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

diceydeb

OMG... I have so been where you are. We have a black labrador retriever Max who is now 2 and a half. Everything you described about Murphys behaviour is exactly what Max was like... he was completely manic too. My boys are much older than your children but we had all that awfull biting and crazy running round in circles like a loony! I got so many bruises and scratches off him. We thought hed never grow out of it ... but he did. We persevered and was firm , shutting him out when he was out of control. I never took him to classes but I work nights so had more time to put in. He calmed down around 12 months old but we did get him the snip too mainly cos he was humping all the time! That helped a lot. He is a lovely dog now , and walks off lead in the park and socialises with other dogs well. He is my soulmate and I love him to bits. So hang on in there he will come good in the end I promise.


Best of luck !

Welshwoofs

MurphytheLabrador wrote: »

Like said above I am not sure in what way we have made him like this. We have tried so hard with his training, we have tried to get his attention onto toys, we've used a crate, a clicker, treats to try and get his recall better, stuck to a smaller space / the garden to get him better at coming back, tried an extending lead, made sure we try and keep up to date with the basic commands (sit, stay, wait, lie etc).

I think you said the pup was 7 months old? If you've been trying lots of approaches it could well be that he's as confused as hell and doesn't know what's expected of him. Presumably you got him between 8-12 weeks? So you've actually had your pup between 4-5 months and that is nothing in training terms. It's been said a lot but, again, you don't know whether or not any particular training type is working because you've not given any one of them anywhere near long enough. I was talking about this thread today with at doggy hydrotherapy as the owner there is a behaviourist and ex vet nurse - she said that for the first 4 months she doesn't expect to achieve anything but potty training because they're bundles of energy that just want to run and explore.

Yes, he is from a working line, and the breeder didn't really mention that there was any difference.

It just means that one line of Labs has been bred to plod round a ring and 'look' a certain way whilst the other line has been bred to be out in the fields doing specific tasks and be active. Working Labs get out there, pick up the birds the guns have taken down and bring them back.

Maybe we could try some more excersise and see if that helps him at all. He does love playing in the garden and gets a couple of hours there a day.

Again - gun dog training. Have you looked into it at all? It doesn't mean you have to take up shooting or even that your dog will ever work to guns, it's just a certain type of training that plays to the instincts that your Lab has had honed through breeding.

MurphytheLabrador

I appreciate the replies.

This will be my last post on the thread, everyone has given their advice (or just opinion) and I don't think there is any point in keeping the thread going anymore. I did worry that the thread would go this way but luckily have had some good advice out of it.

We just need to decide what is best not just for the family, but Murphy more than anything else. Thanks again.

Rochelle

thorsoak

I wish you well, whatever you decide.

jen007

Hi Rochelle, I've read the entire thread but seemed to have missed anything that says he was neutered? Is he?



I myself had a Lab' who sounds very like your Murphy, from a working dog line.(He was sadly put to sleep in January of this year due to him starting to have fits, a health problem Labs are prone to)
The nipping could be part of this working dog behaviour which is bred into him?
You have to remember that Lab's will use their noses and any stimulous you can give Murphy using his nose will be beneficial for him. I'd even go as far as getting a potato sack and filling it with animal feathers.

I think you need to find another trainer, I'd recommend the gun dog training route as this worked wonders for my friends dog (of the same litter as my Charlie). My own dog was that much of a menace that he often escaped and once managed to have a nights stay in the local SSPCA, which he also managed to escape from under sedation. (We were able to get him back if we agreed to him being neutered).

Labs are hard work, they're like Collies (I've had one also, nipping was also bred into her line as her parents were both herding dogs. She eventually went back to the farm where I got her after 3 years of nipping but I gave her the chance to outgrow this with consistent training and stimulous).

Don't leave your children alone with ANY dog, no matter how much you trust them. And clearly, right now you don't have any trust in your dog at all.
I myself was bitten by a dog who i'd known for years and she was quite happy frolicking around with me playfully. I required 9 stitches in my hand. My son was bitten by a dog on his face, he now has a scar below his eye (6 stitches). (9 month cross breed, known him for around a year. NRP left him on his own with this dog)
I'm not telling you this to say how much damage a dog can do, but more not to trust any dog.
Any animal is unpredictable, no matter how much you love/trust them.


If required, muzzle him whilst in the house until he outgrows/is trained how to behave.


I hope you find another trainer/professional person who deals with WORKING dogs and give Murphy the chance he deserves. Do you know if he was socialised with people/children from birth?

Wellyboots6

Just before you go...

When pup goes 'off on one' what do you do?

Tyson (7 years old physically, 7 months old mentally!) has 'mad' sessions every couple of days where he tears round the house picking stuff up and throwing it, barking continually, digging at the carpet and basically just totally losing it. He never bites though.

If I ignored him he would just keep going until he exhausted himself, or gave himself a heart attack.

His pupils dilate and he gets a 'wild' look in his eyes. His trainers have seen it happen and they also say that he seems to zone out and go nuts!

I have practiced and practiced and practiced the DOWN command with him now, and so when he goes on one of his mad ones I can give him a sharp DOWN and he will drop to the floor panting. I then get him to stay there until his breathing has slowed and his eyes return to normal.

It usually happens when he gets himself over excited, but I do worry that one day he will give himself a heart attack which is why I have stopped him doing it. Plus it does his joints, and my carpets, no good!

I have now learnt to spot when he is going in to one of his sessions and most of the time manage to calm him before he gets too wound up.

Just wondered if it could be something similar happening with pup?

The vet said that it is a combination of adrenaline and the lack of any sort of training to develop self-control when he was younger. Not sure if this is correct or not, but catching it before it starts really helps!

zaksmum

My Jack does the mad half hour thing where he goes crazy, racing round the field, leaping in the air, even somersaulting. I always thought it was just being full of the joys of spring...!

Welshwoofs

MurphytheLabrador wrote: »

I appreciate the replies.

You still haven't answered the question asked a few times now. Have you looked into gun dog training? If not, will you at least think about doing so?

Working dogs are bred to maximise the instincts and behaviours needed for the tasks they do which is a totally different kettle of fish from show lines who are bred to fit a 'type' and not for their instincts. Working dog training is not the same as standard obedience training.

Just to illustrate to you - below are two photos of Labradors. The top one is from working lines and the bottom one is from show lines. Even superficially you can see the difference - one is sleeker, more athletic. It's bred to be energetic and to work.

Paradigm

Welshwoofs wrote: »

You still haven't answered the question asked a few times now. Have you looked into gun dog training? If not, will you at least think about doing so?

I think you are wasting your time WW, this issue was decided before the OP started the thread!

zaksmum

The top photo looks just like Jack, who's a whippet/labrador cross. His mother was the labrador and the owner said she was a working labrador gundog.