when are young dogs at their most boisterous?

[hatwoman]

Our 14 week old lab is ace. pretty much house-trained instantly, has learnt all the basic commands, plus a couple of others, doesn;t chew the kitchen units (the only thing he gets unsupervised access to) and doesn't jump up at us, getting better about strangers (who I wish would bloody well stop smiling and saying "oh it's ok, I don;t mind" when I tell him to get down and ask them not to stroke him if he jumps up,) but people keep saying stuff hinting that he well get much more of a handful as he gets older...is this right? I'm not worried, just interested.

Do you think we should start dogsnet?I think the summer is helpful in the house-training dept. too. Our door is always open too. Half seven sounds like a dream! Did he get you up early too at first? I just feel guilty making her wait any longer than half five/quarter to six when she has been so good all night! When can I expect more of a lie in 6.3o would be good!

we got him at 9 weeks (didn;t bring him home at 8 weeks as we had a kids party organised) - it was 6 am starts at first and they've just gradually got later over the 5 weeks we've had him (he's 14 weeks not 15 as I said earlier) We do get up as soon as he wakes - which I thought might be a bad habit and might doom us to permanent 6 ams but he's fine now

Thanks Hatwoman. Speak to you soon

Hello lab puppy people! Bit sleep deprived this morning - my pup wakes at 6am too and that's not so much of a problem as long as the children have slept through. Two nights ago ds ended up in our bed due to thunderstorm and then dd appeared at side of my bed at 5am, projectile vomiting over all of us!!! Who said puppies were hard work?! I was so tired yesterday I even started nodding off during The Tudors, despite the fact I fancy the pants off Henry VIII, so to speak (or should it be hose?).
I have given up on leaving the door open as the pup tends to nip into the neighbouring field for a tasty bit of sheep poo - don't remember that on the breeder's diet sheet!

Oh yes. I forgot about all the disgusting things labs like to eat!! My parents labs consider sheep poo a great delicacy They actually grin when they spot some! Pup let me lie in to 6am today which does actually feel more like morning than five thirty! Sorry to hear your dd was ill hope she is better now bella. I have wondered what it will be like to deal with sick children and dog but try to push that to the back of my mind. Does your pup come into the lounge with you in the evening? We let pup lie in her basket in front of the sofa but only if we are in there. I have lovely new chocolate brown leather sofas which would probably be a bit tempting for her. She ate a flip flop yesterday, which DH had left outside the back door!

Hi newpup

Yes, we do let him come into the living room in the evening and that's usually when he goes quite mad and runs around! During the day he's confined to the kitchen but tends to sleep a lot. Nice to know your pup is keeping her fibre intake up with the flip flop - hope it wasn't a favourite one! So far we've only lost 2 table lamps which have had their flexes chewed - although DH has promised to mend them [hmmm]

Oh dear hope they were not favourite lamps. At the moment pup is really sleepy in the evening , so she comes in to the lounge has a sniff around (closely followed by me!!) then flops into her bed and sleeps at my feet until I turf her out at about half ten for a trip to the garden before bed. But who knows in two weeks she could be chewing lamps too!! As long as it is not my lovely sofa, I could live with it. I left DH alone today with pup and DDs as I had a haircut booked and needed to pick up a stairgate from my sister to put on the kitchen door. He managed 5 hours and they are all fine and only one plant in the garden has been eaten!! Think he watched cricket and left dds to look after pup most of the day but they were all happy! Hopefully stairgate means we do not have to keep kitchen door closed all day now. Bit more sociable.

Yes, the gate's a good idea - I have a dog gate in my kitchen which is just like an extra high stair gate. I thought the lamps weren't that big an issue until I saw it in print: I think I just prepared myself for so much destruction that only two lamps doesn't seem so bad - for the moment! I should fence your sofa off with barbed wire now, though, while it's still pristine, and ignore any strange looks from family and friends

Anyone else had a sofa chewed?

at all these puppy stories

I know, I thought the puppies were bad but have you seen the other thread about the cat that's stealing other people's underwear (by other people's, I mean not the owner's. I, of course, did not mean other cats' undies as we all know they don't wear any - unless someone can tell me differently...).

Did any of that make sense?!

bella are you ok? Cat's undies!! Methinks you have spent too much time with the puppy!

I have a 3 year old black lab and agree with others - 6-18 months is a MAD time.....we knacker him out with at least a hours walk (including a swim) and even then he's a bit of a loony in the evenings

Have you seen this site

Think you may be right - off for a glass of wine and a lie down in a darkened room. Well, okay, just a glass of wine actually. Will post tomorrow to let you all know which of my belongings gets trashed tonight and whether anyone vomits over me at 5am (dd's fine for the moment...). Good luck, newpup, and anyone else with a cute furry heat seeking destruction expert commonly known as a puppy.

Hello puppy people. Pup has been lovely today, as it was a little chilly and wet we closed the outside door. Little star, cried to go out every time she needed to relieve herself! She had a bit more energy today but I guess she could not play outside like she has been. I got a lie in to 6.45am this morning and then she slept in the laundry room from 7.30 to 9am. So I sneaked off back to bed! Taking her for her final vaccinations on Thursday, so really looking forward to taking her out for the first walk. Any tips?

Well done, newpup - sounds like you've had a good day! My boy's also been good: only one accident, which for him is v good (won't hold it against him that it was a really rank poo after all that sheep muck he's been eating!). We took him for his first walk the other day and I suppose the biggest thing I had to think about was trying to coax him along with us, rather than pulling his lead. It was a bit strange at first, because our other dog is always keen to walk along, whereas the pup naturally wanted to go all ways or suddenly plop himself down on the ground. I have read that it's a good idea to teach then to walk to heel off the lead first (using treats) and that seems like a good idea, but then it has to be weighed up against wanting to get them out there and socialised as early as possible. Why is there so much psychology in having a puppy these days?!
Another tip for your first walk - be prepared for all the admiration and fuss she'll get!

Thanks Bella. Pup had a good night again but had just done a poo when I got down this morning at 6am obviously could not hold it in any longer!! Just laughed out loud reading that back. Why would anyone want to know that sorry!! I read that about teaching them to walk to heel first but that sounds very hard. I do not know any one who has had a go at that. I have been putting the lead on in the garden and she just sits down and looks at me. I was hoping that when we go out the new smells might encourage her to move along!

Well, yes, I am interested to know whether your pup can hold on all night or not, but maybe I just need to get out more!
Have done the honourable thing by setting up a new puppy thread & belated apologies to hatwoman for hijacking yours! In answer to your original query hatwoman, in my experience it is 6-18 months (or thereabouts) when dogs are most boisterous, but a few people had already said that so I just wandered way off the subject instead

Have a good day, all!