Have I got the most boisterous labrador alive?

[Iamblossom]

Black lab, 2.5 years old. Absolutely beautiful to look at, incredibly loving, super clever.

I walk and run with him in an area that you can let dogs off leads. I regularly revisit recall and take a lead and treats on all walks and runs I take him on, and his recall is very good 98% of the time.

But oh my goodness, when I let him, he runs like Lindford Christie crossed with a greyhound, back and forth back and forth, barks very very loudly with joy at nothing in particular, is a total whirling dervish of energy. I see other dogs running about, and barking, but not like him, I get comments of amusement from people all the time.

Are all Labs like this or is he just super exuberant?

All stops are being pulled out @puttergal. Yes, prepared to rehome/return to breeder if comes to it.

Obviously the ancestor discovery was made recently and was a passing comment from someone who knew of the aggressive dog. Can’t be 100% it’s the same line, but it’s the same owner as the stud. So possibly is an ancestor. We are assuming it is. I agree it shouldn’t have been bred from if that’s the case. But it’s a gun dog/working dog not a family pet.

Possibly it wasn’t the right choice to get a pup from a working line.

4 months is still quite young though. There was a poster on the puppy thread quite some time back (two years, three years?) whose lab puppy at 4 months was biting and nipping (she was in tears), she went back to breeder for a week (prearranged I think they were going on holiday), breeder lived on farm with other labs, puppy spent week play fighting and returned much less nippy.

That was to Dobby!

It is true puppies do bite? I was told it’s not aggression until post 9 months.

I’d have handed my bitey 4 month lab back if I could have.

The breeder has said it’s early days. But I’ve never ever had a dog like this.

The breeder has been having pup on occasion for the odd afternoon to help us. Pup can play with other dogs and mum. Pup always comes home very tired and less nippy.

Honestly your comments are making me hopeful.

The biting isn't too concerning, all labs I've had (all working lines) were very bitey puppies - they have very sharp teeth at that age and it hurts.
Removing a pup too early from its mum means it might not have learnt manners re biting, so sending it back to its mum might help. They grow out of it in my experience and are famous for having soft mouths as adults.
It's the aggression I'm concerned with, I've never had a dog (and I've had 2 rescues as well as the labs) that has ever shown any sign of aggression to a person, let alone a pup of 4 months.
Can you try another behaviourist?

Unfortunately I think the advice given by the behaviourist has caused problems. I didn’t agree with it at the time, but the behaviourist said to give treats out to distract pup from biting and launching. So when outside Chuck a few treats in the floor. I don’t think this was a good idea at all. It’s been stopped. But I think that’s why he jumps and bites our hands.

Various other problems as well. Such as constantly attacking the cat. Guarding food and stealing food.

He didn’t come from mum too early. He was a bully in the litter we think. He has bitten his litter mates and mum. He has been back several times for short visits and mum has told him off.

As I said, we are experienced in the breed and with puppies. But this one is the first from a working line.

I have to say that sounds like our lab.

He has a high prey drive so chases cats. We can never have one. I think stealing food is normal?! I can’t leave any food out. I know many dogs don’t but I think labs are notorious for food stealing.

He is still very young at 4 months. We had a very bitey, nippy puppy at that age.

Guarding food is resource guarding.

Yes to high prey drive. He has killed a few times on walks.

You can take the edge right off animals with their food. Less carbs means less energy to expend and vice versa.

@ThatsMeChickenArm

You can take the edge right off animals with their food. Less carbs means less energy to expend and vice versa.

@ThatsMeChickenArm what food would you recommend?

Probably tinned food with little to no mixer. Carrots for carbs.
I'm a vet nurse and dogs often have to be crated with fractures etc. If you stop almost all carbs they have no energy and they aren't endlessly wanting to get out to exercise. Most animals can have their behaviour manipulated with their food. Steamed up animals must get the energy off. The less caloric their food the less energy.

It works a bit like the keto diet in kids with ADHD and fits.

I read the title as "Have I got the most boisterous bladder?" Better go to bed...

@RegretnaGreen

Probably tinned food with little to no mixer. Carrots for carbs. I'm a vet nurse and dogs often have to be crated with fractures etc. If you stop almost all carbs they have no energy and they aren't endlessly wanting to get out to exercise. Most animals can have their behaviour manipulated with their food. Steamed up animals must get the energy off. The less caloric their food the less energy.

Thank you for this. I assumed tinned food was worst for having less meat content in it that anything else, but you're saying they have less carbs? I'm going to have to do better research here I think.

I fed my old doggo on just tinned food for the last five years of his life. He was almost 17 when he was PTS.

In the wild they wouldn't eat wheat products or carbs beyond grass and the stomach contents of their kill.

Much the same goes for humans too. Less carbs and a bit more fasting would have us all a sight less ill. :)

Thanks, which tinned food do you use?

@DobbyTheHouseElk I would be concerned that he had killed on a walk when he's only a small puppy. What did he hunt and kill? I'm not sure I would be letting him off lead though I appreciate that causes more issues for you.

We've got a working line dog for the first time (proper working dog from a friend of ours on a farm) and he is definitely more 'busy' and better suited to having jobs compared to the other non working line dogs we've had.

My working line lab (18 months) is on Millie's wolfheart. He works in school with me. Beautifully calm. On a weekend he's happy with an hour's walk. He prefers off lead but we did an on lead walk today and he's no different.

We have done full days walking too.

I'd be worried by an aggressive lab. Despite mine being working (every other pup of 12 in the litter bar one went off to work. Both parents and most of the lineage have worked intensively) he's never been mouthy, nippy or anything. Lives with cats happily and small children, around teens all day in school. He will chase rabbits and squirrels if he sees them obviously.

I don’t think labs mature until they’re five!

And a lot of people that catagorise labs into two groups seem to forget that there are another type of lab - the assistance types. I’ve had all three types. They’ve all been fit and slim. My gun dog lines dog was hysterical and hyper. He had a collie type aura to him, he was very obsessive. Loved retrieving, hoardes things. Excelled at anything we tried him at as long as he could bring a ball back (flyball, gundog trials, dock diving). My show type was so loving and the most intelligent/cunning (could twist the working lines dog round her little finger, knew exactly how to play him!). Could work out latches, handles and zips.. My ex assistance dog was very loving, has no outside instinct at all - no water interest, can’t get over a style, but incredibly obedient.

Honeyroar, My gun dog lines dog was hysterical and hyper. He had a collie type aura to him, he was very obsessive

This is my dog exactly! When I tell people she's more collie than lab they look sympathetically at me, like: who's going to tell her she's got a Labrador, not a collie! But it's the wild, feral, reactive and uncontrollable side to her i'm talking about! She's an utter nightmare. I tell her the only reason I haven't cooked her and eaten her is because she's pretty to look at 😂

I love labs and seriously considered one but decided our current life style wouldn't allow for the walks etc one would need and I also worried they could be a bit strong on the lead.

I got a cavalier king Charles instead. Nice lap dog, calm small, friendly... he's full on proper mad spaniel! There is nothing remotely lap dog about him lol. He flushes bird from hedges, swims in rivers, runs for miles. The only part that was right is his size. I love him because of this energy and definitely made the right choice because this energy in a lab size dog would be hard to manage. He's just like a toddler lol and going through the terrible twos! I think I ended up with the perfect dog for me :).

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I would also be conceived about such a young puppy hunting and killing on a walk. What did he kill? We have a 13 week old lab puppy, who is a bit nippy at home. But when we’re out for a walk, he trots along near us, ignoring squirrels and birds etc.

FFS concerned, not conceived