Dougal is 11 months old and is totally crazy. I put it down to him still being a puppy but I met another 11 month old lab this morning who walked beautifully and was really calm. Dougs was just his usual hyper self. The woman couldnt get her dog away quickly enough. We have done 3 lots of training and he is really good. He has never run away, his recall is amazing and he knows most of his commands he is just crazy. I can't walk him on lead anywhere which means I need to drive and then we walk in the woods. My son has a disability so we also need to be careful where we go because he can't walk far so it's usually a half hour walk followed by half an hour chasing a ball. Will he always be this crazy or will he calm down. I have worked so hard with him but I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.
I can be a challenge living with an energetic, strong and enthusiastic young dog, that's for sure. That calm dog that you met this morning may just have been a laid back type from birth. They do exist out there in some places I don't have that kind What's your daily routine with Dougal? Is the hour of walking/ball throwing something that happens every day, and is there any other regular training or activity that he does? With a dog who has learned quickly and is obedient when he knows what he is supposed to do (like the way you describe Dougal) then my first thought is always that the dog needs more to occupy his brain.... That doesn't mean more exercise necessarily, but maybe more socialising, more new places, and more training sessions. When the other dog approached you this morning what did Dougal do exactly? Was he just excited and trying to get the other dog to play? How much interaction does he usually have (say, in a week), with other dogs?
Dougal will almost certainly calm down as he grows up and you can help that to happen more quickly by doing a wider variety of activities during your 30 minute ball-throwing sessions. For example instead of him just chasing a ball, get him to wait while you hide the ball ( in undergrowth, or take a few empty flowerpots with you, spread them out, upside down and hide the ball underneath one) and ask Dougal to find it. Tug, with both a release cue and a 'take-it' cue is good for impulse control. You could take a few different toys (or gundog dummies), spread them out and teach him to fetch the one you want. You say you've got a reliable recall, so you've clearly done a great job of training so far, so a bit more work and a bit more time and all will be well.
