Hi everyone, We have a 13week old black lab (Parker). He is generally a great wee guy, he does the usual nipping and pushes the limits but no more than expected. The issue I am having is that he is absolutely constant! Nonstop demanding attention! Jumping, barking etc. Whatever it takes to get us to respond. If any of us sit on the sofa we are bombarded by him until we play with him or put him in the hall (secure area where his bed is). I feel bad separating him, especially if I have had to leave him at another point in the day but it is the only way we get 10mins of peace! Can someone tell me if this is normal? I think we are running the risk of him being in charge in the house...he decides if I have time to relax, he decides when it is play time and he decides if my child can relax and watch tv. Should I separate him when he is being demanding? Or accept that he is a puppy and wants to play 24/7... He gets plenty of exercise, comes on the school run most days, also gets time off the lead and out for the toilet any time he asks. I feel like we are meeting his needs, lots of toys, plastic bottles, kong occasionally. He isnt destructive, even when separated for being demanding which makes me feel he isnt bored, just hyper maybe? Thanks for reading, any advice is welcome, even if the answer is 'You've got a puppy, this is your life now!' Yvonne xx
Hi there, Parker sounds just like our girl was as a young pup! I think it is perfectly normal for some puppies, some are just far more full of energy than others. We put Isla in her crate for some time out if she was overly boisterous or if we were just busy doing something that she couldn't be involved in, like cooking etc. We used baby gates everywhere so she could still see us. Other times we put her in her crate for a few mins to calm her down. We used filled frozen Kong's, antlers and yak chews to keep her busy as well. It sounds like you are already doing most of this but feeling guilty, don't be, it's good for your puppy to learn to settle by himself sometimes. Before you know it he will spend lots of his time sleeping by your feet! We despaired at first with our girl as she was so full on but roll forward a few months and he will be much calmer.
Hi Yvonne. Please don't feel guilty. We've now reached nearly 6 months with Hero our Fox Red male. He is so energetic and boisterous and craving attention and we were so exhausted in the beginning. He would go hyper then get bitey and we had to learn his triggers and and give him time outs to calm down. He is now so much better. It has been very hard work but it does settle. You seem to be giving him his exercise and plenty of attention but know exactly what you mean about not even getting the chance to sit down. We invested in some likimats as well and if he becomes hyper one helps him to calm down a lot. We also found mental stimulation works with him just as much as physical exercise. There are some great 'brain training' websites for dogs and we have made good use of some of the fantastic ideas on them. It's not all plain sailing, Hero still has blips and plenty of them but he is so much better now and we are able to relax more. And the main thing is that we are just healthily tired and not exhausted at the end of the day. Just keep doing what you are doing.
Hi there. Goodness Parker (great name by the way) and my Lab Hugo could be twins (behaviour wise obviously not colour!) He is 7 months (today!) and was / still is doing the very same exhausting behaviour as Parker. However it will pass, just ride the storm and follow the excellent advice above from other members!
Hi, our boy Bodhi (BOH-dee) is 8 months old, so much different than 13 weeks! I try to journal daily and had to go back to see what I wrote when he was 3 months old and my writings at that time mirrored all of the concerns you’ve listed. Some of things I wrote were: Can’t self-regulate Always inserting himself in whatever it is we are doing He’s a time-suck He’s defiant Not bonding… I’m embarrassed that I thought such things about our sweetie, but things did, do, and will change! The phrase that got me through that rough patch was that “puppies can’t self-regulate.” Parker needs you to help him figure it out. He’s not purposely being a jerk, he’s a baby who is trying to find his place in his home with you all. I think you’re doing all of the right things — exercise, car rides, potty breaks, toys, kongs, objects to play with, timeouts/separating — this teaches him that there are rules of the house and that he can’t just do whatever he wants all of the time — they need that consistency and stability. The jumping and constant attention-seeking was annoying for my husband and I, too. Selfishly, we wanted to zone out, sit on the couch and look at our phones, make dinner and watch TV without interruption. We just had to be persistent in our commands and stay on the same page as to how we would discipline (very important that you communicate with one another because different messages and lessons will confuse the little guy and you won’t see progress) and treat, treat, treat the good behavior! The hardest part was riding through the wave of the present phase — no matter how exhausting and annoying the situation was. I felt despair thinking, “…this is how it is going to be!” Tell yourself with all of the hard work you’re doing, there is a light at the end of the tunnel! The high-energy is just Parker’s puppiness and likely who he is : ). The exercise, car rides to new places, and meeting new people will positively stimulate and absolutely wear him out in a good way. When I am frustrated with Bodhi (still happens), I write down all of his endearing qualities and I am able to focus on the gift he really is. For sure, one day out of the blue, you’ll see Parker choose to settle on his own : )
poppy used to be like this, but although it’s hard we just ignore her. She still does it sometimes, for example she knows what time she gets fed so for the whole hour before she just sits and cries at me or tries to jump on me, but I completely ignore her, when she settles and stops pestering me for food that’s when I feed her ! She does sometimes pester us for attention because she wants to sit on my partners knee for a cuddle but he ignores her until she stops whining and then he lets her up. She used to be a lot worse and just cry for attention all the time but ignoring her and then rewarding her when she settled has really worked Edit: this sounds like I ignore her all day , I don’t at all, only when she is crying for attention as it’s something I don’t want to reward and her to learn to continue to do! She gets lots of attention all day
As is often the case, it sounds as though he is overstimulated. He should be having more time relaxing/sleeping than 'doing! "Overtired" pups are as horrible as "overtired" kids!
Thank you it's reassuring to know that wlI am doing right by ignoring him when I can. Like your Poppy my Jason has attention in plenty but a few hours behind the baby gate in the evenings is my sanity lol
