Hello everyone I have bought a lab pup for the first time. It is now 9 weeks old. He is a very over excited pup, a zoomy! When I try to.sometimes try to calm him he jumps on me,barks on me and even try to bite me. Please tell me if I am doing something wrong. Need your advice
Hi Jenny. Yes, this is completely normal behaviour. My advice is to get a copy of The Happy Puppy Handbook (available for Kindle if delivery is an issue where you are) and to read through this section of the website, start to finish: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/labrador-puppies/ This is a good thread to show you that you're not alone: https://thelabradorforum.com/threads/puppy-problems-will-things-ever-improve.1680/
When you pick him up have a chew toy in your hand, this will help to calm him and direct his biting. Many Lab pups get even more excited when stoked - this is due to their super friendly nature. My Lab, Tatze, is four years old and I can still only stroke her when she's already calm! His behaviour is totally normal and MUCH more pronounced in Labs than other breeds.
All puppies bite, not just Labradors - it's all part of their learning process, some are worse than others. Working with puppies on a regular basis the worst biter I've had to work with was an ESS. Give me a Lab any day in comparison
This is a good suggestion. I will definitely try this... Sometimes when he barks at me(when excited and I tell him 'no') I feel as if he is angry with me...(it makes me sad!) Can it be?
Hi @JennyIndia no he is not angry at you - he is trying to get you to play with him. This is where training comes into its own - train him to ask you nicely to play. At a young age this is the only way they know to engage us/get attention - it is not anger honestly. If I am having a conversation with anyone my Bailey (19 months old) will sit there and make really funny half growl/half whine noise to join in the conversation! He will also make this noise when he wants to go out for a walk. I say he is "singing the song of his people" and always makes me smile.
Hi Samantha Thank you so much for the reply. That was actually comforting. Can you also suggest how to teach him to ask politely... That would really be a great help
Hi @JennyIndia how I did it was when Bailey wanted to play I kept putting a toy in his mouth (each of his toys has a name btw that I constantly use such as Quackers (a plastic quacking duck), Effie (Kong knot Elephant) Finn (a stuffed Dolphin) to name just a few. I would put this toy in his mouth and say the toys name. Then when he would come bounding towards me I would say "where is Quackers, Find Quackers" and he would stop, go and get Quackers and then jump up next to me for cuddles, play etc - with the toy in his mouth he couldn't bite me. He caught on fairly quickly and now whenever I come in from work, or he comes downstairs when he wakes up and I am already up and about, he runs and gets a toy from his box before coming up for cuddles. By fairly quickly I mean a couple of weeks for it to become automatic - but once it was there it always happens now, even at 19 months old. Somebody else may have other suggestions but that is what worked for me. Just remember consistency is the key. Good luck x
Thank you Samantha ....it seems to be a very interesting and playful method would really love to try it....
