General Chat

Just sent you a PM - Glad the goodboy is working, keep going with it, it has worked wonders for me

the goodboy is the best one so far,i said GOODBOY and charlie turned to jelly before my eyes.xxx

just tried the GOODBOY,that worked better than the whistle>xx

just to let you all know that i tried the whistle idea,and it worked,but as soon as i took it out of my mouth he ran off with my slipper,do dogs have ADHD?ha,ha x only joking.

charlie doesnt chew everything,he doesnt chew the furniture,he doesnt dig,and i do tell him off at the time and not a hour later,hes a playfull pup,and apart from the chewing is a good boy,the vet has told me hes teething,but i thought it would be a good idea to start a post so i could get some ideas,i have had labs before and one of them used to chew plastic all the time no matter how many times he was told off,but he was a good loving friendly dog as is charlie,and the post was fun,reading about other peoplesproblems with their dogs.x

I'd also keep an eye on 'The Dog Whisperer' Cesar Milan is fantastic!! I can't remember seeing a programme about dogs who chew everything though!!!

You need to chastise him whilst he is in the act as it were. If you tell him off 5 minutes after the event....then it's too late, he wont have a clue. If he is chewing something, take it off him, shake him by the neck and say a firm NO! It sounds harsh, but his mum would have done that ie shook him by the neck. Basic stuff like that starts when they are a pup. I have never had any of my dogs chew because they have been trained to know that it is not acceptable behaviour. You need to be firm but fair, you need to, as I say, catch them and chastise immediately, not half hour later or a day later. Good luck, please feel free to pm me if I can help any further. Good luck!! PS No dog breed is a "natural chewer", they will chew if not trained otherwise. And never give them an old shoe to chew, because they will think any shoe is acceptable to nibble at. They cannot differentiate between old and new. They have to be taught manners:)

Lab's are known for chewing and for eating anything and everything.

I have friends whose Lab also ate the kitchen skirting boards, the kitchen table and even chewed through plaster board - oops - the Lab is now three and is out of the chewing phase

Our first Lab would clamber on the kitchen sides to take food, they are dustbins lol, she chewed when teething but stopped at about 14 months or so as we used mustard as that is what finally stopped our first Lab from chewing, haven't tried it with this one yet as thanking him for taking it and asking him to bring it to us with a reward is working this time.

Hang in there is it does improve and you couldn't wish for a brighter or more loyal dog

Mine is laid on the rug snoring his head off as I type this..........playing hide and seek with his ball for the last half hour has worn him out.

Hi Suzanne, I was amused by this thread!

I have a Lab for the first time in 40 yrs of dog-owning - and I would never have another although she is very loyal!!! She chewed for 2 yrs (teething) but has stopped now - we had to replace all the kitchen skirting boards.

She steals food constantly so we are now very good at putting stuff away. We have had other big dogs that didn't steal food. We have laced food with chilli and hot curry spices to put her off but she swallows in a gulp and doesn't taste it.

I think it's to do with the dog being young so give him bones to distract him and when all him teeth are there he will stop.

thanks will go on that site tomorrow,charlie is asleep in his bed now,hes exhusted himself with all the chewing hes done today.xx

My Lab is 15 months and will still chew at times,

What we have found is that if he takes something EG the remote control or a pillow we found that if we say "good boy, bring " he comes to us with it in his mouth and then drops it ........... he thens gets a fuss lol...........it works, it has stopped the chewing.

We have also had to De- Lab the house, shoes are not left out, everything is out of the way just like you would with a toddler lol

Now to the lino that he chewed last week, the whole of the lino ripped and chewed and now at the dumpit site, he did this when he was left on his own in the kitchen, so he isn't left in there on his own anymore he is put in his pen ( not a crate ) which is his own space that he doesn't damage.

He also has Kong toys that we fill with treats or frozen dog meat, marrow bones also work to keep him out of mischief.

Lab's do chew and as yours is 9 months old he is still a baby and mouthing and chewing is in their nature.

Try this forum for tips on behaviour etc it really is brill and full of Lab owners

http://www.homealabrador.net/

ok will try the stones in the coke tin.x

Try putting a few pebbles or coins in a coke can and give it a shake when they are naughtie {it worked on our collie as a pup in fact it still does and she's now turned 4yrs old but these days we only have to show it to her as she knows its the naughtie tin.Jean.

My 9 month old lurcher pup used to try and chew my shoes when she was younger, and other things too. A firm "Leave it!" worked well and she quickly learnt to leave my shoes alone.

Problem with puppies is they dont understand about ownership of things left laying around the house - so to them anything is fair game.

I keep mine supplied with a large assortment of stuffed toys - mostly picked up from the charity shops cheaply, they also last longer than pet toys. This works well as long as you dont have children with their own soft toys as the dog wont know the difference.

For the same reason, never give a dog an old shoe or item of clothing to play with - it wont know the difference.

I also keep her supplied with big cooked marrow bones I get from the pet shop.

well he hasnt started boozing yet,but im sure it wont be long.xx

My cousin had a golden lab, and she was the same taking clothes off the line, eating them,and despositing them a couple of days after, when out for her walk.
She grew out of it, and was the most faithful dog anyone could have, better than any nursemaid when the kids were small. She would not let them out of her sight when they were out.
When the kids grew up, they had another one, he was the same taking things off the line, but stopped early, when he got a taste for beer.My cousins son used to have his mates round, and he used to go up to them if they were having a beer with his bowl in his mouth for a drop. He also went around with his begging bowl for a take away. they might be having.

Mo

My son bought a black lab x ,spaniel,just before xmas last year.Gorgeous dog ,and called him Digger.
Well,he certainly lived up to his name,they havent had a plant in a pot all summer.To top everything,they are getting married on saturday and last week the dog ate his new shoes..before he has always gone for DILs shoes.

ive spent a fortune on bones,rubber ones,flavoured ones,chocolate ones,gravy coated ones,ive got rubber rings,rubber balls,rubber bones,squeaky toys(although i take the squeak out) soft toys(its funny but he never chews his soft toys) frizbys,kong toys,but no he has to eat my bras,i think the cellotape around the mouth was a good idea ha ha (only joking.

He sounds a lovely dog, very bright. If the water pistol isn't working, and we know labs love water, you could try putting pebbles in an empty plastic water bottle, so they clatter when you shake it and distract him. When we had a young Doberman, she started picking up shoes and towels to chew. I think it started when her baby teeth were coming out, so her gums may have been irritating. She had bones to chew which she liked, but seemed to want fabric in her mouth. We managed to stop her by tying an old sock in a tight knot which was then hers. Every time she picked anything else up we said LEAVE very firmly and gave her the sock instead. After a short time she seemed to get the message and would look for her sock to shake herself when she was mooching about looking for trouble! Hope you soon succeed!

Why not go back to training classes. Labs are prone to being a bit off the wall. People make the mistake of attending these classes in puppyhood only. They need to be focused (usually a retrieve toy will do it with a lab). They love learning, trouble is they do whether they are taught or not!. Usually they find this is a great game of chase-dont play(they will win). Kong toys are a good distraction,mine love them cheese and chicken. If you can go back to training classes it will help. Good luck. x