"Labrador puppies do bite a lot and hard too"

[griffin2727]

Hi everyone I hope that you Lab people out there can help me.
I am finally in a position to get a puppy and decided on a lab as they seem lovely family friendly dogs.Found a very good breeder and am on the waiting this.However I found this on a forum

"In short....If you don't want a pup that chews everything.....hangs onto your trouser legs...bites your ankles, hands, arms (leaving broken skin and scratches)....growls, pounces, lunges at your face when excited.....plays faarrr TOOO rough for most children under 10 to play with......then you really should rethink getting a Labrador Puppy...as that is just what they are like. "

There are other supporting posts which indicate that people have been putting up with this behaviour for months and the whole family is mauled!

Is this normal behaviour...I fully expect a total upheaval when the puppy arrives and expect the odd nip and lots of chewing on things,but I can't ask the rest of the family to be mauled for the best part of a year!
I would really appreciate your experiences with lab puppies and bite inhibition!
Thank you

 

[stargirl88]

That quote isn't exclusive to labs. It applies to most puppies.
They DO chew - particularly retrieving breeds - which is why you give them appropriate things to chew.

Puppies will jump around and jump up at you and get up to all sorts of things - they are puppies and they know no better - you need to teach them otherwise.

I would question how these 'under 10's' were playing with the puppy. I'm bored of people saying to me 'my puppy is too rough with my son when they play'... I ask them how they're playing.... 'when they chase eath other around the kitchen'.

Bite inhibition is important. I teach it in different ways depending on the dog - although if you do some googling for Ian Dunbar bite inhibition you will find alot of useful explanations on getting through it etc

 

[blond1]

We have had our lab x from when he was 8 weeks old. He has yet to growl and has never bitten or shown any aggression. My son was 10 years old when we got our puppy and I did have to watch when my son's friends came round to play footie in the garden as the dog found this really exciting but it wasn't difficult to train the dog not to join in. Dog is now 2 years old and the only reason I have to watch him near small children is that his wagging tail can knock them over!

 

[Shysmum]

Blimey that certainly does NOT apply to Percy pup - he is the gentlest, kindest lad, who is quite happy chowing down on his toys. And his training started early (like puppy walking) and he is just great.

Labs can be boisterous, but at the end of the day, they are a fantastic breed - we will always have one, plus a rescue dog, in our house.

 

[springtime13]

My 5 and half months old lab x pup is the nicest, sweetest, kindest pup ever. She plays gently and has never nipped or bitten us. Touch wood, she has not chewed a single thing. We do have a house littered with more dog toys and chews than at an average pets at home store. She does tend to jump up a bit, but only because we've not been strict about it. We're cracking down on that at the moment If my house was bigger or didn't have two terriers as well, I'd have another lab in an instant.

 

[Cinnamontoast]

All puppies chew, but that description is of an unsocialised puppy who may well have been taken away from the dam too early hence no bite inhibition. Any puppy can bite, you need to substitute hands for chew toys, frozen carrots etc.

I read exactly the same about a Doberman puppy recently with both owner and breeder claiming it was a breed thing

 

[HeatherAnn]

When I was walking dogs I found that the labs were the worst. IMO it's nothing to do with the breed but rather owners being sucked into the "Andrex puppy" cuteness and letting them get away with murder. But that's just my opinion.

 

[Clodagh]

I think the poster of that thread may have need of training! All puppies can behave like that, as all children can be horrible vile hooligans too. Labs are so easy to train that they are dead easy to stop things like that.

 

[wren123]

Not in my experience at at all! We will play with our puppy but encourage it to chew on toys, not us. Also we get down on the floor to play with them so they don't learn to jump up!
A bit like children and horses you decide what behaviour is acceptable and expect that behaviour!

 

[EAST KENT]

Well no lab puppy I have ever bred has done that,in fact my new little red boy just smiles and squirms.Delightful,but they do grow big,like to chew if allowed ,but very very biddable,that is their inborn nature.Mine are Field Trial bred ,so being biddable but with energy is a must

 

[dunthing]

That certainly is not what I have experienced with any of mine but then I don't leave a dog to it's own devices. My 8 month lab pup has only chewed a bare patch on a rug because I wasn't watching him. He know when it's playtime and when to be calm, doesn't jump up at anyone,walks well on the lead, sits,stays, fetches the post from the letterbox, knows all his toys by name and for his age, is very well behaved. It's all a matter of training with consistency. If you tell a dog to do something, you must follow that up and make sure they do it. Very much like kids, they need leadership and definite boundaries. Labs are very easy to train.

 

[CorvusCorax]

As others, just sounds like a pup, the owners of which have no idea what to do with, irrespective of breed. If you *let* a pup behave like that, then of course it will behave like that....

 

[griffin2727]

Hi all!
Thank you so much for your advice and experiences. It is so reassuring to read about your puppies.
You have really cheered me up as I had set my heart on a Lab. I'm going to talk to the breeder on how she socialising her puppies and get professional help Re training from day 1 to make sure I get it right.
Thank you all again..I'll post pictures when the puppy finally arrives!

 

[Cinnamontoast]

Hi all!
Thank you so much for your advice and experiences. It is so reassuring to read about your puppies.
You have really cheered me up as I had set my heart on a Lab. I'm going to talk to the breeder on how she socialising her puppies and get professional help Re training from day 1 to make sure I get it right.
Thank you all again..I'll post pictures when the puppy finally arrives!

I can put you in touch with a couple of very good lab people who can find you a health tested lab with great lines. Let me know if you want their details.

 

[Tai.Ni.Po.Ni]

we had a lab puppy and i have to admit he did chew EVERYTHING. however he was the sweetest little thing and a very good family dog. we still have him 13 years later and i would say they are the best family dog.

i dont like to put dog breeds into a category like a 'chewing' breed, i think they are individual characteristics of each puppy.

 

[Echo24]

All puppies chew, part of it is due to teething but puppies also explore through their mouth as well. The main thing is to give them plenty of hard toys, avoid puppy toys and go for the hard bones as labs will chew! The main thing is to discourage chewing, if the pup nips at your fingers, tell them no and give them a toy. Same applies when they develop a taste for door knobs, skirting boards and even concrete walls (it has happened!)

The problem comes more when the chewing becomes a habit, it becomes much harder to break. Feel free to PM me if you need any advice, I work with lab puppies on a daily basis and have loads of tricks to tackle the nipping and mouthing! Good luck!

 

[Spudlet]

Any puppy will do that if its owners don't train it. They don't come ready-made - you get out what you put in

We have several lab pups at training - yes, they can be boisterous (find me a puppy that doesn't apply to though) but they are quick learners and they want to please. Generally, IME they are also quite forgiving of the mistakes people make when they've never had a dog before too. They are bred to retrieve so carrying things about comes naturally to many of them, but it's not hard to channel that into something socially acceptable! Yes, they do also chew but again, find me a puppy that doesn't apply to.

 

[Dizzle]

I have a Border Terrier and he did all of the above UNTIL he was trained not to! Having read into it I would rather have a puppy that nips and is taught not to than have a puppy that doesn't try it so as an adult has no idea how hard they can bite!

He does go though the odd phase now of being a bit silly but that's usually if he hasn't had a good walk for a couple of days (he's a bit of a teenager at the moment!)

 

[_GG_]

I have 6 different friends who constantly ask me why their dogs never jump up at me or misbehave when I am around.

Answer is simple, they damn well know not to.

I guess I give off that body language to them as I have four of my own and used to work as a canine behaviour therapist...but it is simple, they act like that because they are allowed to.

People easily fall into the trap with puppies of thinking that it'll be ok and they can train them later...let them play and be puppies. Well, yes, they should be puppies, but they should also have owners that teach them the boundaries that they would be learning were they still with their mother.

So long as you have been honest about the time and dedication you can give to a new puppy, you will be fine. Sign up for puppy classes and see them through right to the end to get the puppy well socialised and if you don't want it to jump on everything, bite everything, chew everything, don't let it!

 

[_GG_]

Also, have to agree that yes...it will chew. It needs to and it is an important part not only of teething, but of development. You just need to make sure you have some chew proof toys...there are plenty on the market for the job!

 

[UnaB]

Well, i've bred the occasional labby litter and yep, they chew. Everything and anything. They have evil, razor sharp puppy teeth and will make short work of clothes, toys, door frames, flooring and even the walls. My very first labrador pup (RIP Riley ) quite literally ATE the door frames if you tried to leave him alone for more than 5 mins. He was a problem child

BUT, like others have said, you have to train them and teach them not to. I wouldnt tolerate the lunging/biting from any dog, puppy or not and that would concern me if its being allowed to do it. They will only do that if you let them, certainly i've never had one lunge at my face!!

I think a nice big crate when home alone and lots and lots and lots of bones and chews and toys goes a long way with a labrador. And proper training from day 1 of course.

 

[griffin2727]

You are all so kind to take the time to reply and the offers of help are very much appreciated.

I'm sure that I will be calling them in when the puppy arrives..I should know in the next couple of weeks if the breeders gorgeous girl is pregnant.

After thinking about what you experienced lab breeders have said I'm going to get some private lessons from day 1 while waiting for the the puppy classes to begin.I'm at home full time now so plan to dedicate as much time to the puppy as it needs.

I've gone from worrying that I've made a dreadful mistake back to being excited about the possibility of having a puppy early next year so thank you all for your advice!