Lab indoor training

Puerto Rico
April 28, 2008 8:58am CST
Please help me training my one year old black lab. We really want to keep him indoors but, he just rips everything up. If someone has anything free for us to use, pleaase let me know.... Thankx, Jimbo and Ramby
4 responses
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
29 Apr 08
Big dogs don't really do well inside, they need a lot of exercise and have a lot of energy to burn! But now that you have him and love him, do you have a fenced yard? If so, think about getting a dog door so he can run outside during the times you're gone. Get some bully sticks (bestbullysticks.com is where I buy them for my dogs), they last a long time and are all natural and are great for chewing! Walk/run him a LOT! Labs were meant to be hunting dogs, retrievers of birds and game, so it's no wonder he's ripping things up. It's like locking you in a very small room with nothing do, you'd go nuts without reading material or a tv or something. Work with him--he's not tearing things up to be mean, he's doing it because he's frustrated and has too much energy! Hope this helps a little.
@fifileigh (3615)
• United States
29 Apr 08
maybe keep him in the garage when you are not home. make the place comfortable with his blankets and toys and food and water. and when you are at home, monitor him. buy him some rawhide chewing bones to keep him busy, and give him treats when he doesnt tear up the place. my late dogs stopped chewing on my stuff when i bought them some rawhide bones or pig hoofs. they are like doggie pacifiers.
• United States
28 Apr 08
Labs are very "mouthy" - they constantly need something to chew - try looking at "kongs" - very sturdy toys that they can not destroy! If I were you, I would give him a large variety of chew toys - teach him to fetch outside & run him ragged (they have tons of energy) and maybe look at a crate for when you leave him alone. They are the sweetest dogs, but their puppy years last until they're about 3 years old. All I can say is chew toys, chew toys, and more chew toys!
28 Apr 08
Does he rip things up while you are in the house, or only when you leave him alone? dogs need companionship, if you are leaving him in the house alone, he will rip things up to get your attention as dogs do not like to be left alone. he is still quite young & is still considered to be a puppy, i know a lot of people dont like using dog cages, but it really does help, but only for a few hours a day, you cant leave the dog in a cage for longer than that. muzzles are good for destructive chewing & still allow the dog to drink & pant, but again, you cant leave a muzzle on a dog for more than a few hours. labs are very active & need plenty of excercise, if he is being kept indoors all day, then he wont appreciate that & he will let you know by being destructive, chewing things, barking. An outdoor kennel is prob your best option, this allows him freedom to run around, but then again, if you dont have a garden, or if you think someone may try to steal him then thats not an option either. A professional dog trainer will be able to help you more, but any dog does not like to be left indoors all day, they are very sociable & need attention & excercise. All above you can buy on ebay fairly cheap. Hope you get things sorted.