Fab post by Karly!

He sounds like a normal young dog to me. You'd be hard pushed to find someone who hasn't experienced one or more of those issues with their dogs, so don't for one second think you are a bad dog owners. Dogs can be a pain the backside.

I'd definitely echo the suggestion of using a headcollar to help you out with walking for now. I have a dog who is an awful puller and in certain situations, I still have to resort to using the headcollar as a means of controlling her. She hates it but safety comes first.

Also, is he getting enough exercise and mental stimulation? as you dread taking him out, consequently he may not be getting as much exercise as he should. I realize it is a vicious circle.

Agree!

Defo on the stimulation point, does he have lots of different toys, and do you have a decent sized garden you can play with him outside? You could also start to teach some manners on a lead out there. I'd defiantly look at a head collar too. If he needs to burn off some steam is there a stables near you who would let you let him off in their arena. Also young dogs respond well to training, and you may find that training him at home, even basic things like sit and lie down, and some easy to teach tricks like paw will quieten him down for a bit as it will get his brain working.

Yes it sounds like he's a bit bored, but it doesn't sound like anything too drastic, and nothing that with a bit of hard work from you and maybe some help from a trainer can't be tackled.

Thanks everyone for your lovely and genuinely helpful replies! He has a big garden but will not come back when called so he is on one of those long leads on a stake (tell me if I'm wrOng there). He doesn't get enough exercise. I know this and it makes me feel like an awful owner but nothing works with him. I have a halti and he will wear it (given
Treats) but the second we walk
Outside (even in the garden) he walks backwards. I can't pull against him do he's then dictatingour walk anyways...
I'm building a sandbox with toys for
Him to help with boredom too.

Greetings from a fellow Lab owner


Firstly, you are not alone! Many of us with Labs have encountered these behaviours. Young Labs are exuberant, energetic, and yes at times can seem a tad nuts

If your Lab is typical of the breed, then the easiest way to train is to use food, because *most* Labs adore food!

So from today, if your Lab wants food, make him earn it. i.e. to get his meal, he has to do a 'stay'. Or a 'sit'. Or a 'down'.

One very basic exercise which helps is the 'watch me' which teaches the dog to pay attention to the owner/handler. If you search for 'watch me' on this site you will find info on it - if you don't find it let me know and I will send you more details.

Labs also need mental stimulation as well as physical; you NEED to do training with this dog so that he does not get bored because a bored Lab is not much fun

Does your dog get to mix and play with other dogs...? This is a great way for them to burn off some energy and also Labs are typically extremely sociable dogs.

Also, I would urge you to find a local class; go along and watch some and chat to the trainers. Explain the problems and see who is the most supportive. I really do empathise with the fact that your Lab is pulling on the lead etc - have you tried a harness that attaches at the front? I'm told these are great and am planning on getting one for my own rather excitable Lab

If you google various obedience commands you will find a wealth of info that you can then practise at home. Even if you do find a one-on-one trainer, you will HAVE to do put in some work yourselves otherwise your dog will become a juvenile delinquent I adopted my Lab when he was 14 months; he'd never been taught a single command, and he was a bit of a lunatic at first. So I really do get where you're coming from

DOGMATIC HEADCOLLAR:

These are superb and often far more comfortable than the Halti. Email the team at Dogmatic for sizing advice; they are really helpful. http://www.dogmatic.org.uk/
- I recommend the padded/webbing variety

EXERCISE:

You need to work hard on Recall - again I empathise as it's taken months to get even a halfway decent one with my dog. But the more work you put in, the better your boy will get. Then you can let him off the lead at the park and he can burn off some of that energy.

It is vital that your dog gets enough walks and play time with other dogs. Please also remember that once your Lab is fully grown, you will have to give him a minimum of 60 minutes walking a day, and probably more.

GARDEN:

You have your dog on a tie-out? I would urge you to start practising recall immediately so that he is free to wander around in the garden instead. Use food - it usually does the trick with Labs. Again, if you do a search for 'recall' you will find LOTS of threads on this site and will probably see some started by me when I was desperate for help - look for the posts by SMOKEY BEAR and DOBERMANN in particular, both of whom gave me excellent advice, as did many others.

So how do I stop him walking backwards with this head collet on lol?

You take him out before feeding him anything.
Take small treats; hold a treat by your side, where you want him to walk; then literally keep giving treats as he follows the treats by your side.
You will find that at first you have to keep giving the treats - but after a while, maybe a day or two, you can start giving them less often and eventually maybe just one treat at the end of each street, for instance.

Also does your dog get to play with other dogs?
This really is vital.

What treat is best? He wants what I've got but not THAT bad sort of thing?! He used to see my
Moms lab and my grans labs but he's just too hyper in their houses and it's just not fair so I'm
Ashamed to say no he doesn't anymore.

But doesn't he get to play with other dogs, outside, at parks etc...?
If there is a poor recall then keep him on a Flexi lead or long line inside the park and only let him off to play with other friendly dogs. It will help him burn off some energy and also it is VITAL that you socialise him with other dogs.

RE TREATS:

For recall, high value treats: i.e. a bit of cheese, some nice tasty bits of sausage. There are loads of treats at Pets At Home and also supermarkets sell them. Most Labs aren't that selective when it comes to food - they'll enjoy pretty much anything

Can I be blunt and say that this is the time to really put the work in? Once your Lab is fully grown he will be far stronger and even harder to handle if you don't resolve these issues. I would urge you to contact Dogmatic and/or research some front-attaching harnesses. Without enough exercise your boy is going to go crazy and that's understandable

At nine months he can't have hours of exercise anyway, but once he's fully grown he will need a lot more....

I wouldnt have posted here had I have not wanted honesty. I know I'm doing a lot wrong hence me wanting to correct my own behaviours and on to my dog.
I try to take him on walks away from
People or at less busy times
Because I have so little control its embarrassing.

I would just do lots of loose lead walking, firstly around the garden (putting a cue to it) and then out the front of the house. Don't aim to get to the park or do a walk around the block, even if you only manage to get to the front gate with a loose lead after 10 minutes, it'll all add up and he'll twig eventually. I've been refreshing my dog's lead manners and I may look silly walking back and forth over the space of 10 metres or so but it really does help. Build it up slowly, day one you might reach the front gate, day 2 might be another metre, day 3 you might get 3 metres down the road..day 4 you may even regress and only manage to the front gate again, but by day 15, 25, 35, etc. you will find yourself making steady progress. It's a learning process, they won't get it straight away, but persistance and repetition will pay off.