Hello. I am new to the forum. I have a 5 month old lab/retriever Her name is Honey. I am really struggling with her. She is so destructive, and never seems to settle unless she is in her crate. I let her out when i am home and all she does is jump all over the furniture ( i except this as she is a puppy) but she is just bonkers! she never sits down just jumps between the two sofas, she flattens my 3 year old and never leaves her alone. she pulls everything of sides and tables and so on, i cannot leave her just to pop to the loo. My partners wants me to re home her. and im totally at a loss. i take her out for long walks and ball ball with her and she is the model dog! i can let her off the lead and i have no problems getting her back, she returns the ball and hands it to me! where am i going wrong?? sorry its a ramble. thanks
Hi and welcome to the forum I changed your title so it references the kind of help you are after. I also typed a reply but, ironically, my own Labrador then jumped on me on the couch, slamming into my iPad and deleting my post. So, yes, Labradors can be very energetic! I'd say that your dog is smart and is very motivated to exercise her brain...at the moment she is making her own entertainment..she wants a job to do. Would you consider introducing other activities into her life such as dog sports? By dog sports I mean things like agility, Flyball, obedience classes, gundog training (doesn't have to involve actual guns or dead stuff....it is basically retrieving and it sounds to me like she'd adore this), tracking, dock dogs (if she likes water), tracking.....? All these things can be lots of fun for people too. My hubby and I do Flyball with our dog.
Welcome from Hattie 8 years and our rescue boy Charlie 5 years. Honey is a typical puppy who needs positive boundaries just like a child, you could do some short training sessions throughout the day inside or in your garden to exercise her brain which will tire her out inbetween walks. Have you considered clicker training? you can teach all kinds of good behaviours in a positive way, so you could teach Honey all four paws on the ground so not all over your child, off the sofas, loose lead walking really just about anything even tricks such as high five, play dead. There is a lot of information on the forum about clicker training. As for the stealing the only thing you can do is remove everything from the tables, sides etc. so that she doesn't self reward, if it's not there she can't take it At 5 months old she is too young to do agility or flyball I doubt you would find a class that would take her until she is over a year old. Above all everyone needs to be consistent with her training and Honey will eventually get it. Keep going you will get there x
Welcome to the forum from me and my 13 month old choccie girl. You have been given such good advice so I don't really have anything different to add. Personally I feel clicker training would be so beneficially for you, also if you can buy Pippa's The Labrador Handbook you'd find it a really good book it's full of great information and is so easy to read. Have a search on the Internet for games and tricks to teach your puppy if you are struggling for ideas. You'll find that once you get started it'll be fine. Don't give up, Labradors can be so boisterous I find my girl is so calm after some training all she likes to do is snooze in her crate or on the sofa. In the beginning all you will need is short sessions, I used to do 5 mins only at a time at home. Good luck
Hi there, I'm sorry to hear that you are struggling at home. Perhaps some well placed baby gates will help you to feel more relaxed, while she is maturing and you are helping her to learn some manners? In addition to the great advice people have already given above, you might also find the following articles useful: - Train your Labrador to relax - How to stop your dog chewing - How to stop your dog jumping up Do let us know how you get along, and best of luck!
WElcome from us too. It sounds like you have an absolutely normal Lab puppy BUT it sounds like you were not prepared for her. Are you taking puppy classes? They will help use uo some energy and most give you some training in how to control her. Actually, at her age she could be going to beginner obedience classes. How much exercise does she get? Type, length, on leash or off, where? Your answers will help us to help you. A five month old puppy does have joint concerns so knowing your exercise schedule is important. Long walks? Gulp, how long? "all she does is jump all over the furniture ( i except this as she is a puppy)" Sorry, this is a mistake. She's like your human child, don't let her do now what you won't want her to do when she is an adult. Plus, she could hurt herself. LOL, no, you can't leave them alone for even a nano second. Just like a human toddler, blink and they fall down the stairs. When you blink with puppies not only might they fall down the stairs, they might try to eat them. I hope you read the links above and try to get your partner to read them too. Hopefully getting the puppy in the first place was a joint decision and partner needs to be on the same page as you. Right now consider that many animal behaviourists compare a puppy to a two year old human child. So in effect you have two toddlers at home, you poor thing, It's a big job to take care of two but it can be done.
Hi there! Everyone has given you great advice so not much to add but support. Adding some training time will definitely help - if you focus on training the behaviours you want to see it has the double satisfaction of giving you alternate behaviours to ask for from your pooch when she is misbehaving and putting her brain to work, which helps to tire her out and reduce the crazy stuff. I highly recommend clicker training, I found it invaluable when I rehomed our pooch who was 9 months old with very little manners! Good luck, keep us posted!
Hello I have a 6 month old chocolate girl and she too can be crazy at times! I have found it really helpful to only have one person (me) to train her; I use a clicker and she has grasped what I expect of her really well. We also attend a local training class and I feel really positive and accomplished after coming home. It helps to see other owners and puppies too! We have to remove everything from the sides, she will grab anything that she can! 'Leave' is a really good thing for them to learn too but obviously the temptation is too much sometimes so I remove the temptation as much as possible! I brought pippa's puppy book and also labrador book and they are both fantastic, I am going to be getting the total recall one too soon as the way she explains things is so easy to process, I would definitely recommend them. I also have a stair Gate on the kitchen so if she gets too excited I can give her a time out to calm down (not a punishement) as sometimes they don't know that they are over excited and can't calm themselves down, we give it a couple of minutes and then let her out again. We allow her on the sofa but only for her to lay down peacefully and if she is jumping over everyone it's 'off' I am having particular trouble with jumping up and she knocks over my nephew who is 2, I have read the posts above and will try to implement them but it's a tough one! Good luck with everything
Hi there,welcome from Dexter and I our 3 year old yellow boy,who is a working line lab .....I quickly realised that although Dexter got plenty of excercise for things to not get out of hand I would need to occupy his mind too and advice from the Forum really helped me.You are battling through some of the toughest stages at the moment,all the more challenging with the demands of a young family but your dog is completely normal.A puppy class would be really good for you both....be warned though my Dexter was exactly the same age as your dog and we didn't seem to make any progress .......in the class ( he was just so excitable and boisterous and GREEDY for everyone elses treats) but it did give me a guide and goals to work to at home for the next week.....and it did make a huge difference...it might be something that you could encourage your partner to do and then they get a chance to bond a bit more? Best of luck,keep in touch with how you are getting on x
Hello from 2 year old Molly and me. We all think of Labradors as relaxed, laid back dogs, but they can be very boisterous. Molly certainly was. I used to read with envy about other people's puppies falling asleep in the middle of a game, mine never did. The only way to get any peace and for her to go to sleep was to put her in her crate. At six months old I found her laid asleep in a patch of sunlight, it was the first time I had seen her still, I just sat and watched Wear her out with frequent, short training sessions. Not only will you be laying down good foundations for the future, you will be wearing her out, nothing tires a little furry creature more than using their brain. Yes, they can be destructive at that age, but it is not them being naughty. When your toddler was a baby she put things in her mouth as a way of exploring /learning, your pup is doing the same only she comes armed with big teeth an powerful jaws.
Welcome to you. Your pup is 100% normal Here is some great advice - http://www.thelabradorsite.com/labrador-puppies-biting/#playing-safely http://www.thelabradorsite.com/how-to-play-safely-with-a-labrador/
Hi we have a 7 month old chocolate called Eric and yes he is very very boisterous! We have a stair gate at the bottom of the stairs. The table and kitchen worktop have to be kept clear or he will take whatever is there. He can't be left alone AT ALL when he's awake. He gets into mischief immediately. He's worse than any of my children. My son has autism and adhd and Eric is 10 times worse! lol However things are getting better. For us it was all about a change in mind set and reading lots and lots on here. He is a baby. He is intelligent and needs his mind working at all times. This doesn't always have to be a walk. Training at home is great. He LOVES sniffing games. We are also getting to a point where he will settle for a little while and play on his own. This doesn't last long but it's nice when it does we are getting there and you will too xx
