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I set up a post last week in regard to my husband and I possibly adopting an 8 month old labrador pup. Since that time, the owner who had rescued her told me they were going to keep her, which was fine with me. They called me yesterday stating that they have decided they definitely need to get rid of her b/c their other dog is acting out and becoming territorial and jealous.
Anyhoo, we are considering adopting her but my question to you is this. I never had a labrador. I had a cocker spaniel when I was younger which didn't require much work. We did however take her to obedient classes when she was a puppy b/c she would chew a lot. Now, I do understand that puppies chew a lot but my main concern is everyone is telling me that labs are chewers when they get bored. Right now the dog is 8 months old, not spayed yet which is top priority on my list if we take her. However, the owners are able to take her to work with them and she has the run of the mill over there. She is able to be loose and socialize with other dogs in the area. If we were to take her into our house, we work for 8 hours out of the day so I read online that a puppy should be crated when nobody is around so they don't chew the house apart or have an accident in the house. I've also read that a dog of this age should be able to hold it longer than a younger puppy. I feel terrible taking this pup who has now had her freedome running for 3 weeks and then having to crate her in my house for 4 days a week. Also, we are not 100% sure that she is housetrained so I do know for the house training process, crate training is usually the best.
My question is this, would you feel terrible taking this dog who is able to be with it's owners during the day at work (but they do have to get rid of her) and bringing her into your house and having to crate train her and keep her in the crate for 8 hours out of the day? I have thought about having a dog walker come in once a day (have to see how much that costs).
Also, does anyone know approximately what age labradors stop chewing? I have new furniture in my house and am worried that she will chew my couch apart. The woman who has her now told me in 3 weeks she chewed a shoe. Please understand that I do know puppies chew but I have heard labs are much worse. In the same breath, they are really smart though. Do you think if we were to walk the dog after work this would help the chewing process or would it have to be before work? Also, when it's snowing and raining what do dog owners do as far as walking their dogs? How long of a walk is sufficient? When we had our cocker spaniel, we would taker her around a short block 2x and she was happy with that (maybe 20 minutes).
I'd appreciate any info anyone can give me. Thank you.
Hmm. Let's see where to start...well I have a black Lab-adoggy as I call him. My husband and I found him running on I-85 in Virginia at roughly 3 months old so his beginnings are sketchy. I can only give you his behavior from then till now, and he's 2.5 yrs. old.
Labs supposedly "take longer to mature." I can agree with this, he's a goofball. He's also male....does that make him apt to be more goofy longer? Seems that way, because my lab-x and mutt females seemed to have matured faster.
I think 8 months is way too old to crate train. My monster was already trained by 3 months when we found him. Labs are exceptionally intelligent, pick up on cues extremely fast, and are naturally curious. My monster watches my face to see what comes next. He is always "watching" -- my mother-in-law was over a couple of weeks ago and remarked that he was 'always watching.' He requires a good amount of stimulation, which is why I'm glad he has sisters. If older one isn't interested in beating on him and roughhousing, he picks on his littler sister and then the big one gets involved. He doesn't really want to play with his littler sister; he wants his bigger sister to kick his butt and chase him. That is his goal. He employs strategies...it's hilarious to watch. I'm tellin' ya....he's a SCHMAAAHT cookie.
My darling monster never chewed furniture or objects but he has a fixation with books. Takes them off the shelf and destroys them. JUST books. (I told you he's quite the scholar!) Books are now located behind glass-doored bookshelves. Labs are notorious counter surfers. Remove all edible (and non-edible) objects from counters. You will be cleaner and neater than you ever thought you could be, and that's a good thing.
As for walkies, he loves his walks. Dogs appreciate walks differently though; you'll have to find out what his objective is when he walks. Your objective will be to tire him out. There are many ways to achieve this.
The small lab-x female has her head down and is on the trail of something. Anything. Never looks up or looks around. Doesn't care if a 3-ring circus passes in front of her face, she's got a job to do / an object or critter to find and she is ON THE CASE.
My large mutt female is out to meet and greet. The Mayor. There isn't someone or something that isn't in need of some meeting and greeting somewhere. She has YOU WILL BE MY FRIEND on her mind. She is the Facebook person that has 1,347 friends. Oh and marking things. That's her dominant side.
My sweet monster...he's absorbing the landscape. Taking it all in. Looking, listening, sniffing...not really looking for, but looking at. He's got massive ADD on his walks. Crissing and crossing paths -- overstimulated in the extreme. And if he were loose, he'd be running. Running until he wore his legs down to nubs. Run and run and run. (His sisters do not share his love of all things athletic).
We've also expanded our verbal cues considerably since he has come along. The dogs' collective vocabulary has increased exponentially since his arrival.
Sorry to give this in snippets, I'm obviously not an organized thinker today.
3DogNight: Thanks so much for the info. Thank goodness you found were able to capture your dog on the freeway. He found a good home.
I appreciate you sharing all your good info. I hope you are right, I hope females do mature faster than males.
As for the crate training, I called my vet since I posted here and they told me that it is normal to crate a dog for a 8 hours a day until you feel the dog can be trusted in your home by itself and is fully trained. My main concern is the chewing and of course the housebreaking.
Again, thanks for all your info. I appreciate hearing about the various types of personalities each of your dogs have.
Types of LAB personalities I have experienced are just as random -- my old boss had three, one of each flavor: choco, black and yellow. Harnessed in her small yard by an electric fence.
Yellow (male) -- oh boy he was a handful. And another smart little bugger. He used to test the parameters of his electric fence like the Velociraptors in Jurassic Park. Then he'd ram through it at 100mph chasing squirrels figuring (I'm guessing) that a one-time zap is all that stood between him and a warm squirrely treat. But he wouldn't return. He'd sit on the outside edge of the fence parameter and whine because he didn't want the zap coming back into his yard (this used to send me into fits of laughter...we worked at my boss's home based business).
Black (male) -- dumb as a stump. Hard headed. The vendors that used to swing by the business called him Joey-hardhead. Slow moving, quiet, and thick. He would stand in the warning zone of the fence and you would hear the warnings going off on his collar -- he's stargazing in la-la land. Even the zaps didn't faze him, he'd just back up a little out of the warning range and continue his stargazing.
Brown (female) -- smart. Quiet, not active, kinda like a furry ottoman. Just 'was' - wasn't into chewing, barking, running away or running laps around the house. She used to slink along the exterior of the house to avoid the zaps on the fence even though the fence parameter was 50 feet away. Hugged the house so close on her jaunts outside that she'd leave dark, dirty drag marks on the sides of the white house. FUNNY! She got zapped once and once was enough for her.
The were all smart, and enormous lovers. They just had completely different personalities. Good luck with your honey bun.
Hi Ligirl74 and thank you for considering helping this little girl. I've worked with retrievers for over 20 years and have been active in rescue working with retrievers for over 12. Young Labs can be a challenge. The key is exercise and consistantly reinforcing house rules. My favorite saying is that Retrievers (including Labs) do not grow a brain until they are around 3 or 4 years old. By that I mean that they are prone to impulse behavour over controlled behaviour. A young under-exercised Lab can be a destructive force of incredible proportions! They are a "Sporting Breed" meaning they need activity and exercise. You have to allow them to bleed off some of that excess energy or they will find very unacceptable ways to do it for you. Walks are very important but, being retrievers, throwing a ball or other type of toy for them every day (in addition to the walk) goes a long way in keeping them happy and well exercised. Swimming is also a wonderful option if its available. They are water dogs and one of their characteristics is that double coat that is water repellant. I call them "wash & wear dogs" since with a shake, they go from soaking wet to damp (don't stand too close or you will be the one soaking wet!). Kenneling is an excellent way of keeping your home safe from damage when you are not there to supervise them. I would DEFINATELY look into having someone come in and check on the pup and take them out during mid-day. 8 hours is a long time for a 6 month old Lab to be confined to a kennel. If you are not familiar with introducing a dog to a kennel, there are quite a few threads on here that can give you tips on how to make it a comfortable and positive experience. (Never use a kennel as a discipline tool!)
All that said - Labs are loyal, loving, intelligent, funny and for us, a complete joy to have around. Like any dog, it does take some work to mold them into being well behaved but the rewards make it all worthwhile!
Quote:
Originally Posted by LIgirl74
I set up a post last week in regard to my husband and I possibly adopting an 8 month old labrador pup. Since that time, the owner who had rescued her told me they were going to keep her, which was fine with me. They called me yesterday stating that they have decided they definitely need to get rid of her b/c their other dog is acting out and becoming territorial and jealous.
Anyhoo, we are considering adopting her but my question to you is this. I never had a labrador. I had a cocker spaniel when I was younger which didn't require much work. We did however take her to obedient classes when she was a puppy b/c she would chew a lot. Now, I do understand that puppies chew a lot but my main concern is everyone is telling me that labs are chewers when they get bored. Right now the dog is 8 months old, not spayed yet which is top priority on my list if we take her. However, the owners are able to take her to work with them and she has the run of the mill over there. She is able to be loose and socialize with other dogs in the area. If we were to take her into our house, we work for 8 hours out of the day so I read online that a puppy should be crated when nobody is around so they don't chew the house apart or have an accident in the house. I've also read that a dog of this age should be able to hold it longer than a younger puppy. I feel terrible taking this pup who has now had her freedome running for 3 weeks and then having to crate her in my house for 4 days a week. Also, we are not 100% sure that she is housetrained so I do know for the house training process, crate training is usually the best.
My question is this, would you feel terrible taking this dog who is able to be with it's owners during the day at work (but they do have to get rid of her) and bringing her into your house and having to crate train her and keep her in the crate for 8 hours out of the day? I have thought about having a dog walker come in once a day (have to see how much that costs).
Also, does anyone know approximately what age labradors stop chewing? I have new furniture in my house and am worried that she will chew my couch apart. The woman who has her now told me in 3 weeks she chewed a shoe. Please understand that I do know puppies chew but I have heard labs are much worse. In the same breath, they are really smart though. Do you think if we were to walk the dog after work this would help the chewing process or would it have to be before work? Also, when it's snowing and raining what do dog owners do as far as walking their dogs? How long of a walk is sufficient? When we had our cocker spaniel, we would taker her around a short block 2x and she was happy with that (maybe 20 minutes).
I'd appreciate any info anyone can give me. Thank you.
throwing a ball or other type of toy for them every day (in addition to the walk) goes a long way in keeping them happy and well exercised. Swimming is also a wonderful option if its available. They are water dogs
My fur-son won't swim and only retrieves 2 or 3 times max! Drives me nuts, his sisters love swimming!
But he is loyal to the core and loves his momma endlessly. And I forgot to mention they have a dog door into the house and a .25 acre fenced in dog paddock. He entertains himself with his sisters during the day. BY DIGGING. We will be building him his own sandbox to dig in shortly to redirect his efforts away from my plants.
My fur-son won't swim and only retrieves 2 or 3 times max! Drives me nuts, his sisters love swimming!
But he is loyal to the core and loves his momma endlessly. And I forgot to mention they have a dog door into the house and a .25 acre fenced in dog paddock. He entertains himself with his sisters during the day. BY DIGGING. We will be building him his own sandbox to dig in shortly to redirect his efforts away from my plants.
I'm always amazed at the resourcefulness of Lab owners The "digging pit" sound like a great way to redirect the behaviour. I've also found that a frozen kong filled with kibble and peanut butter is good for distracting them for a while when Mom has other things to do. Our dogs eyes glaze over when the kongs come out of the freezer
Hi Ligirl74 and thank you for considering helping this little girl. I've worked with retrievers for over 20 years and have been active in rescue working with retrievers for over 12. Young Labs can be a challenge. The key is exercise and consistantly reinforcing house rules. My favorite saying is that Retrievers (including Labs) do not grow a brain until they are around 3 or 4 years old. By that I mean that they are prone to impulse behavour over controlled behaviour. A young under-exercised Lab can be a destructive force of incredible proportions! They are a "Sporting Breed" meaning they need activity and exercise. You have to allow them to bleed off some of that excess energy or they will find very unacceptable ways to do it for you. Walks are very important but, being retrievers, throwing a ball or other type of toy for them every day (in addition to the walk) goes a long way in keeping them happy and well exercised. Swimming is also a wonderful option if its available. They are water dogs and one of their characteristics is that double coat that is water repellant. I call them "wash & wear dogs" since with a shake, they go from soaking wet to damp (don't stand too close or you will be the one soaking wet!). Kenneling is an excellent way of keeping your home safe from damage when you are not there to supervise them. I would DEFINATELY look into having someone come in and check on the pup and take them out during mid-day. 8 hours is a long time for a 6 month old Lab to be confined to a kennel. If you are not familiar with introducing a dog to a kennel, there are quite a few threads on here that can give you tips on how to make it a comfortable and positive experience. (Never use a kennel as a discipline tool!)
All that said - Labs are loyal, loving, intelligent, funny and for us, a complete joy to have around. Like any dog, it does take some work to mold them into being well behaved but the rewards make it all worthwhile!
Thanks for the info. That's what attracts me to these dogs..that they are loyal and loving and intellingent as well. As someone once told me, a lab is so smart the only thing they cannot do is talk...but..for some reason, when they are bored, they chew.
I've researched the whole kennel thing b/c I've had my eye on crate training now for about 2 months. I just feel bad putting her in a crate as right now she has the run of the mill outside where the couple owns their business. Suprisingly though, the woman never taught her to fetch or anything. I don't know why. I know the dog seemed like high energy when I saw her the last time b/c she kept climbing up and down the stairs outside between playing with the other dogs in the area and then coming up to her owner when she would call her. She was very high energy. My poor cats are probably going to be freaked out by that. They are pretty much lazy but do have their active time where they chase each other around the house. I'm just hoping the dog won't think the cats want her to play with them if she sees this b/c for some reason I can see a dog retrieving my cats!
Before I go on, I live in an area where there are lots and lots of trees and a woodsy area and i get lots of birds and squirrels in my yard. Will this dog try to get one of them? I'd hate to see a bird or squirrel get killed b/c of my dog. I also have bunnies once in a while.
I know you mentioned that you thought 8 hours was too long to leave a 6 month old puppy but this dog is between 8 and 9 months old. Do you think it's okay to leave her alone for that amount of time? I can tell you that my husband will kill me if she chews up our house b/c I'm the one who really wants the dog. He's an animal lover too but he's worried about our house getting ruined.
I'm hoping the dog doesn't have any crate training issues b/c she was originally rescued from someone who had 2 dogs (including her) crated together in 1 crate for 20 hours out of the day. I also heard she was abused so that's why this woman took her. Do you think after being crated for so long and then having her freedom for a month or so she will give me a hard time about the crate? I know to try to coerce the pup in with treats etc. and spend time doing so to get the dog used to the crate.
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). Kenneling is an excellent way of keeping your home safe from damage when you are not there to supervise them. I would DEFINATELY look into having someone come in and check on the pup and take them out during mid-day. 8 hours is a long time for a 6 month old Lab to be confined to a kennel. If you are not familiar with introducing a dog to a kennel, there are quite a few threads on here that can give you tips on how to make it a comfortable and positive experience. (Never use a kennel as a discipline tool!)
Drives me nuts, his sisters love swimming! 
