Some of my ancestors were from Labrador, but they weren't dogs. If you're at all like me, you will love that puppy madly. It's remarkable how quickly that sets in. My wife had never had a dog and had a list of rigid, impractical rules for one. They broke down in seconds once she met our old rescue.
That love is more than a greeting card, because the housetraining process, and the chewing are going to test your character. Now that we have our first puppy, we've needed to cultivate tolerance without weakness. Stick to your reasonable expectations and stay the course. They learn. Retrievers are often bright dogs. The process of growing up is rough, but a great companion comes out of that process. They aren't unlike people. They have their wild years. But it's going to be worth it.
Keep telling yourself that.
They learn, they revert. They are good at retrieving bad habits, but it's a process.
The used to be little white dog sleeping by my feet now can be a handful. But she got me up at 2:30 in the morning yesterday - the first time she has had to pee during the night in 3 weeks (progress!) and for the first time I got to hear the snorting sound a deer makes when you come too close in the pitch darkness. Would I have learned that without a puppy?
Mabel the dog gave us 3 weeks of hell, as she chewed baseboards, peed on soft surfaces, and counter surfed. Now, 2 weeks after the behavioural storm began to calm, she is fully housetrained, no longer tries to get food off counters and still chews baseboards if I don't get a chew toy to her quick enough. She used to play bite a lot, and now she brings a soft toy in her mouth when she wants to cuddle, I think as a message that she know understands what she's allowed to chew and it isn't us. It'll still be months before she's totally settled in, but there is progress and it's delightful.
As guard dogs, labradors look at intruders with those big eyes and make them feel so guilty they leave all their pocket money on the table before they immediately leave in shame, so you can buy the dog treats with it.
That love is more than a greeting card, because the housetraining process, and the chewing are going to test your character. Now that we have our first puppy, we've needed to cultivate tolerance without weakness. Stick to your reasonable expectations and stay the course. They learn. Retrievers are often bright dogs. The process of growing up is rough, but a great companion comes out of that process. They aren't unlike people. They have their wild years. But it's going to be worth it.
Keep telling yourself that.
They learn, they revert. They are good at retrieving bad habits, but it's a process.
The used to be little white dog sleeping by my feet now can be a handful. But she got me up at 2:30 in the morning yesterday - the first time she has had to pee during the night in 3 weeks (progress!) and for the first time I got to hear the snorting sound a deer makes when you come too close in the pitch darkness. Would I have learned that without a puppy?
Mabel the dog gave us 3 weeks of hell, as she chewed baseboards, peed on soft surfaces, and counter surfed. Now, 2 weeks after the behavioural storm began to calm, she is fully housetrained, no longer tries to get food off counters and still chews baseboards if I don't get a chew toy to her quick enough. She used to play bite a lot, and now she brings a soft toy in her mouth when she wants to cuddle, I think as a message that she know understands what she's allowed to chew and it isn't us. It'll still be months before she's totally settled in, but there is progress and it's delightful.
As guard dogs, labradors look at intruders with those big eyes and make them feel so guilty they leave all their pocket money on the table before they immediately leave in shame, so you can buy the dog treats with it.
