:-\ Hi guys. Looking for some advice. We rehomed a lab over a year ago. he is a true working lab, as high as a kite constantly. When we got him he had every bad habit under the sun. Since then we have spent an absolute fortune on training. I did only work part time but due to redundancy I have had to take a full time job, meaning less time to spend with my dog. He has a number of bad habits that I just cannot seem to resolve. Namely leaping up on people, mouthing, banging full force into other dogs, running away after other dogs and the most recent...chasing cars and leaping on their bonnets. Now, I dont just let him off to run riot, he only gets off lead when no other dogs around or dogs he knows. If however he spots another dog first he races head first into it, knocking it flying and leaps all over it...before doing the same to its owner. He has been bitten a number of times by other dogs for doing this but he doesnt seem to be learning any manners. The front door wasnt shut properly the other day and he got out and chased a car all the way along the road. If someone tries to give him a treat he snaps so hard he draws blood. If he is on lead and sees a dog he lunges and i end up in a fight with him tryng to keep him under control. I admit that i have now lost all motivation for training him. We almost had the jumping up under control. so when an elderly guy put his hand out to say hello i loosened my dogs lead a bit, and he leapt with 4 feet off the ground almost onto the guys shoulder, and very nearly knocked him over. I am actually in tears writing this. Im not a bad owner, I absolutely love him to bits but apart from praying he will calm down (although he is past 2 years old now) I just dont know what to do. I have a dog trainer but cannot afford to see her for one to ones more than once every 6 weeks. Im now considering asking the local gundog club to rehome him for me. He loves working but all I have time to do is take him to agility at the weekends, other than that he is a pet dog. But I would be absolutely heartbroken to give him up as despite everything I love him to bits. When I start work full time he will be in the house on his own all day, with a dog walker at lunchtime. He is fine in the house on his own but im not sure if thats fair on him. I have just ordered a gencon headcollar for him as i have no control over him when he sees any other dogs. Anyway, just wanted to get this off my chest. Feeling so low about it :-\ xxx
Re: Should I rehome my lab Hi there it sounds like you're completely exhausted! It certainly does sound like you're a good owner - nothing you're doing sounds bad to me and you've taken on a really challenging dog. Let me say first a big well done! It's so hard to keep going in the face of all the challenges and you've done well to get this far. As to whether you should rehome him well only you can answer that. Sometimes when we really love them and we know we can't do the best by them it IS the best thing to do. On the other hand it could be something you deeply regret. Deep inside you will know what the right thing is but it might be really hard to see right now. Is there any way you can have a break from him - is there someone you can trust to have him for a day or two so you can have a rest, recharge and then assess how you feel? I too took on a very challenging dog. Not as challenging as yours but when he first arrived I used to say it was more like flying a kite than walking a dog he was so hyper. He's still very reactive and a challenge on a lead when there's a new dog around and we're two years in. Age has helped a little bit as well as all the training. You don't say how old your boy is so I'm guessing he's an adult, in which case the job is harder than for a youngster. The biggest breakthrough for me was using the Trust Technique which is about calming them down. You can learn it online - preview is free and membership is just £12 a month. I did have James come out and work with Barney 1 -1 and it was the best investment I ever made - far better than the behaviourist I'd spent a fortune on! But it is possible to work just from the online lessons which are excellent. As you already have discovered when you're tired and emotional they pick up on this and everything is so much harder which is why I believe a rest before decisions would be a good move. I'm sure Pippa will have some articles on how to tackle these problems and that it will probably pay to focus on one thing at a time. I don't know about gun dogs clubs rehoming but I did find when I came to rehome a friends dog for her recently that the shelter had a long waiting list to go in. So here's another suggestion - research your rehoming options thoroughly as you might be surprised that you'll have to wait some time - it's not a case of handing the dog over and making a clean break. Then you can either drop the idea or use it as a deadline to get one more thing fixed - so you know you've done everything you can by him and then if you change your mind for whatever reason no harm done. Whatever you do I wish you all the best big motivational hug Carole
Re: Should I rehome my lab I agree with everything Carole has said wholeheartedly, I cant really add anything but I'd like to wish you all the best with your and your dogs future. I hope it all works out.
Re: Should I rehome my lab I have talked to many people over the years in your situation and there is no easy solution. It is very easy for others to judge, but personally I do not think anyone should struggle on in abject misery with a dog that they have come to the end of the road with. Whether or not you have come to the end of your road will depend on many things. Perhaps the first thing to discuss is the very common conception that a dog like yours would be better suited to life as a working dog. Unfortunately this is rarely the case. Successful working gundogs have usually (not always) had a fairly careful upbringing, designed to prevent the development of bad habits, bad manners and so on. Although working labradors have a lot of drive and speed, they also need to be calm, quiet and very focused on their owners. There is no place on a shoot for any dog that is high as a kite. And it is a great deal easier to train your own gundog from a puppy than it is to undo a two year old's bad habits. So I am afraid rehoming your dog to a working home is really not an option. What he needs now is for someone with the time and the motivation, to retrain him as a well mannered pet. Only once that basic training was complete would there really be any chance of deciding whether or not he would make a working dog. Sometimes, when you are exhausted and miserable with trying unsuccessfully to manage a challenging dog, all you need is the right support and advice. Sometimes the dog's owner has just had enough. Their reserves are just drained and they cannot find the strength to carry on. Maybe you could cope with the right help and support. Maybe you have had enough. It is heartbreaking for you to have to consider parting with your dog, but sometimes, in some situations, it is the right decision. I think Carole has made an important suggestion that it might help you to give yourself a couple of days break from taking your dog out so that you have a rest from being embarrassed and overwhelmed. It won't hurt him not to have a walk for 48 hours. Use the time you would have spent walking him researching how to teach the various behaviours that he lacks at the moment. You need to decide if you have then resources and energy to help him, or whether you need to have him rehomed with someone that does. Spend some time with him in an environment where he is under control so that you can assess how you really feel about him. Teach him a few simple, easy behaviours, tricks even, to restore your confidence in his ability to learn, and in your ability to teach. Things like jumping up, snatching and lunging on the lead can be trained out of any dog, and there are articles to help you do this on the main website in the behaviour section. There is also a very good Youtube site called Kikopup with loads of training videos which are very helpful. Some behaviours, like the way in which he behaves towards other dogs, are more complex. Part of the problem is that he has not really ever learned how to behave socially with other dogs and is treating them as toys available for his own entertainment, rather than respecting their personal space. One solution is to put a stop to all 'free play' with other dogs until you have taught him to be 'steady' around them. Things like being able to walk past another dog quietly on a lead, etc are important skills and they take time and effort to teach. You will also need to attend classes at some point so that he can learn how to behave with other dogs in a controlled situation. I am so sorry that you have found yourself in this dilemma and I hope you are able to come to a decision that you feel is right for you and your dog. One problem with passing a dog like yours on, is that they can end up being passed on again and again. To avoid this happening, if you decide to part with him, do please go through a reputable rescue society that will assess your dog thoroughly, and support his new owners in dealing with his problems. If you decide to keep him and retrain him, you will find it simplest if you treat him as though he were a puppy, starting right from the beginning again with basic obedience. You will get lots of advice and suggestions from other labrador owners on here and lots of support too. Do let us know how you get on and good luck! Pippa
Re: Should I rehome my lab Hi, I totally and absolutely sympathise with you. You have done so much with your dog that's very clear. We too rescued a lab x pointer just over a year ago when he was 9 months and he is 23 months now. We are his third home and like Pippa has said dogs that are passed on again and again have not learned how to behave. Charlie too had not been taught any manners by his previous owners and he had some challenging behaviour and we were at the end of our tether and exhausted and still are some days. Like you I go to agility and am now thinking of dog classes to help with his obedience/socialisation etc. We have started right from the beginning with Charlie, although it is a recall issue and lead work now as he has been taught manners/obedience when he remembers!, and we are making progress with the help of Pippa's great book and many wonderful articles that just about covers everything and also with the support, advice and encouragement with any issues that crop up from the lovely people on this forum. I lost motivation and cried a lot over Charlie but now I am motivated by his progress. I only work partime so I can put the time in, although with 4 children (eldest is 26 and in Australia so that doesn't count until he comes home!) and one age 15 with High Functioning Autism (that really does count!), job and another dog etc. I know how hard it is but I found getting into a good routine with training and sticking to it rigidly has helped Charlie and us. He is doing very well, but by no means there and we know we have months of training ahead of us. I hope too that you do what's right for you, your family and your dog. Everyones circumstances are different and only you know what you can cope with in the way of your dogs training. Take plenty of time to make your decision and you will do what is best. I wish you lots of luck and I will be thinking of you. Very best wishes Helen xx
Re: Should I rehome my lab You poor thing, doing the very best you can for a dog that you clearly love, and at the moment it feels like nothing is going right for you. I know you do already know this, but remember it's not his fault - he clearly was never trained or socialised, and so is like a friendly but high energy teenager or young adult who never went to school or learned how to act around other people. Not an easy situation. Pippa, Carole, and Helen have already given very good advice - I just want to add my sympathy and support, and to let you know that although we're not there in body, we are definitely with you in spirit, as everyone on this forum only wants the very best for our labs. If that best is with you, then any way we can give you support we will; if you decide you cannot deal with your dog any longer, then we will understand that decision too. Sending you big hugs - and to your dog, too.
Re: Should I rehome my lab With you in spirit on this one although I can't really add anything because I don't have the experience.
Re: Should I rehome my lab I have so much sympathy for you. I once left an obedience class in tears and never went back, after being told my Lab should never be allowed off lead in class (she would run off and 'greet' all the other dogs and people excitedly - the full body slam was generally reserved for little old men for some bizarre reason - we had her from a pup, she was never mistreated) - so we tried agility and found she did exactly the same - not popular in a group where half the other dogs were highly reactive Rescue dogs. How do you socialise a dog when other owners find your dog 'too much'? Then she decided she didn't like jumping very much so that was the end of Agility. You don't say how old the dog is - our bitch, who could be competetely unresponsive until she'd exhausted herself, calmed down a lot at about 3 years old. (maybe too much!) She is now lovely, most of the time (we avoid little old men) and she's great with children, whereas when she was young we would not let her near them or she'd knock them flying or snap her jaws at them. Your dog does sound like an extreme case. I feel, reading this that we had nothing to complain about. It sounds silly but what do you feed him, have you tried a low protein diet like Burns? Our girl did calm down somewhat on Burns chicken and rice, we've kept her on it since she was about a year old. No one would blame you for rehoming this dog -but if the dog is still young, I think it is worth trying some other calming techniques before giving up.
Re: Should I rehome my lab Hi guys, Thank you so much for all the posts. I was so so worried people were going to tell me I was a bad owner! I have had a chance to take a step back over the last couple of days and realised that I really want to keep going with him. Couldnt imagine him not being here. He is great in the house and he is my 3 year old daughters best mate. I have a meeting with my dog trainer next week, plus I have just started reading pippas total recall book. He was great at agility today, the best behaved there! Anyway, will keep you all informed of his progress. Thanks again, I really appreciate the support x
Re: Should I rehome my lab Lovely to hear that you`re hanging on in there, its not easy at times with rescues I know ! As Sherby11 mentioned , high protein can contribute to them being high as a kite as you say he is so maybe this is an area to look at . Well done for doing all you can , please let us know how you get on with the trainer ?
Re: Should I rehome my lab That's fantastic news, I am so pleased for you. No one could possibly think you are a bad owner after all the hard work you have put in and how much you love him. Today is your first day forward with your very well behaved boy at agility - well done You will definately not regret reading Pippa's book, it is my bible!. As he progresses you will be totally motivated to move forward and discover just how rewarding sorting these problems out can be. Keep going and we will all be here for you. Lots and lots of luck. Helen & Charlie xx
