Hello all, So we're going on holiday for two weeks on Saturday, and taking the mad furry beast (Pepper) with us. I was looking forward to this, knowing that it would be challenging at times but overall good fun. Now I am not so sure. The last few days Pepper has been an over-excitable nightmare. Her impulse control is hopeless (which I think has been brought on by all the butterflies about that she likes to chase), and so she'll keep lunging off while walking. This is particularly disappointing given that we have spent literally 13 months trying to get her to walk nicely to heel! The other thing is that she keeps stopping when on the lead. Just standing dead still. I think she only does this in places that she knows well (I keep trying to take her places completely new and she doesn't seem to do it in those places). Obviously I don't want to bribe her to move or reward the behaviour by offering treats for her to move, but it's very difficult when you are literally in the middle of the road with a 30kg lab standing stock still. Often it is when she sees people, but sometimes there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. She also leaped at someone passing by today which was very embarrassing and another thing to add to the list of things to worry about on holiday.... So I am feeling really down in the dumps about training. Every time I think we're getting somewhere, she turns into a nightmare again and I feel like a failure. Surely by 15 months old she should be better behaved?! All advice and pep talks (excuse the pun!) very welcome as it this point I feel stressed rather than excited about our holiday!
Ripple is the same age - 27kg of puppy in an adult's body - I can really empathise . Tell us more about your holiday - lots of of forum members take their dogs on holiday, I'm sure there will be plenty of advice on how to make it a lovely time for all of you.
You've hit the nail on the head there. Looks like an adult, strength of an adult, mind of a deranged baby dog! I live in the UK so my husband, Pepper and I are going down to Cornwall. The plan is lots of walking, pottering about in pretty villages, going to the seaside, eating in dog-friendly pubs, etc. We will put Pepper on the halti in very busy places (only) so that we are confident that we have her under control (the rest of the time she'll be on a harness and lead), and we have bought a 15m training lead for when we want to let her wander off to explore but don't know what's around the corner... her recall isn't robust enough for us to just let her roam free! We've also got loads of rawhide bones to keep her busy when we stop for food, etc. Wort case scenario we can put her on the halti more often because she does behave very well on that, but obviously I prefer not to have to rely on that to get my dog to behave! So glad I found this forum, thanks for the advice. x
Sounds as if you've already got it well thought out . Hopefully Pepper will be too exhausted with new places to be naughty .
Does she have a harness? Tatze does this stopping 'I don't particularly want to goo that way' thing sometimes. I find the front fastening harness invaluable in gently leading her forwards and past the 'objection'.
Hi, yes she does have a harness. She went through this phase before actually and putting the lead on the front loop did help sometimes... thanks for reminding me
Actually just had quite a good walk where Peps redeemed herself somewhat. She did have a 10min period of lots of stopping but got over it after a while. I hope training class goes well tonight too...!
We are in Cornwall at the moment with our 8month old pup and I was really nervous about it!! Actually it has been amazing so far, loving every minute. i don't have him off lead on the cliffs/ coastal path yet but so let him off lead on the beach. I have a flexi lead which we have used quite a bit down here (never use it at home)and I take mighty fine treats with me, chicken, sausages etc and let him know what I have before we get to the beach! It has worked well and he will come back when I whistle. Every now and then he meets a similar aged dog and they zoom around for a bit and he does go a bit deaf but I have learnt not to stress about it now as he does come back once he's had a play and is having such fun! Pubs are a little trickier, struggle to get him to settle but a rawhide chew helps. We find that he is completely shattered by the end of the day, so much excitement! It's been so much easier than I thought it was going to be. I'm sure you will have a lovely time! Hope it goes well Sam and Mole
I've always taken mine and use a harness around town/villages for extra sercurity and have used halti type things in the passed. It all helps but I've found they because of the extra stuff they are doing are tired. They also loose weight and get more muscles as they are doing a lot of slow walking. I found the constant walking and greeting new people can improve behaviour. They love going to new places and swimming in the sea. Holidays have often proved t be a real positive and i have seen that my dogs arn't as badly behaved as I thought. You'll have a lovely time Pepper may suprise you
Thanks all for the words of wisdom. Hopefully she'll be a star as you say. I've noticed that she goes through stages of being a real idiot for a week or so, then comes out of it better behaved for about three weeks, then regresses again (just as I start to get my hopes up, hahhaa). It's very disheartening but now I've noticed the pattern I'm trying to remind myself that it's a temporary blib and she will hopefully improve soon.... just in time for holiday, perhaps?!? Does anyone else find this sort of pattern wih their young lab?
Thanks all. Just had another disaster walk this morning so hoping a change of scene and lots of new experiences will shake her out of it! Will update when we get back...
Hope you manage to enjoy your holiday. I'm sure after the first day she will be tired from all the activity that she will be much calmer. Fingers crossed.
My husband and I took Snowie on holiday with us for the first time when he was almost two years old. He had really bad recall at the time. We stayed in a holiday house near the beach with no fence so we had to keep our eye on him at all times. We were very worried at first, and he did make off a few times to go explore, with me traipsing through other people's gardens trying to catch him. He would also go racing off into the dunes with other dogs and my husband would die a few heart attacks with worry. The incredible thing was the bond we formed with him on that holiday. And his recall improved dramatically. It was the best thing we could've done, taking him on holiday. So much so that we take him with us on holiday as often as we can. I think the new, strange places make him look to us for guidance, hence the closer bond. He's a very confident dog to start with, but I am sure that having been exposed to so many new places has made him bombproof - you can take him anywhere. I hope you have a wonderful holiday -- I am sure you will, Cornwall is just so lovely! And in my experience, the dogs you meet on holiday are friendly dogs cos they are used to going on holiday and meeting new dogs. So I'm sure Pepper will have a wonderful time, too! Oh, one thing that we didn't do the first time but that we do now is to take Snowie's bed with us. It helps him settle quickly in the new place we're staying, something familiar. We didn't take it the first time cos our car was so overloaded with stuff. But now we make space for it. Oh, and plenty of towels for a beach holiday -- for drying a wet dog, for rubbing off sand before coming inside, and for ensuring Labrador fur doesn't stick to the furniture!
Thanks both, that's all really good to read. The biggest challenge with Peps at the moment is the stopping, but this is only in our village so I'm hoping it'll stop on holiday and break the habit! Snowie sounds like a dream, it's great to hear that the holiday worked so well for you. We are making room for Pepper's bed (she will have to lie in it for the journey but I'm planning on tiring her out loads tomorrow so she sleeps the whole way, plus we'll stop lots so she can stretch her legs). She is also very, very confident - only afraid of cats, horses and cows. Dogs and people she is DEFINITELY NOT AFRAID OF (I.e. they WILL be her best friend whether they want to or not... something else our trip may cure?!). Fortunately she has displayed some small signs of re-engaging her brain tonight so there may be hope.... Your comments and encouragement are so much appreciated everyone!
Rory has butterflies in his head they interfere with lots of things. I trained and trained but he didn't really access it. He's older calmer and more confident and stuff I though I'd taught him and he'd forgotten is all there and he's finally tapping in to it. His behaviour and calmness is getting better all the time. He's 2 1/2 now and he's starting to develop into the dog I knew he could be. I've had a lot of labs they stay babies for a long time it just feels hard sometimes. I'm sure Pepper going to be a wonderful dog as she develops and gets older she just sounds clever and unfocused at the moment but it will come as she matures. I had some real nightmare walks over the years but they get less as they get older. Don't loose heart and don't be so hard on yourself
I remember first holiday i took my lab harry on all the family were that cautious the part of beech had bit where we could drive on to we drove down the beech where no body was around and started playing with him but in a excitment forgot the reward treats back at caravan but they werent needed due to he jumped back in car due to being exhausted that was back when he was 7 months Recall still problem but when i go on holiday to that same beech as long there not many around i let him off with no worries takes few mins get him back but i dont have panic attack due to there no roads near by
