I just rescued a 3 year old huge Yellow/white? Lab that has no training. Not even Sit. He is friendly around other dogs and people however he is a jumper and with his size, this is something I want to get in control right away. Any suggestions?
Hi Bobbi, welcome to the forum! Congratulations on your new lab, i'm sure you'll have loads of fun together. I hope you find all the help and advice you're looking for on here
Ahh hello Bobbi and welcome to the forum! Well done for adopting your lad, he does sound a lively lad, understandable if he hasn't had any training. 85lbs is around 38kgs, and he is skinny, a BIG boy then! . How long have you had him, and do you have any information on his background? The first thing to be aware of is everything will be new and exciting! Especially people, and other dogs, so you will have to help him learn calm behaviour. Exciting environments can actually be stressful, so another good reason to limit exposure at this juncture. Invest in a good quality harness with a front and back attachment so you have better control, it will take a bit of time sorting out undesirable behaviours such and lunging and jumping. The fewer opportunities he has to rehearse these behaviours the better. 38kg is a lot of dog! Try and find very quiet places to walk him, and if you can avoid busy places. Out of hours, supermarket carparks are great for loose lead training. You need to work on getting him relaxed and calm in a quiet environment before moving onto busy areas, this takes time! I am working with a young foster now, and spent some time, just sitting on a bench, watching the world go by and rewarding (with treats ) his calm observation of the world, so he is learning a positive association with just doing nothing. This has been tough for him, but we are getting there! We have now progressed to being able to sit in the garden of a cafe, and he is able to relax and switch off. Actually, it can be hard work for a dog not used to being calm to relax, but such an important skill to learn! Have a look at these resources... AD have some great resources for helping with focus....hopefully this link works! https://absolutedog.s3.amazonaws.com/ebooks/AD_FOCUS_07.pdf
Hi Bobbi and welcome . Let us know if you have any questions as you work with your new dog. What have you called him?
