Hey everyone, I'm new here we brought home our lab puppy 6 weeks ago; and damn was I completely not expecting this! She is still toileting in the home, and I have no idea why or where I am going wrong. Also she is very bitey; so really I'll tell her no and she will start growling at me and barking then launch herself at me I am really hoping she is just playing! Any advise would be much appreciated on both matters. She chews everything I've brought her numerous toys, deer antlers, kongs, nothing appears to hold her attention for very long. We do her clicker training everyday for 20 minutes and she has sit, laydown, leave it, stay, come here, bed and high five. She has these down to a tee now so i need to challenge her with something else. I have just invested in a crate and plan to do crate training to try and help with her training. Any help would be much appreciated! My hubby wants to get rid of her as she is destroying everything and is really challenging.
Hi and welcome to the forum from me and my boy Bailey, an 11 month old fox red lab. There will be those with more experience than me along shortly I am sure but what you are describing sounds to me like normal pup behaviour. The biting and chewing and accidents in the house - you still have a baby there - I assume she is around 14 weeks old? Pups are not really reliable with regards to toileting outside until around 6 months old, I have seen it said on another thread that if you think your pup housetrained before then it is just a case that you are managing the behaviour well. So it is just a case of watching your girl like a hawk and keeping to a routine. You will find a create a great help. Puppies do chew and it is up to us puppy parents to manage what they chew - not only to save our stuff but for the health of your pup. Puppy proofing the areas that the puppy is allowed in means removing things or putting things out of their reach - I still have to do this with Bailey as he can sometimes still grab something at random and start chewing it up (hairbrushes are a particular favourite of his!). These cute little bundles of fur are very hard work - something that no matter how much you research you cannot be prepared for. As for the biting, there are quite a few recent threads about this - but yes she is playing with you - it is how puppies play with each other in their litters - this is where the crate is going to be a great help - when she (what is her name btw?) is over-excited or tired and becoming a crocopup then a very short time out (around a minute) just to give her time to calm down or doze off will help. Also what I did was when Bailey was biting too much I stood up, turned around and ignored him until he calmed down, but if that did not work then I removed myself from the room, again for a very short time, just enough for him to calm down. It is not a once or twice time thing, it was weeks of repetition. Now if he is getting a bit too mouthy I just say "no teeth" and he stops. But there is a big difference between a young pup and an 11 month old one. Biting usually settles down when their adult teeth come in, but that is with the training too. Have you got Pippa's book The Happy Puppy? This is a great read for both you and your hubby. Good luck and keep coming back onto the forum as there are some brilliant people here with loads of experience and advice to help.
Hi there Francessca, a warm welcome to the forum. I think you will find the crate will help enormously with the toilet training. Make sure you clear up any accidents with non ammonia based cleaners such as Simple Solution to reduce the tendency to re-toilet in the same areas in the house. Chewing and biting can be a real hard one to crack, but things will get better once she is a little older. Trying to divert the chewing of your arms/legs/hands/clothing onto a toy or chew or even a wetted frozen teatowel could all help. Many members have found always carrying a toy to shove in the mouth when biting starts is a good ploy. I guess things may be worse when she is over-tired, and a crate helps enormously with this too - when things can get pretty overwhelming, some crate time is often necessary for your sanity. Another thing to mention is to keep your training sessions short - maybe just 5 minutes at a time? Keeps pup's interest better and I think more effective too. Have you had a look at the puppy boards and the puppy info on the main site? [Oops cross-posted so sorry for duplicated advice]
Do buy "The Happy Puppy Handbook" by Pippa Mattinson, you will find it so helpful. Puppies are not easy but they grow up and are great companions, the first 6 months are the worst, then they open up the world to you, new interest, new friends, keep the brain active and the body young
