tuna stealer

ThePinkSuperhero

My old upstairs neighbor had a pitbull puppy, which of course quickly grew into a full-sized pitbull.  I don't think they ever trained it to act properly, so they spent all their days yelling and screaming at it.  I felt bad for that dog; he was nice on the inside, but a dog that size is scary even when he's trying to be nice.

goheels05

if you are so experienced with dogs and have had them all your life, then a) this should not come as a surprise to you, and b) you should know that you need to train a puppy--they don't magically become well behaved.Me thinks her parents have had dogs all her life.  I thought that counted, too, until I got pets of my own and became their primary care giver.  It's totally a different ballgame.

ac_in_dc

jfgrad, I have a chocolate lab. He's awesome, but I got him from the shelter when he was 5 and no longer a PITA. Tide's point about exercise is very important. Does your puppy play fetch? If not, I'd teach him. When you want to train him, take about 20 minutes to play fetch with him in the yard, then follow up with a 15 minute training session. He probably needs about 30 minutes of vigorous exercise 3x/day. Fetch is the easiest way to accomplish this since he's too young to jog. Hire a dog walker if you both work fulltime out of the house. Good luck!!

Bubbalub

I am a volunteer at the Humane Society and work with the dogs. I can not tell you how much it infuriates me when people return a dog because they realize when they get it home that they can't handle it. Labs are notorious for being high energy, neurotic dogs. They need a ton of exercise and strict training. All the lab owners I know work very hard with their dogs and, as a result, their dogs are awesome.If you can't even deal with training a dog to stay out of a room (seriously, you can look up training tips online or watch those training shows like "It's Me or the Dog") then you don't deserve to be a dog owner anyway. Dogs are not accessories, nor are they cats or hamsters or birds. They are like having toddlers in the house. Permanent toddlers. They need exercise, training and love. If you can't provide that then perhaps you should find someone who can.

dianenjnj

we have a yellow lab that is marley personified (dogified)!labs chill eventually...it does take a few years...they DO need lots of excercise...and training...they are extremely intelligent...but can be stubborn.  he needs to be fixed as well.crate him when you are cooking...for your safety and his!yes, and do enroll him in puppy school NOW...it's not too soon!  when he grows to 100lbs you'll then have an extremely strong dog on your hands that will be very difficult to physically control.oops...you have a girl...change he/him/his to her!

J&K10910

And people wonder why humane societies and shelters are overpopulated.

temerityjane

5 months. Heh. Brinkley, our distinguished gentleman of a golden retriever, was an a$$hole for TWO YEARS. There was no dickering around with "oh, don't know if we're going to get him training..." because dogs NEED training. It's not only for your convenience, it's for their safety as well. Brinkley had THREE different kinds until one stuck. He was still a jerk for two full years til he completely came out of puppyhood. If you're at the end of your rope at 5 months, good luck.

New MIL

She never said she would take the dog to the pound- just sayin I'm not suggesting it would be the best situation but she could find it another home.

Bubbalub

And people wonder why humane societies and shelters are overpopulated.Yes, this. And I am aware she never said she would take it to the pound, she said she is "tempted to get rid of her." That does not imply "find her a good home with people who understand that dogs are work and need training".Digging and escaping are typical signs of a dog that doesn't get exercised enough. Stealing food off the counter is a young dog that hasn't been told that it is NOT the alpha in the house.

Micky15

I'm still pretty new to all of the wedding-related stuff, but puppy problems I can definitely help with! My dog, Eldrick, is a shih-tzu/beagle cross and we had a lot of problems with him when he was younger. He can seriously reach ANYTHING I put on the counter. One time I came home to find all of the sub buns pulled off the counter. He even had some buried under blankets on the couch! (Such a rascal.) He is able to scale baby gates and has even learned to push out the dining room chairs to climb up ON the table. We did take him to puppy school and even though he didn't learn to walk nicely on the leash like I was hoping he would, we both learned big lessons in RESPECT. And that's what you're dog needs to know I think. It's simple things like YOU walking out the door first when you go on walks, making him sit at the side of the road before crossing the street and not moving until you ask him to. By learning respect he will take you saying, "NO" more seriously. Another thing is consistency. This is an area my fiance and I lack in... But if you say "NO" to being in the kitchen, you always have to say "NO" to him being in the kitchen and he will learn. Labs are notorious for being puppies for four or five years and it can be a lot. I LOVE Eldrick but there were times I could have traded him in for a low-maintenance turtle. haha! Just stick with it. You will be so happy you did. When I am sad, Eldrick's there to lick my face and he always makes me laugh with the crazy stuff he does. And it's worth the effort when you can step back and say you helped your dog learn, grow and be a better dog. I definitely recommend puppy school and more walks during the day. I heard from a dog trainer that just walking doesn't do it for some dogs - they need to be exercised properly for their breed and activity level. Some days I take Eldrick to the playground near my house. (Yep, playground!) He goes up and down the ladders, down the slide, jumps and runs across benches - it's quite a workout! Good luck! And don't get discouraged! I went to puppy school with this little lady that had the WORST lab I think I have ever seen. She would say "Sit" and he would jump up and down. haha! He would bite, push her over, pull her down, whatever. They both just needed guidance. I watched her tackle him to the ground once but day by day they improved and he became MUCH better. Labs WANT to please you - it's their nature. Remember that.