Q: Hi, I have been looking through some of the responses on dogs and I have a problem with our Lab. She jumps up a lot and we just got an underground fence installed so she can run, but lately she sees our son getting ready to get on the bus and the dog will just run past the flags and gets so excited she does not care if she gets shocked or not. Some times I will walk away from the dog and he will run up behind me and bite my shoulder or my coat. What is this dog trying to tell me? My husband is about at his wits end with the dog. I find our family in the midst of fighting about the dog and I don't want that at all. Please help our family get back to a normal life.
A: Underground fences are not effective with dogs who have high prey drive--as you are seeing, when the dog is in a high enough state of drive, he will run right through the shock. He needs a real fence.
At 6 months of age, this dog is going to get larger, stronger, and more vigorous in his behavior before he settles down. Labradors require several months of owner commitment to weekly obedience class and daily practice of the lessons. Labradors were bred to be able to work all day, and without serious training, frequently will not do well at all as pets. This training need not be expensive, if you check with your local obedience club. These classes are taught by volunteers, and they do little or no advertising. You can find the obedience clubs listed by state at the AKC website, http://www.akc.org
The destructive chewing stage probably has not started yet--the chewing you've seen up to this point would be baby stuff compared to what will come when his permanent teeth need to be set in the jaw by chewing. So that is another difficulty ahead for your family in dog ownership.
If you got this dog from a responsible breeder, get in touch with that person to help you figure out what your family wants to do. Breaking through the shock and running loose, your dog may become a menace to the neighbors, and of course all the financial and legal liability for that will be on you. In some localities, an owner whose dog hurts someone seriously enough can even go to jail! At 6 months, your dog's defense drives have not even kicked in yet. At that point, some things that are playful now can turn very, very serious.
Also talk to your vet about a local trainer or behavior specialist who can work with you, especially if there is no responsible breeder or breed rescue group standing behind the dog to help you now. Don't delay getting help, because without the right intervention, these problems will get much worse--and new problems added--before they might get better.