hello, this is my first post so bare with me . We are due to be getting a black lab at the end of August, he will be 8 weeks when we collect. I have been so excited at the prospect of getting a puppy especially a lab as I grew up with labs and have wonderful memories of them and was excited for my children to make those memories. However since I started reading up on puppies I now feel completely clueless so please forgive me for stupid questions. How do you deal with the puppy when it bites.... I seem to read conflicting advice. Some say to say ouch loudly others say this will excite the dog more. Some say to move away and ignore them and others say that will make matters worse. Also I was convinced I wouldn’t be letting pup off the lead TIL much older and when I’m confident it will come back but now I’m reading that actually you should let them off when they are young. Is this to start the training as soon as possible? I’m so sorry that I sound stupid, I just want to be as prepared as possible. I just don’t want to get it wrong! Any advice I would happily accept.
Don't feel stupid It's good that you are not expecting this to be a walk in the park. Puppies are hard work, and can be really quiet 'orrible, but they are worth the effort. Regarding the biting, I can't really advise as it's not something I've ever had a problem with with any of mine. Divert their attention onto toys, don't let pup become over stimulated etc. RE the pup being on a lead or not, it depends on your location and where you can walk the pup, but if you have somewhere safe (no scary boistrous dogs are going to come and scare your pup) then I wouldn't be using a lead at all. Young puppies want to stay with you. If you leave it until the pup is 4 months plus, it will be more confident and might well just want to run off at it's first chance of freedom. Other than small introductions, I try not to use the lead at all until they have learned to heel off lead.
The ouch or yelp sound is more for letting them know they are biting too hard, it's what the other pups and mother should have hopefully taught your pup already. When teething starts with your pup just try to get those teeth away from your fingers and on to a chew toy I think that's the most important thing to focus on when the teething starts. it's not about teaching them they are not allowed to chew. It's about teaching them what's good to chew on. reward them for chewing the right things.
Congrats. Mine is now 5.5 months. Let me comment on the leash. Early puppy age is your chance to build the off leash training. Pippa’s article explains nicely why. I let my puppy of leash every chance. In the woods and on fields, even city at the right tome. I change directions constantly to force the puppy to pay attention and track me. Or hide. When she then heads my way it is easy to build in the recall or simply acknowledging that the puppy is by your side. Important that they pay attention where the handler is. Make them believe only you know where the fun and action is. No need for the dog to wander far from you to have a great time. A few meters are plentiful. I then build in the leash slowly early on as we live in a city and she has the leash on, mainly for the sake of others. You can practice heel in a playful way early on with the right treat too. Keeping puppies on leash all the time must make it hard for owners down the line. That must be why one sees to many with these super long leashes as they missed the chance during puppy time. Like me ask as many questions as you can. People are so helpful here.
congrats the most important advice I can give is enjoy every moment with your puppy as they aren't puppies for long. Kyko's 11months now and as for biting he didn't really do that, nor has he chewed anything in the house so I've been incredibly lucky with him. He mouthed me too hard maybe only twice & I put him in time out for a like 30 seconds & he's never really done it again. As for off lead do it as soon as possible, I was quite nervous of letting Kyko off so didn't do it soon enough, now he's a teenager & the world is more exciting than me so we need to have him on a 10m line all the time. When off lead he runs off at a thousand miles an hour and goes far too far away for my liking, I don't think he would run away & stay away but I can't take that chance. We are working a lot on the long line now getting him to come back & not to go tearing off & he's getting the idea so hopefully eventually we'll get a reliable recall with him
The good news is you are getting a pup at the end of August, so you have almost two months to learn all you can about how to raise a puppy. You will need everything you can absorb, when you bring your puppy home - and there will be no time to be learning it then. So take advantage of the time you have now to read and absorb all you can. I recommend reading The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson as an excellent starting point. Look on YouTube for Emily Larlham (kikopup's) training videos and find out about force-free training classes in your area - and GO AND WATCH them now, before you bring your puppy home.
You may be clueless but you're not stupid. Raising a puppy is not much different than raising a child (if you have). Take a cup full of patience every day and know that the challenge today will pass to bring on a new challenge tomorrow. Don't overthink it too much. Work with it, bond with it, and your pup will reward you hundred fold.
