Labrador pup adolescence

He’s still young. I would suggest you enrol in a puppy class, they are so helpful. If you don’t want to do this there’s a myriad of info on the internet.

That is exactly the time when you need to go back to basics with them. They can be very hard work at that stage (we've had Labs our whole life), but there's no substitute for calm, consistent and patient training. Southend Dog Training does some useful videos on YouTube which might be helpful to you, but many dog trainers run classes specifically tailored to dealing with that adolescent stage too. Hang in there, it does pass!

Thanks!
He’s still lovely 🐶 bless him.

I've never had a lab. Is there a Lab group on Facebook you could go to for advice?

Typical lab and can be a “puppy” for years. Like others I suggest training classes would be beneficial. The one thing I was told was to get control through food as most labs are constantly “hungry”. Mine doesn’t get to eat from her bowl until I give the magic word. This can then be extended to training. I blow a dog whistle 3 times and give food when the dog returns - this mostly works but not always. You have to have quality treats.
My previous lab loved water and would take off towards it as I then ceased to exist.

Have you watched Mabel and Olive on UTube which was great entertainment during lockdown?

You might want to discuss with your vet castration. I had a male Labrador who became totally unmanageable around this age. He was castrated and became a beautiful manageable dog.

Oh Ali good luck with that!
Did he go to puppy classes when you first got him?
If not, enrol,him forthwith - if he did, I’d suggest back to school.
My lovely lab bitch was an adolescent until was about 5 but a lovely gentle fog throughout her long life.
He’s too young for castration - consult a dog trainer perhaps, not cheap but a worthwhile investment.
Labs do need a lot of space and exercise I hope you can get him out to country parks, commons, well away from traffic and other dangers.

I have a Goldie (my seventh) aged 2.5 and a Flattie (my third) aged 1.5, so both in the terrible teens. My last but one GR was still shredding half the house when he was 10 years old! Everything from holes dug in the carpet, loo rolls unravelled down the stairs, half my trousers eaten, devoured slippers and socks (the latter used to be swallowed whole!). GCs came down one weekend and there was a barf, barf clunk from under the table - two socks and a tin soldier!!

Don't you just love them to death?

The current pair both pull when walking, so we use Dr Mugford's Haltis. Oddly enough, they are not over-fond of them but they do prevent the dislocated shoulders or greeting the ground. They went to socialisation classes which worked so well, they love the world and charge off to all and sundry.

Give your puppy a hug from me.

We've got a chunky 6st show type male lab aged 13mths. This strain is meant to be the calmer one - but this isn't the case! I remember struggling at around 7mths as he seemed to have forgotten everything he was taught We've ploughed on and in some ways he's the perfect dog but in others still a hand full. His main problem is pulling and pulling towards other dogs. I've lost count of the times he's pulled me over. We've tried every harness and lead available, but it hasn't worked. His recall is ok (ish) but if he sees a dog he'll take off. He's a gentle giant though, the softest dog ever and wouldn't harm anyone or anything. Our previous lab died last year at just 14mths, suddenly and unexpectedly due to either underlying cardiac disease or a brain haemorrhage. He went from being alive to being dead in less than a minute right in front of my eyes. The worst thing I've ever witnessed. I'm sure your pup will be fine with time. Good luck. We're having ours neutered at around age 2. They need their hormones in the growing stage.

Thanks for the replies.
The plan is to have him castrated at around 1 year.

He’s definitely into food rewards. In fact I think he would eat all day every day if he could!

I’ve heard of haltis but never used one so that’s something to look at.

He does have a trainer, who is a great help. I was just wondering what worked best for those with experience. It’s the management of the impulsive behaviour when I least expect it that is the most perplexing!

I’m off to look out Mabel and Oliver!

Exactly the same with our young goldie. He is very kind natured, won prizes at puppy school, but has a crazy mind of his own when it comes to wanting to be part of everything. He is two.
Good luck!

Training classes, commit and stay with it. My lab is 3 and still immature - despite experienced handling and good training groups. He’s a giddy kipper but A joy
Pippa Mattinson has a good website and excellent books. She’s a lab expert

Yes, I’ve just signed up to Pippa Mattinson. Good to know you think she’s good.

I think he needs ‘enrichment ‘ activities at times when we’re indoors. He is soooo easily bored!
Any good ideas?

Giddy kipper describes my lab completely!

Sometimes I think up housework activities (horror) just so that he can follow me around!

If I bake he settles in the kitchen and watches.

Hollyhock1 I was so sorry to hear of you losing your last dog at such a young age. I can only begin to imagine the heartbreak 💔

Just be aware that castration isn't necessarily a cure for behavioural issues and can, in fact, make some worse. A year is still quite young too - neutering too young can cause problems later in life. It's now advised to wait until they are at least 18 months.

We've had Labradors for 10+ years - currently have a 4 yr old and a 8 month old.
With the 4 yr old we use a Dogmatic Head Collar - not sure if you can buy them in shops but available direct from dogmatic.org.uk. Highly recommend them.

Labradors can take a while to mature. Both of ours were 3yrs old before maturing.

My beautiful Barney was around 2 years old when we adopted him (he was a very large golden lab). I can attest to a labrador's greediness and kipper like behaviour but they are worth every single second.

Thanks everyone
It really helps to hear from others who have been there and emerged from the other end!

Definitely training classes. I took my little dog to training classes. I was taught clicker training. Brilliant !! Recall is essential for all responsible dog owners. I don’t want other dogs bounding up to my little dog and their owners saying their dog “only wants to play” if you can’t control your dog don’t let them off the lead. My dog is 12 years old she doesn’t want to play. I have always had full control of my dog through training when she was a puppy. Training as a puppy is key.

I have such fond memories of our black lab we got way back in 1987 when he was a year old from a rescue. We were his 4th owners within that year and we were blessed to have him as part of the family for the next 12 years.
He was permanently hungry and permanently searching for a stretch of water to throw himself in but brought us untold joy.