I think you may have hit the nail o the head when you say she`s very clingy, she`s got used to you always being there and like a child looks to you to amuse her rather than amuse herself, she needs to learn that you won`t always be there to give attetion when she demands it, thats what she`s doing btw, she`s pushing your buttons and its working .
Does she have a crate?, if so pop her in that when your doing things around the house, even go out with your two youngest and leave her behind sometimes, leave a toy in her crate that she can`t do damage with like pull to bits (kong or similar is probably best).
When you get home don`t let her out straight away, wait til you`ve sorted the kids/put the shopping away and the let her out BUT don`t make a big fuss, she will evetually learn that the world does`t revolve aroud Lola and that she must find other ways to amuse herself, of course you`ll need to watch this does`t lead to being destructive of household items such as furniture and walls
Cocoa and I have done quiet a few puppy classes when she was tiny. Apart from the obvious benefit of socialization for Cocoa, i met a lot of dog friendly people and learned a lot of dog-related things like the best walking areas locally. Our classes were only 1hr at a time and maybe one class once a week is all that is need to make your pupster have puppy fun and you feel like you are doing your part We went to the Company of Animals in Chertsey and loved it (their puppy trainer Wendy is absolutely great).
Also, there are some great people are here on LF organizing get togethers. Join one of those close to you (where are you btw)?
She sounds like Luna. Even now Luna prefers to mooch around yawning and looking sad when I'm busy about the house. I've found that she needs telling what to do! Ie. go lie on your bed while I do this!! She'll then snooze off to sleep with half an eye on me!
Your Lola sounds lovely and very well stimulated so don't worry!
Well I really wouldn't recommend a friend - a 2nd dog will likely just mean 2 dogs who settle well inbetween walks and then you'll worry you've got 2 bored dogs.
Absolutely agree with this - her age is all wrong for a friend - and it sounds like you generally have your hands full. My two youngest girls are very active - put them together and you have double trouble galore - they've dug up every tree in my garden and the once grass looks like a JCB has been through it at 100mph They've also tried getting to Australia about 15 times - providing lots of holes for everyone to trip over
While I do feel you can 'sense' when a dog is unhappy - bored dogs are usually destructive ones that don't enjoy 'doing nothing' - so the things my 'double trouble' get up to are the sorts of things a single bored dog would get up to on it's own.
Have you tried a nice meaty bone? they can keep my lot entertained for a few hours at a time.
And..... just a thought - if you really feel she needs to use her brain more - and as you sound like you have quite a packed life - what about training her to help you?
If she enjoys running off with a sock - keep some treats in your pocket - and when she does pick one up - encourage her to bring it to you - you could then start training her to 'help you' around the house
Making a dog work doesn't always mean out in the field - many assistance dogs are Labs and do it very effectively - you could have your own little 'helper' in no time
Excellent suggestion from Sue. Give her little jobs to do which will keep her occupied and also help her learn which are her toys and which are not (as they have to be brought to you).
Give her the interactive toy - I would love to try them but my lot would just destroy them!
Does your vet have puppy classes? They are for socialisation of humans as well as dogs! You may make some dog walking buddies there.
As Mary says make sure she knows the world does not revolve around her.
Honestly - if you had lunatics who sumo wrestle most of the day like 2 of mine you would be glad of a quieter dog!
I think you have recieved some great advice... apart from getting her a friend part.. this would not be a good solution!!
I would say that if she was bored she would be up to mischief, destroying items around the house.. or even the house itself!!
Kongs etc are always good things to provide for dogs to entertain them anyway. As you increase her exercise, you will probably notice a difference and hopefully as you are out for longer with her may meet more dogs. I would recommend trying to find some "good" dogs to socialise her with, as if she does not have much interaction with other dogs when she is young you may find later on in life that she may not be very well socialised... so avoid that now. Training classes are always good to get them out there with other dogs. The training will also help to keep her brain working well. Agility might be fun to try when she is older too.
I would also make a point of leaving her alone at times, whether it's as previously suggested in crate/room away from you if you are at home or ideally leaving her home alone for a while. This will help avoid separation anxiety later on. It's lovely that you can spend so much time with her, but it may not do her any favours when things in future prevent you from being with her so much, so get her used to being alone so she doessn't solely rely on you for entertainment/company.
I'm not sure how you respond to her whimpers, but I would recommend you totally irgnore them, no fuss, speaking to her, don't even look at her. If she learns that she can gain your attention by whimpering it will become an annoying habit! Be aware attention to them can mean a glance over to them or even a negative response to their behavour such as being "told off" - any attnention is better than none!
Hope this helps. Try not to worry it sounds as though she has a very lovely life with you.. and really has no need to complain!!!
Laura x
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We went to the Company of Animals in Chertsey and loved it (their puppy trainer Wendy is absolutely great).
- a 2nd dog will likely just mean 2 dogs who settle well inbetween walks and then you'll worry you've got 2 bored dogs.
They've also tried getting to Australia about 15 times - providing lots of holes for everyone to trip over 
