After seven months since we originally planned to adopt a dog, the day finally came on April 4th 2010. We gave Jake (7 month Lab) a new home after his old family reached a stage where they could no longer give him the attention he required, with work commitments and a newborn child.
Unfortunately his old family couldn’t find much time to exercise him, so he’s been like a ticking time bomb of energy that has been released on us.
At first, we started regretting the decision, with the non-stop hyperactiveness. If he wasn’t chewing your hands or jumping at your face, he was chasing his tail or bounding around like a crazy turnip.
We’ve made fantastic progress with him so far, so stick around to see how he transforms!
(Creative Commons music courtesy of Revolution Void)
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Chris, this is sooo amazing, nice Dog indeed. Congratulations on adopting one!
He looks pretty funny! Give a poke to him in my name! :D
3 words, ‘Watch Cesar Milan’, Ive just had to give up a rather excitable dog due to work comitments but using the techniques cesar uses really helped.
Looks like a bundle of joy and the best of luck with getting him under control!
great video :)
Pebbles! Really! Wow
Congrats on adopting. I’ve adopted 2x in my life so far and they’ve both been the best dogs you could hope for.
To help with his stomach issues (puking and squirting) get him on a eating schedule and keep the food brand consistent. Usually that will allow them time to get used to it. I’ve noticed if I change brands it makes my dogs sick for a few days.
I’ve also been told a good way to stop the jumping is to turn your back when they act like that and don’t look at them. When they calm down give them the attention. Though IMO the excitement to see you is one of the best parts.
@Ibrahim Thanks, he’s definitely a funny one. Very daft!
@Adam Absolutely. I’m a big fan of Cesar. I’ve read all his books, watched (almost) every epidode, and recently saw him at one of his seminars. I have a little vid of it a few posts back.
@Ian Yup, I thought he was just chomping them as part of his chewing. But they never came back out. Until the next morning, that is…
@Cody Thanks for the advice. Poops have all firmed up now, and the puking has now stopped. Most of this stuff was from Sunday/Monday, he’s now doing great.
The guy at the pet store today also warned about changing foods, and recommended mixing two brands over 7 days to ease the transition.
The back turning is also improving his jumping, at first we were being stern, but even with pretty forceful corrections it didn’t get through. He seems to respond to reward based training much better in some circumstances.
Congrats on finally getting your pup!
I know I started to panic and second guess our rescue decision last year but a little hard work with training and a little time for bonding and we haven’t looked back. Having a dog is the best. Our pup really benefited from the cesar milan illusion collar. Walking him with it is like night and day and when I take him biking with the illusion collar i don’t have to worry about him yanking me over. You should check it out.
Cheers!
Hi Chris, congrats on Jake he looks really sweet. Gotta be honest mate, you look knackered ! lol looks like he is keeping you on your toes. My brother has a mature black lab and has had him since a pup. My only advice is watch what he eats, they eat EVERYTHING. One of the funniest times was when we went round his house for a roast dinner and the roast chicken dissapeared off the table, we couldn’t find any remains at all. He ate the chicken, the carcus, tin foil and all. He will make a very friendly and loyal dog.
Congratulations, he looks like a great fellow.
The most is important thing is patience (and love) – as young as he is he’ll be wild for a while, but once he gets older he’ll settle down eventually.
Our Mini-Pinscher (he’s called Twisted) was a real little devil for the first years after we got him (he was about 4 weeks old back then), but now that he is a little older he’s much calmer and cuddlier.
Another important thing is to get him used to staying alone at home, especially if it is an exception. Our dogs are used to us being at home (we’re both working as freelancers) and it was a big problem for a long time if we left the house for a longer time (more than 1 or 2 hours).
I wish you all the best with him in any case and hope he’ll grow into a beautiful, big lab.
@Ethan That’s good to hear. It’s funny we were discussing the Illusion collar last night. We might give it a try, although we’ve managed to keep him in check a little better. Stay tuned for updates!
@Shane You’re right, I am knackered. Almost fell to sleep on my desk just now. I’ve heard lots of similar stories from other Lab owners, will be keeping my gadgets well out of the way!
@ximi Definitely looking forward to those calmer days, although it’s great to see him go wild with his chew toys. More of that in the next vid.
He’s actually pretty good at being left, both in the day and overnight he’s not been making a sound. Maybe that’s down to his experiences from his previous home.
Jake is just gorgeous and you are the BEST kind of person for adopting him and providing such a loving home. I really applaud you. (Though I agree with Shane that you look absolutely exhausted. :) ) One of the things I love about following you is that I get exposed to a whole range of new language – it cracks me up. “Like a crazy turnip” is being added to my “Spoonerisms” list. Take care and know that I think you’re an absolute gem!
Fun video Chris, good to see his progress in your more recent video!
I would recommend that you get him used to eating whenever he wants. I just always make sure my dog’s bowl is full, and he simply eats when he’s hungry. (Oddly enough, he has adapted the same eating schedule as myself, and usually eats when I eat now!)
This makes it much easier to manage. It also combats the problem a lot of dogs have when they just inhale the whole bowl as fast as they can…. and if you bring another dog into the house, keeping food available all of the time removes the competition that is created between them for the food.