Quote:
Originally Posted by MatthewT
We don't really have an instructor, and getting professional help, although definitely a good idea, is not an option at the moment.
Thank you for your quick reply.
Yes, I think you might (definitely) have something there.
He gets 2 walks of about 2 miles every day, usually 3 on the weekends and goes off the lead in the woods whenever we can.
How exactly would we stimulate the dog's mind? He has several toys in his room (well, it's the front hall, there's nowhere really else for him to go, but he has his own crate that he seems to like and we shut him in when he misbehaves).
We have a clicker, which we try to use but it is very often the case that he still does not obey.
What should we do about the clicker? If he does not obey, should we keep giving the command, or wait until he obeys? As I'm sure you can imagine, having a big family it is very hectic and we don't have all day to wait around for him to obey, especially because he just finds interest in everything and forgets about the command.
Also, we have a halti lead, which goes around the dog's neck and face, which helps with the pulling but he seems to like to rub his head against things to try and get it off. Probably not relevant, I just thought people should know as much as possible.
|
That's a good amount of physical exercise, but if he's off 'doing his own thing' and entertaining himself, it's not building a bond between you - he's just using you! You need to interact with him throughout the walk - get him 'hooked' on a favourite toy, and only use it for walks / training. He shouldn't have free access to it otherwise. With my lab, I drop toys as we walk and send him to track back and find them - he loves it. They've got great noses. Hide and seek / search games are a great favourite.
You could try him on a programme like NILIF - Nothing In Life is Free! Which makes him 'earn' his privleges - if you google it, some useful stuff will come up.
Haltis have their uses but my lab was the same and would rub to get it off (quite painfully). Practise walking on a loose lead in the garden, rather than when he's pulling to get to some loose lead activity on a walk.
He sounds like a normal active lab to me - but you need to harness the energy and change your relationship with him into a much more positive one before he becomes too much for you. You talk very negatively about him - he's not 'awful' from what you've written, he's just a pup who hasn't been chanelled correctly (yet) and I bet with the right input from you he will be what labs should be - a brilliant family dog!
Sophie
x