UGH...7 month old Black lab terror on my hands

[Umaz1]

So up until about a month ago we had the sweetest most obedient puppy...now she is a naughty naughty naughty counter surfing, non-listening black little fuzzy demon....

she has snagged 2 pairs of prescription glasses, 1 sunglasses, my cell phone, my husbands wallet and everything in it..and various other stuff too numerous to list here....

i would appreciate any ideas of how to return my puppy to the love that we knew just a short time ago...or at least someone to tell me that this is a phase and she'll grow out of it!! hahahah

thanks in advance..
Lauren

 

[Barb04]

It is a phase she's going through with exploring all that is around her and what she can get away with. They go through phases where they forget what they learned and need to learn all over again. The best thing is to keep everything out of her reach.

 

[drdamian]

Its a phase but make sure you don't indulge on this behavior because it could go out of hand!

 

[CharlieDog]

Definitely a phase, but with a Lab, you can expect it to last awhile. You just need to go back to the basics with her, crate her when you can't watch her, tether her to you or something unmovable when you can keep an eye on her.

Keep her mind active with interactive toys. WEAR her out! An hour or so of good exercise will do her good. Teach her to settle in her crate, and IGNORE her if she whines. Give her a kong with frozen peanut butter and her dinner in it.

You can't let them GO GO GO all the time either, because that creates a type of nerosis in of itself. You should teach her to calm her self down, and self sooth. Get her a bone to chew on if she's still teething, her gums probably still hurt because of the molars, that's probably why she's chewing.

Chewing is also soothing. If you can stand it, when my GSD was teething I just brought in big sticks/limbs for him to chew on, in his crate because that would entertain him for hours, and it's a pacifying kind of thing. They aren't getting into trouble chewing something they aren't supposed to, and dogs like to chew.

Start working on obedience in short sessions. Make her wait before she goes out the door, butt on the ground while the door is open. Teach her to go to her crate on command from anywhere in the house. Make her wait before she eats her breakfast and dinner. Get her to trade toys with you. Labs love to fetch, so some of that, maybe in a kiddie pool. (My Lab will bob for kibble as long as you put kibble in the water )

I know I've probably forgotten a lot of what it's like to have a Lab puppy. My Lab is two and half and mostly settled down now. Thank god, lol.

It will get better!

 

[Kat09Tails]

Duct tape... apply liberally and walk away. LOL

In all seriousness Labs go through a very long case of the OMG fuglies. In the case of my lab this was 2.5 years of mouthy, bouncy, and otherwise irritating behavior. As if by magic she woke up sane a few days after her 3rd birthday. She's approaching 4 now and her behavior is amazingly better, her focus is back, and she is less of a chewer than ever before.

My advice is exercise and structure. A dog on a leash has a hard time counter surfing and a dog in a crate has a heck of a time chewing up random objects. Increase walks, add swimming, and make her earn her freedom through good behavior.

 

[MicksMom]

Yep, like the others have said- it's a phase. All dogs go through it at about that age. But, for some reason, Labs seem to be the worste. Again, the others had the best suggestion- stick to your rules and don't let her get away with the bad behaviors. You might think about teaching her to bring you whatever object she's picked up. Seriously- Labs love to pick things up, and it could save her life someday. Teaching Caleb to do that saved a few things in the house, including my cell phone when he was about that age. Also- if you aren't already, enrolling in a beginners obedience class will help. Training is a great outlet for energy.