New Dog

You have a very difficult job, just raising your children. Since your husband isn't there to help deal with this overly energetic teething puppy I'd recommend finding him another home. If you need back up to convince your husband get help from a vet or the Humane Society. I'm sure they would also recommend sending the dog to a different home. Yours is not appropriate for a puppy. You and your stamina and your kids well-being take precedent to a dog's seriously disrupting presence.

Perhaps allowing the dog to chew on some of your husband's belongings would bring the difficulty closer to home so that he recognizes the difficulty. Or leave him with the kids and the dog for a day.

I also think that it is unsafe for a rambunctions puppy of that size to be in the same room with a 4 yo and 2 yo. The puppy's behavior is unpredictable. I have heard all too often of dogs unintentionaly biting young children. My own small, mature, well behaved dog snapped at my granddaughter when she was holding his bone. A friend's large puppy nearly bit off my friend's ear while just playing.

An alternative to moving the dog out might be to put him in a dog run with a dog house in the back yard and only let him out for exercise and play when your husband is there to supervise. He's your husband's dog and therefore his responsibility.

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Just in case the training doesn't work I thought I would mention my MIL's dog. He has an anxiety disorder and did all the things your puppy is doing. They have him medicated now (they actually make psych meds for dogs) and he's a great dog!

Well I have to tell you that I had a Brittney and boy did i make a big mistake...how old was your other dog when you got him? Are you a working mom?
do you spend time with him... Do you have any control over him? just because he quiets down with your other dog really means that he is lonely... I have more advise but need to know more about your situation... Its no fun having a dog you cant let in the house or love.

Good luck with the obedience training. That should help a lot!

Get lots of dog toys and treats. This way when Fido decides to chew on your favorite pair of shoes you can scold him. An empty paper towel roll does just fine the loud noise and scolding is good enough for the animal for disciplining on the rear end, never on the face or nose, or even hitting the roll on the palm of your hand to make loud noises will work depending on what you feel comfortable with. Just remember to give the treats when at all possible. Keep them in your pocket so when you call Fido and he comes give one to him. This does wonders but you have to make sure you do it on a constant basis just like you would a child. Remember that Fido is just a puppy and will be obnoxious for about three years and as thoughts years go by you will learn to accept him in the family. I know that I have with our lab. I am not a dog person but my children love our lab and this makes having her around so gratifying because of all the love the children give her, it is precious! Hang in there I know it is like having another child. The benefits are so great but you have to get control over the situation and I suggest the dog treats to work the best. You can even pick up some at the Dollar Tree or Dollar store and break them up in smaller pieces in order to go farther.

~G.

P.S. My children get quit excited with our dog and she just grunts and rolls on her back or gets out of the way. If I were to pick any dog for the family it would be a lab. There temperament is good with the children, unlike the postman, which she doesn't care for too much. Our dog is very territorial and that could be a good thing but also a bad thing when she darts out the front door. Even she could stand for some obedient classes.

In time, I think you will realize all the lessons both you and your children will learn from the dog. If it's not those kind of frustrations, it just would be other things. Evenually, you will end up loving and caring and wishing the dog would never die. But, he does and it another life lesson. I wouldn't take back all the laughs and giggles in the world for the time spent with my dogs, even on their worst days. They always seem to love when I need it the most.

I have 3 words for you GO TO PETCO!!!!!!!
They will train him for you and teach you to help keep the training going at home.

Hey There,
Like you I also have two labs, a two year old male and a 3 month old male. My 2yr old Chomppers is the best dog anyone could ask for, when we got him he was 11mo old. Now my 3mo old, Brewers is another story! He is sweet and loving but also has all the traits you describe your puppy having. Since I got Chomppers at 11mo I did not realize what I was taking on with a black lab puppy. Everyone I have talked to and everthing I have read says to be patient. Labs are considered puppys for 2-3 years, YIKES!! But it is good that your older lab is so well behaved, because it will theach the puppy how they need to behave. I wish you luck, and me too LOL!! I think in the end you will have two wonderfull dogs!

Hi E.,
I'm a SAHM, and also a freelance dog trainer and animal behavioralist. While I haven't met the dog or you, it sounds to me like the dog is bored and lonely. 6 mo. old labs are HIGHLY energetic and loyal; they need guided distraction and well-defined boundaries. Think of him like a 2 year old with ADHD. Turning him loose in a yard, garage or room only makes him look about to see what he can do. And he doesn't know what is appropriate for him to do, so he's going to do what's easy and most appealing, which is be desructive and try to get out of a boring atmosphere.
Daily walks, his own toys and someone to play with him will help. I also highly recommend getting into a training class, for you and your husband and kids, so that you all know what is expected and how to show Fido what is expected. Labs are great dogs (as you know from the 5 yr old) but puppyhood is the most trying time with this breed. Good luck!
V.

It sounds a little corny, but I'd watch a few episodes of Cesar Milan's 'Dog Whisperer' in addition to training.

I tried EVERYTHING (or so I thought) with my two bigger dogs, and actually had a vet tell me my Albert was 'hopeless' due to his breed. WRONG. I now have four dogs who mind most of the time, never chew any more (and believe me, it was a big, expensive habit) and are happy, happy, happy. Mr Milan's explainations and techniques just made the whole 'exercise them, discipline them' thing CLICK for our family. We'd always thought we were doing well with them, but it took a different mindset about raising dogs to make all of the training work. No dog treats, no fancy equiptment, just 'mind over mutt' ... totally cool stuff.

Good luck. I know I wanted my dogs GONE sometimes (as much as it killed my heart), but I really feel like there's hope for all dogs if mine are better now. Who says TV's worthless, eh?

alls i can say is he's a lab. They are like that, sometimes you can get the odd relaxed one but most of the time they're nuts. I'm sure he'll grow out of it. as for chewing stuff, get hima tire or his own bin, let him know it's ok for him to chew on his own stuff, and keep other things away. chain him up in the back yard if he's not supervised, and barking, well sometimes it's a good thing to have a barking dog. mine have scared off quite a few wild animals from my property and have scared off bad people. it's annoying but can be a blessing in disguse!

Hello,
I used to have lab before. She is soo good dog. She died three year ago. I suggest you to buy dog toys and have to train all the time. I have been through lot with those attention with her. I think that your dog need surgery, and maybe will calm him down something like that. Ask me any question and I will help you and try my best.

OK, I know it's terrible, adn that I will make a lot of people mad.... But is there any one you know that can take a busy puppy????? Some one who's house they don't go over to a lot? Don't get me wrong I love dogs and my granparents breed Irsh setters, ad wymeriners.. I am with high energy dogs a lot, but if it was more work to take care of my dog then it was my own child, I would have to let it go. It actually sounds like a really fun puppy, perhaps there is some one with teen agers who would love him??? As far as Hubby goes, well if you really thought he'd be that mad, I would just tell him teh dos opened the garage and escaped one night.

Good luck,
H.

Try a muzzle. It is a non yelling non physical form of punishment. Worked wonders on my jack russell.

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E., I had a lab puppy. Take heart....They DO get better when they get to be about a year old. THIS pup of mine,ate my PIANO legs,(I came home and found it "teetering" to the floor) chewed all the linoleum (every bit) off the kitchen and bathroom floors,ate 1/2 pound of butter off the kitchen table,PLUS three bars of soap and pooped all over the entire house,(hell hole!)ate the whoffers out of my stereo speakers,1/2 of my living room rug,(in ONE afternoon) so you see,it WILL get better. She's "gone" now but turned out to be the best watch dog and my daughter's best friend for 18 yrs. Hang in there. I promise. it will get beter. Take her and your kids to the park alot and for LOOOONG walks :)
Good Luck! Lorraine

OK E.,

This problem might sound easy, but it is not. We had the same issues. After obedience training (at Pet Smart) it helped a little, but I'm not good with having an attority voice, so the dog just ignores me. What finally worked for us is getting a cat. Yup, the cat and dog are closer in age and they romp and play and wear each other out. If you can't handle another animal to care for, put your kids in charge of the cat, or make it an outdoor cat. I've found that a young cat, about the same age as your pup works the best. Have you had him fixed? Sometimes that calms them down a little. Good luck to you and hang in there.
V.

Dogs are like kids and they have to be taught how to behave properly. There is no such thing as a "bad" puppy, dogs that grow up to be "bad" are that way because of their owners. As a dog owner it is your responsibility to give your dog a chance to be a great dog. This means training!! It takes time and effort but is SO worth it in the long run. We took our black lab to obedience classes at Petsmart which was really helpful. We also continuously work on things at home. We involve our son so it's a learning experience for him too. Also, one thing I always say is: "a tired dog is a well-behaved dog". Dogs need exercise. We have a church across the street from us with a big lawn in back. Every day my son and I or my husband and my son walk across the street and throw the ball to the dog. We have 2 ball throwers, that you can get at pet stores, one for us and one for my son. My son absolutely loves it and it wears out the dog and he is better behaved. Exercise and training are definitely the key!

Hi E.,

I love the fact I can respond to your 'dog' question because labs are my 'other' children.. I've got three children I've birthed and 3 hairy children I've taken on as my adopted children. And labs are definately children in all aspects. I've seen both sides of the spectrum when it comes to labs.. I have my mama dog who was perfect from the day we brought her home as a baby. She had such a wise and calm spirit about her that we had to do very little training. And what training she did have was instant. She got it! Then she had puppies and we kept one of her girls and the father. He was the other side of the spectrum but his lack of 'smarts' was due to falling through a lake and facing his death.. very scary and close call. So, cant blame him for his behavior after that. We ended up having to get rid of him because he was jealous of the attention mom and the babies were getting he began attacking the pups, so we kept them seperated. But, when he tried to snap at a neighbor kid because he was just so anxiety ridden we could do nothing but... it was VERY hard he was a beautiful dog and because of circumstances that were beyond his control he had to be let go. =(
But! We adopted a dog recently that was 7 months old that was on its way to the shelter to be put down.. lab and pit bull mix.. beautiful spirit. She was going to be put down because the family said she was biting her young child of 18 months.. and scaring him. I felt this really wasnt the case in my heart.. not even seeing the dog I decided to take her on. We brought her home, and she had been through a very traumatic life in her short 7 months of life. Obviously kicked, and screamed and beat about the body. She was urinating and VERY submissive, crouching and army crawling to stay clear of any danger, and rolling on her back when you went to pet her. I can say with LOVE and PATIENCE she is a different baby. No longer does she fear the things she did. My other two dogs helped us in her training.. which in your instance your other dog can help the new pup in knowing what the rules are. If your older dog is an alpha dog.. if not maybe it will be more challenging. Labs need to have a job, and be kept doing constructive things, or as you've found out, they will find things to do on their own. And just like a mischevious child looking for any attention even if its bad then they will do it. So, my recommendation is to take as much time as you can to get this pup into a routine and something for him/her to look forward to. Going for a walk or play ball in the yard for at least 15 - 30 minutes.. then at noon, then at night. It sounds tedious when you've got kids and a house to run.. but you need to incorporate the dogs into your family. Labs are very social beings and live to be around their pack. and you are their pack. so, if you put them into the garage or outside they dont understand just why that is happening. so, without that knowing they will look for anyway they can to get out of that situation. If your new pup is anxiety ridden, which sounds like he/she is right now.. there are some wonderful alternative supplements and treatments to help. Check out my website for alternative health products..we've got a line specific to dogs. If you feel you want to discuss things more, feel free to send me a private message. They will be so much more obedient once you know all they are asking for is a little of your time, attention and most importantly unconditional love. It is a wonderful trade off once they become the loving and calm animals they know they can be. Good Luck.. and maybe we'll talk more soon~ =)
BTW - My new pup wasnt biting..she was mouthy as most labs are when showing affection. She doesnt do that anymore either. But, part of having a dog is having the time for them. If you cant give them that, then it would be best to not let them or your family suffer from the stress.

Hey E.,
I just posted about my doggie daycare dilmea but I think your "fido" could use some time at doggie day care...even if just for a 1/2 day. It would give him the exercise he needs to be more balanced mentally and not feel the need to chew things up. it sounds like he's not getting enough exercise and is taking out his energy onto items in your house/garage/yard...you name it. Let me know if you want some names of good daycare places...they are pretty reasonably priced if you just do it a couple times a week.