Wrigley'smama (07-12-2014)
I had a very hard time with Easy Walk Harnesses when max was a few months old. Switched to Gentle Leaders as they are much easier to get on a wiggling excited puppy who is about to have a bladder explosion.
As for the cuddles my 3 show more affection to the family members that play with them & feed them.
-- Ken, owned by:
Max - Black Lab mix gotcha 4/23/2012 Born 12/2011
Scarlett - Yellow Lab gotcha 4/19/2013 Born 2008? 2007?
Lizzy - Terrier mix gotcha 6/29/2014 Born 2006?
Zeus - Papillon mix gotcha 1/30/2015 Born 3/26/2014
Avatar: Ziggy, my kitty who crossed the bridge a few years ago.
He slept in the sink for years, silly boy.
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Wrigley'smama (07-12-2014)
I hate to be Debbie downer here, but you're probably in for a lot more rough days before things get better. I had no idea what I got myself into with Molly. She was a holy terror when she was younger. That's what originally brought me to this board. I also thought it was aggression. Our last dog was aggressive to most everyone, so I wanted to prevent that with Molly.
Molly is also the first puppy I've had as an adult. I don't remember the puppies we had when I was a child being this much work. But I guess you don't realize it when you're not the one actually doing the work!
Now that she's done teething, Molly is MUCH better. Is she perfect? Heck no! We still have a lot of work to do with her, but she is actually enjoyable to be around now. She still has the occasional temper tantrum, but I've learned to just leave her alone and she'll usually go to sleep and is better when she wakes up.
And she's finally starting to get cuddly. Not a lot, mostly when she's tired. Once teething is done, things should improve.
I'm certainly no expert and you've gotten a lot of good advice here. Just wanted to add my experience. Things will get better. Unfortunately, having a puppy isn't all cuteness and cuddles!
Wrigley'smama (07-12-2014)
Molly is really darn cute! Thanks for commiserating and for the encouragement about the future.
Im trying to focus on all of the positive baby steps we are making. I am sticking with the regular collar for now and am going to start practicing with the super long check cord others mentioned on my other thread.
We take Wrigley to most of our ball games, and out for ice cream, etc. He seems to thrive off of meeting new people, going to new places. I think we are pretty lucky, tantrums and all.
After doing more research on Labs, Kelly524, definitely not being a "Debbie Downer". Thank you for sharing your experience as there will be another rough patch. I've found that Labs go through fear imprint stages through certain stages of their first year. One starts at 8-12 weeks and then a second one shows up at 7 months. Fear imprint is when a Lab pup remembers overwhelming or frightening incidents that occur during this time and could and can affect them the rest of their life. Knowing this, can plan how I approach this stage, and Wigley'smama, your "baby step" plans sound like a really good idea. I'd stay with the collar for now, lean to your strengths. You'll get through this and just prepare that this "fear stage" will appear again. Please keep us updated on your progress. Very informative and can possibly help others.
KAZ
Also wanted to add what a good idea to expose your lab to as many people, situations as possible at this stage. Carefully though as I've read that this will help your lab in the future deal with stress better, deal with different situations easier.
I will be 62.
Had dogs in my life since i was 8 yo
My last three all have been black labs.
Moses is the one I have now and most likely my last dog ( due to my age)
Moses too also had/has these so called tantrums...until Moses I thought it was NOT possible to get a lab puppy @ 9 weeks old give it all the love in the world and training and the dog would act aggressive @ time.
It is easy for many of you to say,,it is nothing to worry about ,,until you are in this situation you really have no idea.( by no means trying to start trouble here) just my opinion.
Moses and me are for keeps but it is a hard pill to swallow when he acts up
Months 4 to 7 where total HELL..
Moses will be 1 yo soon,,things are better.
I ignore when I can..give treats when I can to get him to planet earth again
But too remember.. NO is NO.. and use the word firmly
Use NO sparingly ..only when your pup is biting or chewing on something they shouldn't be or something terrible
For all other corrections use a different word then no ,,use hey...ahh..ding dang walla bing bang..
But on the special occasions use NO
Wrigley'smama (07-15-2014)
No one has mentioned what you were doing at the time of the incident. If you were using the leash to keep him off, you were probably tense. Sure you were scared, but think about how people get hurt by dogs for a second. It doesn't matter that it is a pup. With the dog acting like a dummy, if you were not calm and got scared, the dog learned something. If one doesn't think that the dogs can sense when you're scared, think again. They can pick up on body language really quick. if you think instead, are we done yet? It might work a little better. About meeting new people...it should always be on your terms, not the other person, or not the dog. (pulling towards them)
You have a ways to go. Keep at it.
Wrigley'smama (07-15-2014)
Thor is the first pup I've had as an adult, too, and I read SO MUCH on this board before bringing our little guy home. I was a bit terrified, but my husband and I are never ones to back down from a challenge and braced ourselves for a few months of crazy. I think we had such low expectations around behavior and craziness that we ended up being a bit surprised by how easy (relatively speaking) it has been. Yes, he nipped like crazy until teething was done. Yes, he threw tantrums on his leash. Yes, he chewed up things he shouldn't have. Yes, he still misbehaves - this morning he jumped on me and broke my necklace. But every day gets better and better. I love that he can come in for a cuddle and I no longer fear the puppy shark teeth. This morning I woke up with him snuggled up next to me with his nose touching mine. That would have been impossible a mere month ago!
Thor is only 6 months old but especially in the past month I've seen several of the annoying puppy behaviors fade away into the wonderful adult dog he is meant to be - just be consistent and patient and remember that he's just a baby and things will get better!
Wrigley'smama (07-15-2014)
So sweet. Ya, the descriptive word, "tantrum" has really helped reframe this whole experience for me. He had another sassy morning but I stayed calm and just kept him busy and he eventually calmed down. He ate grapes yesterday (my daughter dropped the whole tub) ad that was a bit nerve wracking, inducing vomiting. But, everyday he has his sweet and obedient moments. I feel grateful that I have all this time to spend working with him and his behavior. The house is a mess almost constantly, but that is only tenporary.
Don't worry about the messy house right now. You spending all this time right now will be a huge benefit when he hits true adulthood. What a bond you will create with this lovely animal and vesting this time now, just think of the many years you will enjoy a sweet, well mannered dog.
Know I have lots of work ahead of me when I bring home pup, but so looking forward to vesting so much into him in his puppy and teenage months, and getting the huge reward at the end, many years with a lovely, sweet natured, well mannered dog. Done it before and what an amazing experience.
KAZ
He sounds like a typical lab puppy to me. Ours was quite a stinker at that age. Our puppy is nine months now. She is very good with my three year old daughter now, but a few months ago that was not the case. The nipping was very difficult for a three year old to understand and for a time I had to separate them much of the time. This was very frustrating for my daughter, she wanted to hug and love her puppy, but it just wasn't possible. So, here are some of the games we played, and still play to allow her to interact with Maggie: my daughter hides treats in the yard or house while I hold on to Maggie then Maggie gets to sniff out the treats. I bought several "dog puzzles" my daughter fills them with treats and gives them to Maggie. We fill a baby pool with water and my daughter "teaches Maggie to retrieve" by throwing in an assortment of toys one at a time and having her jump in for them and bring them back to us. She helps me feed Maggie by scooping out the food and setting down the food bowl while I have Maggie in a down stay. We also went to Build a Bear and got my daughter her own puppy complete with collar, leash, and other gear, she takes care of her puppy when I groom and care for Maggie. I am not sure how old your children are, but maybe some of the games above will help a bit. We also take the puppy out a lot- like you mentioned above- parks, walking in town, games, parades, farmers market, etc., and I think this socialization really pays off. At nine months and 65lbs Maggie is very manageable in public, is great with kids and any visitors at my home, and is actually very sweet about 75% of the time most days. Hang in there, it does get easier.
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