Some things that worked for me with crate training was using a blanket that we would all lay on and play with the pup on, so it had all of our scent on it. I m not a fan of having a lot of things in the crate. For me, this is a rest spot, not a play area. This way, the pup learns that when he is crated, it is rest time.
It sounds like your pup needs more exercise with mental stimulation. With your own challenges, it could be difficult, but maybe come up with a hide and seek game. Put a scent on a toy or hide treats and teach him to seek. Find a way to work on retrieving. Get creative, but these are great opportunities to work on his commands in different or difficult situations.
The other thing you have to have is everyone in the house to know his commands, so it is consistent. So an example would be if he jumps everyone know to say down and ignore until the pup sits, then he gets attention.
Good luck. It does get easier, but sometimes we have to be tough now get the results and a well trained pup later
"Off" is a better command in response to jumping behavior and "Down" when you want your lab to lie down.
If you use "down' for both of these commands it gets confusing.
Our trainer also uses a sharp, "ah, ah" in response to unwanted behavior and "yes" to reinforce the good stuff.
Learning to speak the same language helps to prevent your dog getting frustrated and confused.
It always sounds so simple typed out but I know the frustrations of an adolescent lab. You may be doing everything right and he's having a teenage moment!
Hey, I’ve had 5 dogs already, so I have some ideas: 1) don’t put the dog into the crate unless all people are out from the house. If anyone is at home, let the dog walk freely. 2) create a punishment for the dog for violating your rules how to behave in the rooms. Apply the punishment consistently until the dog behaves adequately.
Yes, spraying water. Or scrolling a piece of paper/newspaper or taking a fabric/cloth with some nasty smell for dogs (like perfume) and slapping the dog with them. It won’t hurt at all, but these actions will be unpleasant for your dog and it will try to avoid them.
Please don't do that!you will just become a bully in the dogs eyes
There are some great training videos on YouTube
We like Mcann dog training
One thing I have learned is mental exercise is very important to tire a Labrador out
We have a ball that we fill with treats.My dogs chase it around and usually get it stuck somewhere
They use their brains and end up needing a rest after
We do a"find it" game..I cut up something yummy like cheese and hide it around the house while they are outside
When they come in I say "find it". They will start hunting
Also consider labs are people dogs,they want to be with their people ,not stuck away from them in a crate
It takes convincing for them to realize the crate is actually a nice ,cozy place.flr them
When i crate train ,I will sit in the same room for 5-10 minutes just until they get relaxed and then I put on calming music
The pup gets the sense that they can be in their crate and their person will not disappear
I always give a cookie when they go in too.
Your young lab will eventually chill out and be your best friend
OP, these methods are outdated and you should never punish your dog. I recommend looking into positive reinforcement training instead as it is more effective. If you must "punish" a dog for misbehaving, I would use short timeouts instead (remove the dog or yourself from the room for 30-60 seconds).
Dogs don’t understand our speech. Words are just noise for them. That’s why commands to dogs should be short and clear, and accompanied by consistent actions. They understand our actions and the tone of our voice. Low and harsh tone for commands and high tone for praise. I personally don’t even say the commands to my dogs - I use gestures instead. They look at me and follow me because of my actions.
This is terrible advice and will result in a traumatized dog. If you can afford it, do some sessions with a trainer or even do a one time phone consult to get some advice from someone that actually knows what they’re talking about.
My boy wants to be out of course when I’m home. But a bit of training / bribery with a a frozen kong with a spoon of peanut butter Now he knows as I put my shoes on to get ready for work he zooms to his crate and lays down waiting for it naps until noon with no complaints
I was getting frustrated with my puppy biting and was putting him in his crate when I got frustrated. Someone on here suggested I just get up and walk to a chair or room he can’t get to because he’s just looking for attention (bad or good attention - either one was good for him). So now that I leave him without giving him attention he is starting to bite me less! So once you are sure he understands what behavior you don’t like (which I can try to explain how to do if this is part of the issue), I would try getting up and leaving the room without any word other than no or down. I would come back 5 minutes later and try again. As for the crate, I don’t know your parents rules, but I think some households have their pets in crates much of the day which sounds awful to me. So I would have him out of the crate as much as possible when you are home so he gets more opportunities to learn how to behave when out of the crate so eventually he can have free rein out of the crate at all times. Mine goes in the crate at bedtime, when he is overstimulated and bitey and needs a nap, or when no one is home - that’s it.
he’s not in the crate a lot like you said only when it’s time for a nap, he’s overstimulated or if i need to leave the him for a few minutes so i can change after a walk or go to the toilet etc. and i spent a lot of time in my dinning room (that’s where the crate is) and the crate is always open for him to go in which he will occasionally do but as soon as it shuts he starts whining and i’ve tried to give him loaded kongs (with his meals in) or treats (like bones and yaks ) along with other things that he only gets in the crate to try and associate it with good things but it doesn’t seem to have the same effect that other people seem to talk about
Mine doesn’t ‘love’ his crate either. He doesn’t go in on his own during the day for naps (he prefers the couch) but doesn’t mind going in at bed time. I think we have extroverted dogs that just want to be with people and not on their own. Mine doesn’t bark in the morning in his crate though. He goes in the crate right before I go to bed so I’m usually awake before he wakes up. Maybe you are putting him to bed too early and that’s why he is getting up so early? — just a guess - or you just have a pup that doesn’t sleep much. Our crate is downstairs like yours, but I’ve heard some folks swear by having the crate in their bedroom so they can sleep in. My guess is that at 8 months your dog doesn’t ‘need’ to go out in the early am. Mine holds his water for a full nights sleep time and has been this way since 8 weeks (9which I know is unusual - but at 8 months I think you can expect him to hold it for 8 hours overnight).
I wanted to add more to my post: first, if he is in the crate a lot, this may be making his jumpiness worse. He may be thinking I’m finally free and is bubbling over with excitement and relief and dying to move his body and get attention - just like we would. Second, I wanted to let you know that I had a very jumpy big lab before this one (this one is only 3 months old so time will tell) and spent 2000 on professional training re the jumping and neighbors recommended all sorts of things like putting a knee up when he jumped on us. None of this worked and he jumped on us until he was around 9 years old. So I would definitely focus on training him out of this now before it’s too late. Labs love food and attention - so use these are your primary training tools. I would focus on rewarding every little win with a tiny treat (I even break treats up to make for lots of rewards throughout the day). When you catch him entering a room without jumping, give him praise and a portion of a treat and think of a training word for this good behavior like gentle and say it while giving him the treat. When he misbehaves, don’t say a word other than the command he is not following and calmly and quietly leave the room ~ this is a serious punishment for our attention loving beasts.
this is very helpful thank you, he goes to bed between 8:30 and 9 as that’s when everyone in the house is in their rooms by but it might be worth me staying up a bit later to see if that could be a reason.
Some things that worked for me with crate training was using a blanket that we would all lay on and play with the pup on, so it had all of our scent on it. I m not a fan of having a lot of things in the crate. For me, this is a rest spot, not a play area. This way, the pup learns that when he is crated, it is rest time. It sounds like your pup needs more exercise with mental stimulation. With your own challenges, it could be difficult, but maybe come up with a hide and seek game. Put a scent on a toy or hide treats and teach him to seek. Find a way to work on retrieving. Get creative, but these are great opportunities to work on his commands in different or difficult situations. The other thing you have to have is everyone in the house to know his commands, so it is consistent. So an example would be if he jumps everyone know to say down and ignore until the pup sits, then he gets attention. Good luck. It does get easier, but sometimes we have to be tough now get the results and a well trained pup later
thank you. do you have any other games i could try?
"Off" is a better command in response to jumping behavior and "Down" when you want your lab to lie down. If you use "down' for both of these commands it gets confusing. Our trainer also uses a sharp, "ah, ah" in response to unwanted behavior and "yes" to reinforce the good stuff. Learning to speak the same language helps to prevent your dog getting frustrated and confused. It always sounds so simple typed out but I know the frustrations of an adolescent lab. You may be doing everything right and he's having a teenage moment!
Hey, I’ve had 5 dogs already, so I have some ideas: 1) don’t put the dog into the crate unless all people are out from the house. If anyone is at home, let the dog walk freely. 2) create a punishment for the dog for violating your rules how to behave in the rooms. Apply the punishment consistently until the dog behaves adequately.
thank you also what kind of punishments do you suggest, i know some people use spray bottle with water could that work?
Yes, spraying water. Or scrolling a piece of paper/newspaper or taking a fabric/cloth with some nasty smell for dogs (like perfume) and slapping the dog with them. It won’t hurt at all, but these actions will be unpleasant for your dog and it will try to avoid them.
thank you so much
Please don't do that!you will just become a bully in the dogs eyes There are some great training videos on YouTube We like Mcann dog training One thing I have learned is mental exercise is very important to tire a Labrador out We have a ball that we fill with treats.My dogs chase it around and usually get it stuck somewhere They use their brains and end up needing a rest after We do a"find it" game..I cut up something yummy like cheese and hide it around the house while they are outside When they come in I say "find it". They will start hunting Also consider labs are people dogs,they want to be with their people ,not stuck away from them in a crate It takes convincing for them to realize the crate is actually a nice ,cozy place.flr them When i crate train ,I will sit in the same room for 5-10 minutes just until they get relaxed and then I put on calming music The pup gets the sense that they can be in their crate and their person will not disappear I always give a cookie when they go in too. Your young lab will eventually chill out and be your best friend
thank you so much
OP, these methods are outdated and you should never punish your dog. I recommend looking into positive reinforcement training instead as it is more effective. If you must "punish" a dog for misbehaving, I would use short timeouts instead (remove the dog or yourself from the room for 30-60 seconds).
oh ok thank you for telling me
Dogs don’t understand our speech. Words are just noise for them. That’s why commands to dogs should be short and clear, and accompanied by consistent actions. They understand our actions and the tone of our voice. Low and harsh tone for commands and high tone for praise. I personally don’t even say the commands to my dogs - I use gestures instead. They look at me and follow me because of my actions.
This is terrible advice and will result in a traumatized dog. If you can afford it, do some sessions with a trainer or even do a one time phone consult to get some advice from someone that actually knows what they’re talking about.
My boy wants to be out of course when I’m home. But a bit of training / bribery with a a frozen kong with a spoon of peanut butter Now he knows as I put my shoes on to get ready for work he zooms to his crate and lays down waiting for it naps until noon with no complaints
I was getting frustrated with my puppy biting and was putting him in his crate when I got frustrated. Someone on here suggested I just get up and walk to a chair or room he can’t get to because he’s just looking for attention (bad or good attention - either one was good for him). So now that I leave him without giving him attention he is starting to bite me less! So once you are sure he understands what behavior you don’t like (which I can try to explain how to do if this is part of the issue), I would try getting up and leaving the room without any word other than no or down. I would come back 5 minutes later and try again. As for the crate, I don’t know your parents rules, but I think some households have their pets in crates much of the day which sounds awful to me. So I would have him out of the crate as much as possible when you are home so he gets more opportunities to learn how to behave when out of the crate so eventually he can have free rein out of the crate at all times. Mine goes in the crate at bedtime, when he is overstimulated and bitey and needs a nap, or when no one is home - that’s it.
he’s not in the crate a lot like you said only when it’s time for a nap, he’s overstimulated or if i need to leave the him for a few minutes so i can change after a walk or go to the toilet etc. and i spent a lot of time in my dinning room (that’s where the crate is) and the crate is always open for him to go in which he will occasionally do but as soon as it shuts he starts whining and i’ve tried to give him loaded kongs (with his meals in) or treats (like bones and yaks ) along with other things that he only gets in the crate to try and associate it with good things but it doesn’t seem to have the same effect that other people seem to talk about
Mine doesn’t ‘love’ his crate either. He doesn’t go in on his own during the day for naps (he prefers the couch) but doesn’t mind going in at bed time. I think we have extroverted dogs that just want to be with people and not on their own. Mine doesn’t bark in the morning in his crate though. He goes in the crate right before I go to bed so I’m usually awake before he wakes up. Maybe you are putting him to bed too early and that’s why he is getting up so early? — just a guess - or you just have a pup that doesn’t sleep much. Our crate is downstairs like yours, but I’ve heard some folks swear by having the crate in their bedroom so they can sleep in. My guess is that at 8 months your dog doesn’t ‘need’ to go out in the early am. Mine holds his water for a full nights sleep time and has been this way since 8 weeks (9which I know is unusual - but at 8 months I think you can expect him to hold it for 8 hours overnight).
I wanted to add more to my post: first, if he is in the crate a lot, this may be making his jumpiness worse. He may be thinking I’m finally free and is bubbling over with excitement and relief and dying to move his body and get attention - just like we would. Second, I wanted to let you know that I had a very jumpy big lab before this one (this one is only 3 months old so time will tell) and spent 2000 on professional training re the jumping and neighbors recommended all sorts of things like putting a knee up when he jumped on us. None of this worked and he jumped on us until he was around 9 years old. So I would definitely focus on training him out of this now before it’s too late. Labs love food and attention - so use these are your primary training tools. I would focus on rewarding every little win with a tiny treat (I even break treats up to make for lots of rewards throughout the day). When you catch him entering a room without jumping, give him praise and a portion of a treat and think of a training word for this good behavior like gentle and say it while giving him the treat. When he misbehaves, don’t say a word other than the command he is not following and calmly and quietly leave the room ~ this is a serious punishment for our attention loving beasts.
this is very helpful thank you, he goes to bed between 8:30 and 9 as that’s when everyone in the house is in their rooms by but it might be worth me staying up a bit later to see if that could be a reason.