Starting to regret getting a pup

[SausageSmuggler]

We have a 6 month old Labradoodle (got him at 3 months old) and I’m finding him such hard work! I fell in love with his chilled out temperament (he was happy to just sit and be cuddled) but that has vanished completely. Like all puppies he eats and chews on everything but he’s very sneaky and waits until we’re out of the room to do it so teaching him ‘leave’ doesn’t seem too effective. Ironically he’s fine to be left when we go out, the destructive behaviour just seems to be when we’re at home even if he’s just been exercised and played with.

He’s also a right bugger on his lead. He has a Halti, though not the head part and he’s still trying to bolt into the road and jump up at everyone! I’ve lost count of the times he’s wrenched my shoulder and back muscles but I’m fed up of being in pain all the time.

I can’t afford training classes unfortunately because I think he’d do really well he is very intelligent. I’m at a loss and at the end of my rope! I should add that this is our first ever dog and while I knew it would be a lot of hard work, I wasn’t anticipating this level of difficulty, especially as I seem to be the only one in the house who is trying to make things better with him.

OP, you are right in the middle of the worst bit.

It gets easier.

Battendog was at his most difficult between about 6 -9 months and in the last 8 weeks or so has gotten easier again. He's not perfect and socks are still not safe in the house, but he now responds to most commands most of the time and can be trusted not to destroy the sofa. He will settle back down for a cuddles again - something he went off during the worst bits.

Re the chewing: just keep watching him (if he waits until you are out of the room then stop leaving him alone). Take the bad thing off him and give him something he can chew. Praise him when he does. Often they like to chew things that smell of you so handle all the good things often to keep them scented. With Battendog we got him into the habit of chewing an antler which we held for him while he chewed it (allows easy encouragement). After a few mins we then popped it on the floor and encouraged him to keep going on his own.

The lead walking is also really tricky. There is a good thread going on re loose lead walking with a couple of great methods. Have a read of that and remember that it really does take a long time and lots of repetition for any dog to master this.

If you cannot afford classes (I think some charities, like Dogs Trust, do discounted ones but am not sure) then use the internet for training tips. pippamattinson.com/dogs/ is great with Labs and has links to other sites that ca help.

A labrador/poodle cross is an intelligent, active dog, though. He will need plenty of exercise and training. All dogs vary but I would expect to walk a dog like that at least twice a day for about 45 mins each - with plenty of off lead, free running included in that. I would still expect to have to provide entertainment (e.g. training or play sessions) at least 2-3 times in addition to that, per day.

Hi there! I've been where you are with our Labrador. I think everyone feels like you do at some point.
Have you read the puppy training book by Pippa Mattison? This helped a lot! He sounds like he's just happy to be played with and wants to get your attention.
Do you have set training times? So things like sit, stay, down, wait etc? If you do this a few times a day with a specialist 'treat jar' he will start ya recognise it. He will also then learn that playtime starts and ends when you say!
We also used an empty washing up bottle with water as a last resort if he was being naughty. After a few times we only had to pick it up and he stopped what he was doing. I know some people might not agree but I followed Pippas book the the letter, and while it's good I also realised it's all about positive reinforcement which while it does work, I had a 4 month lab who didn't know the meaning of no! So that's why we introduced it after some advice from a friend.
Also give him little treats when he is relaxing. So if you're with him and he's calm, give a treat every minute. You can then start to extend this time. We trained our lab to lay while we eat and not beg using this method until eventually he would wait the entire meal for his one treat.
Not much advice on the walking, head halti worked for us also with treats whenever he is walking well.
Also have you thought about getting him 'done' soon? We didn't do ours until 1 but it made a huge difference!!
Do you play lots of games? Like hiding treats round a room for them to find etc? Always making it clear when it's about to start and when it ends - with a big fuss.
It is hard but it does get better I promise. Ours is over two now and we were considering getting another until we reminded ourselves how hard it was! Hope this is helpful if you want to chat any further please let me know. Also - you can't post about a puppy without a pic!!!!

First it is pefectly normal to regret getting a puppy. Lots of us on here have the medal for that one, including me just surprised it's took this long as my regret started about 2 days in

So it isn't unusual and the biggest advice I can give you is that it will pass. Keep plugging along and eventually you get the dog that you had imagined in your head and would never be without ever again.

For practical advice puppy proof one room at the minimum and only leave him in that room when you aren't supervising. Therefore he can't destroy or chew things because there is nothing around to chew. Baby gates are great for this.

Destructive behaviour just after exercise or playing is natural as they are worked up and probably over simulated. You may need to reduce the exercise so little bit often rather than one big period. Try to recognise when it's got too much. After exercise you may need to help him calm down so perhaps a deer antler to chomp on when he returns. My dog tends to find a rug to rub himself and growl at when he is trying to calm himself down but as he isn't do any damage I just let him get on with it. If he started to get too wound up I would do a short timeout behind the baby gate just to get him to calm down.

Lead walking isn't my thing as I have a lead pulling spaniel so at almost 2 years we are still a work in progress when he spots something he likes. Maybe try the head halti if it gets too much but also search for threads on here as some people have had similar and been given different techniques to try.

Finally remember they do grow up quickly so grit your teeth through the puppy and teenage phase and then this will all be a distant memory.

Billy dog is 5 months now border retriever cross so similar high energy breed. We've spend a lot of time over the last week doing 'heal' and loose lead walking. It takes a lot of treats (dog training is just a good way of saying bribery isn't it?)

So heal, lead held in right hand lots of broken up bits of treats also in right hand. Dog on Left side and Left hand is the treat dispenser and practise walking along, literally to start with just constant feeding of treats for short periods. A few days in now she can go for more steps in between treats just sniffing the treats so we use the same number of treats just longer in-between feeding them so further distances. Practise for very short periods multiple times a day.

Loose lead walking, I will not let her pull. She pulls off, I stand still and say no, then when she's not pulling I will walk and say good. Anyone nearby will just hear 'no, no, good, good, good, no, good' It does mean the walk takes longer as to start with it was taking us so long just to get to our local dog field and there were definitely more 'no's than 'good's' If she is pulling massively I won't move off until she has sat down, sit seems to be the dog version of switching it off and back on again.

Good luck.

Our pup is 7 months old and we have definitely regretted getting him at times. He does go to training classes but this certainly hasn't stopped him pulling on the lead and trying to jump up at people. Our trainer has recommended we focus really hard on "SIT". We do sit everywhere and at all times and in any sort of distraction. The idea is that that one command becomes so ingrained that we can use it when he is further away and to help with his recall.

For lead walking if he pulls we have to turn round and go the other way. This means walking looks stupid and we go forwards 5 paces then turn round and go back 3 then turn and forward 5 - repeat... I don't do it all the time but when we do do it it does reduce his pulling a lot after a few turns.

Mine has recently taken to eating the skirting boards... again only when we are in the room. Little sod!

I find it is good to focus on the things about my dog I love. I love to walk him off lead. I make time to do this at least once per day. It does mean finding a place where we are unlikely to meet other people (as his recall in the presence of dogs is flaky). Watching hom bounce along, tail in the air is lovely. I also enjoy brushing him - this is best done when he is relaxed so I try and make a peaceful time to do this during the day.

To be honest pretty often I am rolling my eyes and thinking "this too shall pass" as was my mantra when DD was a baby. However his enthusaistic and loving greeting when I return from any absence (even 2 mins to put the bin out) makes up for a lot!

The puppy blues are a genuine thing - you're not the first to think "what the bloody hell have I done" when trying to raise a young puppy.

The first thing I'll say is I really think you need to try and fund training classes. It made the world of difference to ours - we pay £70 for seven weeks, payable in instalments and it's been priceless. We've learned so much more than what you can teach yourself from the internet and our pup loves going. He's made friends with the others, gets to meet new people and he loves to learn. You can see he looks so happy when he gets something right and gets a reward. They'll teach you all about getting him to walk nicely on a lead and how to stop things like chewing and biting and jumping up too.

The main thing we learned re. Jumping up is to teach "four on the floor" so nobody is allowed to fuss or interact with your puppy unless he has all four feet on the floor. If he starts jumping, interaction stops. He'll soon learn he won't get any affection or attention unless he's standing or sitting nicely. Ours is 5 months and is a nightmare for jumping at you if you have food - but he's a lot better than he was since we started "four on the floor".

And all dogs chew - at six months he'll be teething so give him something he's allowed to eat - a kong or his tuggy, or a nylabone or something so he associates you leaving the room with something positive happening - if there's food or a chew available the sofa won't look quite so appealing!

I regretted FigPup - I felt that I was doing everything wrong, that he was unhappy, and that it would never work out. His recall went out of the window from 6 months old until he turned 1! He went through various mouthy stages. He was a greedy idiot (jumped up onto the table and ate a whole roast chicken in the two minutes it took me to call everyone in for lunch).

He's just over a year old now, and last night, I was sitting in on the patio, and he was sitting with his head on my feet and I felt very glad that I stuck at it, because he has turned into a very good boy and I completely adore him. Pups are hard work - much more than I expected, even though I thought I'd done my research!

(and also, listen to everything BiteyShark says - she's helped me more than she can know! Thank you Bitey)

Aww thanks FiddleFigs . Was just chatting to DH a few days ago about how hard we both found the puppy months and the regret we had about getting BiteyDog. But it was so worth it in the end and he's such a part of our family now.

I too suffered puppy regret. I waited years and years. I can still remember sitting with her in my lap in the kitchen saying if I didn't love her so "bloody much" she would go back.
You need to do training. If you can't do that yourself then you will have to pay. It's not optional.
I have a dogmatic and my 50kg plus dog can't pull on it.
Could you use a pen or crate for when you have to leave pup? Or puppy proof an area? Mine ate a wall. An actual wall.
The perfect puppy is supposed to be a good book. I've been working through total recall. Or look up some brain games.
There's also an amazing FB group called dog training advice and support. Free behavioural advice from qualified and experienced people.

Mine is 17 weeks, a much loved pup but my goodness there are times when I wonder what on earth I thought I was doing: I am restricted, she is disobedient, the house is covered in bits of dry grass and moss (and goodness knows what it;ll be like when we get the rain back....).

But the greeting I get when I come home is amazing, the times she does do as asked I feel very proud, and my first dog holiday was a big success.

I;d second paws on the floor, it's helped me a lot, and until I felt mine could be trusted to be left out, I put her in her crate when I left the room. Even if I just left to get something she seemed distressed and cried by the stair gate, whereas in her crate she was more settled, and I could encourage chewing the right stuff. I have done training and I'd second all those who say it helps: another perspective, different ideas about things to try make it worth the money in my view.

I agree, save up for training classes, have a car boot sale, look down the back of the sofa for change - ours are less about training the dog and more about a counselling session for me where I complain about all the annoying things he’s done and he hurls himself on his trainer and chews on them for a change.

There's some really good advice here but I just wanted to add that if you can't afford training why not look at doing something like agility or flyball?
You have a cross of two very intelligent breeds - each breed alone needs a massive amount of mental stimulation.
Chewing can often be a boredom behaviour.

Also take a look at the Canine Enrichment Fb page.

To prevent the jumping I would go for the easy fit harnesss. It goes under the body and round the shoulders with two rings. It means they can jum up but not lunch forward.

Do you take a treat pouch with you when you walk her. I stopped feeding from the bowl but used kibble as a reward for good behaviour, that way the dog looks at you contumely for a treat. At first I used a clicker to get her attention but now she looks for it without the clicker. She would always jump up at strangers but now as soon as anyone walks to wards us she looks at me for the treat instead.

Has the dog got slots of different chew toys? Ours like lots of different textures and can happily take a week tearing apart a rag toy.

Not sure what you mean by he has 'a Halti but not the head part'? What are you walking him in? You need something to give you control until and probably while you do some training with him. It really is important to go to training. A good trainer will have tips and tricks to help you progress. Unfortunately you're very unlikely to be accepted for flyball or agility without some basic training in place and working - and he's too young for those yet anyway.

Why do people get dogs and think that sending them to training is optional? They're animals and don't know how to behave around people unless someone teaches them!

No wonder I meet so many adult dogs who jump and bite and ignore their owners! It might be cute and a manageable to be jumped up at by a small puppy in summer, but you won't want to have a huge fully-grown, muddy labradodle trying to lunge at everyone.

So you need to get the basics down and in place while they're small. Then hopefully when they come out of puberty it all falls into place and you have a calm well-mannered adult dog. You won't get the nice family dog who sits on command and leaves your shoes alone without training them bloody hard as a puppy!

I have a labradoodle puppy ( 13 weeks) and an almost 10 year old labradoodle and our previous dog was a labradoodle and I fostered for the doodle trust, so I can really sympathise with you! Doodles are very intelligent and therefore very 'naughty ' ( except I don't think they are but they need attention and stimulation). Your puppy is being a toddler and needs you to exercise consistency and firmness with him so he can learn what you want. You've had great advice on here but please don't give up. Rescues get these dogs in so often because people can't cope with this phase! I'm going insane with our puppy who is actually very sweet and 'good' but doesn't behave like our old boy does ( who has himself rediscovered his inner puppy). If you can't afford formal trainjng classes at present do look online, seek out free opportunities ( ask your vet if they have other similar age puppies the can out you in touch with the owners or put up a notice on their notice board ) . Get him to the park, on walks, every opportunity you have to stimulant tire him out. Puppies are really hard work but it doesn't last. Unlike children...

I know classes are expensive and I have no idea about your income or budget but it is kind of an essential like pet insurance. I would ask around everyone to find a class you can afford or ask the trainer if you can pay instalments.we used to pay £7 a week ( 10 years ago) and I just paid £25 for a 1-1 at our home ( before he could go out and we may not go to trainjng classes now but maybe later when he is older as I feel we socialise him lots where we live as everyone has a dog here and we are experienced dog owners) . Not everyone can afford that but it is a really good idea.