Labrador's behaviour at breed social

[LabOwner95]

I've just got back from a Labrador social with my 18 month old male Labrador. He is well socialised and has the chemically implant. He's always been overenthusiastic and lies down for every dog he sees on a walk. Sometimes he barks if he doesn't get to meet them. So he is a bit reactive and we are working on this. He is only off lead by himself usually, except he goes to a very small doggy daycare once every 2 weeks and they say he's absolutely fine with the other dogs.

Anyway, we've just been to this Labrador social with around 10 other dogs. It's at a training centre and has a member of staff supervising. Our dog was mostly fine BUT got really overstimulated and was persistently barking at the same 3 female Labradors. Nothing the guy did would stop it and I was also trying. He was completely oblivious to the other dogs snapping and I had to keep putting him back on his lead several times. Out of these 3 female Labradors: one belonged to the person running the session (her season ended 2 weeks ago and she was tethered), the other also belonged to the same guy and seemed protective of the other one, and the third one I think knew the other two well and they stayed in their own small pack.

The guy running the session has suggested further training for our dog. Don't get me wrong, I know he can be reactive (excitable and frustrated) so we will work on this, but am I right in also thinking that his female lab just off heat shouldn't have been there?

He was also feeding treats to the dogs when the session is strictly "no food".

Edited to add - he was also trying to hump the other female dog at the very start (the one not on season). Another couple of dogs were too, and at least one person left early on because their male dog was getting too boisterous

If you don't mind me asking, what was the purpose of this Labrador social? Was it a structured training class where the dogs work around others and try to be neutral, or was it more of a free for all with little structure?

If the latter, I would have just left if I were you, as it sounds stressful. 18 months is peak adolescence where their arousal spikes and they have much bigger feelings about lots of things, which is where the barking and humping came in. I think the point about a bitch finishing season 2 weeks ago isn't the main issue here.

You'll probably find it more beneficial to do some one to one training sessions where the focus is counter conditioning around other dogs, but in a less stimulating environment than yesterday. It's better to set them up for success at this age by keeping things simple and it keeps things far less stressful for you too, which is also important.

Sounds awful all round.

Do you work with this trainer? Had all the dogs been assessed as being suitable for a group social session? Or was it advertised on FB and any randoms could turn up? Was there a mixture of ages or were they all quite young?

FWIW I once took my spaniel to a socialisation class run by my trainer. It's the only time she has ever had a problem with other dogs. She was pinned and 'duffed up' twice by bullies young adolescent males. The trainer said it was her fault for being too submissive. Funny how it has never happened in nearly 5 years of public walks.

I think trainers really need to know their stuff and carefully select the dogs for social classes to be successful. And a dozen dogs is probably 6 too many.

Thank you!

Yes, a free for all. There was a member of staff there supervising and he was helpful, but as I mentioned in my OP, he has his own Labrador there too.

So it's run by this place which does dog boarding, training, play sessions etc. It's a big, well known dog place in the local area. They have different breed meet ups every week. You do have to tick to confirm that your dog is sociable etc but there is no vetting as such, no.

I'm just a tad worried as our dog is booked in for a two night trial at their boarding facility next weekend. The whole model is based on "stay and play". I wonder if I could contact them this week to explain that he might need a bit of time out of he's getting over the top. They do seem to cater for lots of different types of dogs.

It sounds like an awful scenario to put a young, over-excited dog in, and a recipe for a fight, quite frankly.

This sounds like my absolute worst nightmare. Forced socialisation of dogs never ends well - it's like those awful dog parks in the states where there are always arguments or fights.

That being said, it does sound like your boy needs training. You shouldn't minimise his behaviour or turn it around to 'a female dog off heat shouldn't be there.' And in future you should just remove him from the situation - as the other dog owner did. These things escalate quickly.

I have an intact male and he absolutely would not try and hump a female dog, just off-season or not. That's the sort of thing you need to nip in the bud and quickly and not characterise as 'excitable'. Lots of female dogs have a very low tolerance for dominating behaviour by male dogs - just like women rightly do - and most female dogs I know, including my own, probably would have given him a good piece of their mind if he had acted like that around them.

A friend's Retriever found my Border Terrier bitch " interesting " for around a month after her season had finished. They played perfectly before and after that time.

Now you have explained further, I agree with others.

I would not leave him at the boarding based on what you've said. He needs to not be put in those situations for a good while yet. In fact I would actually argue you don't need to put him in that ever. You've said yourself there is no vetting as such - this is irresponsible as a business model.

Good socialisation of dogs is about neutrality, off switches and ability to regulate, not treat every dog as a free for all to play with and interact with.

Awful. Dogs are not children. They don't need to be able to play and interact with everyone at our bidding. (Nor do children...)
Your dog was clearly overwhelmed by all these dogs & smells. It's sad that the so called trainer didn't help you out there and then. They clearly do not understand the true nature of dogs.

I'd avoid this place, and look for somewhere else.

I had a Google and I think I found the kennels. Or at least one with the same set up. It seems the dogs are given breakfast and then spend around 9 hours out in the fields, playing and mingling. It does have lots of good reviews, with people saying their dogs love it.

Is it weather dependant? Are they still out all day if it's snowing, raining or a heatwave?

One of mine would absolutely hate it. She's happy meeting one or two dogs at a time, but asks to be picked up if there's three or more. And they'd all be absolutely knackered, as they'd usually sleep for at least 4 of those 9 hours.

I wonder how many dogs they have out at any one time and how many staff members are supervising them. If anything kicked off, they could be in serious trouble.

It's difficult. On paper, it seems a lot better than the kennels where the dogs are locked up for 23 hours a day and only given one or two short walks. I'm not convinced about in practice though. I think ideally they'd have fewer dogs out for shorter periods of time. But they've been a successful business for many years, so what do I know? 🤷‍♀️

I suppose all you can do is take him for his trial session and see how it goes.