90 pound lab stops hurling... due to her harness!

[Zookeepermom247]

Hi... All.. have not posted lately... Sophie, now 10 months old.. had begun the habit a few months ago of hurling and jumping at me and also my sister out of sheer love and joy. Nothing worked.. ignoring meant allowing her to jump and hurl on me.. I am only 130 lbs... and at risk of being hurt and again, nothing worked. Not even distraction. She loves to go for a walk.. and has gotten to be a fairly good walker, jogger lately. I noticed that when I say that "w" word... she immediately trots for her harness and leash and points to it. When that harness goes on.. I have a different lab. She freezes into a calm trance... she won't move as I put on my walking shoes. SO.... I told my husband before I walk through our door when I get home... put on that harness, in fact... when she sees me.. slip it on. Once he does this.. she is a rock and I praise her for being so good and I get all my hugs in without risking broken bones and a concussion. Then, I take her outside.. slip off the harness.. and we play chase the frisbee, tennis ball , and she does her famous ricochet rabbit run... she does this a lot several times a day. She is exercised a lot during the day... about 20 minutes every hour or so.. until she gets where she has to lay down and go into a coma...lol... she gets daily walks.. weekends.. several walks with many bouts of playing, she is learning to find her toy.. she knows to find her bully stick when I ask her to... she and her daddy wrestle too... I know deep pressure calms her down.. weighted vests help children with autism calm their nervous system. I know this harness keeps her calm. I should keep it on all day.. any thoughts?

Thanks,
Sophie's mom

[Maxx&Emma]

If the harness has that much magic, I wouldn't take it off!

[kellymccoy]

wrestling is part of the problem . it causes them to see people as other dogs and in My opinion is the worst possible thing you can do , you will never get off leash control,I even have a video titled ''don't tug tossle or wrestle that ruins them ''

[Zookeepermom247]

Hi... wrestling happened after the jumping and hurling began.. when my husband says enough.. she stops... wrestling consists of deep pressure holds with a lot of hard petting... Sophie's mom

[kellymccoy]

its never good to do that , they should only be handled with gentle kindness not hard petting wrestling or anything even close to that, I have raised many amazing dogs and have never wrestled hard petted or applied physical pressure to them , I would rethink they whole dynamic

[xracer4844]

I'm happy for you that the harness is working. I train a lot of dogs. I can't stress how important it is to actually train your dog that these behaviors are not acceptable. Not only will you have an unreliable off leash dog, but you will also have less control and much less safety as the dog grows. Using a harness is fine as a temporary fix, but it isn't a solution to the problem. You haven't taught the dog that jumping and being manic and excited is not allowed. It doesn't matter if it's out of joy and love...and unfortunately people don't realize this until the dog does it to someone else, and hurts them. I train a lot of obedience dogs that go on to compete, I also have a service dog and assist in training service dogs. I realize that this training is a lot more in depth than a lot of "pet owners" want to take on but please consider at least 6 weeks of obedience training. I guarantee that if you find the right instructor, you will learn more than the dog. Not only will it strengthen your bond with the dog, but you will also learn how to handle your dog properly, you'll learn etiquette, and most importantly...you'll learn about your dog. If I could change the law, I would make some type of obedience program mandatory for any new dog owner. Try to find an instructor that uses a mix between positive reinforcement and corrections.

[emma_Dad]

How's it possible for a 10 month girl to be 90lbs. I just can't understand how that's possible. That probably bigger then most of the males on here. That can't be good for her health and puppy joints that are still growing carrying that much weight. You might want to look at putting her on a diet and upping her exercise a lot.

[Zookeepermom247]

Hello, she runs and plays with us all day.. plus walks.. more exercise is not the issue. We love our dog... we are gentle with her and kind for those members here who imply we are not. I ran into two labs who weigh 100 lbs.. our breeder stated she would be ranging between 85-90 due to her family line. She is not heavy according to the VET last month. WE have a lab who is obedient and walks very well these days. It is just the jumping. She sleeps all night without her crate next to us on the floor. She can be left out of her crate for 2 hours (never more) at times and she waits for us. She is beginning to retrieve when asked, her toys.
She does not chew the furniture.. or the couch... she chews on her bones. She follows me around during the day and settles at my feet when I do my school work. I think WE have raised an amazing dog so far.. and we will work on the jumping how WE see fit... the harness calms her down and she can listen BETTER,,, as I have worked with children with autism, including my own son, with a weighted vest.. once calm.. they can LEARN NEW SKILLS without the overwhelming sensory overload. So.. if there is a thunderstorm.. our lobbies must "DEAL WITH IT" as opposed to having a tool to help them to calm down?
Thanks,
Sophie's mom.. who wanted just some support.. not finger pointing and implying we hurt our girl

[Lauranj]

I don't think anyone above meant you were being a bad Lab parent, they are just sharing some ideas with you. I think she is getting too much free exercise. I am not seeing training time listed. I would be working her 10 minutes every hour and then as a reward she gets 10 minutes of play. Dogs need mental stimulation and it will help with her obeying you at other times. The issue with the harness is that it doesn't sound like she is actually learning anything, just that when she has it on she does (or can) not jump. So it is a tool but it isn't actually accomplishing anything long term. I would think she and your family would benefit from an obedience class. Great distractions and it is fun for the owners and dog.

[Maxx&Emma]

What Laura said!