Pulling on the lead- A HUGELY common problem
…..So therefore no one should feel embarassed or fustrated that their dog does.
Pulling on the lead is something that is learned quite quickly by a young dog or puppy and its a bit of an addictive habit, because, I’m sure you can imagine (speaks generally to the room not anyone individually…) dogs respond to what THEY consider ‘works’. They pull, and every SINGLE time they get where they think they are going. They don’t understand that they would have got there anyway, they consider the pulling ESSENTIAL to get them where they want to go because, they have almost always pulled, and almost always got there.
Its like driving a kid to a party and them excited and yelling " Drive FASTER! Drive FASTER!"
The problem why probably 75% of pet dogs pull is because firstly they were never shown when tiny and really responsive that pulling doesn’t get you anywhere, and more IMPORTANTLY training them NOT to is SO boring, pretty long winded, hugely repetitive and pretty frustrating once you have a problem.
Few people, honestly, go the whole nine yards to do so but drop out half way and just think ‘to heck with it, its not ALL the time/I can buy an anti pulling device/drive them to walks in the car/get my husband to walk him TO the park and I’ll walk him home’ and you can understand that because its not something like recall which can mean the difference between life and death, its just the difference between a wrenched shoulder and knowing the first ten minutes of each trip out is a utter pain for you and sometimes others who offer to walk your dog….
A puller can vary from a dog that just leans and puts a reasonably amount of pressure on your hand and the lead, which becomes stronger if he sees something he wants to get to quicker…. right through to dogs who cause themself pain and harm by choking and wheezing and building up big muscles in their shoulders and neck by the constant use of the same, negative muscles.
If you have this dog it could be very dangerous. Elderly and children can be pulled down the street by their dog seeing another across a road. Your dog can be hit by a car when pulling so hard that their halter has come off or broken as they haul themselves along.
Pulling makes life unpleasant for you both. There is, like a ‘peace’ that comes over a dog when he realizes there IS a way to get to the park and still not need a sit down to recover from the walk THERE when he arrives!!!! Ditto the owner!
I have had dogs that pull. I have trained dogs that pull. I’m not an expert, I just feel the pain of all involved. It's the MOST common canine behavioural problem of dogs of all sizes and ages and breeds.
Pulling on the lead is something that is learned quite quickly by a young dog or puppy and its a bit of an addictive habit, because, I’m sure you can imagine (speaks generally to the room not anyone individually…) dogs respond to what THEY consider ‘works’. They pull, and every SINGLE time they get where they think they are going. They don’t understand that they would have got there anyway, they consider the pulling ESSENTIAL to get them where they want to go because, they have almost always pulled, and almost always got there.
Its like driving a kid to a party and them excited and yelling " Drive FASTER! Drive FASTER!"
The problem why probably 75% of pet dogs pull is because firstly they were never shown when tiny and really responsive that pulling doesn’t get you anywhere, and more IMPORTANTLY training them NOT to is SO boring, pretty long winded, hugely repetitive and pretty frustrating once you have a problem.
Few people, honestly, go the whole nine yards to do so but drop out half way and just think ‘to heck with it, its not ALL the time/I can buy an anti pulling device/drive them to walks in the car/get my husband to walk him TO the park and I’ll walk him home’ and you can understand that because its not something like recall which can mean the difference between life and death, its just the difference between a wrenched shoulder and knowing the first ten minutes of each trip out is a utter pain for you and sometimes others who offer to walk your dog….
A puller can vary from a dog that just leans and puts a reasonably amount of pressure on your hand and the lead, which becomes stronger if he sees something he wants to get to quicker…. right through to dogs who cause themself pain and harm by choking and wheezing and building up big muscles in their shoulders and neck by the constant use of the same, negative muscles.
If you have this dog it could be very dangerous. Elderly and children can be pulled down the street by their dog seeing another across a road. Your dog can be hit by a car when pulling so hard that their halter has come off or broken as they haul themselves along.
Pulling makes life unpleasant for you both. There is, like a ‘peace’ that comes over a dog when he realizes there IS a way to get to the park and still not need a sit down to recover from the walk THERE when he arrives!!!! Ditto the owner!
I have had dogs that pull. I have trained dogs that pull. I’m not an expert, I just feel the pain of all involved. It's the MOST common canine behavioural problem of dogs of all sizes and ages and breeds.
Teething and Chewing
I can't count the number of times I've been told that someone knew of a lab owner whose lab chewed everything they could find. I haven't owned a lab that was this much of a terror, but they are not 100% innocent either.
Dogs need and like to chew. Realizing this and preparing for it may save your leather shoes or your child's favorite toy. A puppy will chew to cut its first teeth, to rid itself of those first teeth, to exercise its jaws, to strengthen its bite, and to relieve tension or boredom. In other words a puupy does a lot of chewing from 4-9 months when permament teeth are emerging.
Luckily, Labs are not as prone to chewing when bored as other high-strung breeds. Labs, especially young ones, will often chew when lonely, however. Left alone for extended periods, dogs will resort to such destructive behavior.
There is no simple method to stop chewing, but prevention is the best course of action. During teething stage, confine the dog when it can not be supervised (a crate is best) and give it something it is allowed to chew.
Whenever the dog is allowed to run the house, be diligent about not leaving 'chewables' unguarded. The dog must be taught what can and cannot be chewed; this lesson is often learned through making mistakes--hopefully not too costly (ex: custom vertical blinds) or deadly ones (ex:electric cords). When you catch you dog chewing a forbidden object, make it clear that this is off limits. Take it away and sternly say "No!" Immediately replace the object with an allowed chew toy. If the dog repeats the misdeed, follow the correction with a trip to the crate to get your displeasure across.
Dogs need and like to chew. Realizing this and preparing for it may save your leather shoes or your child's favorite toy. A puppy will chew to cut its first teeth, to rid itself of those first teeth, to exercise its jaws, to strengthen its bite, and to relieve tension or boredom. In other words a puupy does a lot of chewing from 4-9 months when permament teeth are emerging.
Luckily, Labs are not as prone to chewing when bored as other high-strung breeds. Labs, especially young ones, will often chew when lonely, however. Left alone for extended periods, dogs will resort to such destructive behavior.
There is no simple method to stop chewing, but prevention is the best course of action. During teething stage, confine the dog when it can not be supervised (a crate is best) and give it something it is allowed to chew.
Whenever the dog is allowed to run the house, be diligent about not leaving 'chewables' unguarded. The dog must be taught what can and cannot be chewed; this lesson is often learned through making mistakes--hopefully not too costly (ex: custom vertical blinds) or deadly ones (ex:electric cords). When you catch you dog chewing a forbidden object, make it clear that this is off limits. Take it away and sternly say "No!" Immediately replace the object with an allowed chew toy. If the dog repeats the misdeed, follow the correction with a trip to the crate to get your displeasure across.
Exercise
Not enough can be said about the need for exercise. Same rules apply to dogs as to humans. Labs (just like humans) can become lazy if not encouraged to exercise.
Swimmimg and retrieving games are natural outlets for Labrador retreivers. These activities are ones the breed excels at and enjoys, and they give a complete, full-muscle workout that tones the entire body.
Swimmimg and retrieving games are natural outlets for Labrador retreivers. These activities are ones the breed excels at and enjoys, and they give a complete, full-muscle workout that tones the entire body.
