golden lab

Dollardog

Sounds like you need to do some serious training!!

piglet74

I can't mind the name of her feed off hand (its an Irish brand) its out in the shed, will check tmara,

I think we might breed her at some stage, but if not, we would consider spaying.

Person_one

Spay, don't breed, please.

There are plenty of lab breeders, no need for you to add to the numbers.

con1888

Check her food. I have a rather non hyper pup (7months old) and I put it down to his diet -raw fed = no additives.

Training is a good idea too, teach ' down' for when she tries to jump on the sofa. My pup does get hype when we come home but not crazy uncontrollable.

As for neutering, it may or may not make a difference. We aren't neutering our boy.. have heard of very hyper males being neutered to calm them down though but never experienced that first hand.

suki1964

Person_one wrote: »

Spay, don't breed, please.

There are plenty of lab breeders, no need for you to add to the numbers.

Can't see where the op has said she's breeding, or am I blind?


Not everyone who doesn't spay or neuter is breeding

con1888

OP says a few posts up she may consider it at some point.

suki1964

con1888 wrote: »

OP says a few posts up she may consider it at some point.

My bad, missed the last one


OP, you don't even know what you feed your dog, nor know how to train it, I don't think breeding is best suited to you

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

mountainofdebt wrote: »

Please can you tell me when beagles grow up ............

They don't.



Sorry.







But it's why I love them so....

zaksmum

My lab/whippet cross was manic at first but calmed down by the age of about 2. He's fine now at almost 5 but going through a phase of sticking to me like glue.

Even if I get up to put the kettle on and he's asleep in front of the fire, he leaps up, follows me out to the kitchen...to the sink where I fill the kettle...to the fridge to get the milk...his nose is permanently attached to the back of my leg.

It's sweet but can be somewhat tiresome too!

krlyr

2.5 is still quite young for a large breed, they do mature a bit slower than smaller dogs and young dogs do have quite a bit of energy. I would say mine (GSD and Rottie x) started to chill at about age 4 - though this did coincide with their switch to a raw diet too, food can definately play a part in energy levels so definately something to look into.

As has already been said, training, especially mental stimulation, can be great to tire out a dog too. Exercising a dog lots can put excess strain on its joints (Labs being a breed a bit more prone to joint problems too) but also can build stamina - walk a dog 15 miles every day and eventually it will need to be walked 20 to get tired out, then 25, etc. Provide a good mix of physical and mental stimulation - Labs are retrieving dogs so teach her to differentiate between her toys (learn that the red ball is "red ball", the teddy is "bear" etc. - so you can send her to "get teddy" or "get red ball"), to retrieve toys hidden around the house or out on walks, to fetch you the TV remote, etc. There's lots of gimmicky tricks, use Youtube etc. for inspiration, they may not all have value in real-life situations but they get a dog's brain ticking which will wear them out.

If she is wrecking the house when left alone, I would consider whether this is a "naughty" behaviour or whether she has a level of separation anxiety - this is like a phobia of being home alone, she may not be choosing to be destructive to amuse herself, but simply experiencing such a level of fear/distress that she has to express it someway - and this is often with destructive behaviour (and can sometimes lead to self-harming behaviour, e.g. chewing her tail or paw pads, scratching herself, etc.). Some good books on separation anxiety are Patricia McConnell's "I'll be home soon" and Nicole Wilde's "Don't leave me" - both explain the concept behind SA and ways to deal with it, though the latter is probably the more in-depth one.

Also, on the point of breeding - I would say tread very carefully. You're struggling with one dog's behaviour - imagine being responsible for 10! You would be the person who shapes how these dogs go on to develop, a breeder doesn't just stick a male and female dog together and then sell cute puppies. They need to carefully select dogs of ideal temperaments (which it sounds like your girly may stumble at, if her hyperness is a personality trait), do all the appropriate health tests, and then the hard work really starts when it comes to socialising the puppies and exposing them to all the different things they need to be exposed to before they go to their new home.
For example, many breeders create environments in the garden that expose puppies to the many different floor surfaces they'll meet in life - grass, paving slabs, gravel, tarmac, etc. as well as using wobble boards to teach them to be confident on unstable surfaces. They'll expose them to all the different sounds and smells indoors and out - hairdryers, hoovers, washing machines, cars, bicycles, children. Some will go further and expose them to horses, sheep, cows, etc. to create bomb-proof dogs who won't startle at the sight of a horse on a walk, or have a desire to chase the strange new sight of a sheep when out in fields.

Raising a litter can be done. Raising it well is hard work - it's what justifies the prices that decent breeders charge, they don't do it for profit but to provide healthy, well-rounded puppies that will be a delight to own. The saying "If you can't do a job properly, don't do it all at" springs to mind - these aren't stuffed toys that can be put on a shelf, they're living beings that might end up passed from pillar to post if they don't settle in their home, that could be dumped if they inherited their mum's inability to calm down, or worse, euthanised if a lack of socialisation as a pup led to them biting someone through fear, overexcitement, or so on.

I would say do a whole lot more research before even deciding whether to breed. Not meaning to dig, but a "Golden" Lab doesn't even exist - it's Golden Retriever, or Yellow Lab..if you're stumbling on the basics, it's definately worth hitting the books, going to breed shows to chat to breeders, I'd perhaps say don't even consider breeding from your girl at all but maybe look into breeding in general with the idea of sourcing a different !!!!! to breed from, from good lines with the support of other breeders (perhaps one who may be willing to mentor you) if you do eventually decide you have the knowledge, time and money it takes to breed responsibly. And brushing up on your general dog knowledge, training, etc. wouldn't harm either.