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Thread: Is this normal

  1. #1
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    Is this normal

    Our new 1 year old male lab Forest enjoys putting our feet or hands in his mouth. Is this normal? He doesn't apply any pressure, he will run up while I'm sitting down and put my whole foot in his mouth lol. When I say no he generally stops. He also does this to my husband but not the kids. I've thought this might be normal retriever behavior but having never owned retrievers I'm not sure.

    Also I can't seem to wear him out. I know labs are high energy buy my goodness, we play with him and walk him and he is still at 10:00 pm wound up! Is this also normal? He also has a love affair with my bedroom shoes. I'm having an awful time getting him to leave them alone.

  2. #2
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    I've never had one but I've known Labs who like to lead people around by their hand.

    My little Maine Coon cat liked to do that, too.

    Welcome to the board!

  3. #3
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    All of what you describe is perfectly normal, and with the mouthing, he sounds better than many, LOL, as at least he has a soft mouth and will stop if you tell him.
    Annette

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    Senior Dog TuMicks's Avatar
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    Yep. Sounds about right. I was talking with some retriever folks the other day about "firebreathers" (Labs with excess "go-jo") and one of them said his field lab finally settled down about two weeks before she died at age 12.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by TuMicks View Post
    Yep. Sounds about right. I was talking with some retriever folks the other day about "firebreathers" (Labs with excess "go-jo") and one of them said his field lab finally settled down about two weeks before she died at age 12.
    Oh my gosh! I hope this isn't us lol.

  6. #6
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
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    Our 4 year old likes to get the hem of skirts or shorts and hold them while walking, which is an improvement from hands or feet. She mostly grabs the nearest toy and paces around with it, probably because when she was younger I'd push a toy into her mouth in place of some body part. When I come home from anywhere or if she's trying to get our attention, she usually has a toy in her mouth.

    Walks don't tend to wear pups out too much. Swimming, playing (running) outside, chasing balls, sticks, frisbees, usually does a better job. Also, getting them to learn new tricks and practicing the new tricks can wear them out because it provides some mental work. Tricks go beyond just ssit, stay, down, stuff like that. You and/or your kids could teach him things like spin (turn in circles in one direction) and twist (spin in the other direction), shake with one paw and then the other, or high five, roll over. Even just short learning sessions practiced a few times a day can help to wear them out. He sounds like a pretty typical, active young lab, which can be TIRING! No one tells you that ahead of time. Many people see older labs who seem so calm and mellow. Ha Ha! They were probably demon puppies themselves at one time!

  7. #7
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    If there is one thing I've found with a high energy dog, is the more exercise you give them, the more they want. If you can work in some training sessions that makes him really use his brain, it will tire him more than an hour of running.

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    Charlotte K. (07-08-2017)

  9. #8
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    I've been doing several short training sessions with him daily. We are working on leave it, and wait as well as off. We work on off all day long. He actually has pretty good leash manners which I'm thankful for! We also do a lot of fetch, and he and my 6 year old chase each other all the live long day lol. Doing some tricks is a good idea. I will look into that. He is a very sweet dog and I know that someday we are going to have a great dog.

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  11. #9
    Senior Dog Meeps83's Avatar
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    Is this normal

    My parents 1 year old also mouths like you describe Forest. It's pretty normal. Is the mouthing ok for you and your family? As far as energy, he sounds normal. Mental games and puzzles will wear him out without winding him up. Teaching settle or place will help him calm down at night so that he (and you!) can sleep.


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  12. #10
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    when we get home from work, Tickle likes to hold our hands with her mouth. I co-own a black boy with a friend of mine, and he does the same thing! LOL

 



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