Wild lab
 

I have a lab that is a little over 1 year old. He is quite wild. At our hunting club when i let him out to walk around he " socializes" he is quite rambunctious. Running at cars that come up. sometimes jumping up on cars and people. Just alot more hyper than other labs his own age. I really dont mind it but alot of people he is around do. will this wear off at the age of 2. I know this is a hard question to ask if u dont meet the dog. Thanks

RE: Wild lab
 

Work him hard and then work him again.
My lab needs to be worked HARD just about every day or he gets hyper.
My lab "Simmon" is 5 and is not slowing down.

RE: Wild lab
 

It’s not the dog, You got all winter to work on basic obedience skills. And yes the behavior you describe is very rude. Pray he don’t scratch a car or gun.

RE: Wild lab
 

I've got the same problem.Like they said, work him every day.Mine gets a little better every day that I work her.She's about 1 1/2 yrs.

RE: Wild lab
 

I would say this dog is still just a pup, but you can still break him of bad habits. You might try not letting him jump up on trucks and people by keeping him on a long lead and popping it hard when he starts to jump. Or you could try a shock collar for the jumping, you'd just have to do it right and not overdue it, while still being consistent. You aren't bothered by him being hyper, I don' think, and you can't help that anyway until he is older, but you can teach what not to do when hyper....good luck. -MIKE

RE: Wild lab
 

Just like TreeStandED said,
Obedience ! "HERE" means get your butt over here to me NOW.
SIT means plant your butt until you are given another command.
Your dog needs to be taught that "jumping up on a person" is only allowed if the person "commands" it.
This will not "wear off" without proper training (ON YOUR PART).

IMO, this is not a dog problem, it's a training problem.

RE: Wild lab
 

Well know sit, stay. heel come and all but he just likes to walk around and i think it would make him go crazy if i made him sit next to me for a few hours everyday. I mean i know i couldnt

RE: Wild lab
 

I'm not sure what kind of hunt club you are talking about, but why would you be "sitting for a few hours" at a hunt club ? Would this be in a duck blind or what?

At one year of age, your dog is still a pup, and like any kid, he will get 'antsy' once in awhile, but I can't see any reason why you wouldn't want to train him to a level that would preclude him from running at cars and jumping on cars and people. Running at cars could be a life-threatening situation, and NOT jumping up on cars and people should have been trained a number of months ago.

Are there cars and people all the time at your hunt club? Let him have a little freedom when there aren't any 'enticements', but as soon as he starts running at cars and people (and I'm guessing other dogs), your commands should be, "HERE"------"HEEL"-----"SIT",
and he should obey. And by one year of age, he should have already been taught to NOT jump on cars or people !

A dog will do what he wants to do unless you give him a command, and then he should do what he was commanded. There is no reason that a one year old shouldn't be able to sit at your side for at least an hour at a time -- then go for a short walk with him and let him pee and run off a little energy (Away from people and cars). Then he should be more than able to sit at your side for an hour again.

Speaking of sitting next to you, you say "I know I couldn't" --- does this mean that YOU couldn't or HE couldn't ? There's a big difference between him "just liking to walk around" and being out of control.

Let him have some occassional freedom, but get him under control when an 'encticement' is likely to turn him into a 'bad boy wild man'. I just don't understand why there could be a "constant flow of cars and people" -- when there are cars and people and other dogs, he needs to be under control, it's as simple as that.

You seem to have wanted answers that said -- "Yeah, it's normal, just give him another year to calm down" ........... but the real answer is "You need to control your dog".

I will say again, that this is a training problem, and not a dog problem.

RE: Wild lab
 

It does sound like the dog needs more OB work. Sit, here, off, heel, etc. It's just not he knows these things but always does them when commanded. Hyper dogs can make great hunting, HT and FT dogs but, need a solid foundation.

RE: Wild lab
 

This may be a little unrelated but my GSP had the habit of juming up on cars to look inside, for what I don't know. I would correct her by yelling no and she would respond by getting down but I had a difficult time breaking her of it untill one day she did it while she was a about a step away as soon as her paws touched the car I had a hold of her, I refrain from using a hard hand with a dog but a firm hand on the collar or scruf of the neck and a gental shake while yelling NO helped in this instance to break her of the habit. She got the message that jumping on a car was not acceptable. Now she stands on her hine legges and looks inside without putting her paws on the car.

RE: Wild lab
 

Doc E, I don't think he wants to hear what he should have done before the dog is one year old...he is asking what to do now that the bad habit has already formed. I'm sure he knows that a mistake has been made somewhere in the past, and now he needs help fixing it. Maybe it is a "training problem," but I assume that is why he is asking for help. Yourmove, sometimes pups need to be pups, and it can be hard getting a hold on them, but it is far better in the long run so that someone doesn't get hurt or angry about their car, or close-minded about hunting dogs. I'm not sure how old you are becuase your profile isn't filled out, but I'll assume you are old enough to make a little money. If you can fork it out, buy a shock collar. You'll have to be very careful for it to work...you can really mess up a dog, and some dogs probably can't handle a shock collar at all. However, if done right, the success can be worth the costs. Only use it for one bad habit at a time, and don't use it to teach, only to reinforce. Try this: get a friend to help you out. Walk the dog on a leash up to your friend and set the dog up to want to jump. When he does, tell him "off" and pop the leash quite hard...I mean take the dog right back to his feet. Try it in the kitchen, too, with food on the counters. Stand at the counter with you foot on his leash, and when he jumps, the leash should yank him right back down....say "off." Now, once the dog understands he shouldn't jump, give him a good reason(:D) not to jump by doing the following: let him wear the shock collar for a while (an hour or so) and then take him to the club. This way he forgets to associate it with anything that happens later. When he approaches a car or person and starts to jump, hit the button just as his feet come up off the ground. Don't say a word to him and he will think that jumping is what causes the shock. Some dogs will disobey becuase they think you aren't the boss, and the shock collar has a way of getting them to listen real close. After doing this the first time, set him up again and this time give the command and hit the button as he jumps. He will then associate the command, the shock, and what he already knows he shouldn't do, which will begin to come together after about two or three times. When cars are coming, say come, and if he goes to jump instead, hit him with the collar and say "off." He should get it down before long to where he won't even chase a car. The collar allows you, in a way, to have a long leash. I have successfully trained an obstinate pup the "come" command using collar reinforcement after much yard work and leash work. After being certain my pup knew what "come" meant, and after having him do it many times willingly, it was time to use the collar. You see, he would not come on command when in the woods or off the leash. He knew what I wanted, becuase he'd done it many times on a leash, but he knew that off the leash, he was faster and basically in control. I put the collar on him and let him wear it some before using it, then I told him to come. When he didn't, I started the shock, and then he quickly started my way. If he vears off, you just zap it again. When he came on in, he got a piece of bacon (a very rare treat). He quickly realized that if he didn't come, something "dangerous" happens, and that if he does come, he is rewarded with a treat and my praise. It used to be that the thrill of running around and disobeying was a better choice than my praise, but it is safe to say that, after getting buzzed a few times, he'd rather have my praise than keep going. The key was to be patient and praise him every time he came to me, even if he had to be zapped in the process. The worst way to teach a dog to come is to punish him when you catch him....why on earth would a dog want to come if there is a potential punishment? Consistent reward for coming matched with the consequence of being shocked when not coming was the key. He never had a clue that I was the one shocking him. He simply thought that something "got him" if he didn't listen up. He is turning into quite a manageable dog and he handles well, but I had to do it correctly. Careful handling and letting the dog know who is in charge on a consistent basis is the key. With my pup, it took a shock collar, but I don't think every dog needs one by any means. However, when used very carefully, they can give a dog plenty of reason to obey their master. Praise and reward are effective, but only if the dog sees the reward as a better option than the consequence. Otherwise, some dogs would rather choose the consequence. Good luck, and Doc E is right about the importance of getting a good handle on your dog. However, you still have time to make up for bad habits, they just may be a little harder to correct. I will mention here, though, that there is no substitute for making sure the dog knows you're dominant. You have to show them this physically, sometimes, by eye contact, standing over them, handling them, letting them watch you eat dinner before feeding them (wild k-9's have to wait for the dominant pack leader to eat before they can have anything), and whatever other means are necessary. I had to "growl" and shake my dog's scruff a little when he was a pup, just like his momma would have done, to show him not to treat me like a chewable littermate. :D

RE: Wild lab
 

I highly sugest in enrolling in local obedience classes. Esablishing control now will better your relationship in the future.
There is nothing better than hunting with a properly trained well mannerd gundog.

RE: Wild lab
 

I have given him my advice on what needs to be done NOW -- (as well as in the past -- but the past is past), so he needs to work on it NOW.

Since the proper training wasn't done "before", there's no reason it can't be done "now".............. that was the gist of my posts.

His question was "will this wear of by the age of two"..................My answer is "No it won't,,,,, without proper training".

RE: Wild lab
 

Field Trial type labs can be pretty hyper, and NO they don't grow out of it. A lot of the pointers will "settle down" after a year, labs don't, being a more "immature" dog is in their makeup. It's one of the reasons you can train a lab to do what you can do. If you tried to put a pointer through a lab type training, you would destroy him mentally. You need strict obedience or you will never have a dog worth owning. He also probably needs daily work. The sad fact is a lot of guys don't realize that many field type labs needs as much or MORE exercise than the pointers or continentals. Labs can also be DESTRUCTIVE AS HELL if they are bored or have no outlet for their energy.


Fortunatley for me, in the winter up here. a few hours running around in -10 takes the edge right off my lab and he chills out after chilling out pretty well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!