Feeling blue

[Parodius]

This morning was Neo’s final adolescence training class. As the weather was nice they decided to hold it outside which is normally better for us as Neo often finds it hard to concentrate inside as the set up means the dogs can’t see each other but can hear what everyone else is doing and his FOMO kicks in. It started off ok but after about 10 mins he started to get a bit frustrated and turned to picking up sticks which he often chews up and eats. My previous girl got very ill from a blockage caused by eating a stone so I’m a bit overly sensitive when it comes to this. I panicked and made the stupid mistake of trying to take it from his mouth and he caught me, hard. It was entirely my fault and I don’t even think he realised he got me, he was just chomping on the stick. The trainer was great and very sympathetic despite my stupidity, we had to get the first aid kit out and I finally stopped bleeding. Unfortunately I’d bled all over his treats and I was a bit of a wreck and couldn’t seem to pull myself together so we just left and now I’m feeling really low about the whole situation and Neo is a bit out of sorts. I generally don’t get too emotional about things but dogs seem to bring it out of me, plus I think lack of sleep and the near constant policing of an enthusiastic 8 month old pup are taking their toll

 

[HAH]

Hey hey @Parodius - you've unpicked this beautifully. The feeling low is entirely understandable and something I guarantee we can all sympathise with. You handled it as well as you could. The fact that the situation changed last minute, the pressure of a final class, the tension of stick chewing, the high drama of much blood - all on top of weariness and a lack of sleep - is a combination of stressful circumstances where it'd be suprising if something didn't snap.

Neo is probably out of sorts as he'll have picked up on the tension, and don't feel guilty about that; he'll bounce back. We're all living, breathing creatures doing our best. He loves you, you love him, it's just hard work sometimes and can feel a bit relentless (especially with a teenage pup who is full of energy!). Talk to yourself with kindness, as you would with a friend. If it's possible to get some sleep and have a bit of a breather, things will feel more manageable. And vent your frustrations here, it's a great place to let off steam with a sympathetic crowd of allies.

 

[M.F.]

Oh, you have my sympathy! Sleep deprivation ruins everything. And add an adolescent dog who wants to do their own thing, and it can be very upsetting!

I remember getting SO upset with the salesperson in the pet shop. I was so sleep deprived with a puppy that I totally lost it and even wrote to his manager. It was probably about something stupid, like he recommended the wrong size water bowl!!!

And Snowie was so distracted at dog school that we were always the worst. One of the (horrible) trainers told me that only Snowie hadn’t made progress. It was so disheartening, I left the class for good. Which was an excellent thing in retrospect because they were not a positive rewards based school.

We found a lovely school with tiny classes where each person and their dog did their own thing, with two instructors moving around. No competition. Our progress was our own.

If I ever have another dog, I’d not join a class. I’d have a trainer help me one on one. Distractions in a class setting can be too much for a young Labrador, and it’s certainly not setting them up for success.

 

[snowbunny]

Meh, you screwed up a little. We all do it. Last time I did this, I ended up in the hospital with a nasty fracture and the end of my finger half hanging off, and a fractured bone.Over a year later and I still don't have full feeling back. So don't be too hard on yourself, we can't all be on sparkling top form all the time, and at least you're not the class dunce.I console myself in the knowledge that someone else here has done exactly the same thing.

I still shudder at the memory of the crunch...

 

[Stacia]

@Parodius, we have all been there, but fortunately with time we forget! Just remember the saying "all this will pass" and I can assure you it will. There will be blips over the years, dogs are sentient animals and not robots, just like us, we are not meant to be perfect x

 

[Cath]

It was just one of those days. We all get them, don't worry about it. Tomorrow is a new day, be kind to yourself

 

[Parodius]

And Snowie was so distracted at dog school that we were always the worst

This has been our experience exactly, we always got our own special mention when they introduced a new activity, ‘if it’s too much for Neo just keep doing what you’re doing!’ I agree that one to one is probably the better option and will be looking into this, at least until he’s a bit older.

 

[Parodius]

I still shudder at the memory of the crunch

Ouch! Sounds like I got off quite lightly

 

[Selina27]

I guess you're bound to be feeling rubbish right now, not to mention in a bit of pain. @Parodius .
As others have said we are all only human and bad days happen.
I didn't have particularly positive experience with training classes either, with Cassie. Not even the plus R one , I went to. In fact I can hardly bear to think about it !.
I think there should be special classes for Labradors.

Cass was a nightmare really, but we kept the faith . You don't realise at the time but it's such a short period of time, there are years and years of wonderful time with a great companion to come x

 

[Naya]

I think we all completely understand how you are feeling. Harley was a nightmare in classes and I always got told at the start of an exercise that I could take her off for a short walk if it got too much. It made me feel rubbish st the time. Fast forward past the adolescent phase and she was great in any classes. We quite often take fun classes like doggy parkour, tricks etc now as she loves learning so much. You will get there

 

[Beanwood]

Ouch! From the other side of fence... a trainers perspective - I teach adolescent classes, this time round I have 3 young labradors and one mad young border collie! Seriously I am a nervous wreck by the end of the class! We do have lots of fun though plus cake, chocolate and counselling is offered at the end!

 

[Parodius]

Ouch! From the other side of fence... a trainers perspective - I teach adolescent classes, this time round I have 3 young labradors and one mad young border collie! Seriously I am a nervous wreck by the end of the class! We do have lots of fun though plus cake, chocolate and counselling is offered at the end!

I actually felt quite bad for the trainer as I suspect he didn’t go into his chosen profession to deal with small weepy women and their bloodstained treats. He handled it well though and was very kind. I like the idea of cake and counselling, this should be an industry standard

 

[snowbunny]

I suspect he didn’t go into his chosen profession to deal with small weepy women and their bloodstained treats

A large number of trainers and behaviourists end up in the professions because they have had to deal with their own problem dogs at one time or another. And it can be a bit addictive, when you have one "special" one, you often end up collecting more. Not looking around anywhere in particular

 

[Jacqui-S]

I think there should be special classes for Labradors.

^^ This.
Was Neo the only hooligan lab in the class @Parodius ?

 

[SwampDonkey]

^^ This.
Was Neo the only hooligan lab in the class @Parodius ?

When I went to puppy class with Rory it was a lab and lab cross class. 6 evil puppy boys there had been a fluffy little thing but the trainer transfered her out to a less silly class because she had no illusions about how it was going to be. It was very entertaining.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Awww, be kind to yourself. Adolescent dogs are tough and from my own observation, Labradors are the worst offenders (even though they come out lovely in the end!). Carbon was older when he found me and all his training has been online, but I took both my Rotties to classes for their first couple years. I was continually amazed that ANYONE would get a Lab because they all seemed like certifiable nut jobs. Not that Neo is a nut job - sounds like he was having a day is all - but man, that made me really respect people who made it through teenager hood with a Lab!

I hope you feel better after a good sleep.

 

[Parodius]

^^ This.
Was Neo the only hooligan lab in the class @Parodius ?

He was, there was a very serious (and handsome) black Alsatian and a cocker spaniel who was surprisingly calm compared to Neo. The other dog I think was a Cavalier King Charles but they only came a couple of times as she came into heat. There was another lab when we did the puppy group, a black lab called Daphne which I thought was a great name choice.

 

[Jacqui-S]

Labs are always the joker in the pack and show up their owners.
The lovely calm trusty family dog eventually comes. After the prolonged teenage stage.
Do you remember us saying "this too shall pass" ?
Have faith.
The tears will be worth it

 

[Lab_adore]

Labradors are the worst offenders (even though they come out lovely in the end!).

When does this 'end' come? Maxx is nearly 4 and a half and it hasn't arrived yet! Seriously, that is totally our fault and I own that

Classes were great for Maxx and we are thinking of going back. He was always the worst behaved, at first, and the first few weeks we were ready to give up and give him away. However after a few weeks he learnt to settle down after a short while and even made it out of kindergarten, through first class and into second class. Gosh that was a proud day.

 

[Candy]

You know this sweet little GoodGirlJoy I keep boasting about? Well, I was the only person at puppy school wearing gardening gloves to protect my hands. She was SO bitey! She got SO bored every time the trainer dared to actually speak to us and not do something that involved Fun For Puppies! I also had a similar stick related incident when she was about 15 months old. I was trying to take the stick from her mouth, she thought it was a game of tug and tried to hang onto it, she adjusted her grip, got my knuckle instead, thought it was still the stick so continued to play tug. I nearly passed out from the pain! To be fair, as soon as she realized it was actually my hand she let go and hospital wasn't actually required, although some people thought I should have gone. I still have my hand, albeit with a faint scar. I also have a sweet, funny, gentle little dog and it's hard to believe now that the early months were so challenging. She's more than made up for the sleep deprivation, stress and 'I can't believe I'm doing this again ' feelings. Just stick with it, we're all here for you and one day you'll be looking back and thinking, 'Well, it wasn't really so bad, was it?'