Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 21
  1. #1
    Puppy
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Illinois
    Posts
    37
    Thanked: 12

    Leave it's and barking

    Cooper just turned 6 months old on 6-23. His manners are improving... but we have two major problems still. He will grab anything and everything that is not his if given 1/2 a chance. I try to manage him and keep things up and put away.... but with a 5 & 7 year old it's not always easy. Three flip flops have fallen victim to Cooper in the last couple weeks. 😳. He is in a puppy obedience/manners class .....and I practice 'leave it's'...but it doesn't seem to help. His counter surfing is horrible. When will he just stop taking our stuff? My previous lab would never touch our things.... I just can't remember how I made that happen. Lol. The other problem that has surfaced lately is incessant barking when he doesn't get his way. Ex: if i stop to talk with someone while on a walk... he barks at me. When at puppy school and I'm talking to the trainer....he barks. He doesn't bark when I kennel him (while we're home, during dinner for ex).....just when I want him to lay down quietly and wait. I can ignore it.... but whomever I'm interacting with will find it annoying. I do too! How do I stop this rude behavior? Thanks in advance for advice. Others with 6 months old... I'd love to hear where your pups are manners/behavior wise for comparison.

  2. #2
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    3,947
    Thanked: 2421
    It sounds like he could use more exercise and a little dose of NILIF (nothing in life is free) as he thinks he's the boss of you. It is harder with little kids in the house, for sure. Bit you can do it. Get the kids involved like they are helpers, and show them how they can help you make Cooper a good boy. They'll probably love it. :-)

    My pup is 11 months and he didn't do any of those things. Sorry. He did have a hard time listening between 7-9 months and was easily distracted, which is typical.

  3. #3
    Senior Dog Maxx&Emma's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    SE, PA
    Posts
    4,406
    Thanked: 1992
    I agree more exercise, off leash running and fetching, may be very helpful. Their needs seem to increase a good bit at this age. The tendency to act out when bored is very common. Nipping it in the bud now is very important!
    Hidden Content

    Tammy
    Maxx and Emma Jean

    Ozzy - 10/2002 - 06/2011 - Rest well my sweet boy. You are forever remembered, forever missed, forever in my heart.

  4. #4
    House Broken Kelly524's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Richmond, VA
    Posts
    119
    Thanked: 63
    I really don't have any advice, just letting you know you're not alone! Molly will be 6 months on the 7th, and we're in the same boat. No matter how hard we work, leave it is one we've struggled with. She'll do great while training with treats, but something she's really not supposed to have, forget it!

    Molly is also a terrible counter surfer. Even if you think you have something pushed back far enough, she will paw at it until she gets it. Or one of the cats pushes it off - I think they work together! lol

    One of the reasons I've always said I have pet children and not human children was that animals don't talk back. Well, that was before I met Molly! If she doesn't get her way, she lets you know it!

    I will definitely be taking the advice given here. Its been hard to get her out and get more exercise with the heat we've had here lately. We don't want to be out, and neither does she. We have started throwing toys into her kiddie pool to fetch, and she seems to like that and it wears her out somewhat and keeps her cool in the water.

  5. #5
    House Broken petitesalmon's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Canberra - Australia
    Posts
    74
    Thanked: 29
    Mine is a serial stealer! Until recently it was whatever he could find - but he's getting better now and most of the time he only pics up his toys - he is 8 months old! We did 'give' 'leave it' and everything else but he'd still manage to have something hanging out his mouth! and he knows those commands - he was just being cheeky!! And it also wasn't out of boredom as he is very well exercised (morning and night) and mentally stimulated and training sessions throughout the day. I feel your pain!!


    Some things that worked for us were a constant rotation of his toys - so he wouldn't get bored with what was on offer. Another thing that worked was to stop giving him rewards when he gave them back - because then he was just stealing for the treat at the end! It is still not perfect - but it is heaps better and we are slowly working on it! Labs love to have things in their mouth and it is just about letting them know what they can and cannot have!!

    Re the barking - he did start this for about a week when he was younger - but we completely ignored the behaviour and it stopped

    Good luck!

  6. #6
    Senior Dog MightyThor's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Bend, Oregon
    Posts
    2,024
    Thanked: 3035
    Thor was doing the stealing thing between 4-6 months. He loves flip flops. He's a clumsy, goofy boy but when he wants to steal a flip flop he turned into the quietest, stealthiest little thing. I found that he mostly did it while I was working (sitting at my desk ignoring him) and figured out that it was a 'pay attention to me' behavior. He wouldn't do it when he was tired after a walk or round of playtime in the yard.

    I found that a firm NO along with crating solved the problem. When he learned that picking up a flip flop earned him a timeout in his crate away from us, and no longer got him attention and a game of chase, he stopped. Now he ignores them completely.

    He's moved on to whines and cries now. He is such a whiner, and he does it for attention. We're playing the 'ignore it' game right now but it's so hard not to laugh - the sounds are hilarious. I'm just glad he's not a barker.
    Mighty Thor, "So Much Dog", born 1/6/2014
    And baby Barley, born 3/9/2018

    Hidden Content

  7. #7
    Senior Dog Meeps83's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,917
    Thanked: 1052
    Mine loves flip flops too. It must be a common issue! No advice....I keep mine away from him, lol.

  8. #8
    Senior Dog Shelley's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    1,226
    Thanked: 1739
    One thing you can try when he takes something you don't want him to have, is the "Exchange Program". Instead of chasing him, or saying "No" to him, call him to you in a really happy voice and clap your hands, ask him to "give" (you may need to encourage this), and give him a treat and say "thank you Cooper-Good boy!" He will learn that he pleases you when he brings you things, that he gets cookies and treats for coming, even when he has a "prize", and most of the time he will bring you back what he has without destroying it. Win-win for everyone! It takes time and you have to have treats accessible, and never ever never call him to you and yell at him or punish him when he comes to you. It works! My girls love to carry things in their mouth, and are so proud to bring me what they have when I praise and love on them for it. It's really nice to have a reliable recall when they have something that might be dangerous in their mouth.

    About the counter surfing, I have always set them up, by putting something really yummy on the edge of the counter, and wait. When they go for the "bait" and I catch them in the act, I rock their world. I shake a Penny Can (empty soda can with a handful of pennies in it, duct taped shut), or pot lid, anything that makes a big racket, and I raise holy hell and shock the crap out of them. I haven't ever had one that chose to counter surf after that. :-)

  9. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Shelley For This Useful Post:

    janika28 (07-06-2014), Maxx&Emma (07-04-2014)

  10. #9
    House Broken Kelly524's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Richmond, VA
    Posts
    119
    Thanked: 63
    We've tried the penny can. As Molly was standing with her two front feet on the counter, hubby snuck around the corner and shook it. She stood there and looked at him like he was crazy, never taking her paws off the counter...

  11. #10
    Puppy
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Illinois
    Posts
    37
    Thanked: 12
    Thanks for the advise! I have been trying a patient 'off Cooper' and rewarding him w/ treats when he does. Problem is...he doesn't always listen! I'll try banging two pot lids together when he reaches for bait next as he has selective hearing for 'off'. As for exercise.....I live in St. Louis so the heat is a problem. He does get a 30-40 minute sniff walk on a 30 ft lead in a wooded area daily (morning) plus off leash fetch/ running around in my fenced in yard, evening walk around the neighborhood if it's cool enough and doggy daycare 1 time per week so that he can play. Sometimes I worry that is too much on his 6 month old joints. Does that seem like a decent exercise routine for him? I'm a teacher on summer break... so he gets a lot of attention. That will change come August 4th when I go back though. I'll try introducing 'give' ......thanks again for the tips.
    Last edited by earthygirl74; 07-04-2014 at 09:46 AM. Reason: Type-o

 



Not a Member of the Labrador Retriever Chat Forums Yet?
Register for Free and Share Your Labrador Retriever Photos

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •