Dog with ADHD!

[Sunflowers765]

My dog is 12 months old working type. He's actually great at home and out on walks so I shouldn't complain - I know there's people dealing with major behavioural issues... but I can't help being a bit disappointed and frustrated.
We do group training courses and when he was younger he was great, really quick at picking up new things. He's always been bouncy but now he's impossible! He won't pay the slightest attention to me even if I have the best treats literally in front of his face. All he wants to do is sniff and pee and get to the other dogs. He literally won't even sit. All the other dogs are improving and I can't even get 5 seconds of attention. At home he's brilliant- heel, sit, stay, send away, loads of rally signs and tricks.
I know he's a baby, but I don't know whether to persevere or just be happy with him at home. He's a working dog so I wanted to do rally, obedience, scent work etc to give him things to think about but currently it's just pointless trying to do anything.. shall I just give up?? Tell me it gets better!!

Adolescence, OP. Spaniel, lab, or pointer? Labs have a mad 6 months but grow out of it overnight. Spaniels harder. Pointers - good luck. In all cases, gets better by 3 and by 4 you have the dream.

You should persevere though, just lower your expectations. Try different things without big groups, eg mantrailing, scent work.

@Emiliagrey working line lab. Still entire

Sorry forgot to add you should persevere largely for your bond and to use his brain, not because you’ll get that much sense out of him for a while . And if he’s a gundog, try gundog training - easier to go with nature. Hard to say without knowing what he is and what you’re trying to get him to do, but if you’ve got a mad cocker on your hands something which mimics what he’s bred for will be easier and more rewarding than focus tasks, for now. Not forever. Enjoy the puppy days - there’ll come a day you’d give anything for one such day back.

Ah, the best dogs! It passes quickly I promise. Get him mantrailing on a long line, or just take a break and focus on recall or something else - friendly teen labs can cause havoc in groups 😂

If he’s anything like my Lab was he won’t grow up till he’s in his last few months of life 😅

Ps I went from a lab to a pointer and don’t know what’s hit me - 3 and no sign of maturity. I do remember my lab boy being a bit Marley and me for a few months - but it was but a blip.

He's having the Terrible Teens. Keep up basic training and they get through it and return to their previous good behaviour.

Personally I don't see the benefit in attending classes when he's so distracted and not learning anything. Plus, the more frustrated you get, the less likely he is to focus, so it just becomes a vicious circle.

If it were me, I would take a break for a while, let him mature a bit, continue training with him at home, and come back for another go when he's a bit older if you still feel as though it's necessary.

By the way, what classes are you doing? Is it general obedience or something else? He may benefit from 1-2-1 trainer for a while if he finds the groups too distracting. You can then slowly build up to working around more dogs as he grows up.

"All dogs have adhd" is my favourite book about adhd.

My youngest dog is hilariously adhd, which I also have, so it's quite fun to spot the traits!

He’s a teenager! My working lab was a dickhead between 9-12 months but now he’s 2 and the best dog ever. I had to stop taking him to gun dog training last summer as he wouldn’t do anything he was supposed to and he ended up breaking my finger! So your dog is doing better than mine if he hasn’t broken any of your bones 🙈. He does agility now and it the best dog in the class even if I do say so myself.

He's a lab, in 6 months he'll be fine. He just happens to be a teenager who wants a mobile party. Honestly, why do you take him to meet other dogs, if it is not to party.

Those of us with pointers on the other hand.

It gets better. But it does take a while . You start with one step forward 2 back, then it’s 2 forward 3 back, and then one day , it clicks and he is literally your dream dog.
My dog was entire until he was 3 . I swear he knew when it was really important he behaved (training class assessments for example ) but once over, all bets were off.
He’s elderly now, still beautiful, very sweet , and very very cuddly. Enjoy him.

Itisyourturntowashthebath · Today 18:53
He's a lab, in 6 months he'll be fine. He just happens to be a teenager who wants a mobile party. Honestly, why do you take him to meet other dogs, if it is not to party.

Those of us with pointers on the other hand.

this made me laugh - I also went from lab to pointer. Am knackered and cast envious glances at lab owners (even the teenage labs) 😂

@Idratherbepaddleboarding he hasn't broken a bone, but he did recall so fast he whacked into my thumb and tore a ligament.... 😂🙄😂

@cinnamonfrenchtoast we tried agility and rally. In agility he just ran round completely out of control and jumped in the river!!
In rally he just wants to sniff and stare at the other dogs! It's in a field area where they hold 5/6 different dog classes a day and they get foxes at night! So the sniffs must be awesome for him! He's better indoors but the sad thing is at 6 months old he was brilliant! And at home he can do it all, and he loves it !
I've got a video of him being working rally, tail wagging furiously because he's working, so I don't want to deprive him of working and training but currently it seems pointless.
I'm also thinking it's stressing him out being so wired while we're there.
Staring crazy panting and desperately trying to get to sniffs / dogs.

Outdoors can you get there early and let him have a good sniff around prior to class…sniffing helps lower the heart rate is he’s gotten over excited on the drive/journey there.

Indoors, can you pick a spot away from the group, if in a community hall ask if you can work from the hall way so you can see but he’s got a good distance to help with his overwhelm/excitement.

if you can get to the places a good ten minutes early to walk around, let him sniff. Remember to stay relaxed, and breathe yourself. No one is bothered what you’re doing they are focused on their own dogs. You’re all taking the best one home ;-)

and lastly make sure you’re not feeding him prior to class. Go slightly hungry and give only treats that he loves….let him choose. Get small piece of cheese in one hand chicken in another…which does he choose first…then try that with hot dog sausages…which does he pick now? You get the idea…once you know what treats HE values only use those at training no other time. Oh and keep treat sizes small… finger nail size.

and have fun, no test, just you and dog having a class together x

@Azulocean he's not bothered about car journeys just sits snd looks out the window or sleeps.
Last class we ended up in a separate place to the other dogs inside and after about 10 minutes he calmed down and did some work.
Good idea to keep him a bit hungry and you're right I get frustrated and stressed and that's not helping! I just want to be the best in the class not the worst by a country mile..!!
We've got a break now until September so I'll keep practicing at home and see...

Take him to a park for some training too…away from other people and a quiet part, but it will help him practice his learning with distractions, this should set you both up for September. If that’s too much, go to the garden first, then maybe front garden/as long as safe etc.

You only want the best which is evident with you doing these things, it will click and is all the more rewarding when it does.

I had a papillon who ran out of an agility ring for his first 5 shows of the season…Once he got the hang of things he flew through the grades. Frustrating but great feeling when it worked…I’m sure he thought the same about my shoddy handling ha ha

We persevered with group classes (puppy initially then pet gundog) until nearly 2 but in retrospect I'm not sure I would do it again. I think some 1-2-1 training would have been time better spent and a lot less frustrating. Lots of classes spent watching horses, helicopters, a man on a roof 100m away, sniffing, jumping like a kangaroo on the end of a lead etc. (Everyone else's pups sat still and staring lovingly at their owners!) When she was focused she was great but getting that focus in the first place was the difficulty. So the whole experience was just hugely frustrating and every lesson I was wondering how she was going to embarrass me that week.

We're just doing some fun classes now which are a mix of rally and agility. She still gets overexcited and silly on occasion but better than she was and at least I don't feel like they're a waste of time.

@tizwozliz that sounds exactly like my boy! It's not the task that's the problem its getting and keeping the focus! Sometimes I can do it but god it's hard work! He focus on me for a ball but that involves staring at the ball and leaping up and down like a gazelle!
But today we walked on the beach, loads of dogs and people and he recalled like a pro! Happy to say hello to dogs and have a little play and then straight back to me so I can't complain about him too much!!

Yes, out and about and life in general she was always a star. Reliably off lead from about 8 months and we regularly got complimented on how well behaved she was. But in class was a totally different story.