To consider re-homing my puppy

[YummyorSlummy]

I have a labrador puppy who is approaching six months old. He is truly lovely and I know I should have thought more about this before we got the dog but I dont think I'm
cut out for him. My dh told me it would be a few weeks of hard work when we got him and then he would be well behaved once he learnt what he could and couldn't touch etc- now i know he was completly exaggerating cos of how much he wanted a bloody dog! (I obviously knew feck all about dogs before we got one) but this dog has ruined so many of my ds's lovely toys ( and ds is only 1 so can hardly explain to keep toys away from doggy very well) and knocked him over and scratched him so many times I'm at breaking point. He has chewed the buggy strap so we now need another one,chewed through our phone line and is so much more needy than I expected wanting to be with us all the time. I'm not sure I can cope with him any more ...

Dogs are easy if you've had dogs before and know what to do. I doubt it has been easy for the OP who had no idea and whose husband was pushing the idea.

MillyR I have to disagree. Some dogs are easy if you have had dogs before. Not all dogs. I have never been without a dog for more then a a couple of months at a time, my whole life, but Devil Dog is certainly giving me a run for my money. He could probably give Marley a run for his money too

There have been many a time that I have turned around and said "Enough. That dog is going. I can't take this anymore". The difference being, I don't mean it. Everyone knows that. I do mean it at the time I am saying it, but I could never follow through with the reality.

Dogs can be hard. Especially puppies. They can be fustrating. So I understand where the op is coming from. But while I accept that it is hard at times, rehoming is not the answer.

Op there are dog trainers on MN. If you start a thread in Pets they will be happy to help you and advise on how you can train this behavior. As I said earlier labs are very intelligent. Your pup will learn.

Dogs are very hard work. But they are also very rewarding when they are trained. There is nothing quite like coming home from a hard day to have someone always there, excited to see you and waiting for a hug.

YANBU, if you feel you cant cope re-home him, its not a crime.

Puppies require lots of time and its difficult when you have little ones.

Our lab pup is 7 months old now. This Thursday my 11yr old daughter will be at crufts with him with our Kennel Club Dog Training Club demonstrating Puppy Good Citizen Skills. We are expecting him to be quite mad and hard work with all the smells, fuss and changes as he is still a baby himself.

Training takes time. Alf passed his puppy award at 4 month and Bronze Good Citizen at 6 but he has a long way to go. He is our first dog and the training school told us that it will be easier teaching Alfie than us! and that has certainly proved true.

Do you have a kong? They don't look much but they are great for teething labs. You can put part a meal inside and even freeze them. We use them when go out - but still put him in his crate where he is safe overnight or when leaving him.

Alfie chews but it is reducing. He got my daughters school shoe the other day but they shouldn't be left out.

At this age teenage hormones are kicking in so boundaries will be pushed. We have been told, with proper training, Labs usually calm by the time they are 2.

YANBU if you cant cope then the dog would be better off with someone that can. If you keep him when you dont want to you will end up resenting him.

I was in a similar situation, although i kept my dog for 3 yrs before rehoming her and it wasnt a decision i took lightly.
We had 2 at the same time a Border collie and a Springer spaniel. We did everything we could with the Springer Spaniel but she was mental and would not listen, she even baffled dog trainers. We were threatened with a court order by the council as all she would do was bark if we put her in the garden, bark indoors if my DH was home, chew constantly even though she had toys,carpets, table legs, kitchen cupboard doors. She was walked for 2 hrs everyday and pulled on the lead constantly. I fell pg and couldnt walk her because of the pulling, tripping me up etc so my dh had to do it which would have been fine if he didnt do 12 hr days. so we thought long and hard about it, i was brought up with dogs and i struggled with the guilt because i was taught that a dog is for life, in the end we rehomed her she went to my Dhs sister, she is a different dog, calm, no barking or chewing and seems much happier.
We have kept our other dog,he is a godsend very very well trained doesnt need a lead as he stays by my side, has grown out of his chewing stage etc etc so i dont feel bad about our other dog at all.

I suppose my point is is that people are right about trying to train him but what if like my dog he wont? You need to think about the dog more than anything and if you think he would be better off elsewhere then rehome him.Ultimatley it is your decison noboody else can make it for you.

Dons hard hat from those who dont agree withmy decision

My puppy was at his worst at six months old - such hard work I was regularly in tears, but he did calm down in the end and I would never part with him. Your lab is the doggy equivalent of a terrible toddler remember! Don't give up on him yet, but do read some books on how to train him properly so he doesn't rule your life and bully you. He needs very clear and strict boundaries which can be hard when they are so adorable - we make things worse for ourselves by spoiling them as babies. Also, I know you have a busy life but do make plenty of exercise/stimulation for him your priority - it will really really help. Good luck.

but the op hasn't tried to train him.

She has said he starts training classes next month and yet she doesn't believe he can be trained even though she hasn't tried.

So no, you can't say you can't cope if you don't try to cope.

YOu know yourself if you want the dog or not, a one year old and a puppy is a lot of work for anyone and if you can't cope admit defeat and give him to somebody who can.
I rehomed our 6 month old before Christmas, very upsetting, lots of tears we're all over it now and know we are not dog people, lesson learnt.
All the dog training in the world was not going to make me enjoy walking in the rain, picking up dog shit and vacuuming twice a day.

I'm no fan of shunting dogs off to rescues as soon as the novelty wears off - AT ALL - but the 'oh no, I didn't train my dog and now he's bouncing all over the kids' threads that appear in AIBU weekly are heartbreaking. Puppies grow out of the chewing and misbehaving, but they do need constantly enforced boundaries, even more so if they live with children. If you don't have the time, the inclination, or the energy to train your puppy, it's only fair to the dog to find him a home that will, via Lab Rescue or some other breed network.

But either commit to training or make a decision about rehoming him NOW, rather than in six months' time when he'll be even bigger and stronger. Older dogs are a lot harder to rehome, especially if they've been left to get into bad habits someone else then has to undo. I truly sympathise about how time-consuming and maddening puppies are, having spent all summer housetraining one myself - but the difference is that I wanted it!

any dog can be trained.... in reality, he should have started at 14 weeks, but 6 months is not too late

he's hitting his adolescence too; he will get willful and defiant and if you aren't planning on breeding from him and haven't done so already; get him neutered.

You just need a good trainer. The toy chewing (INCLUDING when thrown at the dog by baby) can be cured. ALL of it can be cured. It just needs a few weeks and a firm teacher (ie, you) to do it.

My mum is a dog trainer; we train dogs to ignore balls that run across the front of their noses as they're laying down from puppyhood for the exact reason that it is MY toy (or a baby's) and it is to be ignored.

Then, supply stuff to destroy - cardboard boxes are best and most fun for dogs, rawhides and synthetic bones too (or real bones from pet shops)

But really, he just needs training.... that's the only thing that will work, IME and IMO