LOOPY Labs and Calmers?!

[3Beasties]

HI

We have a very Loopy Black Lab. He was given to us when he was 5 months old as the old owners couldn't cope with him. He is now 1yr and he doesn't seem to be calming down.

He gets a decent walk at least once a day, we take him round the orchard and he is off the lead and the whole time we a throwing Tennis Balls for him. I also take him out for a good Gallop with the horse (not every day) but when we get him home he is still so full of energy.

He constantly wants to play and will throw toys at us (Yes the DOG throws toys at us!!) until we will play with him. He also really annoys our older terrier and won't leave him along when he is trying to relax. He Barks a lot, and goes crazy when people come and visit the house (in an excitable way). He will also chew things if given half a chance (not as bad as he used to be, he destroyed the previous owners kitchen). He will not just lie down and chill out but is constantly on the go!

Out in walks he is very obedient and listens really well, he also picks up tricks really quickly, so is obviously quite clever.

Other then never calming down he has a fantastic temperament and would never harm a fly (at least not on purpose any way, he has knocked a few children over when he is excited!)

I was wondering if this is a common thing with labs and can any one give me any tips or advise on calming him down?

Also has any ine tried a doggy calmer such as the Wendals Herb One?

Thanks

Jen

 

[Skhosu]

It's common! When he hits about 2 he is likely to calm down, until then just hold on!

 

[GinaB]

The dog will calm down with age, but also don't forget if you are walking it for good long periods every day, it is becoming more fit and as a result will take longer to tire

My 15 month old yellow lab is just the same

 

[CAYLA]

I think ther are a few things you could do to make life easier and get some training started to aid him and you to make life a little easier, if he is destructive and pesters your other dog then just as in the post above re chewing collie, it may be beneficial to introduce a crate for him , to learn him how to stay in a space when left unsupervise without causing destruction.

Get him stimulating toys as opposed to destructable toys, i.e kongs, to fill with healthy treats, esp when left alone for him to assosiate with a positive, and also so u can use the crate to give your older dog time out, make the crate a little den for him to have time out, feed him in there and always leave him with long lasting goodies, not neccesarily toys.
Try a dap diffuser also to help calm him(a plug in diffuser that distrubutes a calming pheramone into the air)

Place him in the crate at times when he has been for a long run, you may need to up is exercise, get yourself a ball thrower aswell, you can throw the ball much further without doing yourself a shoulder injury, it tires my lot out much quicker

(can explan if u need me too)

Maybe think about training him to work and get his mind working aswell as his body, I see alot of people in the fields I walk mine training their labs with dummy type training aids, for the dogs to find, Ravenwood or GinaB may be able to explain more about this

lol

Play outside with toys .i.e in the garden where you can spend some one on one time with him, and place them in a toy box inside the home, this will allow him to distinguish where he can play with his toys, and he wont beable to pester you by thrusting them upon you inside.

All of the above help training him to become a more bidable dog, as suggested he is a working breed and needs alot of stimulation and exercise, but the above tips may also help to aid you to make life a little easier untl he starts to mature a settle, as you need to impliment rules along the way.



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[piebaldsparkle]

Do some obedience training, dog agility or gundog training. The only way to tire a lab is to get him to use his brain. Chasing/retrieving a ball gives him physical exercise, but no mental challenge. 20mins of obedience/blind retrieves or agility etc... will tire him more than an hour of running.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Agree with all of the above - my two GSDs are a year old later this month and are just starting to settle now, not through want of exercise or training!

 

[3Beasties]

Thanks for all your comments.

Most of that you have suggested we are doing. I have a ball thrower (Life would be impossible without it!!) which I do take out on walks with us, I have been making him wait whilst I throw it and then send him of to find it, this does work really well but still doesn't seem to tire him out.

Tonight I moved his bed from the Kitchen (where he sleeps when we are out) into the lounge to try and encourage him to use it. I've kind of used it like you would a naughty step with a child, putting him in it and making him stay there until I invite him out, when he was sat quietly in his bed I gave him lots of attention so hopefully if I keep that up he might realise that being calm is good!

Recently I have been thinking he would make a great Gun Dog as he is so keen to retrieve but we don't have any knowledge of this at all as no one in our family shoots.

 

[Skhosu]

I wouldn't put a lab in a crate personally, hate the things

 

[3Beasties]

The only time He goes in a crate is on a long car journey.....he chewed the seat belts off last time we kept him loose in the car!!

 

[3Beasties]

I forgot to say that his old owners must have kept him in a cage most of his life!! When we first got him we put him in a crate when we were out to make sure he didn't destroy the kitchen and as soon as we put him in there he would lie down and go to sleep! We stopped using it after a couple of weeks so don't really want to go back to using it!

 

[CAYLA]

Crates are good and can be a life saver if used positively, we would not have been able to rescue or rehabilitate young dogs brought to us for destructive reasons without the temporary aid of a crate, many people will say they dont like crates, which is fair enough when u have one pet dog that has never needed one, but to deal with hundreds of dogs which serious behavioural issues trying to avoid a body bag, they can be a life line as a training aid to a new life.
Any breed of dog can be trained to a crate, it is a temporary aid to those who cannot spend endless hours or have the patience to start from scratch with little experience as how to deal with destruction or seperation problems.......not having a go, and not aimed at the OP just explaining in a little more depth.

 

[3Beasties]

I don't have a problem with crates and I appreciated your earlier advise, I just don't think getting the crate back out will help. Will definitely try leaving all his toys outside though so he hasn't got anything to get obsessive over.

 

[CAYLA]

No no, seriously, was not aimed at anyone in particular, just explaining crates, u would think I was a crate sales rep...lol

 

[3Beasties]

You sound like your doing a grate Job with the Rescue and Rehabilitation, Keep up the good work!

Has anybody ever tried a Dog Calmer??

 

[CAYLA]

Never used dog calmers for this particular reason(hyper activity) lol, more so for anxiety for reasons such as bad travelling or seperation anxiety, or fire works, in which case skull cap and valarian/rescue remedy, Diazepam in serious cases may be used/advised, or a dap diffuser or collar for around the neck again releases a calming pheromone.

 

[Jellymoon]

Don't worry, he will calm down, in about a year or two!

We have a 2 year old female black lab who used to be a bit of a nutter too, and still is sometimes, but she has calmed down considerably.

People think labs are very calm and placid, even lazy, but that is not our experience. We have found them to be highly intelligent and extremely energetic, even a bit crazy at times, and in need of lots and lots of mental and physical stimulation. Only when they've had enough walkies and a bit of brain training will they settle down and sleep for hours.

I don't think you should put him back in his cage either, I'm not a fan of them for a single family dog but I can see how the experts use them to great effect for problem dogs. But for a normal family pet, I think they can create more craziness - a friend of mine puts her GSD in a cage every time someone comes to the house - the dog is extremely friendly but unfortunately has not been trained to greet people sensibly. So she gets shut in her cage and is never socialised. I think that's a shame.

Anyway, back to your dog. We have found that our lab needs 11/2 hours of walks a day, split into two or three outings, with lots of running off the lead, fetching sticks and balls, swimming, sniffing, meeting other dogs, and rolling in fox poo and dead fish (sorry, this is what makes labs happy!!) She also has some play at home with us, retrieving toys, learning new tricks, being made to sit and wait, then sent of to fetch things - she absolutely loves it.

When she was 1 yr old we took her to a gun dog trainer for lessons - like you, neither of us shoot, but we wanted someone who really understands gun dogs to show us how to train her. We felt we weren't really getting through to her by ourselves. This was brilliant, and he showed us what she's bred to do - it was an amazing experience, and helped us understand her more. I found it incredibly rewarding myself.

Really, I think the key to labs is mental stimulation - they love being given commands and tasks and pleasing their owner, it makes them happy. As I'm writing this, she's currently fast asleep on her back with her legs in the air - she's had her first walk of the day, which involved lots of running through long grass and fetching sticks from the river, and my husband has done some games with her, so all is well in her world.

Good luck, they are amazing dogs, and often underestimated.