Would my puppy be better off in another home?

Question

I have a 10 month old Lab, purchased as a 8 week old, who we bought to be a family dog. Nobody in our family is a hunter, though I know Labs are excellent trained for this purpose. Now that our dog is 10 months old, I see her natural personallity would be ideal to be a hunting dog. This is not ideal, however, for a family dog. She gets out of whatever fence or tie down we try to confine her with, she consistantly wants to be outside (we live in Minnesota) and she has boundless energy. Although we do not plan to breed her, we have also not been able to afford to get her 'fixed' either. She is a great dog but tends to be really smart which makes her extra naughty, getting into stuff and so on. We walk her, play with her and love her to pieces but we are very frustraded by her tendance to want freedom and her destroying property when kept inside the house. Maybe we should find a new loving home for our pet where she could be properly trained to hunt and she would have room to run?

Answer 1

Dogs can be trained not to do those things. Although you will never get all the hunting instincts out of her, you can still train her to stay where you put her, not get into things, etc... It takes time. You also have to remember, she's still a baby. Babies do these things!! I wouldn't get rid of her just yet. Search the Internet on dog training and/or go to the library and get some books on the subject. Good luck to you!!

Answer 2

It sounds like your dog is not getting enough exercise, is not very well trained, needs to be spayed, and needs some good leadership.

Instead of finding her another home right away, why don't you try some training? A class would be best, but even getting a book on dog training (I love the Dummies series so Dog Training for Dummies would be a good start) and implementing some of the tips in there could help.

If she doesn't have room to run in your yard, try finding a place to take her where she DOES. But you can't let her off leash to do so until you have her under control. The only way you ever will is with training.

If you're not willing to put the effort into her training, then by all means, find her another home that will.

Answer 3

You should not have a dog. If you can't afford to get her fixed, then you can't afford a dog. Seriously, what happens if she gets hurt with a fixable injury and you can't afford it? What happens if she gets sick? The cost of a dog does not stop at what you pay a breeder. You have to allow $1000 a year and more if you have an injury prone or illness prone dog. I tell you this so that if you DO give her away, you don't run out and get another dog. Let me reiterate, you can't afford one.

This dog needs to go to obediance school. This would probably help her behaviour issues. She also needs additional attention during the day. She is a puppy. Puppies are mischevious and destroy things. And if she's not trained and not cared for during the day, this can create a problem. Puppies have boundless energy. That's just how it works. All breeds are like this.

Labs do not have to be involved with the cowardly killing of other animals (aka hunting) to be happy. Labs are great family dogs, in general. It just doesn't sound like you have the resources or wherewithall to take care of such a dog. This is not an insult, but rather a black&white assessment of your situation.

If you bought from a reputable breeder, it is probably in your contract that you need to give the dog back to her if there are any problems. If you didn't buy from a reputable breeder, then it's time to contact breed rescue. DO NOT dump her at a shelter. Your dog is highly adoptable, once she is fixed and given some manners; I will link to a breed rescue group for you.

And please, DO NOT buy another animal until you are financially able to care for them. Altering a dog is something that should not be elective - if you can't afford it, then you can't afford any other emergencies that might come up.

Good luck to you and I hope you come to the right decision.

Answer 4

Labs take an enomous amount of time to exercise and even more to train.

Contact the National Breed CLub for Labs. They run their own breed rescue. The dogs stay with members of ther club in thie homes until they find the perfect forever home.

http://thelabradorclub.com/rescue/

The NationalCLub Rescue co-ordinates the local and regional groups.


Also see below for how to contact Performance Clubs for hunting dogs. Another good possiblity for a home.


Now, in the meantime, get her to school.
Now you both need a GOOD obedience class - and that is NOT Petsmart or Petco.

GO here to find contacts in you area that can help you locate and obedience trainer who works with all breeds and who does AKC obedience competitions competing at what they claim to teach – no proof of ability like winning:

http://www.akc.org/clubs/search/index.cf...

http://www.akc.org/clubs/search/index.cf... (set on all breeds)


http://www.akc.org/clubs/search/index.cf...

https://www.akc.org/clubs/search/index.cfm?action=perf&display=on (set on Hunting Test - they are also a good place to start trying to place a hunting prospect)

Even it they are an hour or more away, they will know other people all over the state.


I would recommend getting a crate but those are nearly as expensive as a spay......

Answer 5

just because she is full of energy does not mean she wants to be a hunting dog she is a puppy full of energy thats all most puppies do that they run jump and tear things up and chew on stuff ect... try an electric fence if you turn it up high enough she will get the pic and stay put ... as fo finding her a new home be very careful there are alot of folks out there who will tell you how great they will be to her then are mean to them i gave away a dog i thought was going to a better home and i went and got him back and in one months time he was so thin and his hair was falling out ect that people didnt even reconize him... so think hard before you give up on her... she may calm down in a few months and be the best dog you ever had..

Answer 6

You are on of the wisest people I have ever met. Most people would not admit that they might have made a mistake, and the fact that you are willing to put the dog's best interest above yours says so much about your character.

If you think the dog might be better someplace else, then she probably would be. See if there is Lab rescue in your area and talk to them. They might even have ideas on how to train her to your needs. I know our local cocker spaniel rescue group has a doggie university for just such problems.

Good luck in your decision!:)

Answer 7

I own a 10 month old beagle Labrador mix (one of 3 dogs I own). I know labs can be very hyper. My dogs live inside aswell.
I think it would be best to get her to a new home because you can't afford to get her spayed which means you most likely can't afford to feed her good food which means you DEFINITELY can't afford to have her trained not to escape the yard.
Petfinder.com is a great site, but whatever you do please do Not put her ad in the newspaper.

Answer 8

YES! If you can not properly care for a pet, you should not own one!! They need to be spayed/neutered, vaccinated, trained and loved. She is getting into trouble because she is bored and not trained.
List her on petfinders.org ASAP to a proper home who will provide her with a vet, obedience training and the attention and love she deserves.

At least you can see she needs more, many neglectful pet owners can't see that.

Answer 9

Since you,your family and the dog aren't on the same page. Then you probably should find another home for him/her. So you'll both be happy.

Answer 10

try obedience training!! dogs need to interact with other dogs!! they need a lot of exercise !! it's a lot of work owning a dog. why get a dog if now, you want to get rid of it? maybe your dog will be better of with someone else.I'm sorry if i come off as being mean !! i see people abandon their animals, just because they get tired of them!! and i think that is very wrong. i could never get rid of my dog!!! he is a rottweiler,and means the world to me!! he is very loyal and keeps me safe.