Hyper 17 month lab bitch

[squirrel shooter]

Hi I have a 17 month old lab bitch, she is comming on great in her training just going to start bringing her out with me. 

The problem i have with her is that she is so hyper, i walk her before work and returning walk her again, i know she's still young but it's she's so hyper sometimes when out training we can struggle beacuse she is so excited. She's currently fed on skinners duck and rice, as she has to be fed a hypoallergenic diet.

Any advice greatly appreciated

Thanks 

[Dave at kelton]

Difficult one because it may just be she is still immature and enthusiasm is what you want. I do not work mine until two years old. I assume you are now using adult food in which case protein is 22%. You could try a lower protein hypoallergenic food. It may just be her character as some of the labs being bred are like fire crackers and fast but difficult to control. Personally I would not take her out until the end of the season and see if she calms. Even then I would have her with me at the back of the gun line on her own and just get her used to being out. As she is already very excitable I would be concerned that a shoot day would tip her over the edge. I am an advocate of slow and steady so I do not ruin a dog that I want ten years out of from the start.

Good luck

[JDog]

55 minutes ago, Dave at kelton said:

Difficult one because it may just be she is still immature and enthusiasm is what you want. I do not work mine until two years old. I assume you are now using adult food in which case protein is 22%. You could try a lower protein hypoallergenic food. It may just be her character as some of the labs being bred are like fire crackers and fast but difficult to control. Personally I would not take her out until the end of the season and see if she calms. Even then I would have her with me at the back of the gun line on her own and just get her used to being out. As she is already very excitable I would be concerned that a shoot day would tip her over the edge. I am an advocate of slow and steady so I do not ruin a dog that I want ten years out of from the start.

Good luck

Is the correct answer. Plus the dog may need walking in the middle of the day to dissipate some energy.

[mudpatten]

All of the above, and sight unseen, have you considered a couple of short but very intensive training sessions during the day where the dog is put through it`s entire paces under rigid control. Make it think hard and have to concentrate. Sometimes exhausting the dog mentally is easier than tiring it physically. Good luck.

[ditchman]

do you have children.....do they play with her when you are out ?

[squirrel shooter]

14 hours ago, JDog said:

Is the correct answer. Plus the dog may need walking in the middle of the day to dissipate some energy.

Walking in the day would be a good option however this is just totally impossible with me being out at work unfortunately.

9 hours ago, ditchman said:

do you have children.....do they play with her when you are out ?

No children, it's a strange one. My old lab is nealy 11 now from different breeding and she seemed a lot easier to train from day 1, just quite but keen to please. This younger lab, is a different dog altogether. She's keen to please but to the point she's so excited she looses concentration sometimes. 

15 hours ago, Dave at kelton said:

Difficult one because it may just be she is still immature and enthusiasm is what you want. I do not work mine until two years old. I assume you are now using adult food in which case protein is 22%. You could try a lower protein hypoallergenic food. It may just be her character as some of the labs being bred are like fire crackers and fast but difficult to control. Personally I would not take her out until the end of the season and see if she calms. Even then I would have her with me at the back of the gun line on her own and just get her used to being out. As she is already very excitable I would be concerned that a shoot day would tip her over the edge. I am an advocate of slow and steady so I do not ruin a dog that I want ten years out of from the start.

Good luck

I could try lowering the protein level, she is on skinners adult food now which is about 24% protein.

[squirrel shooter]

13 hours ago, mudpatten said:

All of the above, and sight unseen, have you considered a couple of short but very intensive training sessions during the day where the dog is put through it`s entire paces under rigid control. Make it think hard and have to concentrate. Sometimes exhausting the dog mentally is easier than tiring it physically. Good luck.

This is something i haven't thought about, i must admit. 

[ditchman]

14 minutes ago, squirrel shooter said:

Walking in the day would be a good option however this is just totally impossible with me being out at work unfortunately.

No children, it's a strange one. My old lab is nealy 11 now from different breeding and she seemed a lot easier to train from day 1, just quite but keen to please. This younger lab, is a different dog altogether. She's keen to please but to the point she's so excited she looses concentration sometimes. 

I could try lowering the protein level, she is on skinners adult food now which is about 24% protein.

woah........................24% protien................that is a heck of a lot.............during the summer i had all my dogs (all 7 of them ) on 12-16% protien..........i didnt up the protein until they started work in the late autumn.......on my labs i did like to see a little rib.....so it was a fine balancing act keeping them like that........

she sounds to be a bit immature.....drop the protien content ......and dont be too hasty to get the dog out

Edited October 1, 2019 by ditchman

[B725]

If you visit Skinner's Web site you can tell them exactly what your dog's requirements are, type of dog age etc and they will tell you what to feed the dog on. 

[Dave at kelton]

13 hours ago, squirrel shooter said:

Walking in the day would be a good option however this is just totally impossible with me being out at work unfortunately.

No children, it's a strange one. My old lab is nealy 11 now from different breeding and she seemed a lot easier to train from day 1, just quite but keen to please. This younger lab, is a different dog altogether. She's keen to please but to the point she's so excited she looses concentration sometimes. 

I could try lowering the protein level, she is on skinners adult food now which is about 24% protein.

Definitely try reducing protein. Skinners maintenance is very good at 18%

[squirrel shooter]

9 hours ago, Dave at kelton said:

Definitely try reducing protein. Skinners maintenance is very good at 18%

I used to feed my old lab that, i tried my younger lab on it and she kept vommiting. The vet suggested a hypoallergenic diet, i got her on the duck and rice and she's been great. I can't put her on the maintenance as she will most likely start vomiting again. All the hypoallergenic seems to be quite higher in protein levels, it's a shame i can't source a lower percentage one

[Lloyd90]

I feed my springer on raw, the package says they are 15% protein. 

He was rubbish on all the different kibbles I tried and only good on raw so have kept him on that, but does take a little more work. 

 

I am just this week attempting to add in a bit of terrier mix / biscuit to see how he does. 

[bigbird]

She’s 17 months old ....

I would be worried if a 17 month old didn’t have a lot of oomph and enthusiasm, particularly a bitch and especially if she’s from ‘hot’ lines.

Relax, it’s not as if you’ll be working her this season, they get their sensible head on when they’re ready.

I very much doubt it’s completely down to diet but it may be worth looking at.

Have fun and don’t stress about it 😊

 

Edited to say - you walk her before and after work, it’s understandable that she’ll be full of beans when out training - is she kennelled or in the house? (Sorry if I’ve missed it somewhere on the thread)

 

@Misser on here is the one to talk to about hyperactive labs 😂😂

Edited October 3, 2019 by bigbird

[Rossco89]

I have a lab that’s similar. “Like a firecracker” is a good description. Until she was about 3/4 years old didn’t seem to have an off switch. Much more relaxed now but in the field she is full of energy and enthusiasm.

I changed food for a lower protein option which I think helped. The only thing about extra walking is the dog just builds up stamina and it’s takes more to tired them. Intense training for short periods seemed to do the trick, tire the brain rather than muscles. 

[A1Decoy]

I'd switch her food to something better personally, www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk is a excellent website. Highly recommend Millies wolfheart or Eden. Skinners even though called hypoallergenic contains lots of grains. I feed ours the best we can afford. I've been told protein doesn't make a dog hyper by a nutritionist and its a old wifes tail.. don't shoot the messenger but thats what I was told.  Our dogs are on 45% Protein with Eden and do excellent on it, in the wild their means would have over 40% protein each time so protein does them no harm. 

Some dogs are just more hyper, our lab is super laid back and always has been but our good friends got a year old lab thats wired. Almost spaniel like.. she is getting better as she grows up but isn't a 'chilled' lab by any means.

Aimee @ A1