Lab Advice??

[Hales]

After talking about getting a dog...my boyfriend surprised me on Valentines day with a black lab. She is about 6 months now and growing oh so fast! I know labs are known for being hyper dogs....but gees! My dog is in the cage all day while i work (8 hours) and then at night when i sleep. Everytime i let here out of the cae she goes crazy which i understand because she has so much energy and the cage doesnt help! Even though after she is out for a while playing with me now stop she still gets a little rough and bites/jumps I have told her over and over to sit or get down and i hold her mouth shut for like 10 secs if she bites/nips sometimes she learns but other times she just acts like nothing is wrong. I have tried disciplining her and putting her in the cage for 5 minutes and "punishment". Also I really want to take her to the dog park but whenever we see other dogs or go to petco she acts CRAZY and jumps all over them...I'm scared there owners will get mad at my hyper dog so i stay away...and advice? The books dont work!

 

[Mojo]

There isn't much you can do if you keep the poor thing locked up in a cage for 8 hours

 

[Hales]

Well I really have no choice right now. I am building a fence currently in my back yard hoping to let her run around in this during the day instead of being in a cage...this way she can run and let out some energy.

 

[cattitude]

Sounds like she needs obedience/socialization. She is in the crate way too much. You should start working on her not being in there at night.

 

[Hales]

I was thinking about that but how do I just start that? I am nervous about her chewing...she loves that! She is pretty much house trained with the potty so thats not to big of a concern. I am nervous she will start eating something in the middle of the night and i will wait up with a kitchen table missing!

Also she doesnt play well with my cat same story....she goes crazy and then my cat has a panick attack...gees!

 

[cattitude]

I was thinking about that but how do I just start that? I am nervous about her chewing...she loves that! She is pretty much house trained with the potty so thats not to big of a concern. I am nervous she will start eating something in the middle of the night and i will wait up with a kitchen table missing!

Also she doesnt play well with my cat same story....she goes crazy and then my cat has a panick attack...gees!

You both really could benefit from obedience classes. I'd recommend
Canine Mind, LLC

 

[tommyjones]

Sounds like she needs obedience/socialization. She is in the crate way too much. You should start working on her not being in there at night.

and try exercising the poor thing.....

she can go a lot longer than you, but she needs to be run until she is tired.

I used to ride a bike with mine when she was young. its a little tricky, but if you practice the 'heel' while walking first, its a pretty easy transition, just dont let her pull you down the road

 

[Hales]

We walk every other day until she is tired but after like 1 hour of laying around she is ready for more. I understand she is a pup...I guess I am expecting it to be easier to train her considering we have been consistant in our methods of "training" her. She's full throttle 24-7 poor thing =[

 

[happyappygirl]

Sounds like she needs obedience/socialization. She is in the crate way too much. You should start working on her not being in there at night.

out of the crate at night at 6 months old? IMO
The crate is fine, BUT is NOT an appropriate form of punishment. Dogs don't understand that, the crate is a safe haven for them, it's their home and where it's rawhide chewies live!
The dog absolutely needs training, excercise, and socialization at every opportunity when you're home with it. All the time you spend is spent training. If you're cooking dinner, put up gates to keep her in with you, so you can interact with her and teach her how to behave. If you're watching TV, again, baby gates so you can watch her every move, and correct inappropriate behavior immediately.
I'd recommend Petco obedience classes with her/you together, NOW, lots of walks both on and off lead, and take her swimming, with a training bouy being tossed into the water for her to bring back to you whenever you can!! She's got energy and needs to burn it off in a constructive way.
Also at 6 months she's far too young to be excercised using a bike, her joints aren't stable enough until she's around 18 months, so FORCED excercise like that isn't appropriate if you want her to be orthopedically healthy for a long time. She should also prolly be on some joint suppliments even if it's in her food by using a large breed dog food which has it until she's done growing.
The dog is a commitment, and you'll get out what you put in. This training stage will be intense for a while, but once it's done, it's done, and you'll have a happy relationship for the next 10+ years.

 

[cattitude]

out of the crate at night at 6 months old? IMO

Well, keeping a dog in a crate for 16 hours a day isn't good either. I've had good luck with mine at night out of the crate from anywhere around 6-8 months. Exercise and spending a lot of time with them is the key.

 

[toppick08]

In my experience with retrievers, they don't start to slow down until they are about 5 yrs. old......

 

[Kohburn]

I have tried disciplining her and putting her in the cage for 5 minutes and "punishment".

IMO its never good to make them associate the crate with punishment. you want them to like their crate. a little squirt bottle of water is a really good deterent for most dogs and is harmless. But mostly focus on rewarding good behavior, giving them too much attention when behaving poorly can have the effect of reinforcing that behavior.

it really sounds like most of your issues are just energy related. puppies need lots and lots of exercize. and being a lab pup you can expect the dog to start chewing everything in site if you don't get it under control. (if that happens bitter apple or tobasco on the object being chewed can often help redirect the energy to a more suitable chew toy.

 

[Hales]

We reward her good behavior and let her know when she is bad. The chewing is really only when she gets bored...she doesnt bother shoes anymore but boy if she can get ahold of coasters or paper towels! She not a bad dog just the way she can be good and then turn to crazy out of control dog throws me off. When i am home she is out of the crate we have baby gates and she is good with those. Differently dont have time to watch tv with her she wont sit still long enough for me to put a movie in...i try to spend all my time playing with her...i was just hoping there was somehting else I could do to help. Maybe I can check the Petco classes...any idea on cost and duration? ...and what exactly they teach them?

 

[happyappygirl]

Well, keeping a dog in a crate for 16 hours a day isn't good either. I've had good luck with mine at night out of the crate from anywhere around 6-8 months. Exercise and spending a lot of time with them is the key.

My 7 month old pup "broke" in through the doggie door one afternoon while we were gone.
He completely trashed the house, and even pooped on his own picture, which was on the TV and fell down when he bumped into it during his efforts (which included destroying the leather couch).

I'm sticking to for 6-8 month old pups out of the crate at night. Out of the crate when you can be there to monitor their behavior, no rest for the weary.

 

[Lilypad]

After talking about getting a dog...my boyfriend surprised me on Valentines day with a black lab. She is about 6 months now and growing oh so fast! I know labs are known for being hyper dogs....but gees! My dog is in the cage all day while I work (8 hours) and then at night when I sleep. Everytime I let here out of the cage she goes crazy which I understand because she has so much energy and the cage doesnt help! Even though after she is out for a while playing with me now stop she still gets a little rough and bites/jumps I have told her over and over to sit or get down and i hold her mouth shut for like 10 secs if she bites/nips sometimes she learns but other times she just acts like nothing is wrong. I have tried disciplining her and putting her in the cage for 5 minutes and "punishment". Also I really want to take her to the dog park but whenever we see other dogs or go to petco she acts CRAZY and jumps all over them...I'm scared there owners will get mad at my hyper dog so I stay away...and advice? The books dont work!

Does boyfriend help with the dog?
How about other help with her, any friends or family able?
I understand you have to work and she is caged then, but honestly girlfriend that poor pup is confined way too much.
Walking every other day isn't enough either-just curious, why not every day?

 

[Hales]

The boyfriend helps alot...he is currently on travel for the past month so its just me. I walk her every other day because I have school and house errands I have to keep up with since its just me till he returns from travel. My aunt and cuz are great with her and help me when i need someone to play with her or feed her when I am running late from work. Even if i dont walk her every day I still play with her be it fetch in the yard or playing with her rope. I know I cage her way to long but its my only options right now I am not comfortable with letting her roam the kitchen during the 8 hours im at work with the baby gates up....the will chew my cabinets or my table...i have even caught he nipple on the ref!

 

[Lilypad]

The boyfriend helps alot...he is currently on travel for the past month so its just me. I walk her every other day because I have school and house errands I have to keep up with since its just me till he returns from travel. My aunt and cuz are great with her and help me when i need someone to play with her or feed her when I am running late from work. Even if i dont walk her every day I still play with her be it fetch in the yard or playing with her rope. I know I cage her way to long but its my only options right now I am not comfortable with letting her roam the kitchen during the 8 hours im at work with the baby gates up....the will chew my cabinets or my table...i have even caught he nipple on the ref!

Huh?

 

[Hales]

...i even caught her nibble on the refrigerator


...damn typos!

 

[ICit]

After talking about getting a dog...my boyfriend surprised me on Valentines day with a black lab. She is about 6 months now and growing oh so fast! I know labs are known for being hyper dogs....but gees! My dog is in the cage all day while i work (8 hours) and then at night when i sleep. Everytime i let here out of the cae she goes crazy which i understand because she has so much energy and the cage doesnt help! Even though after she is out for a while playing with me now stop she still gets a little rough and bites/jumps I have told her over and over to sit or get down and i hold her mouth shut for like 10 secs if she bites/nips sometimes she learns but other times she just acts like nothing is wrong. I have tried disciplining her and putting her in the cage for 5 minutes and "punishment". Also I really want to take her to the dog park but whenever we see other dogs or go to petco she acts CRAZY and jumps all over them...I'm scared there owners will get mad at my hyper dog so i stay away...and advice? The books dont work!

I PM'ed you.

 

[Geek]

Get a petsitter to give her a walk during the day.