I was out with Luke this morning doing our usual backwards and forwards,slow progress up and down the street. We were passed by a young lady who sails past with her chocolate lab - who I believe is a similar age- walking beautifully to heel off lead, as he always does. What was even more annoying , though, was that she has obviously recently had her first baby, and said baby was in a baby carrier as they all strode out confidently together. Gr-rr-rr. Is it me or is it him and will we ever get there?

You will get there trust me! Dogs go at their own pace she may have been lucky thats all.
Just enjoy it thats the main thing.

Good luck.

1. You can never compare one dog to another, they all learn and progress at different rates.     Keep on going with your training, he will get there eventually. :-)

2. Presuming this walk was on the road her dog should not, no matter how well  trained/behaved, be off lead. The fact that yours was makes you a better and more responsible dog handler so she should be feeling inadequate, not you.

3. What's her having a baby got to do with anything? More fool her is what I say. Stick to dogs! ;-)

HTH

I think I was that person, my chockie Truffle was a dream as a puppy. Then she hit the teenager bit and it all went to pot :D

some dogs are perfect puppies,my flynn was a star

Oh Carene, you will get there. You are doing well, being consitent and methodical will get your results in the end.  I have put in the same amount of time and effort into all my Labs and each one has reached the desired results at different stages, all have regressed at differing ages and some have stayed inthe teenage stage longer. But all have come through with positive and consistant training, some a little later than I would have liked, but we still got there :)  Be positive and consitent and keep up the good work

My first collie was an angel as a puppy and then he hit 6 months and from then until he was 2 he was a lout :-p My second one was a lout from the start but soooooo cute it was really hard. First dog walks on lead nicely but always slightly in front of me but never pulls, second one pulls constantly on lead but only has to be told to heel once and then sticks to your leg off lead :-) Every dog is different, one day you will pass her and it will be the other way round :-D

Hee, hee, yesterday met another choc lab who was much bigger and bouncier than Luke, with his delightful male owner puffing away at the end of an extending lead. I had Maggie with me, the dogs said "Hello", by which time said dog had managed to wrap his extending lead right round me and Maggie...lol. So, I think Luke comes somewhere in the middle betwen these 2 dogs, behaviour wise. Thanks for all your encouragement, and yes, we will get there..eventually..;-)