I took Betsy to the vet's today on the way back from training - got her weighed (21.3 kgs) and we sat in the waiting room for a bit. She has only been in for her vaccinations, so I didn't want her not to be used to the vet's. Betsy has had much, much less socialisation than Charlie had. One reason for this was I thought that there was a risk Charlie had been 'over socialised' and become so confident around other dogs and people that he was pretty much a nightmare teenager. Well, do you know what? Betsy is absolutely the bl**dy same as Charlie! She was as fearless, as badly behaved, and as nutty as Charlie was as a puppy - with the added delight that she barked. At least Charlie never barked! The head nurse, who popped out to say whether she thought Betsy was a good weight or not (you don't get away without hearing that at the vet's I go to) took one look at Betsy scrabbling madly on the floor in her effort to launch herself across the room (my foot was very firmly on her lead) and said 'just like Charlie....'. I think she thinks it's me!
LOL maybe it is! When I used to ride horses, I was told I had a "fast a**e", because I had this uncanny ability to make horses go a little bit nutty. Maybe you have the same effect on dogs
Well, it's quite possible it is something I do - but goodness knows what! Anyway, my dogs may be nutty, this is true, but their tails wag from the minute they get up to the minute they go to bed - no matter what comes their way - so I'm taking credit for that too if I have to take the blame for the nuttiness!
Quite right too. Just what I think when Molly goes crackerdog over everyone and everything while all the time her tail is a propeller
So funny -- when I was a child I was told the same: you have a battery in your bum. I was always given the slow horses at riding school and they always picked up the pace. Of course I was terrified while everyone wished they could have that effect on the slow horses.
Well if it is any consolation Benson had a check up today, nails clipped (haven't the courage to do it myself! ). He is used to the vets, as we often pop in after a walk to say hello, and check his weight..etc. Well today he was a complete embarrassment, leapt up the chairs instead of settling beside me. Grabbing all the catnip cushions of the counter, pinching a soft toy and pushing it into some poor womans groin. When she smiled at him, he thought that was permission to show off his grunting kangeroo impression! Bramble on the other hand is a model citizen. When we were there recently (examined by the vet..) whilst we were discussing all things labs she fell asleep!! Certainly not you @JulieT , we just errr....have the dogs we got!
I keep mine in the car They are impossible in the waiting room. Drift is nervous and barks at everything, Rourke hasn't had many visits to the vet, I think he would be better these days.
Blimey - I thought Ripple was bad at the vets . At least he only knocks everything off the counter and gives all the nurses kisses. Mind you a lady scowled at him last week when he put his paws on her when she was blocking his access to the counter, AND she brushed herself down where he'd touched her and he wasn't even muddy .
I take Xena in almost monthly to get weighed. At 4 months the vet nurse accidentally dropped the entire jar of treats all over the scale. Well. You can imagine Xena - frantic scrabbling and excitement THE SCALE IS MAGIC TREATS JUST APPEAR OMG OMG OMG. You can imagine how she reacted when I brought her in for her weigh the following month Several visits later and she still hasn't forgotten the MAGIC SCALE, but last week it only took a couple of minutes to calm her down enough to get her on the scale. So...progress!
Geez, Libby is only 43 lbs and getting into more stuff all the time. Is this what I have to look forward to when she is full grown?
I don't know! Based on my own experience, if you have a bold puppy they are a bloomin' nightmare around other dogs and people pretty much no matter what you do until they are about 3 years old. Then, so long as you've kept slogging away at the training, they become less of a total embarrassment. At least this time around I don't sweat it. I just stand on the lead and relax and wait for the the scrabbling mad creature on the other end of the lead to quit it. I think I fussed more with Charlie. Now I don't bother. I just stand there and wait. I do think Betsy quits slightly quicker than Charlie did....
I have the 'unruly' child at obedience class. She does great once I have a clicker and a treat in hand but she is pulling, choking herself, trying to play with the other dogs while the trainer is trying to talk. She does great on our regular walk around the neighborhood but I try and mix it up by taking her to different places and it usually comes out a disaster i.e. the duck pond. Didn't anticipate how many other people would be walking their dogs there. Very embarrassing. We'll just keep having to work at this!
Lol, I am glad I'm not the only one with a nutty lab! I thought I was just a terrible dog owner. My boy is 2 and not 6 months, so trying to handle 75-lbs of excited lab is a bit of a challenge. Teller was a rescue but he is one of the most confident, adaptable dogs I've ever seen. He absolutely LOVES going to the vet's office (well, anywhere really, if I'm being honest) and always jumps up on the counter to try and reach the treats, tries to go behind the counter to say hello, and takes it upon himself to greet every single person and staff member who passes. After a few minutes of craziness he will go into a quiet down-stay on his own. He has really cut-down on his jumping as he's gotten older, thankfully. He is a total flirt, though. The ladies at the vet's office ALL know him by name and come out to say hello. He hams it up with every person he meets and really turns on the charm with women. One woman walked by as I was waiting with Teller outside a coffee shop and told me my dog was, "So well-behaved." Had to fight not to laugh in her face over that one, lol. @babs75 - I've totally been in a 'duck pond' scenario with him. We went to a new park after I was telling my mother how much calmer and better behaved he had become on-lead. Yeah, she was laughing at me as Teller jumped 3 ft into the air because a Golden Retriever passed us. New places can make them nightmares, you're not alone there. Teller is much better about pulling when we are walking somewhere familiar but when in somewhere new, he's like the Tasmanian Devil trying to smell all the smells, see all the sights, chase all the squirrels, greet ALL the people, you get the picture.
Reading all this, I feel slightly better about Molly's nuttiness. My worry is that she's inconsistent. Occasionally when we meet others with or without dogs, she will sit cutely beside me looking interested, ears pricked yet no roaring about. Some people have even remarked how good she is Little do they know.
I agree, Benson (now 3..) has always been a bold and happy pup. Saying that when he is examined he is very good and calm. It was also easy to clicker train him to be comfortable, so when he had his nails clipped he wasn't nervous. I would rather a happy, bold lab than a scared, nervous one any day! Bramble is 11 months old, and also a teensy bit anxious at times, she is absolutely fine and very well behaved at the vets.
@JulieT i see you as someone as a wealth of knowledge on this forums so thank you for this. It has made me feel a whole lot better about my nutty lab!
