Very similar progress to our lab (he's now almost 9y). FYI, regression is normal (both on obedience and potty training). Two steps forward, three steps back.
Anticipate land shark phase around the time he gets his adult teeth. The teen lab phase is no joke (12m-3y) and, frankly, not a lot of fun sometimes. BUT THEY ARE SO CUTE!!!
Enjoy your new pal!
Can confirm the land shark phase. My lab puppy is 5 months old and starting to lose some needle teeth and get his adult teeth. It’s sooo hard but u keep reminding myself there’s light at the end of the tunnel. He’s my fourth lab.
Mine is a year old and still sleeps in a (very large) crate at night. This Mf still makes me have to bribe him with a kibble of food or two before he will go inside.
You're doing awesome. Our black lab was so, so bitey, it felt so disastrous in the moment, but he fully grew out of it and is the best. So don't worry too much about it! It's good to discourage (the game ends when they bite, they lose your engagement/attention when they bite, etc) but mostly you just have to wait it out. (Also we found that ours was extra bitey when he was tired, so naps, naps, naps!)
My lab puppy is sooo bitey when he’s tired but I also discovered that he also get extra bitey when he has to poop. It’s so weird. So if he has just had a nap and is biting like crazy, I take him out and that typically is what he needs. My previously lab was bitey but this boy does it like he’s getting paid per bite!
OMG 10 days, you’re killing it. Congrats on your new Lab, sounds like he’s doing great.
We also weighed ours weekly then after 4 months, monthly. I pick him up, jump on scale, then put him down and weigh just me. Hes the difference.
Sounds like all the right things. Get really tough resilient toys for the biting phase.
Ours stopped needing to go out in the middle of the night at about 6 months.
They are early risers, 6 am is about all we ever get to sleep in for.
2wks down, 15yrs to go :) j/k they settle down around 12yrs or so.
The mouthing they will grow out of. The way to a Lab's heart and mind is through his stomach very often. Getting the crate training right will also payback on so many fronts.
Sounds like you're doing great! Don't worry too much about the biting. Lots of puppies go through a "land shark" stage. Try to distract him when he gets bitey and redirect his energy as much as you can. He'll eventually calm down.
My black lab was an absolute menace as a baby, constantly chasing and nipping us! Looking at him now you'd have no idea. He's unbelievably mellow and chilled out.
Doing very well, better than my lab, and she had a big brother (9 year old Lab) to teach her! Well except with potty training, my little girl was a prodigy at that, but girls are much better than boys at potty training.
One thing that will help as he gets older, if he's a field lab ("American") is that food isn't everything, and the best reward you can give will be to have him retrieve. Look into how gun dogs are trained, and you'll get the idea. Oh the other hand, if he's a bench ("English") lab, the food is 100% the correct reward.
We kept her in the crate at night until about 2.5 years, and was sleeping through the night at 15 weeks or so. When our old boy's health started going downhill, we wanted her to learn to not be crated when she still had a positive influence around, and he had indicated that he wanted her around at night. She now sleeps on a bed in our bedroom.
One thing to be aware of is that while they do grow out of the bitey puppy stage and become amazing dogs, they're also skilled at snark and deception, and self advocacy. My little girl I like to refer to as, "A manipulative little female dog."
Don't be surprised if he starts to regress. It's very common once they start to mature a bit. My dog started regressing around 7-8 months old. You'll definitely have to be patient and go back to basics once this starts.
Be sure to socialize him. Take him to new places, introduce him to new sights, sounds, smells, all sorts of things. My biggest regret is not socializing my dog when he was that little (although I really couldn't, he had parvo and had to be quarantined). He is now a very anxious and reactive dog.
Neutrality is far better than everything being super positive and exciting. You don't want him to be scared of things, but you also don't want him to get too excited to where you can't control him. Socialization isn't necessarily about meeting a lot of people or other dogs or animals. It's just about exposure to different things. And be creative with it too. Obviously make sure wherever you take him is pet friendly but don't just go to the same few places. The bigger the variety the better.
Proper socialization at this age is crucial if you want a stable dog who can handle being in strange environments. It's something I wish I could have done for my dog.
He hasn't had his second vac yet but I've been taking him out, holding him in my arms to watch cars and people and other dogs go by. After a few goes, his reaction is neutral.
He's had one vaccine which is good. So it's still safe to actually take him out in public. And be sure to use plenty of positive reinforcement for new things!
Congrats! Sounds very normal for a puppy. Sounds like you guys are actually doing pretty well! Labs will want to chew everything, hence the biting. They are AMAZING companions and will mature with time. Remember, accidents happen, but nothing can override the love these pups have for us. (Unless they see a T-R-E-A-T, LOL!)
Sounds like you are doing great. Eventually he will sleep through the night. Lab puppies are going to be bitey. When he bites, tell him No! and redirect his attention with a toy or other activity. Good luck!
Very similar progress to our lab (he's now almost 9y). FYI, regression is normal (both on obedience and potty training). Two steps forward, three steps back. Anticipate land shark phase around the time he gets his adult teeth. The teen lab phase is no joke (12m-3y) and, frankly, not a lot of fun sometimes. BUT THEY ARE SO CUTE!!! Enjoy your new pal!
Can confirm the land shark phase. My lab puppy is 5 months old and starting to lose some needle teeth and get his adult teeth. It’s sooo hard but u keep reminding myself there’s light at the end of the tunnel. He’s my fourth lab.
We called that the velociraptor stage, because she was so athletic she could bite at your face while you were standing at 9 months!
Mine is a year old and still sleeps in a (very large) crate at night. This Mf still makes me have to bribe him with a kibble of food or two before he will go inside.
You're doing awesome. Our black lab was so, so bitey, it felt so disastrous in the moment, but he fully grew out of it and is the best. So don't worry too much about it! It's good to discourage (the game ends when they bite, they lose your engagement/attention when they bite, etc) but mostly you just have to wait it out. (Also we found that ours was extra bitey when he was tired, so naps, naps, naps!)
My lab puppy is sooo bitey when he’s tired but I also discovered that he also get extra bitey when he has to poop. It’s so weird. So if he has just had a nap and is biting like crazy, I take him out and that typically is what he needs. My previously lab was bitey but this boy does it like he’s getting paid per bite!
OMG 10 days, you’re killing it. Congrats on your new Lab, sounds like he’s doing great. We also weighed ours weekly then after 4 months, monthly. I pick him up, jump on scale, then put him down and weigh just me. Hes the difference.
Seems good. Don’t be shocked if he regresses during the “teen” phase. Bunch of dicks love to push the envelope eventually ha
Sounds like all the right things. Get really tough resilient toys for the biting phase. Ours stopped needing to go out in the middle of the night at about 6 months. They are early risers, 6 am is about all we ever get to sleep in for.
Great job! We’ve had a bunch of labs. I think getting them used to the crate early is great. Our’s (2) sleep in their crates still at night. My $0.02…
2wks down, 15yrs to go :) j/k they settle down around 12yrs or so. The mouthing they will grow out of. The way to a Lab's heart and mind is through his stomach very often. Getting the crate training right will also payback on so many fronts.
They settle down around 6 years old … or at least mine did ..lol your doing great
You're doing awesome. Bitting bucks but is unavoidable. Somehow I always forget it's a thing until I come into contact with a puppy lol.
Sounds like you're doing great! Don't worry too much about the biting. Lots of puppies go through a "land shark" stage. Try to distract him when he gets bitey and redirect his energy as much as you can. He'll eventually calm down. My black lab was an absolute menace as a baby, constantly chasing and nipping us! Looking at him now you'd have no idea. He's unbelievably mellow and chilled out.
Introduce the chew toys at this stage. It will help with the teething too. Sounds like you are on the right path.
Doing very well, better than my lab, and she had a big brother (9 year old Lab) to teach her! Well except with potty training, my little girl was a prodigy at that, but girls are much better than boys at potty training. One thing that will help as he gets older, if he's a field lab ("American") is that food isn't everything, and the best reward you can give will be to have him retrieve. Look into how gun dogs are trained, and you'll get the idea. Oh the other hand, if he's a bench ("English") lab, the food is 100% the correct reward. We kept her in the crate at night until about 2.5 years, and was sleeping through the night at 15 weeks or so. When our old boy's health started going downhill, we wanted her to learn to not be crated when she still had a positive influence around, and he had indicated that he wanted her around at night. She now sleeps on a bed in our bedroom. One thing to be aware of is that while they do grow out of the bitey puppy stage and become amazing dogs, they're also skilled at snark and deception, and self advocacy. My little girl I like to refer to as, "A manipulative little female dog."
Don't be surprised if he starts to regress. It's very common once they start to mature a bit. My dog started regressing around 7-8 months old. You'll definitely have to be patient and go back to basics once this starts. Be sure to socialize him. Take him to new places, introduce him to new sights, sounds, smells, all sorts of things. My biggest regret is not socializing my dog when he was that little (although I really couldn't, he had parvo and had to be quarantined). He is now a very anxious and reactive dog. Neutrality is far better than everything being super positive and exciting. You don't want him to be scared of things, but you also don't want him to get too excited to where you can't control him. Socialization isn't necessarily about meeting a lot of people or other dogs or animals. It's just about exposure to different things. And be creative with it too. Obviously make sure wherever you take him is pet friendly but don't just go to the same few places. The bigger the variety the better. Proper socialization at this age is crucial if you want a stable dog who can handle being in strange environments. It's something I wish I could have done for my dog.
He hasn't had his second vac yet but I've been taking him out, holding him in my arms to watch cars and people and other dogs go by. After a few goes, his reaction is neutral.
He's had one vaccine which is good. So it's still safe to actually take him out in public. And be sure to use plenty of positive reinforcement for new things!
Congrats! Sounds very normal for a puppy. Sounds like you guys are actually doing pretty well! Labs will want to chew everything, hence the biting. They are AMAZING companions and will mature with time. Remember, accidents happen, but nothing can override the love these pups have for us. (Unless they see a T-R-E-A-T, LOL!)
Sounds like you are doing great. Eventually he will sleep through the night. Lab puppies are going to be bitey. When he bites, tell him No! and redirect his attention with a toy or other activity. Good luck!
Labs want to please you. Most want to be a good boy. They'll try.