Brody, Tess, Maggie and Jake’s behavior, not untypical of under-trained, under-exercised Labs, explains why so many with less committed and patient owners end up in shelters, usually during or shortly following adolescence.
“Most of the owners that I deal with are giving up their Labs because they don’t have time for them,” says Wyoming breed rescue volunteer Barb Walseth. “We end up with a lot of Labs that have excess energy and the need to work, and owners want them to lie on the floor in front of the fireplace. That doesn't come until much later with this breed.”
Trying to bridge the gap between owner expectations and the reality of rambunctious Labs has become a full time job for Joel Walton, author of “Labrador Retrievers for Dummies” and “Positive Puppy Training Works.”
“Labs or any breed bred to do certain kinds of work are generally going to be very active dogs…while most owners want a dog that doesn’t do anything at all, except wag his tail and look at them with love in his eyes and maybe walk with them, says Walton. “When I’m talking to owners, I say, “When you got a puppy you didn’t want to learn to be a dog trainer, did you? You already have a full time job and hobbies and a family--you probably even go places on vacation where you can’t take your dog with you, right?”
“The good news for dogs is, they’re pretty adaptable. Labradors…have been bred to pay attention to human beings and follow their directions and that’s certainly a good start for a pet dog. Also, there’s a vast (activity) range in Labradors and the most important thing people can do when they’re looking for a puppy is to get the right fit. For those who want just a pet, that means a breeder whose goal is to produce good pets. If you go to a breeder who specializes in field trial champions, you’re going to get an Olympic athlete type of dog bred to have enough energy to do tremendously demanding work!”
Sally McCarthy Munson who breeds Shamrock Acres Labradors in Waunakee, Wisconsin, agrees that Labs from field lines tend to both act and look a bit different from Labs produced by conformation (bench/show dog) breeders. Munson says those from field backgrounds are a little more stream lined and lighter in weight, with longer legs and a bit narrower heads. “Most conformation dogs have some English bloodlines, and because of this, people call me and ask, “do you have American Labradors or English,” but that’s not the right question--what they should be saying is, ‘Do you have dogs with a field or with a show background’?”
Another thing to know, says Marianne Foote, owner of Winroc Labrador Retrievers and a director in the Labrador Retriever Club, “is the trend now is that everybody’s a specialist. Basically we have three groups—the high performance field trial and obedience trial breeders and competitors who fall into the same category because they’re demanding a lot of energy, a lot of focus, and a lot of trainability; those are probably dogs that are labeled hyper by the average pet owner. Then there are the straight conformation breeders… and third, there are the hunt test-dog show crosses.”
It’s these field and show combination lines that McCarthy Munson says are most likely to produce the ideal Lab temperament—which she describes as a dog with enough brains, drive, and focus to succeed in sports like hunting or agility, but also a dog who can also turn that energy on and off and be very manageable around the house. “These are my favorite litters! We have pet people that get these dogs that may never hunt—but they enjoy hiking, water sports, or running with their dog.”
However, it’s not safe to assume all show line Labs are couch potatoes either. Since low and high activity level and hyperactivity are all subjective terms, the best way someone can end up with the kind of puppy they want is to take a good long look at the parents. It’s also wise to go to breeders that can give references from people who already have purchased dogs from them.
Conversely, Juxi Burr of Albuquerque, New Mexico who has produced many champion Labradors, says the most likely way to end up with a problem puppy is to get one that’s been randomly bred by a high volume breeder, the type who contributes to what Burr terms a disastrous overpopulation problem.
Marianne Foote concurs. “Unfortunately, what’s happened is that everyone is blaming (hyperactivity) on field trial dogs, but very few field breeders have constant litters, and most of their dogs go to those who are going to be competitive with them. The phone calls that I get about behavior and soundness problems come from people who have bought dogs off the internet. Of course, there may be some poor field line dogs too—but good field trial dogs can’t be out of control! A good performance dog has to have a long attention span and ability to learn…but what I call the internet breeders, basically puppy mills breeding dogs for public consumption, are selecting dogs for color only. It’s significant that phone requests I get about puppies are generally prefaced by color preference; the public perception is that yellows are sweet and kind, and chocolate is rare, but neither stereotype is are true. What I’m saying is not that dogs of these colors don’t carry these good qualities, but that Labs of any color can have an incorrect temperament if they come from breedings based on color alone.”
An interesting corollary to the pet owner’s preference for yellow Labs is the fact that the majority of dogs with hunting or field trial titles are black. According to Candlewood Kennels breeder Mary Howley, who has produced several field champions, this is because “those lines that carry the black coat color have traditionally been the most successful, so there is still the perception that the best competitive dogs are black.” However, Howley says that in the past 25 years it has become possible to get equally good blood lines in dogs with yellow or chocolate coats.
All this may be helpful information to pass along to clients planning to get a puppy, but what about those who are already in trouble with a Lab they may have bought from a puppy mill dealer? Given that trainers are going to be meeting a lot of these folks, what help can they offer these pet owners and dogs like Brody, Tess, Maggie and Jake?
Trainers to the Rescue--Keys to Successful Interventions
For starters, here is what three trainers who work with lots of Labradors think others should know about what makes them tick:
1. “What people need to remember is, this is an incredibly social breed! They really want to be somebody’s dog. When they’re not getting the attention they need, their response is hyperactivity. Other breeds may become shy or aloof, but Labradors get physically active, jumping up and knocking people down. Also, they are so strong and physically tough that without early training, many owners lose the ability to control them at a very young age. Then if you combine big, strong and gregarious, you have a dog who is going to be dragging his owner around.” --Connie Cleveland
2. “Labs are very powerful and also easily stimulated—not so much prey driven, but just excited by other people and dogs, so for almost every owner, I suggest the Gentle Leader head collar. For Labs, a lot of the solution lies with exercise. That’s probably true of many breeds, but it’s phenomenally true of this breed.” -- Barbara Demarest:
3. The thing I find with the Labs is, where other active dogs may tend to pester you, dropping balls at you, Labs are more likely to body slam you. --Sue Conklin
All of this is not to say that the same training methods that work with out of control Labs won’t work with other dogs as well, which brings us back full circle.
“Dogs are dogs are dogs,” says Joel Walton. “If everyone approaches it that way, we know a lot about training dogs and about building proper relationships. If anybody says ‘yes, but chows, or yes, but Jack Russell’s, or yes, but field bred Labs’—just remember, dogs have more things in common than differences, and if you manage them correctly, they can die of old age in their homes.”
Elements of a good training program begin with good interviews and histories. For difficult to control dogs, the next steps usually include:
A plan to meet the dog’s real needs, including companionship and mental stimulation.
A management plan, for example, teaching owners what to do when visitors come.
Use of proper equipment—Crates, tethers, Gentle Leaders, etc.
Basic obedience training—owners whose dogs will sit, stay and come when called have control over their dogs.
No Free Lunch-Say Please Program—This helps owners establish the right relationship and gain control over the dog without resorting to physical bullying.
Gentle mouth exercises to encourage bite inhibition.
Rewarding calm behavior.
An individually designed exercise program.
Possibilities for exercise programs include: Excursions to a dog park, doggy day care, or back yard play dates; stuffed Kongs for chewing; using treats to send the dog downstairs and recall him back upstairs; playing tug; retrieving and catch games. Recalls in the back yard over a series of low cavaletti jumps (which can be purchased or hand made) will also provide a good work-out. Teaching the dog some tricks and putting him through his paces can provide both mental and physical stimulation and relieve stress. Short sessions comprised of fast sits, downs, and targeting (touching objects on cue) can also be helpful.
Fortunately, Brody’s trainer did begin by obtaining a detailed history, rather than proceeding on assumptions. By carefully questioning the owner, and by observing and interacting with the dog, she discovered that his seemingly unprovoked episodes of wild grabbing and nipping was not aggressive attention seeking, but rather related to stress over having his neck or collar grabbed. “When he was a puppy, he was sometimes hooked up to a cable runner between posts-- and he would repeatedly get himself wrapped around the end post (tightening his collar) and panic and scream until somebody came out to get him.” Desensitizing exercises helped Brody overcome his negative reaction to having his collar touched. In addition, integrating Brody more into family life by placing him on a leash while his owners watched TV and allowing him to sleep in a crate in their bedroom, helped satisfy his needs for companionship. At last report, Brody’s owner has been able to slowly allow him more freedom in the house and is happy with his progress.
Maggie and Jake, who could have been voted most unlikely to have a happy outcome, are actually doing fine now. They are still in their home and Karen, their owner, was recently able to call her handy man to come and make repairs because they’re not destructive anymore. Things started to turn around for this trio when Karen began working with a trainer. “Every day, rain or shine, I had walked them religiously,” Karen recalled, “but Terry Long, my trainer, said that kind of walking just wasn’t enough for these dogs—they needed to be able to run—so now they go to the dog park every day! In addition to the chewing and digging problems, Jake also had some fearful behaviors that needed to be addressed. “He seemed to be uncomfortable in his skin, poor little guy. He was afraid of cars and of leads; when I’d take him for walks he would hyperventilate
.” Jake was put on medication, and the medication plus daily outings to the dog park have made all the difference.
Tess also ended up safe and sound, but in a new home. When it looked like she was headed for the shelter, in a fairy tale ending Tess was adopted by Erica Pintz, her trainer from the boarding kennel. Erica says she never had trouble handling Tess and ended up falling in love with her. When Erica noticed that Tess was wetting herself in her sleep, she immediately took her to the vet, who found she had a weak bladder and put her on a medication called Phenylpropanol
amine. That solved the problem. As for the temper tantrums on leash, Erica says, “What was happening was that on the way home from a walk, the dog would start to jump and bite at the owner because she didn’t want to end the walk. Her home was not a bad home, but because her owner couldn’t trust her enough, Tess was always stuck in the crate. I never had that problem with her. She had a history of knowing how to walk with me on a buckle collar and leash with treats—if she pulled, I would say “let’s go” and we’d change directions. She never had an opportunity to act inappropriatel
y—if she did, it was handled the first time and that was the end of it. Tess is about two now and she’s a great dog! I have a blast taking her to the beach because she just dives in the waves and I love to see that! She loves to retrieve too so I taught her to go fetch a toy when she wants to be petted; this was also to stop the biting and jumping up and it did! It’s so funny--sometimes when I come home from work before she even comes near me she goes and grabs her toy and then comes back to me for petting. She’s a really good dog!"
Tess is also living proof that one person’s impossible owner surrender can metamorphose into another person’s best friend.
Joel Walton has evolved an amusing way of getting that important point over to potential puppy buyers right from the beginning. “They come to visit and everyone is looking for the perfect family pet. I tell them how much work they will have and I introduce them to a big black male who jumps up. I watch to see if that freaks them out and I tell them, this is how your dog will be if you don’t have time to train him. Then I put that dog up and I bring out another big black male with good manners that sits politely for petting, and I tell them, this is what the dog can be like if he’s properly trained. And after they chew on that awhile, I tell them that the first dog and this dog are the same fellow!”
SOURCE:
http://www.hollysden.com/the_u.htm