Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 6:24 am Post subject: New Puppy owners....
Hi all
I thought I would write this little post as there are so many topics about the behaviour of labrador puppies.....
Our pup is now 17 weeks old and to say that its been hard is an understatement and if it wasn't for the advice I received on here I would have pulled all my hair out!
Probably like many, we researched all the breeds on the KC website before deciding on a labrador because of its gentle temperament and the fact they are great family dogs. What we didn't know is that as puppies some of them are about as far from the Andrex advert as you can possibly get.
We thought our pup at times was the Devil incarnate - she was vicious and pushed the boundaries and we were sure we were doing something horribly wrong. She attacked us growling regularly and has drawn blood on all of us including our 6 year old daughter. Those puppy teeth are like croc teeth and boy do they hurt when a little stealth missile has launched a frenzied attack on your ankles or hands (or face in my husbands case when he bent down to put her collar on).
We tried everything - distraction, yelping, saying NO, walking away, ignoring, crate for time out and the non PC way however nothing seemed to work long term. We socialised her before her second jabs and took her everywhere but her behaviour didn't approve!! The puppy trainer suggested changing her food as RC apparently has been known to cause behavioural issues however a friend recommended a pet corrector spray and I bought one last week and it has done the trick. I say it has done the trick it could be the spray or she might have just grown out of it! The spray when pressed lets off a sharp blast of cold air which you point away from pup but the sound gives them a shock and you tell them no and praise them as soon as they stop the behaviour i.e. biting! I have only used it 3 times since bought it and she hasn't bitten us since last time I used it! Whether its coincidence I don't know but hey something has worked!
I took her to the woods yesterday with 3 children under 6 and a child age 11 and she was an absolute dream, running after the kids when they got too far and when the youngest tripped and fell she was straight over there licking his face. Roll that back even just 2 weeks and I would have bet my bottom dollar she would have snapped at him!
Some of her behaviour is absolutely brilliant but the biting has been a problem and I just wanted to write this to let other people know that it is normal. Granted not all pups are the same and some are worse then others but if you persevere, be firm and know that you aren't the only one that is/has gone through this it does help! We contacted our breeder and she has given us advice and also said she will have a look at Poppy if we want and I think when you have support like that from the breeder its a bonus.
Anyway this site is brilliant and I want to thank everyone that has given me advice on how to deal with our feisty pup and hopefully my little post might help other people just to feel reassured
Hi,know exactly what you mean.we have a black lab ,Teddy who is almost 5 months.we have 3 kids under 10 and at times i thought "what have we done".He has rugby tackled my 3 year old several times,my 8yr old daughter was covered in bruises for a couple of weeks too and our arms were torn to shreds,interestingly he is "quite" gentle with my disabled son,who is registered blind.But now he has completely changed,he's lost most of his puppy teeth and he now mouths rather than nips,saying that when he has a mad half hour in the house he goes crazy and we all stand still,i shout "be a tree" to the kids,the neighbours must think were all mad!!!!Woulnt change him for anything though x
Yes, I've been verrrry puppy-broody lately. Once they get to that nice properly obedient age (around 2 years) you think, "That wasn't so bad, look at the cute puppies, I want another". Completely forgetting all the hideous hours of incessant whingeing and biting and training.
Then, this morning I had a sharp snap back to reality as mine found a dead "something" to roll in and did NOT want to get up. For the first time in over 18 months his brain went into stupid 4-month old menace mode and raced around the field, jumping, barking and snapping at the air next to me (he knows better than to ACTUALLY bite me). The difference is now it takes no effort to stop him.....just walk off and leave him thinking "Well, that wasn't worth it".
I am not puppy broody any more
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Mooz, Ivan & Milly xxx
But now he has completely changed,he's lost most of his puppy teeth and he now mouths rather than nips,saying that when he has a mad half hour in the house he goes crazy and we all stand still,i shout "be a tree" to the kids,the neighbours must think were all mad!!!!Woulnt change him for anything though x
Myka does this too, we call it the crazies and its just a matter of waiting till she stops. I had to laugh at 'Be a tree' but probably the best thing to do. All our cats think what the hell and get right of the way as she goes crazy. Funny thing is, she often does this after she has had a walk...lol.
Like you said though, its completely worth it and you wouldn't change having your pup for the world.
joannemi - Great post and will hopefully help others as well, as you said having a lab pup is not easy and it can be tough for a while but you just have to remember its all normal and in the end things will get better. I know from having another dog, a golden retriever he was totally different as a pup - much calmer. Its amazing how two breeds can be so different as a pup, well from our experience.
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Click on www button for Myka´s website. Myka is a much loved family member and we hope to train her to become my assistance dog too!
" Its amazing how two breeds can be so different as a pup, well from our experience. "
Believe me there are Golden puppies that mirror exactly the puppy that Joannemi describes. Its a handling, genetic and individual personality difference, not a breed one
Di
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The boys!
Read: Wylanbriar Dog Blog on the website: Updated! 1st February 12´!
Believe me there are Golden puppies that mirror exactly the puppy that Joannemi describes. Its a handling, genetic and individual personality difference, not a breed one
I completely agree. I've bought up three Labrador puppies and only one was like a crocodile. The other two were not mouthy at all really.
I have two Poodles now, who come from the same breeder, same parent dogs (not the same litter, 3 years apart), yet have totally different personalities. The younger one is a rambuncious little character, just as bitey as many Lab pups, yet her sister was so much less so, I can't actually remember her mouthing me at all.
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however a friend recommended a pet corrector spray and I bought one last week and it has done the trick.
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We tried everything - distraction, yelping, saying NO, walking away, ignoring, crate for time out and the non PC way however nothing seemed to work long term.
Can I just add .... these two things MUST go hand in hand. I would never EVER recommend using something as Top Grade Correction as a Pet Corrector Spray to be used as a first line of action. By far and away most puppies will respond to the Yelp method and if not the "Snap and Stare", which is how most older dogs deal with young, ill mannered puppies.
I can't help but worry that some people reading what "miracles" something like a Pet Corrector performs, will go out and buy one to use on their young pup, without even trying other "softer" methods which a pup is hardwired to understand.
Using one of these on a nervous pup could easily make it very untrusting of people for the rest of it's life and using one on a more hard headed pup right from the start, could easily make it switch off to anything but the harshest of punishments. Using anything like this really MUST be the last thing to try, not the first and anyone who does try one, must think about the possible implications of doing so.
We used the corrector spray as final resort before taking her back to see the breeder! Nothing worked, nothing at all and we tried everything but this has I'm pleased to say. I wasn't thinking of any implications other then the fact Poppy had drawn blood on my 6 year old daughter and that if her behaviour carried on she could have really hurt her or another child and then I would have been faced with some very difficult decisions.
People have to do what they feel is best and if something doesn't work try the next thing and keep going till something does work! A lot of pups may respond to the yelp and walking away but there's so many other posts from people whose pups are like poppy and when you walk away they keep going and keep going for you! To me when there's children in the house it's dangerous.
Poppy is relentless like that with other dogs off the lead which is the next thing we have to work on so I'll be scouring the site for tips on that next
I can vouch for poppy being relentless lol I have one very tired pup who has just been playing with poppy. She is a very strong minded young puppy who makes Max look like an angel. lol
Poppy is one of those puppies who likes to push the boundaries on things and Joanne is doing a great job training a very boisterous young puppy and I know it was a last resort the spray and poppy is not the quiet shy type she is everything the opposite.
Cheryl
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Max my shadow
Luther 1994-2008 I will see you at the bridge sweetie
One life Live it
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