Question:
We have a 7-month male Labrador My boy was perfectly house trained till about a month ago. He suddenly started peeing and pooping in the house but only when my partner is in he actually peed the other day when I hugged my partner. Any suggestions on what we should do?
Answer:
Unbelievable as it may seem – you have a normal Labrador Retriever!
There are a number of Labrador Retriever stages of mental and physical development. When this specific dog breed reaches around 6-months old, they enter their adolescence.
Stage 3: Labrador Retriever Adolescent - This is a tough stage and starts around 5 months old and go anywhere up to a year, depending on the dog. Some would call it the terrible twos because all of a sudden, your sweet Lab baby has forgotten everything you have taught it and has the manners of any human teenager out there! Sure, they know not to go on the couch but they will test you again and make sure you meant it. This is when you need to reinforce all your training because if you let them get away with it now, it is harder to break them of it later!
This stage is quite annoying for dog owners as everything they have ever taught their pup seems to go out the window. Continuing to be persistent and consistent in your training is the only way to make it through this stage.
You may need to begin crate training again or investing in outside dog training assistance. Also, reinforcing the alpha roles in the house is crucial, as it seems your pup is acting out.
Keep your dog on a schedule and continue positive dog training.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
hi there i have 7 month old pedigree lab (black) and the past week hes been weeing and pooing in our house me and my partner have tryed everything from crate traning to – taking him out evey half an hour but nothing uis working please help!!!
I hope you found the blog posts on Housebreaking your Labrador Retriever. Those articles should help as your question is posted in a thread about behavioral issues and not training issues.
i have a choclate lab (pure bread) we are not sure how much she should we feed her 3 times a day 1 cup full of dry dog food so 3 cups a day but that was what we were feeding her when she was jst a puppy. so how much do I need to feed her
My 6 month old labrador retriever gets 3 walks a day and plenty of play time. She spends part of the day in a crate, but when I am not home she is usually outside alone. Every time we let her walk around the house she just runs around like crazy, no matter how much exercise we give her. She also has a biting and nipping problem when anyone tries to pet her. My family is getting frustrated and we don’t know what to do. We have been trying to correct her but it seems like nothing is working. Can you help?
Labrador Retrievers are human dogs – meaning that they are happiest when they get to spend time with humans. Leaving your dog outside all day, alone, would definitely cause dog behavior issues when she is indoors. First, she is excited beyond belief to have you home (separation anxiety) and second, she is outdoors all day – which has less boundaries. The last thing is that she is in the “terrible twos” stage for Labradors – where everything she has learned to this point is thrown out the window and she tests her place in your pack. Please search the blog for “training” and read on.
Hi there,
I have a Rotti X Lab. He is more like a lab stuck in a Rotti’s body. He’s 6 months now, and he’s been nothing but a nightmare. We go for a walk for 1.5-2 hours in the morning before i leave for work. I’m not too sure what he does while im at work, but it doesnt seem to be much as he usually doesnt eat or drink while im gone. As soon as I get home, we go for a walk for about an hour up to the park or dog park and let him off leash. We spend about another hour maybe hour and a half playing, running , just trying to tire him out. Then we walk about an hour back. My problem is that he has started this phase where he is jumping up on me and trying to nip at me, he runs around the house like its outside, and if i dont give him my full undivided attention, he will bark and bark and bark. It’s come to the point where im not allowed to eat or even drink, take a shower, or anything because he will bark, and nip at me. He wasn’t like this before, and his listening skills have gone down the drain. He tries to pull me around, and when he sees water – even if its the smallest little puddle, he will dash for it and try to swim in it. On my days off, we will spend 6-8 hours walking/playing/exercising him yet no matter what, he will still have way too much energy. He has begun to try and rip my hair out in my sleep causing me to not sleep at all, and he has a SEVERE chewing problem. He chews EVERYTHING. I’ve tried the having a bin for him for his toys, he knows its his toys, but he wants to chew on my arm, or blanket, or on the couch or the carpet or anything he can get his teeth into. He’s chewed through several cords, probably has electrocuted himself atleast once. He broke the kennel by chewing on it, and the only way he falls asleep is if he chews himself to sleep. Oh and he digs like crazy too.. (I’ve buried balloons – no luck)
Please help, im running out of ideas and he’s driving me insane
Sounds like your dog rules the roost. Feed him in the morning before his walk, if he doesn’t eat it take it away till you get home. He will soon get the idea. Exercise is great but over exercising such a young dog can also be counter productive for the development of his joints.
Act dominent. All I have to do is growl quietly or get down on all fours in a dominent stance and my big 7 month lab rolls over on his back. Some people might not agree with me but this “pup” is beyond the “yelping” technique when he nips. If he nips put him in submission, you need to start “thinking dog”. You are Alpha in your household and need to start acting like it. This is going to be hard work and testing. If he is demanding attention with barking ignore him, I click my fingers at my dog to distract him from the bark, if that does not work or if he follows with nipping, use submission. When he calms down and is not looking for attention, then give it to him. Everything needs to be on YOUR terms, YOU are the boss. Consider crate training.
I have tried to use the box of toys too with my lab and it doesnt work when I am not around. I hide his toys in the room we leave him in so he has to find them, it keeps him more occupied.
I have also tried the exchange technique but finds it doesnt work (when he picks something up he shouldnt have and you replace it with one of his toys!). I have to show him the item he shouldn’t have and say NO. I then leave it in a place where he can reach it, so when he goes near it, I say NO again. He won’t go near it after that. It is the only way I have found that works with him. I am not saying i’m an expert,but my dog is just too smart for his own good! He opens draws and cupboards by himself so I have had to try and test these things.
Hope any small part of this helps!!
This is our first puppy ever so im clueless on what kind of dog house
to get our 4 month old female lab for winter. Shes an outside puppy so far but we do bring her in to play. Please help.
Labrador Retrievers are bonding dogs and do best when they are with humans. With all due respect, Labs are not meant to be outdoor dogs and should be brought indoors. Your breeder or shelter should have explained this to you before you brought her home. This dog breed suffers from Separation Anxiety when detached from people. Please change your mind about keeping her outdoors.
In the last couple of weeks, my 6 1/2 mo. old chocolate lab totally destroys anything in her crate when left alone even for short periods of time (like 30 min. or less). There is also excessive drooling, so the floor pan is covered and she is all wet. What is going on? This has been getting worse over the weeks. We got her from a shelter about 3 weeks ago and I’m sure she was in a crate a lot then. How do I get this to stop?
Thanks for your comment Ella! I sent you an email and will be also posting the answer to your situation in a later dog blog post. Best of luck!
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