Labrador Puppy Starting Destructiveness!

[Sticks1977]

So far Fraser has been a wonderful pet and companion to have around the home, we recently got him desexed (about 2 weeks ago) and apart from the odd moment or two when he was a young puppy he has been fantastic with obedience and knowing the boundaries that we have set for him.

I recently installed a 'doggy door' on the Laundry Door so he has the freedom to be inside and out of the backyard when we are not home - this is the only room he has access to when we are not home - it also keeps him out of the garage which I feel much better about. He used to be in the garage when he was a puppy and when we were not home, but now that he is bigger I worry about things on higher shelves! - hence the reason to keep him out and install the doggy door.

We have had a break from his obedience and training classes over the Christmas period and I am starting to wonder if this is having a direct affect on his behaviour - specifically in this week alone. He is currently 34 weeks of age (8.5 months) and has just started to discover that he can use his mouth for other things other than chewing on his toys or food!!

The past few days he has been getting up to all kinds of mischief - pulling washing off the line, eating and chewing on items that are not for him (such as dvd remote, cotton buds, shower leufa, paper, golf balls, unused tampons (crazy!), sponges and cardboard to name a few).

It seems that he is testing us again to see what he can and can not get away with. My partner finally caught him in the act tonight getting something off the top of the bedside table. He hid under our bed until I came into the room and put him into the ensuite for a few minutes closing the door behind him - once I opened the door he had this look on his face that he knew he had done wrong.

Is this normal puppy behaviour and something that will just "take it's course" with this latest bout of destructiveness? I grew up with a family pet (another Labrador) and he went through a chewing stage of video remote controls and cassettes - but I can't remember how old he was at the time. Is this partly my fault as I have not kept up a constant state of training and obedience since there has been a Christmas break?

Could it be that he is bored? He has plenty of toys to play with and I recently purchased him a Teething Kong that he seems to absolutely love. I spend heaps of time with him when I am home from work and play with him for at least 30 minutes to an hour. He also will go on his daily walk for at least 20 to 30 minutes around the local estate and he is slowly starting to be great on the lead - hardly pulling at all.

Any advice and help would be appreciated - I am a first time dog owner (grown up with one or two, but never owned and been responsible for one), any tips would be more than welcome - we are heading back to our first training and obedience class tomorrow morning at Berwick so it will be interesting to see how he reacts on his first week back.

For the time being we have put the house in lockdown mode, doors to the main bedroom, bathroom and spare rooms have been closed so he cannot access any items that he should not be after in the first place. He is responding well to certain aspects of training such as sitting, and not eating his meal until he hears his food release word of "tucker". He is also doing well with retrieving items but he has a hard time giving them up at times - still thinks that it's a great game to play - sure keeps me running around!

I just hope this is a puppy stage, similar to "terrible two's" when a baby is growing up. I realise he is still very much a puppy and will be for several more weeks/months so I am not expecting perfection from him. I am just wondering what the cause of this might be and whether there is anything more I can do to disapprove of his bad behaviour. It has been hard so far as earlier tonight was the first time we "caught him in the act".

Regards,

Shaun (sticks1977) and Gaylene

[The Spotted Devil]

Just for a start....read this thread first

[labsrule]

Sounds very much like a "normal" growing labrador pup to me

They can be real ratbags and are experts at pushing the boundaries as they have both the brain and brawn to get up to some real mischief . If you can survive the first two years of a lab pup's life, it will prepare you for anything that life throws at you in the future . Lab pups definitely deserve their "real handful" title and a lot of "patience, persistence and perserverence" is required. Their intelligence, energy, enthusiasm, wonderful natures, outgoing personalities and absolute joy of life, make for some pretty challenging times during their puppyhood and adolescent stages, which at times seem to go on for an eternity

Labradors are truly lovable larrikins and whilst their puppyhood/adolescence can cause much angst with their over the top antics they will also bring you so much joy, so much laughter and so many wonderful times. When they finally do mature in 3-5 years (or longer ) (my 8 yearold boy still thinks and acts like a youngster ), you will look at your well behaved, "butter wouldn't melt in his mouth" adult dog and think is this the same dog that got up to so much mischief as a pup/adolescent? and you will have a laugh at reading the posts and hearing the stories of new lab puppy owners regaling the stories that you, did when your lab was a pup.

Check out this thread for some suggestions on coping with a growing Lab pup.

Trials and Tribulations of a growing Labrador Pup

[Tonymc]

Sticks firstly I would supervise the Pup when he is inside.Also check your boundary setting and leadership.Dogs do not know they have done wrong.If it feels good to a Dog they keep doing it and if it feels bad they stop it. Tony

[Snoozie]

Wow...It took your lab 8.5months to start doing this?

Mine was doing it at 4months . Zed was also notorious for stealing anything that wasn't tied down and running it out to the backyard to chew. It became really really hard to trick him into handing things over but we couldn't just chase him for it cause he thought it was a game. He used to steal the socks out of the washing basket when I was hanging out the washing and then want me to chase him...hahaha.

I think what he is going through is quite normal. But you may have to step up on the leadership...

Even now, Zed is 2years 2months now, and he will still push the boundaries. Zed's latest antic is he has taught himself how to open the flyscreen to our games room and is letting himself in there to sleep. He's been reprimanded over and over but he will sneakily do it when no one is around to catch him.

Last night I found him alseep on the couch in there....OH boy! Did the sh#t hit the fan last night. He is well aware he is not allowed to do it, he just does it anyway. It's their mischevious nature I'm afraid. All I can do in this instance is step up on the leadership again (he is challenging our authority i believe) and prevent him from being able to open the door in the first place. This means closing the glass door when we are not around. At least until he respects the boundary enough to be trusted not to cross it unless we give him the "ok".

Sorry, I am rambling, but rest assured, I do believe that he is just being a normal labrador. You just need to work out the best way to deal with it.

[chloebear]

My puppy is 7 months old, not a lab - but destroys and chews almost everything and leave a hugh mess on the patio where she sits and destroys stuff. We have started to kennel her when we are out so we can reduce the amount of damage. We have started to put things up high and in containers with lids to stop her. But if we get slack and leave something laying around then she will chew it.

[Sticks1977]

Thanks to all for the replies and advice - it is greatly appreciated and very welcome...

Fraser has been pretty good this weekend and has not gone after many things - but our attitude has changed slightly and we have shut off areas by closing doors or just putting stuff away that has been laying around and accessible to him.

It has even been useful keeping him occupied by being out in the garden for a change - I rarely get out there and down the narrow side of the house there were weeds everywhere - thought I would get started by ripping them all out and Fraser kept me company most of the time and was taking an interest in what I was doing.

I think it is just a stage he is going through and after reading some of the replies here it is good to know that I am not alone when it comes to problems like this. I asked one of the staff at dog training on Saturday and he brought up a good point, if your dog is getting into a certain room and taking items from in there, simply limit his access or to teach him that this certain room is out of bounds to him and he is not allowed in there!

[labsrule]

Thanks to all for the replies and advice - it is greatly appreciated and very welcome...

Fraser has been pretty good this weekend and has not gone after many things - but our attitude has changed slightly and we have shut off areas by closing doors or just putting stuff away that has been laying around and accessible to him.

It has even been useful keeping him occupied by being out in the garden for a change - I rarely get out there and down the narrow side of the house there were weeds everywhere - thought I would get started by ripping them all out and Fraser kept me company most of the time and was taking an interest in what I was doing.

I think it is just a stage he is going through and after reading some of the replies here it is good to know that I am not alone when it comes to problems like this. I asked one of the staff at dog training on Saturday and he brought up a good point, if your dog is getting into a certain room and taking items from in there, simply limit his access or to teach him that this certain room is out of bounds to him and he is not allowed in there!

Good to hear you have had a relatively quiet weekend and making some progress in taking action to limit his access in the house

My labs have always loved it when I get out in the garden and do some weeding as they just love to help with that task

When my current 8 yearold black lab boy was a pup/adolescent, he was an absolute terror and outrageously destructive and we had to "batten down the hatches" so to speak. He was a big shock after his two predecessors, who were very good pups who did the normal puppy chewing but nothing outrageous or over the top. Then along came Fitzy who wreaked enough havoc for the 3 of them :D Had to close every door in the house, when he was inside: toilet as he just loved helping himself to the toilet rolls, full ones that is - think of the rolly polly ad/cute lab puppy ad where they drag the toilet paper around the house :D and then he proceeded to shred into a million pieces - the laundry - just helped himself to clothes in the laundry basket, particularly undies & socks all of which he would then eat and I would find the remains when doing the poo patrol the next day - bedrooms - would help himself to anything that he could fit in his mouth, reading glasses, remote controls, mobile phones, stuffed toys etc and my daughter made the mistake of not only leaving her bedroom door open one day, but also her underwear drawer and boy did he have fun having access to all those g'strings and lacy knickers - she found him lying amongst the remnants in her room and I don't think she has ever forgiven him since ;)