i have a labrador puppy. she is about 4 months old. when will she stop being so rowdy?

Question

she keeps digging holes, biting the furniture. she is always jumping on us and biting our clothes. she is just very hyper and has absolutely no manners.

Answer 1

that's what lab pups do. they will usually chill out between 12-18 mnths though some never do.

Answer 2

My lab didn't calm down until about 3-4 years old. Once she's fully grown, take her jogging, or for runs with your bike. They're high-energy working dogs and need to be kept busy. Labs will need between 1-1.5 hours of high-energy workouts per day.

At her age, I'd take her to the dog park to play with other puppies and get some of that energy out. It's also really good for her social life. I'd get used to spending a lot of time outside if you have a lab - awesome dogs!

At this point, teaching puppy-manners and starting some obedience is in order. I've put a couple books down below, they're great and work well.

Remember: A tired lab is a happy lab!

Answer 3

The first person to respond was correct. Some will chill out at just about 2 years old and others never do. Labs have been bred so much because of their popularity that some breeders are not taking care to breed for temperament. Buyers of any dogs have to be aware of that, especially in a popular breed. Hip dysplasia is also a concern with larger, popular dogs. At any rate, before she gets any larger, I would get in touch with a vet, a kennel, a kennel club, etc. and find an obedience class in the area. We had a very hyper Old English Sheepdog that we took to obedience training when he was young...and the trainer after trying to work with him individually, suggested running him alongside the car the 20 miles to the training session!! He was joking of course! He got better after the training, but he was always quite a "happy go lucky" dog of "limited intelligence".

Answer 4

The baby teeth come out between 4 and 6-months-old. You answered your own question. He gets over excited and acts up. You need to stop this behavior before it starts. Maybe you should have a walk and then play time. Labs are tough, they are a breed that seems to get more energy the more they walk and run. I think he is teething, and you are not correcting the behavior soon enough. I think when you correct this, you need to make sure he understands this is not playing. You need to have a firm, (I am not happy with you) voice, not yelling or mean, but make sure it is a voice that communicates you are unhappy. I point, snap my fingers, and say "shame" and when he behaves, I praise him. You could also divert the behavior. When you notice him getting excited, you could teach him to sit or do some behavior you want him to learn.

Answer 5

For the digging part-that will never stop -they like to dig big holes and lie in them to keep cool, and of course to bury their toys and bones.
Try to give her strong toys that can't be chewed apart easily,and a different variety of toys. (i give my dog plastic pop bottles with the cap still on). This should slow down on the furniture chewing, but if it's the wood it is attracted to, give her a big stick to chew on-it's messy ,but it's not your couch!
When will she stop being rowdy? Someone once told me that
" one day you'll wake up and realize she's not a puppy anymore" and i must be half asleep because my pup is almost 4 years old. He is more mature and listens better than he did, but he is a total dingbat!

Answer 6

Labs are VERY high energy dogs, but she does those things because you let her. Bad behavior needs consequences. I am going to suggest that you go to obedience school--and take the dog too. You all need to learn how to deal with each other. You need to learn how to teach her to stop doing those things, and she needs to learn how to not do them. If you think she is bad at 4 months, wait until she weighs 120 pounds and does this stuff! Please take her to school before she winds up being on of the thousands of dogs taken to a shelter each year. if she does, it will be your fault. She is not a bad dog, she has just not been taught to behave! The loving companion you get will be worth every penny the school costs!

Answer 7

Labradors are so behaved.

Again, this is a major misconception. Labradors are NOT naturally well behaved. They MUST be trained to behave, and because they are usually so hyper, a lot of training. With labs, as with most dogs, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so before you get a lab, please, research obedience methods, by reading. If that pup learns the first week not to steal your shoes, then you don't have to worry about being 5 years, still trying to break that bad habit. If you can prevent some of the more common pitfalls of owning dogs, then you can have a well behaved pup MUCH sooner!

here is a solution:

How to teach a hyper dog to calm down and stand still
First, evaluate why you dog is so hyper. Some dogs are hyper because of age or breed, but hyperactivity in dogs can be as simple to fix as a food switch. Do you have your dog on a supermarket or store brand? Or a corn based food like science diet, eukanuba, or pro-plan? In the dog food world, bug names equal big price tags, not quality. Consider switching to a protein based dog food- a food whose top ingredient listed is chicken, beef, or another type of meat. Surprisingly, many premium dog foods are higher quality and lower cost than what you may be feeding. Top quality foods like Wellness, Eagle Pack, or Innova are slightly more expensive than Science Diet, but even Diamond brand foods are better than Science Diet and sell for about 50% less. Cutting out the corn and wheat carbs out of your dogs diet may help your hyper dog calm down.

Once you’ve eliminated nutritional causes, you can begin to behaviorally shape your hyper dog’s ability to pay attention.

You should start by training your dog to "calm" or "sit still" on command command. Train it just like you would a stay- stand right in front of her so close she can't take a step forward- give the command, then praise her for 1 second of stillness, the next time for 2 seconds, then 5 etc. If you needed to you can physically put your hands on her to encourage her to stay seated, then move your hands away just an inch or two as you train. She would learn very quickly that she had to be still to get the treat!

Training your dog to “calm” isn’t a fix to the problem, but may help her focus at times when it’s necessary for your hyper dog to calm down. The very, very best way to calm your hyper dog is to make sure they are getting appropriate exercise and, if needed, give them a “job” like taking an agility or herding class.


Good luck with your dog! don't worry with a little help you'll have a well trained dog in no time!

Answer 8

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Labs are precious, but they will calm down only when their joints are so badly beat up with artritis that they can't move. Get her spayed, and train her well - that's about your only hope. BTW - they are very smart, so they learn well...but they learn well only when they WANT to.
Mine is almost 5 and she's still hyper and ready to play at the drop of a hat.
Good luck!

Answer 9

Labs are great at staying young until the day they die! We have some that are 10-12 years old that still act like puppies. I would definately recommend that you find a great dog trainer!

Answer 10

when you teach her to. i had those problems with my lab but with proper traininghe is now a perfect lab puppy{6 months of age}.

the hole digging is a sign of boredem. give her some toys to play with and she will forget about digging.

bitting is common in lab puppies but it can get out of control when she bites something/someone firmly say no and command her to sit. also tell her to do that when she is jumping. don't hit her or hurt her in any way.

when you command her to do something always say it in a firm voice with your head high to show that you are domminant. when she does bite or nip yelp in a high pitch note and turn around.

hope this helps!