Any lab/english pointer owners out here--HELP! (labs, poodles, toy)

[GypsySoul22]

Our puppy is going on 11 months (she will be 1 year sometime in November--she was a rescue we have had since February). Well, she is sweet and lovely, like labs and pointers but lately she is NUTS.

This is a dog who *maybe* spends 2-3 hours a week or less in her crate. My husband works nights and is home ALL day with her. I am currently not working so I am home ALL the time with her. She gets up to 3 walks a day, weather permitting. We also have a 10 year old child she adores.

Well, our dog has become a wild child. Today I walked her 45 minutes to get out her energy. We got home and within 10 minutes she was at it again (stealing socks, underwear), pawing at me, waking up my husband...ripping up some paper I left on the floor (she rarely used to touch anything on the floor, apart from socks or underwear). Now she is being 'destructive' and it's worrying.

We live in a good size apartment in a rural area. We take her to parks nearly every day and like I said, on good walks. She loves playing in the creeks, the woods, sniffing like a good ole hound and I encourage it.

Unfortunately, we cannot let her off her leash because she doesn't listen too well outside (pointer!!!) so we are scared she will run away. I know it would help her to 'run free' off the leash.

We have her enrolled in obedience training and tomorrow is week 2...she's very good and loving and sweet but I am not sure what else to do--we have rawhide chews and bones (which seem to be very pricey and hard to find lately), toys, and try to spend a nice chunk of time giving her attention and love.

So--anyone who is a doggy expert, please help!! I know a tired dog is a good dog but there comes a point we have OTHER things to do (like look for a job, clean the house...)

Any suggestions are welcome and if anyone knows where I can get 'cheaper' rawhide bones let me know. We only have high end pet stores here in this area (no chains) so everything I buy for the dog is 'expensive' and with me being out of work, I can't afford a new raw hide toy every week.

Thank you!!

[SXMGirl]

I think you are going to have to live through the terrible twos. We have always had lab mixes, but the last one that we had as a puppy ate everything including the sofa. If you have any fenced areas nearby such as school lots (just clean up afterwards) or playgrounds where you can go after hours to let her run, it will help. Also, if you have a doggie day care, while expensive, maybe she could spend several hours a week there. She really needs to run off all that energy that puppies have. Maybe find another puppy friend, such as a neighbor's dog, where they have a fenced yard. Dogs like to play with other dogs.

[jimboburnsy]

There is a name for this period; formal hunting trainers call it the "12 month training dump." They grow out of it, you just have to make sure they don't break anything too expensive until that happens. Labs and pointers can be great family dogs, but they are working breeds at the core and need a job. Give her a job. Her job title can be "Tennis Ball Relocation Manager."

A tennis ball in the backyard can be the most efficient way to drain a retriever's energy. Make it fun, as in:

YOU: (in an excited voice) "HEY!! Look what I have! You want this? Huh? You want it? GO GET IT!!"

Wave the ball around, jump up and down, get the dog extremely excited about the prospect of you throwing the ball. Teach the dog to catch a tennis ball that you throw to her. Puppies really want to play keep-away more than retrieve, so keep about three balls at the ready. My experience has been that puppies like "getting" more than "having" so if the dog doesn't want to bring the ball back to you, show her the next one and she should focus on that. Call her to you. If she doesn't come immediately, run away from her (she should follow). Eventually the dog will learn that bringing the ball back equates to you throwing it again (which is what they REALLY want). When you get to that point you can flat out exhaust the dog in the backyard with no more effort than throwing a ball.

The downside is that you end up with a dog who will solicit a tennis ball throw from anyone at anytime. She'll drop a ball at your feet and wait impatiently for you to throw it. If you don't she'll move the ball a little closer. Then she'll put it on your shoe. Then she'll put it in your lap. She won't take NO for an answer.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Since you said you live in an apt., I'm going to assume you don't have a fenced yard for her. So, get the longest retractable lead you can find and use the tennis ball idea with her on the lead. Or clear a path to the kitchen and throw balls in there for her. good luck!

[Jessiegee40]

I have to agree. I have always had labs or lab mixes and the energy level is very high and the chewing doesn't stop until they are not a puppy anymore. That would be somewhere around 2 to 3 years old. My current Lab is a very good boy @ 2 1/2 but he also has a hole in his heart so that cuts his energy level alot.

I did crate train him so that when I was at work and during the night he didn't have the chance to chew everything to pieces. He only goes in his crate now when he wants to. Now he actually likes my bed or should I say our bed. He is good about staying on his half.

[Blondie621]

First I would take her off the rawhide chews..they are kinda dangerous. Dogs have choked on chewed pieces. Go to Petsmart and get her a Dentleys white hard bone with bacon/malasses flavor in the middle. All my dogs love them, especially my lab mix. They are like 5 bucks a piece but last a couple of months. I buy the package of like 5 for 20 bucks since they are hard to get. They are out of stock on them all the time. They come in a plastic bag or if u get one it comes wrapped in plastic.
You need to find the local dog park where you can unleash her and she can romp with other dogs and be part of a pack there.

[kahskye]

I have an 11 mth old lab, who for the most part is well trained. It's the age! He gets walked, played w/ in the yard and is well socialized w/ someone always home w/ him. Once a day he has the moment we call "tuck butt", where he will run through the house w/ his butt tucked under and seems uncontrollable. It's a stage he's going through, but that doesn't mean we let it be acceptable. He calms down and goes back into his commands like we were all imagining his wild behavior. Have patience, they do grow out of this wild stage.

[GypsySoul22]

Thanks for all the ideas.

We have a smallish kitchen but a nice long hallway and we threw around the balls tonight for awhile (we used to call this Puppy Olympics play in our old apartment, like that show on Animal Planet).

Trouble is, we get a bit lazy by night. It's just my son and myself when my husband (the fun one!) goes to work in the evenings. I am busy making dinner, cleaning up, helping our son w/homework, having time with him and then he likes to watch tv..the dog needs her time, too, even if it's just a few minutes broken up till bed time.

We have a dog park but she's a bit too big for the 'small' side and the big dogs scare her. My husband doesn't like the dog park (it's not very big). After her obedience training I may take her myself.

kahskye our dog does the same...she does what I call 'flipping out' where she romps and just goes wild on the leash in circles (outside) and runs in 5 different directions at top speed...it's so cute, really! We laugh and laugh.


I know she would LOVE to run free, so when we didn't get the house we wanted to buy this year, it nearly broke my heart...

We want a yard for her so badly...

Meanwhile--she has a good life compared to so many dogs...so we will hang in and hope this is a phase.

Thanks again.

[Jessiegee40]

Originally Posted by kahskye

I have an 11 mth old lab, who for the most part is well trained. It's the age! He gets walked, played w/ in the yard and is well socialized w/ someone always home w/ him. Once a day he has the moment we call "tuck butt", where he will run through the house w/ his butt tucked under and seems uncontrollable. It's a stage he's going through, but that doesn't mean we let it be acceptable. He calms down and goes back into his commands like we were all imagining his wild behavior. Have patience, they do grow out of this wild stage.

Is it only Labs that do that "tuck butt"? It is so funny. Mine will run around the coffee table like that and it cracks us up.

[leorah]

Originally Posted by Jessiegee40

Is it only Labs that do that "tuck butt"? It is so funny. Mine will run around the coffee table like that and it cracks us up.

Nope, I have Poodles and they do it, too!