We have a 12 week old yellow Lab - who goes out in the backyard and gets rock from landscaping and chews them, hides them in grass, digs by sprinkler heads and fence line. I try redirecting/diverting his attention away from these areas using training treats or a toy but he is so stubborn. Any advice appreciated!
What do you want him to do in the backyard ? If it is to do his buiness, pop him on a lead, then he can't get distracted.
Agree with the previous poster. Our pup did a lot of rock chewing at first. We started only allowing him out on a leash, and made sure to stop him whenever we heard him chomping on a rock. Eventually he gave up and doesn't go for them anymore. I think for puppies the key is to keep them away from bad habits before they form. It's much harder to get a dog to stop doing something once they've mad a habit of it.
Thanks all for your feedback. We have tried taking him out on a short lead - so far the best thing we have found to do is divert his attention using an outdoor toy or rewards via kibble/training treat. He will be 13 weeks old tomorrow.
Been out with short lead helps with rocks but his new thing is gobbling leaves! Especially red maple - I must steer him away. He'll eat anything.
Since he/she is still a puppy they have unlimited energy and is very stubborn. My lab when she was only 12 weeks old, she was very curious about everything. She smells and eats the grass too! I was very concerned at first but when my husband watched a lot of youtube videos on how to train our puppy, eventually she stopped doing those stubborn things. Training them takes a lot of time so you also need to have a lot of patience.
