8 month old Labrador

[Nightwarrior]

In a few weeks i will be bringing home an 8month old labrador. I am concerened that he will suffer from seperation anxiety as the breeder has kept him outside with the other stud dogs and has never been without the company of other dogs. Are labradors able to adapt to this sudden change easily?

[SaxyJag]

Lucky you. I love this breed. Chances are he's going to be very bouncy and somewhat destructive to start with, and if you're not careful then he's going to assert his dominance over you PDQ.

Do you have the resources (ie money & space) for one of those indoor kennels? Not only will it keep him contained and your house intact, it will give him a bolt-hole. His own space, where he can feel safe and secure. He doesn't have to be locked in it all the time and if you leave it open and let him use it as his bed you can save a lot of problems. Give him a couple of good items to chew on when you have to leave him and he should be fine after the first couple of nights.

You might also consider having a chat with the breeder about this. If he or she's a decent breeder, they'll be happy to help.

[Nightwarrior]

Thx for your quick answer Saxyjag! When we are out Ben will only have access to the hall way and the stairs(where there will be a baby gate to stop him getting any further)when we are out. There is also a window which looks out onto the road so he can watch the world go by.He will also have an hours walk before i go to work and at least an hour at night when i come in so as to try and keep him fit and mentally active.In your opinion do you think he will howl or bark when we are out?(no longer than 3hrs a day) I see him every weekend so i won't be a complete stranger to him.Thanks again for your help.

[drgnrdr]

If at all possible the best thing would be for you to get to a training class with a really good trainer. They will show you how to get him to listen to you, and teach him the house manners, is he neutered yet? that will help get some of his male crazies to calm down allot, and when he gets to your home he'll want to mark it as his. If he has been left outside all his life he may not know what "house rules" are. It will be up to you to teach him.

Labs need allot of exercise, and a job, not just 2 hours a day (walk morn and night like stated), you might want to try and fit him with a backpack, get him use to the feel and weight of it, as he gets use to it, start to add bottles of water for weight, evenly matched on both sides, so you can add up to 4-6 bottles of water eventually, as he gets older, and his body grows.

This will double the walk for him, and give him something to do. When he does come to your home, training will help him bond quicker to you also, and work his brain not just his body. At times thru the day when you are there ignore him for 15 minutes, completely ignore him this sounds cruel but he needs to learn to be ALONE, amuse himself, or he will get attached to you and "hello" sep. anxiety, for the first couple of weeks is fine but after that...have ignore the dog sessions.

I do hope you seek out a professional dog trainer and get some much needed help with this guy, I hope the breeder actually socialized him to things, people, sounds, smells and other "strange" dogs, so he's not scared or shy with these things, a good breeder will do this, they don't want fear biters or dog aggressive dogs.

Good luck ~/:\~

[Nightwarrior]

Thx for your advice drgnrdr. Ben has been brought up on a working farm so is completly used to cattle,strange people etc. In the fields around him there is sometimes clay pigeon shooting so i am confident that he will beable to cope with any strange noises etc.Every weekend take him for long walks and he seems fine but it is the time when i get him home away from his doggy friends that concerns me. I have booked him in for a beginners obidence at the the beginning of September(they are on holiday until then). I love the idea of strapping a backpack to him. I have read about this but never thought about this to tire him out. I have also booked him into agility training classes when he turns 1yr old. Thanks again for your much needed advice.

[drgnrdr]

One thing forgot to mention since he is use to sleeping with his family? then take a T-shirt or old towel with you then leave it there and when you pick him up it may comfort him a bit on his first night alone with you, it will smell like family to him.

[PurplePixie]

The first thing that sprang into my mind was that he will probably be thrilled to be away from all the competition of living with a lot of other un-neutered dogs...also delighted to have an owner devoted completely to him & not have to share!!

At 8 months, he is still very much a baby & I'm sure knowing the breed very well, will adapt very quickly...he'll just be like an unsure, inexperienced 12 week puppy...the only draw back being that he's a whole lot bigger! thinking back to a dog I rescued a while ago I would initially cover that window you mention with some stick on opaque plastic frosting as if the sight of the world going by is too stimulating it may cause a lot of barking & excitement while you are not there. Just a thought, you could remove it later when he settles in.

At least you're really thinking about things...a lot of people don't , he's a lucky pup I think...good luck & enjoy yourself.

[MrsJo49155]

I thought you had to limit the amount of exercise for a labrador for the first year as they grow so quickly and can suffer hip problems later in life if exercised too much?

[drgnrdr]

Okay you may want to re-read what I said about exercise.I said to get him use to a backpack "eventually, as he gets older, and his body grows".

Young dogs don't need "pounding on their joints" type of exercise until they get a bit older, like running down stairs and running and joggin, or jumping up or over things, but walking for an hour is not allot of exercise for a lab at 8 months, if he has his tongue hanging out and can barely make it home will suggest that you need to back off the excessive stuff, until he builds endurance. But since he lives with other dogs and If the breeder is a good one, he will be use to running and wrestling with the other dogs, and his endurance will be up, suggesting he is use to doing work already (farm), is why I said to get him use to a backpack now ( build up weight in it)unless your moving him to a farm, where he can get back to work. And from what I understand hip problems come from (about 95%) genetics. But I'm not a vet.

I believe Nightwarrior has alot of bases covered...BRAVO to you.....~/:\~

[Nightwarrior]

Thanks to everyone who has left advice for me. You've really put my mind at ease! I saw Ben again today and had a really good chat with the breeder. She confirmed that a lab isn't to get a lot of exercise before it's a year old. She said she is going to give me a puppy pack to take away with me which explains everything. One thing i forgot to mention and that is because he lives in kennels Ben isn't housetrained. The breeder says that it won't be a problem....anyone disagree?

[lankeela]

I don't disagree, provided you give him every opportunity to go out to relieve himself. This will mean staying out with him if he is just going into the garden until he does something, and taking him for regular walks which will mean he is comfortable when you get home. Try to make sure you are up early and go to bed late for the first few nights, so as to avoid any necessity for him to 'go' indoors.

Whilst I normally agree with drgnrdr I feel on this occasion the advice is a bit OTT. Just use common sense and enjoy getting to know you dog. You are out of the worst 'puppy' stage, and most things will fall into place. He will appreciate the individual attention and will probably stick to you like glue at first.

Enjoy!

[drgnrdr]

Not over the top, most times I try to write to ANYONE visiting this site, if someone else brings home a pup not use to you, the info I gave was for them too, NOT just the original poster. (It does suggest when you post a question to look for similar postings, does it not?).

If a dog is allowed to eliminate in his kennel, and went wherever and/or lived in his filth until it was cleaned up, you may have trouble at first teaching him how to go where you want, check out

http://orangedog.forumup.com/index.php?mforum=orangedog

go to "behavior" and read Potty training, it's outlined there, given to anyone looking for tips on how to train a pup to go.