I'm very close to rehoming our puppy. :(

Paradigm

poppyfield19 wrote: »

I just cannot believe some of the replies people are posting. The link to the poem and the constant "poor puppy" - how is this supposed to be helping, are you trying to make the owners feel guilty that their puppy is clearly... through no fault of their own... not fitting into their family?

IMO things like....

I have never had a puppy before

&

but we looked into everything and a labrador always seemed to be described as a great family pet.

leads me to believe that the OP didn't know what they were taking on & as such training has suffered.

Pups are hard work at the best of times but with young children in the houe it's a mammoth task.
Puppy/dog training is ok as long as everyone in the house is singing from the same hymn sheet.

If the OP wants to persevere (I have my doubts) then everyone, including kids, should go to the training classes so everyone knows what is expected/required.

Is it a "poor puppy" thing, yes! I would rather say it's a "poor everyone" thing. The OP seems to have been totally unprepared for the work needed.

krlyr

Found this thread on an excitable lab too
http://www.dogpages.org.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=202120

Some pointers on diet being a possible cause, and some great tips further below, especially rosiemongrel's. Lots of things you can implement around the house, like scattering his daily meals around the lawn, feeding him from a Kong, etc. - my dogs nearly always get their breakfast frozen in a Kong as it occupies them for about half an hour, you could mix his biscuits with a bit of wet food (e.g. Naturediet) and stuff in a Kong, then over time make it more challenging by soaking the biscuits, freezing it for an hour, freezing it overnight, etc.
Then scatter his dinner over the lawn to occupy him for a while. One of mine absolutely loves this and will spend ages sniffing out every last biscuit/treat!

Pthree

Has anyone mentioned food yet?

If not, what are you feeding him?

krlyr

Pthree wrote: »

Has anyone mentioned food yet?

If not, what are you feeding him?

Discussed on page one (answered on two)

catkins

poppyfield19 wrote: »

I just cannot believe some of the replies people are posting. The link to the poem and the constant "poor puppy" - how is this supposed to be helping, are you trying to make the owners feel guilty that their puppy is clearly... through no fault of their own... not fitting into their family? All of these replies are far from helpful and just nonsense... if you payed any attention they have clearly been trying their best with Murphy... but of course you all know better and have these apparently perfect dogs. Yes puppies bite and he isn't attacking, but I don't think people understand his behaviour here. It isn't the normal mouthing and jumping, he sounds like he is from a working line and has all of this extra energy (that extra walks and so on will not help) and this is why he is so hyper and excited. The bites that they can give when they go "off in one" like that aren't just mouthing... it is quite sore bites. I don't know why everyone is constantly saying poor Murphy - in what way is he poor Murphy? OP would probably best to talk more in PM if you want to at all

It's a shame the OP didn't do a bit more research into what sort of dog to get. With two children she probably would have been better off with an older dog rather than a puppy who will bite and needs lots of time.

I personally do not understand why so many people choose labradors as judging by the ones I know, they are not easier dogs to train etc. They are mad for a couple of years then usually suddenly seem to really slow down and act "old". When I had my dog and he would be running round like a puppy at 11 labrador owners would say "oh my dog won't play he/she is too old". When I asked how old they were it would 5, 6, 7 - too old to play at that young age!

lostinrates

MurphytheLabrador wrote: »

We didn't honestly know that there was any difference in show / working line. Maybe we should have looked into this, but it wasn't something the breeder mentioned, so we didn't think. If we can try anything in the garden or if his recall improves somewhere else, we will try some games etc that might interest him.

I obviously meant we put the laptop in there so we could sit in with him while he was sleeping and just "be there".... very obviously,

Rochelle

IMO it was negligent of the breeder not to make this clear. It seems to have been the fashion for sopme years for people to look for working lines in many breeds (some feel they are truer to type, some feel they are healthier, some justa like the 'kudos' of having a dog from a working line).

Op, IMO if you want to make it work with murphy you and your partner are going to need to put in a lot more time and try and find an untapped well of patience.

While everyone is right about exercise levels being right he could have more mental stimulation that was not 'physically' draining. Ever thought about Gun dog training? Or obedience? Do you have the time to devote to this....fairly full on to those not planning for it or used to it in their schedules ..as a hobby?

Need not be traditional. Advanced clicker training for example. Better not being in long bursts, but maybe three short bursts a day?

Finally, although its great you have the lap top in with him it's obviously not enough for Him. Have you a baby gate keeping him in or a closed door....a baby gate would allow him to feel more a part of comings and goings through waking hours. Secondly, if you have down time in the evening in another room, a sitting room, for example, I would startu teaching him to come in AND SETtLE DOWN so he could spend that time with you. Now, while I don't do this, if I found myself in your situation I might consider that settle down place might be something like a play pen, right next to where the most sedentary one of the family sits, so that he can have lots of strokes and attention.

My dogs do not have access through the house through the day (too muddy) but when in I am in the next room (usually with a baby gate or an open door which they are not allowed through) and in the evening they can come in and lie down with us (or me) while I watch tv.

They find it harder to settle down when full of beans....so checking his diet might be a way forward and also making this after a training session or walk.

catkins

thorsoak wrote: »

Murphy is a puppy of 8 months ...therefore his walks of 20 mins each are right on target for his age - rule of thumb being 5 mins per month up to a year old. If you walk a youngish large breed puppy for 21/2 hours at a time, you are in danger of seriously damaging his hips.

That doesn't sound like much exercise for an energetic puppy. When I had my puppy 12 years ago no one said there were rules about how long puppies could walk. He had walks or runs offlead and as soon as he started to tire I took him home. If I had given him 5 or 10 minutes he would have driven me mad at home as he would have been bored and wanted to use up all his energy. I used to play with him and train him but he needed exercise.

He never had any problems with hips, legs etc. He lived to be almost 12 and used to run around like a puppy - in fact lots of people thought he was a puppy. My vet said he was incredibly healthy for a dog of almost 12.

Raksha

If anyone is reading this far because they are having similar problems, I forgot to mention earlier that one of the biggest things I found made a difference with Barney was feeding him by hand. If he grabbed, the food went away for a few minutes.

It sounds as if the OP has told her children how to behave around the pup (although holding food out of the pups reach is teaching him to jump for it) but hasn't taught the pup what is required. For this puprose a house line is great - if an adult puts their foot on it to prevent the dog reaching the child and rewards the dog for not attempting to get the the child with food.

krlyr

catkins wrote: »

That doesn't sound like much exercise for an energetic puppy. When I had my puppy 12 years ago no one said there were rules about how long puppies could walk. He had walks or runs offlead and as soon as he started to tire I took him home. If I had given him 5 or 10 minutes he would have driven me mad at home as he would have been bored and wanted to use up all his energy. I used to play with him and train him but he needed exercise.

He never had any problems with hips, legs etc. He lived to be almost 12 and used to run around like a puppy - in fact lots of people thought he was a puppy. My vet said he was incredibly healthy for a dog of almost 12.

Dogs were also raised on scraps/leftovers, allowed to wander around streets, bred because "they'd love to have one litter" and so on.

Article specifically on labs, with a link to study showing that certain kinds of exercise increased the risk of HD
http://www.thelabradorsite.com/?p=1671

Having had a dog with HD, and having to have her euthanised at 4 years old because she could barely stand, I would not wish the experience on anyone. A dog can be tired out with more than just physical exercise so no need to take the risk, I would offer a puppy a mixture of low-medium impact exercise and mental stimulation in the form of games, puzzles and training.

lostinrates

catkins wrote: »

That doesn't sound like much exercise for an energetic puppy. When I had my puppy 12 years ago no one said there were rules about how long puppies could walk. He had walks or runs offlead and as soon as he started to tire I took him home. If I had given him 5 or 10 minutes he would have driven me mad at home as he would have been bored and wanted to use up all his energy. I used to play with him and train him but he needed exercise.

He never had any problems with hips, legs etc. He lived to be almost 12 and used to run around like a puppy - in fact lots of people thought he was a puppy. My vet said he was incredibly healthy for a dog of almost 12.

But we know more about things like Osteochondritis and long term joint health now.

Exercise is vitally important but need not be the only form of stimulation. Walks plus (if safe, probably not ideal in this case) some playing with kids in the garden, or some 'intelligence games' and lots of CONTACT replaces much of the exercise.


Personally, I have walked older puppies longer, but I think OT also depends on the type of walk. Twenty mins somewhere they go almost daily is less tiring that twenty minutes with the stimulation of novelty. Also there is 'ambling' and walking, Lots of pets only get to amble (which is fine) as kids find sticks to play with etc, which slows them down. In that case I personally might amble a little longer.