborhood to the floor, growling fiercely and acting like a total sociopath, and people say "goodness, she's VERY dominant, isn't she??". Then she rushes off and eats half a pile of poo and rolls in the rest... (Yes, this is St Poppy I am talking about, she was like Jeckle and Hyde as a puppy.)
Reading all the comments makes me laugh, and when our acts like the little monster he turns into at times. I try to remember I am not alone. This morning he decided he would dig one of steps in the backyard and pushed it around barking at and whining, because he couldn't pick it up and carry it around. He loves to steal things when started to counter surf. We moved our gate so he can only be in the kitchen when I can supervise him. I know it will get better, we got him some interactive kong toys which he seem to love only they never keep him busy to long. I love our little monster which turned 5 month 2 days ago.
Threads like this are therapeutic for all of us. I think that our very old posts got deleted or archived when the forum was re-vamped a year or so ago - if that wasn't so I would be able to dig out at least one despairing message I remember posting about how I just couldn't take it any more and I hated my puppy and what the hell had I done..... (Don't tell Pongo.)
Got deleted? Oh, no. No they didn't! You just need to know where to look! Mwuhuhwuhuh!! Do you mean this one? http://thelabradorforum.com/threads/brand-new-puppy-first-timer-help.4388/ Or this one? http://thelabradorforum.com/threads/driving-me-nuts-today.4667/ Or maybe this one? http://thelabradorforum.com/threads/oh-no-so-disappointed.5215/#post-70822 Hehe, these old posts of yours have really given me a chuckle, @Rosie!
Oh Rosie I remember bursting out laughing loud one day in one of your posts when you said the door belll went and you stood up ,calmly put your lunch on top of the wall unit out of harms way and went to answer the door.....something so random but made me howl because of the way you wrote it .......Pongo has always been such a character! Xxxx
Yeah I've definitely had times when I wanted to cry, and probably will again, but you know the one thing that makes me want to cry more is the thought of packing up her things and handing her over to a rehoming centre! Very weird all this isn't it? The thought of not seeing her beautiful face and feeling her silky coat is awful! She's currently acting the hooligan in the house in the part she has access to, but only half an hour ago she was dancing round my feet because I had a burr or something stuck to my shoe following our walk, so endearing and sweet then! It was a major puzzle to her!
Just want to say I hear you. I've had (and still have) my moments with Coco, but nothing like going through the puppy stage. I couldn't do it. @DebzC , you're doing brilliantly, I really admire anyone who can take on a puppy, particularly a Labrador. Hang in there and come to the boards often to vent.
Ah yep, I've been there too - the random bursting into tears, the bitter regret at inviting this time-sucking monster into your life, the damaged furniture, the biting oh god the biting...ugh yeah, puppies are awful. I know I still have the teen stage to look forward to, but things really started to improve for us at 4.5-5 months, mainly because the biting eased off enormously. I can't tell you that it'll get better because we're only a month ahead of you, but I take heart from everybody else saying that it will!
I feel for you @DebzC - after nearly 30 years I finally convinced my OH that we really, REALLY needed a dog in our lives - not just any dog, but a LABRADOR. I grew up with Labs - I learnt to walk holding onto our first lab Tessa, she was my companion and my guardian for years and I still remember the tears I cried when she went to the rainbow bridge. Then into my life came Suzie and Lab crossed with who knows what, who was with me in many traumatic times and good times. Then nothing....until Bailey that is. My first ever Labrador puppy of my very own (well with the OH but you know what I mean). I fell in love, really deeply in love that first time I saw him and began the countdown to picking him up. I couldn't wait! The day arrived and all went well, his first night was uninterrupted sleep with no accidents and he settled in well. After a week reality came crashing in through every door and window...the crocopup was unbearable, the thinking he had got the idea of toilet outside and then him standing looking at me while weeing and then when we could finally walk him outside in the big wide world, the eating and rolling in fox poo (the most evil thing on the face of the earth as far as I am concerned). Did I ever think back in the days BB (Before Bailey) that I would be sitting on a bench, in the pouring rain, crying my eyes out with three plasters on my right hand from bleeding bites and fox poo in my hair? Nope and I really thought that I had made the biggest mistake of my life. Now I can honestly say Bailey, at 7 and a half months old, doesn't bite (me - he still nips my OH when they are rough-housing), his fox poo addiction is still there, but we can usually distract him before he eats or rolls in it, he walks beautifully on a loose lead and his cuddles are out of this world! It does get better honestly, if you can just stay consistent and kind to yourself and your pup, one day soon you will discover that fur ball sharing your house is a beautiful companion who will go to the ends of the earth for you - and you will for them too. Vodka or Long Island Tea helps too
Oh my, you are so right!!!! I couldn't do it. You've affected me hugely saying this, thank you so much! Xx
Love all the reassurance and stories in this thread; I had my own sinking-heart wobble this weekend, what with the diarrhoea and cabin-fever and constant supervision (and I have a stairgate and shoes-away policy, but do people follow it? No, they think it's really funny to chase her up the stairs and see if they can catch her before she eats half a bowl of cat food ) And we're only at 10 weeks! Thanks for the injection of fortitude, I think I'm going to need it
Ha ha ha, us too. My OH says getting Libby was an extreme action just to make him put his shoes away!
All I can say is hats off to all you patient and caring puppy moms (and dads as well, I assume). I came to this forum wanting to learn more about the Labrador experience as I don't know any personally and I'm starting to think you have to have the patience of a saint, an enormous sense of humour, thick skin (literally) and perhaps a cabinet full of your favourite alcohol (or a freezer full of Ben & Jerry's) to get through puppyhood. On the other hand, I'm really starting to question whether after all my scientific research on which breed is best for me, if I'm cut out for Labrador puppy-momhood. I had two pups from 8 weeks to Rainbow Bridge and several fosters that I had from 4-10 weeks to 6-10 months old and none were this, ahem, "challenging". But bottom line, lots of admiration to the crocopup parents (and reformed crocopup parents) and great to see all the support and humour here from others who have been in your shoes!
It feels like you've made the biggest mistake of your life at the time, but it really does only last a matter of weeks, and if you can go into it with a clear plan and understanding of that, then you'll come out the other side (relatively) unscathed and with a fabulous, faithful companion. Of course, on here you also only hear about the pups that are driving their owners to the end of their tether. I didn't have the same experience (yes, some biting, but it wasn't too bad, and all puppies of every breed do that), and Willow (and later Shadow) were quite lovely puppies! So, keep in mind, you're only hearing about the monsters, not the good ones, which do exist, believe me
Ah Emily ,we want you to get a lab! Go on do it ! But even if you don't ,you better stick around to tell us of your adventures with whichever breed you decide on !!! Xxx
