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[Gunner31623]

Hi everyone, my name is Doug and my wife and I are new parents of a now 12 week old male Yellow Lab named Gunner. Gunner is the newest member of four-legged family. He is our third dog along with three cats.

We absolutely love Gunner, but he is a handful and a maniac at times. So I am hopeful that reading the information that many of you have posted will help us to learn some of the methods you all have found useful.

Thank you so much!

[katALlabs]

Welcome to the board. You’ll find some good information here.
Don’t get discouraged weekends are usually slow here.

[Snowshoe]

Welcome to the board. Is Gunner field bred? Or bench bred? How about a photo? One member here showed us monthly photos of his puppy beside a lawn sprinkler. It made a neat growth chart, my how that sprinkler shrank over the months. A theme you might like, and to show us.

[barry581]

Welcome. I'm the sprinkle picture guy. I found it to be a lot of fun taking the same picture on a weekly basis for the first 6 months or so. It give you a great way to see how much the change on a weekly basis.

Lab puppies can certainly be a challenge to say the least. They bite, they chew, they jump, and are generally in to everything they shouldn't be. 3 or 4 short training sessions every day is extremely helpful in wearing them out mentally, and free play will help with the physical side. I don't do much leash walking at less than 6-7 months as the repetitive motion can be hard on growing joints. If he's not crate trained yet, I highly recommend it. It gives them a "den" and sometimes puppies just need a time out!

With a lot of love, patience, and work, in about 2 years you'll have a really great dog!

[smartrock]

With a lot of love, patience, and work, in about 2 years you'll have a really great dog!

Hi Doug and wife and Gunner! Welcome to the board.

We've had 9 dogs over the years and now have our 4th lab. I remember when we got our first one, about 17 years ago, someone told me what Barry said above, that in 2 years I'd have a really great dog, and I about burst into tears! My clothes had holes in them from him grabbing at them as he ran by, he chewed table legs and door frames despite having many, many dog-safe options, he had more energy than I thought any dog could have and we'd already had 5 dogs before him but, none were labs. He did turn into a stellar representative of the breed, as have our subsequent labs. We now have an almost 5 year old lab and our younger one just turned one year of age. The one year old is improving, our 5 year old granddaughter told me about a month ago that Joey is "much nicer" than he used to be, but it does take a lot of patience and love and, did I mention patience, to help them calm down and act like they have some sense.

So, ask away, are there any particular issues or concerns you're having right now? We'll be happy to learn more about your adventures with Gunner!

[Jollymolly]

Welcome