Please help...my 7 month old puppy has lost his mind

I was trying to refrain from writing this post, because I thought maybe if I did not write it it wouldnt be true, but literally overnight my lovely puppy has turned into a terror.
The main thing which is almost driving me nuts is he has decided to pretend he is COMPLETELY deaf when out in public places. He used to come pretty well most of the time when called, and especially if he knew we had a stash of dried liver or chicken for him, but now in a park, or actually anywhere at all that is moderately exciting, he will literally not even blink or look up if you scream his name at the top of your lungs. Anyone who did not know better would think he was entirely deaf. You get home, and suddenly he knows his name and the come command again. Even his most favourite treats cannot get him to listen or pay any attention whatsoever at the park.
Twice this week he has completely run away from me while off lead in a public place, I am 6 and a half months pregnant and so not quite as speedy and agile as I was before, and he literally just takes off in persuit of another dog or human, is DEAF to my commands or his name, and I have to run to catch him up to one 1 km away. Even when I have him on the lead he is straining with all his might towards a group of kids, or another dog, and he will not stop straining or listen to me no matter what. I offer treats, I ask him to sit, I try and redirect his attention in another direction. Nothing works. Absolutely nothing.
Has anyone else experienced this? I would really appreciate some advice as it is becoming very stressful taking him out each day, instead of the pleasure it once was, I find myself avoiding it.

 

He has hit the dreaded teenage stage where he has suddenly become more confident and independent.

I would love to help with your recall but, as I have just started working through Pippa's "Total Recall" book again (Ella's recall is very hit and miss), I am definitely not the best person to be giving advice!

Just wanted to say you're definitely not alone!

 

You poor thing!

Lots of people have experienced this. I'm not sure whether it is good news or bad news - but rest assured this behaviour is normal at this age. The good thing is that there is nothing fundamentally wrong with your puppy, and it's not a permanent thing.

The key is to just keep going with your training, taking however many steps back you need to take to a level of difficulty that's easy enough for him to have spare attention for you. If there's no chance of him listening, keep him on lead. Do your training in places where he can still pay attention. Slowly make it harder, just like you did when he was a little baby. Think of him as a baby puppy in the brain area again. Just much bigger..

Also try new treats that you might not have used before - like raw beef or roast chicken. Just try a range of things to see what gets his interest. There will definitely be some situations where nothing will get his attention - don't ask for much and keep him on lead in these situations.

Take heart - it will be ok!!! Your doggie will grow up and be delightful again Just patiently persevere.

 

Thanks for letting me know I am not alone, this situation has genuinely got me quite down! Taking Huxley to the park used to be one of my greatest joys, and now is one of my greatest stresses! He literally just does not listen even for one second. Gosh it is frustrating!

 

Is there anywhere else you can take him that doesn't have many people or other dogs? If so, you then have more opportunity of keeping his interest on you. Have you tried hiding tennis balls or even kibble for him to hunt and find in the grass?

 

Thanks so much, I think part of the problem now is that he is even a monster on the leash! He is nearly tugging me over, he can´t seem to hear anything I say to him, even when I wave treats right under his nose he will persevere in whatever is he is trying to do. Its like having a very deaf, very strong, brute on the end of the lead. It takes all my strength to stop him from pulling me over basically, which is not ideal when I am a little concerned to fall over right now.
My options feel really that I can keep him home and play with him in the garden, fetch etc. Or take him to the dog park where I can immediately set him free off his leash and basically not worry about what he does, until I leash him up again and take him home.

 

I totally understand! I was eight months pregnant when Ella decided that chasing a jogger was more fun than coming back to me. It took a long, embarrassing waddle to catch up to her

 

Yes sometimes I take him to a beach a little out of town which is usually pretty empty, but there will still be the odd other dog which he will without fail hunt down and run from me at a million miles an hour never to return unless captured.
He totally looses interest in tennis balls or anything like that when out in public, in the garden he will play fetch etc for as long as you like, but when he goes out its like he becomes over excited and decides to purposefully ignore us.

 

Hi there, You might also find this article helpful: How To Cure Selective Deafness

 

It is so very stressful dealing with this when you are not pregnant! It's a very trying time, it is also quite normal though.

You need to have your dog's attention - without that, there is no chance of training him. So I'd just try to work on that one thing, paying attention to you. Don't take him to the dog park where you have no chance of getting his attention. Work out where he can pay attention, and then progress from there, step by step. Remove him from distractions that he can't cope with - if that's other dogs, then you need to be at quite a distance from them in order to do any work with him. Don't isolate him, try to set up sessions for him with one or two older dogs at a time, but it would be best that this includes time being quiet and calm, not just running round like a hooligan with them. You basically have to limit his options, so he starts seeing fun happens around you, not by running off to other dogs.

 

Ok thank you, that sounds like solid reasonable advice. To be honest, he cant cope with much, even our local park with not a soul in it is distracting enough for him to go completely deaf, but we will try some more rewarding treats, and try and find some even emptier parks and go from there! it is very frustrating because i really do love nothing more than taking him out into the world and seeing him so happy from stretching his legs and exploring but right now it is getting increasingly stressful, and almost dangerous for both of us! When i had to puff about 1 km down the beach to retrieve him from following another family home (who helpfully did not even so much as turn around let alone stop walking even though they had acquired a 25 kilo labrador) I was almost in tears.

 

I know, my dog was a very challenging adolescent. It's frustrating because you just want to do 'normal' things with your dog, and it seems really strange and unusual that you can't. Particularly when everyone else in the world seems to be able to do so!

The fact of the matter is that some dogs just don't have the same passion for their environment or other dogs, and they are easier, some dogs people have worked super hard to train. And some dogs just get to stay at home and you don't see them out and about.

If you saw my adult dog now, out on a walk, you wouldn't think he was once the same as your dog is now, but he was. It took him about 5 months to be able to walk into the park. Honestly, we first got to be able to walk to the gates of the park, then 2m inside the gates, then to the first bush, then to the swings, then to the plastic elephant....it really was that step by step with him.

 

If think most of us have gone through this at some point. It's normal teenage behaviour and there is no quick fix. You have had some great advice. The thing that helped the most for Meg was training around distractions. We went week in week out to obedience class. She stated by being the most distracted there to being very calm around distractions. It took hard work and time, but so worth it. She is a dream now...and have have had those tearful moments you talk about. Can you get to a class before the baby joins the fun ? Emma.

 

I found that when mine was a puppy, I would keep changing direction, so that he had to keep watching me or I disappeared! In fact I did it last week with my 4 year old, he had gone further ahead than normal, so I just shot up another path, he was back with me in seconds and after that he kept looking back and checking me.

 

For walking on lead my trainer suggested a gentle lead for Axel. He is now doing the exact same thing on lead. Pulling no matter what. My sister used the gentle lead with great success with her king shepherd. He is 130 pounds and she is 100 pounds and he used to pull her around simply by just walking in a different direction.

Maybe worth looking into ?

 

Oh poor you, Huxley becomes a terrible teenager just as you are less able to cope physical. I think from a safety viewpoint I wold keep him on a lead or long lead unless in a secure, escape proof environment. It really isn't ideal for you to be running after him as he disappears after another dog . There is some great advice already offered but I would also consider a 121 session with a positive trainer who will be able to work with you and help with some techniques to keep Huxley's attention more focussed on you. Take care

 

I just thought I'd add my voice to the others.

Molly was obnoxious as teenage dog. It started at about six months and I thought she was way to young to be a teenage, but she was right in the window.

I thought I'd got a bad dog. I mean, it's a lovely gentle Lab. That's why I chose a Lab. WRONG. An adolescent Lab is a large slab of muscle and well on their way to the size of an adult dog, that is a lot of dog to control.

She would go "over threshold" and quite be unable to respond to me for absolutely no reason. I searched for a reason for her behaviour, the only thing I could come up with was that she was slightly worse in the late afternoon/evening. Perhaps she was tired? Though it didn't seem like it when I had this ball of energy to deal with.

Go back to your training, and keep at it. It won't seem like it is having any effect but it is still going into the furry little brain.

In about 13 years when bump is a stroppy teenager, this will seem like a breeze.
Oh, and Labrador adolescence only last a few months unlike human adolescence which goes on for years.

Sadly, in your condition, the usual human method of dealing with Labrador adolescence is not recommended (the large glass of wine)

 

I just used to eat my ever increasing body weight in chocolate

 

You have just described Saba, who is now nine months old. I take him to places where there are usually few dogs to distract him, but if one should appear, he's off like a rocket, and will not come back for love nor money! He has reduced me to tears. We work on sit, stay, come in the garden at home, and he'll often do 5/5, so I push on and make things a bit harder for him, and again 5/5. It's almost as though Saba can count to 5, and then decide he's lulled me into a false sense of security.
I feel your frustration!

 

I don't have anything to add, just sympathy. We have the same thing with 7 month old Jessie and it is driving me mad.i am just keeping going with the training and hoping it will pass. I also plan to get one of those very long training leads as I tried one at our traing class and it was excellent. The trainer tied a tug toy to one end and this was effective in luring her back to catch her. We luckily live where I can take her for a walk without other dogs, which helps. I also have 4 and 7 year old human children who are also selectively deaf. So see it as good practice for a few years along the road!