can anyone out there help me with my 10month old choc labrador.im desperate, she is destroying my kitchen , walls and units. its getting ti the stage where i hate to take her out for a walk as she pulls so badly i cant cope with her. i have taken her to dog training and also a one to one trainer at home, but im now feeling pretty miserable about it. she is a wonderful dog but needs constant stimulation. im at home with her all day. she is getting better off lead at coming back to me, but still terrible on lead.shes fed the nature diet.she has just started her first season. so i presume i cant take her out walks for a few weeks as there are lots of loose dogs not on leads around here. ive just bought a knog which i fill with her food if i want to go out for an hour.can anyone help me with some idea of how to cope with her.thankyou

Beverley you could try a halti or a prong collar they do work great for walking. If you fit for a prong just make sure it is fit properly, to loose won't work and it will just hurt, only use it when you are going for walks, since it is a training collar. The dog correct them self,leave the buckle collar on to. After time you can slowly go back to a buckle, put on two leashes and start with the prong and then use the leash for the buckle, if your dog starts to pull use the prong leash. Hope that made sense. As for your kitchen I would use a kennel if you can't trust your dog.. Good luck

Hi,
I did have this problem with all three of my Labs but to a lesser degree.Have you thought about caging her if you have to leave her for a while? You would have to slowly introduce the cage and get her used to it but eventually she would probably accept it as part of her daily routine. I saved my kitchen by building a kennel and run outside where they could go if I had to leave them unsupervised at any time. I found that the first 18 months were the worst in terms of chewing things then almost over night my older two just stopped. My puppy was quite chewy when she was younger but I found the presence of her parents gave her something else to think about and two other dogs to play with. Her chewing stopped at about 9 months.
Both my girls think it is great to pull so you are not alone. I would persevere with the training classes and try a halti or similar as this had a major effect on my worst puller to the point where she just walked at my side! I was so pleased as I had tried most things on her with little success.Labs can be a bit of a handful if they are not properly trained so keep doing what you are doing and I am sure you will see an improvement eventually,
Best Wishes,
Amy

Hi I havn't got a lab -but an extremley naughty dobe :) I use a halti for most walks and i have a cage /crate in the house I am also home all day and I think they get used to that and become very demanding of your attention. some days I am worn to a frazzle :)
as the others say keep up the training --it will come ( I tell myself this every day !!)
the crate is a godsend -I can leave him in there and know there is no damage when I come back
Good luck and don't ever think you're on your own :)
Liz

i agree with liz, a strong crate for when you cant watch him and a halti for walking, -good luck

hi my son has a black labrador who also ate his three piece suite, among other items of household goods, he has found that he has to muzzle him to stop him being destructive if he is left alone, he also takes him out for a good exercise in the mornings and the evenings as this helps to stimulate him he is now 19 months old and is quitening down a little each day my son also leaves him the radio on when he is left alone... good luck .

If I read this correctly, your son is muzzling the dog and then leaving the dog alone in the household????
This could be dangerous to do. Most muzzles state on the packaging to always have the dog under observation when its being worn. It's just not safe imo :(

Exercise and maturity is great to help the dog handle being alone :) ... if your son is worried about the house and his belongings, perhaps he might consider a crate for his dog to go into during his absence? Much safer and healthier for the dog.... and yes, music helps :)