Sister's lab gone bonkers

Claire m · 14-02-2008, 01:46 PM

Hey every one, my sister has an 11 month old black Labrador called molly, but my sister is having a bit of trouble with her in the way of molly chewing clothes and anything she a get hold of, for example she has shredded my sisters knickers (clean ones)

eats plastic bags, toys you name it she will eat it and then proceeds to throw up. Is there a way to stop this behavior as my sister now wants rid of molly because she said she has had enough of her, is there a way to stop this and if so how would you go about it. Molly is the most lovable dog i have ever met and would be a shame to see her go to a dogs home at such a young age.

Thanks in advance

Claire

Fran · 14-02-2008, 02:05 PM

Hi Claire, all Labrador puppies chew and can be quite an age before they grow out of it. Your sister should have set down some ground rules when he was much younger as what was acceptable to chew i.e. his toys and what he wasn't allowed to chew. Mostly they chew out of boredom, so I would say that he isn't getting enough stimulation. She needs to be providing interesting toys for him, filled kongs of frozen food are also good to relieve boredom and she needs to spend time with him herself playing and interacting with him. To me he sounds like a bored dog

Is he crate trained? This is a great way to manage chewing in the early days and they certainly come to love their crates as they get older. n I think it's a shame that she would consider re-homing him. Did she not do her homework on the breed before she took him on? Perhaps if she has really decided that she cannot cope any longer then she should go back to the breeder and ask for her help. As a breeder of Labs, i would expect my puppy owners to come to me as their first port of call. I would be devastated to find out that one of my pups had ended up in rescue

Do let us know how it all goes. Hopefully someone else will be along with further advice

smudgley · 14-02-2008, 02:16 PM

Agree with Fran totally. Another couple of things to add.

* She may be coming into season, hormonal young bitches often have behavioural issues, which may get better after her season.

* At 11 months old, she is maturing into a young adult, her hormones will be raging as she goes through adolesents - a hard time for any youngster when again beahviour issues & challenging behaviours are often seen.

* I thought of another thing & now I can't remember what I was going to say....

will add it when I do.

PoshPuss · 14-02-2008, 02:17 PM

Hi Claire!

I have a sheepdog myself not a lab but I know that a destructive dog can be quite a challenge. Thankfully Bronnie grew out of it after chewing a wicker consevatory suite, corners of the kitchen cupboards and steel cap boots! The crate idea is good it gives her boundaries and starts disciplining her. I used to think it was cruel but its a kindness in the long run. Does your sis work? maybe Molly is showing seperation anxiety. Our vet does behavioural therapy and has excellent results from this. There are options to try before going down the rehoming route. She is a very young dog, she can be trained, don't give up hope
please.

smudgley · 14-02-2008, 02:20 PM

I remembered, - most important point -please tell your sister not to leave things aroung that she can eat, whilst she is going through this stage, I know that's easier said than done, but if she swallows something she can't pass, then she will not only be a poorly dog, your sister will have a huge vets bill to deal with - then she will wish she had moved the knickers or socks.

A cage is an excellent tool, if used correctly & introduced correctly. You can't however just put an 11 month old dog in a cage & hope all your problems will be solved, it's not a quick fix to a problem. It's a useful aid to help with problems. She would need positive introduction to the cage. Pleasurable exeriences etc.

Fran · 14-02-2008, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smudgley

I remembered, - most important point -please tell your sister not to leave things aroung that she can eat, whilst she is going through this stage, I know that's easier said than done, but if she swallows something she can't pass, then she will not only be a poorly dog, your sister will have a huge vets bill to deal with - then she will wish she had moved the knickers or socks.

Was just about to add this point myself!

Claire m · 14-02-2008, 02:48 PM

Thank you all so much for your advice, I have passed it on to my sister and she is quite relieved to know that it can be sorted out, she also said if she does buy a crate for molly she may shove her husband in there so that he can be trained to lol. Unfortunately she never did too much research on labs hence i think the problems, she is at home all day as she has a 4 year old son so i don't think dog is lonely or anything just bored. Will keep you all posted and will get a pic of molly. Oh yes the breeder did say if she was ever to get rid of her to give him a call and he will take her back but he lives in wiltshire (sp)

Claire xxxx

smudgley · 14-02-2008, 03:29 PM

yes the husband can go in the cage too, no gentle introduction for him, just shove him in when he's naghty. But the dog needs to have positive association with the cage.

It's really bad to put it up & shove her in it & go out. What they need to do is, put the cage up & leave the door open with her bed in there & some of her toys. Let her go in as and when she's ready. Feed her treats whilst she's in there (not too many

we are talking labrador!) When it's the dogs meal times, put her food in there so she associates nice things with the cage.

Next step is to shut the door and leave her in there (whilst you sister is around) with a chew, then open the door after a while. You get the idea, build on that.....

Puppies actually get great comfort from a cage, they like the security of them & they really help with undesired behaviours like chewing, they also make life so easy when house training!

smudgley · 14-02-2008, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claire m

Oh yes the breeder did say if she was ever to get rid of her to give him a call and he will take her back but he lives in wiltshire (sp)

Claire xxxx

It doesn't matter if he lives in timbuktoo, if it really does come to rehoming the dog, your sister should take her back to the breeder. She made the journey to collect her when she was a pup and should be prepared to make the journey to return her if it comes to it (hopefully it won't) At least then she can sleep at night knowing the breeder will vet people carefully and find the most suitable home for the dog.

yola · 14-02-2008, 03:57 PM

Wiltshire is not that far out of London! Just over an hour's drive. However, there is some really superb advice here from people that know what they are talking about. Maybe your sister could consider joining www.dogsey.com which is the partner, dog site, to this cat one. She could then readily discuss any issues directly with people who are only too happy to offer advice

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