Question About Dogs!!

He's getting older and he's not getting enough exercise probably. Labs need to go for several walks a day and they need to PLAY. Just like toddlers. When he was younger he slept a lot and was probably content. Now he needs exercise. (He also doesn't need a bark collar. They're inhumane.)

Just like a baby, he is trying to tell you something and all he can do is bark. Take him to training classes somewhere, like Petsmart, and learn how to be a good dog owner. And also, find a place to let him run at night before you go to bed. Sounds like he's lonely, and bored. Maybe he could sleep with you, instead of in the kennel.

Labs are very vocal.
Is he neutered? If not, he may be barking because there's a femaile in heat nearby.

we have a chocolate lab and she barks at EVERYTHING when i lived with my mom we had a lab mix dog and he barked at everything if the wind blew the wrong way he barked.

Labs will be puppies for 2-3 years, and it is like having a new baby for awhile. I agree with the other posts, he DEFINITELY needs more exercise. Our lab needed to swim twice a day to be tolerable.

Crate training is great, but it sounds like too much crate time at your house. Definitely go to doggie obedience classes and do some reading. Have fun!

You need to learn about Labs in particular, and dogs in general. I agree to seek training, and that your lab needs a lot more exercise.

This website and the book mentioned there will help:
http://www.canis.no/rugaas/

It's about learning to read dog body language and the signals they give to what they think and feel. It helps!

Labs can be very high energy and when they don't get it out it will manifest as behaviors such as barking. How long is he crated 8-9 hrs a day maybe more while you are working. He's a puppy just like a toddler if he sleeps all day he is going to want to be up all night. Your son might run and play for hours at night but that's only a fraction of a 24 hr day until he is a few years old he needs more than just a few hours of play.

I think if the poor pup is only out of the crate for three hours each day, that is not enough for a lab. Even if he does get to run around with your son for a while, he needs more interaction. Obedience classes are a great idea as well as multiple walks per day: morning and night. Good luck

For me personally, I have 2 dogs and we only used the crate in the very beginning for training. After that, just pet beds. Both our dogs have pet beds in the bedroom with us. Crating all day while you're at work is way too long.
Our dogs have never been a problem being in our house all day. If you're worried about chewing or something, gate off a section of your house.

Kennel training can be great for a dog, but he is spending too much time in the kennel. I know it's hard to let them roam while you are gone since he is probably going through his chewing phase. We puppy proofed our bathroom and left our chewer in there. It gave her more room to move. Once our dog was past the destructive phase we just left her out. He needs lots of exercise....lots. Running, playing, long walks. A swim would be great if that's an option...labs love water. This needs to happen before and after work. When he is in the kennel a blanket may help block out lights and distractions. We invested in a doggie door so our dog could get in and out when she wanted. We can also leave her for a weekend without having to kennel her. Our dog is half lab and half golden retriever. She has her moments, but I would not say she is a barker. Just like a baby, the bark is usually our dogs way of talking to us.

I have two yellow labs. I never had the barking problem you describe, but I can tell you that labs are really a lot of work the first year or so. It is completely worth it though - if you put in the work, you will end up with the most loyal, loving member of your family.

If he can sleep through the night without needing to pee (he should be able to do this soon), you might want to try getting a dog bed and letting him sleep on the floor in your room or your son's room. The dog will be much happier being near his people. You don't say where the crate is now, but in your room is the best place.

When we got our first lab, I found this website and found SO much info there on training, health, etc. Check it out!
http://www.justlabradors.com/forum/

Try taking at least an half hour walk before bedtime. Don't let him sniff and stop a lot, just keep him moving. See if that doesn't help him sleep better at night.

Labs need a LOT of exercise. My brother's lab can run & fetch a tennis ball for HOURS on end. Plus you have the puppy factor (ENERGY!) as well.
It's very extreme. They need this outlet every day. Try to work more activity in for him. Morning and before bed.

Make sure he gets a nice walk before bedtime. What I did with a past dog that was a barker at night was this. Every time the dog barked, I went over and squirted a tiny bit of lemon juice in his mouth and said NO BARKING in a stern voice. I had to do this over and over and over but it only took one night. No positive attention. Very consistent.

Labs are high energy. He needs lots of exercise. He also needs to be trained. Labs are great dogs but are also very destructive. Take him to an obedience calss and on the weekends get him to a dog park. Have him meet as many other dogs and people as possible now. Don't wait.
By the way, our lab ate everything until he was 12. ANything laying on the floor became dog food, Lego's , Barbies, matchbox cars, pencils, anything.

When you take the dog out when he barks..he's training YOU and knows that will get attention. I leave the radio or TV on for our dog to ease her separation anxiety when we leave the house and at bedtime.

From what I have researched and read there are several different types of approaches here. First of all where is the dog kept at night? Do you think it would cause more riff to place the kennel into the room with you or your son? Dogs are naturally part of the pack and when excluded -well they don't feel part of the pack. If it doesn't make a difference or just makes it worse then cross that off the list. It could be that the dog is just missing your son and wants to be by him......the second thing is I have heard that you set the crate to where they cannot "see" you-when their barking episodes exist.....not as a permanent solution-the crate needs to be kept where they feel part of the pack but if you know at night this is when it happens place it to where he can't "see" you coming to correct that bad behavior. Which brings me to the next question.....what type of crate do you have? I know with my Dal he would bark his little head off in those wire crates and when covered up by a blanket we wouldn't hear a peep out of him-partly I think because it made it feel more like a "den". Eventually we went to an airplane type crate to me I like those type better. Anyways back to the first part you set the crate to where they cannot see you and when they start the barking you go in and literally shake the crate or make a loud bang without the dog being able to see you. Everytime the barking continues you do it again. Eventually the dog puts two and two together and will pipe down after the figure out everytime they bark this other noise seems to occur but I will be honest with you-I read this and I'm not quite sure if its such a great approach and I never tried it since changing the crate seemed to work for us. I'm sure with some dogs its fine with others like mine it would probably drive them even more. The next step is to literally spray him with a water bottle and tell him "QUIET" and walk away-this approach never worked for us and only made him bark even worse it seemed but my dog is VERY stubborn-very. 5 months old seems like its soon enough for some dog training-have you checked into this because pretty soon he is going to get bigger and harder to handle. Believe me I know all too well. I had my Dal at 6 weeks old and he is now 2 years old and 90+ lbs. Had I not incorporated the no jumping, snapping, etc from the get go I can't even imagine trying to handle him now. He is still alot to handle but this is my 2nd dal boy and I know that it takes them at least 5 years to calm. I thought getting him neutered would help and maybe it did some but he still has those moments where I get so irritated at him for getting into stuff and being "nosy" that I put him in his crate to stay out of my hair until I can finish what I'm doing. I will say overtime he has learned-although he is still a pretty nosy dog-lol. Put it this way-a dog has to "earn" its privelage. Meaning you don't take an eye off of them until you know they can behave properly. If they go around peeing in your home-they obviously haven't "earned" that privelage to have freedom to roam about on their own you keep them tied on a leash attached to you so you can watch them every single second that way when they decide to go potty right there-you can correct it right then and there. They also sell these collars that release I think citronella everytime the dog barks to teach the dog not to bark....but they are expensive from what I understand and why spend that type of money if you can accomplish in other ways? I would use it as a last resort type thing. I had a dog trainer but he was awful -all he did was come over and talk about his drugged out girlfriend and then eventually he left her so then he talked nothing more about all the different women -I signed a contract and he owned his own business so I had to wait out the end of my contract. I should have stood up and told him how it was but for some odd reason I didn't want to hurt his feelings-lol! I look back at it now and I think to myself why did you put up with that??? So make sure whoever you get I wouldn't suggest signing no contract with them and make sure they have someone else you can go to if for some reason you don't feel like they are connecting with your ideas on training. There are sooooooo many different methods out there and there are alot of them out there who aren't in it for the dogs or owners and actually do more damage because of their methods. My dog's spirit was damaged because of this dog trainer and he fears......at the time I thought it was just the way it is. However after researching which I should have done first I found out other ways but its hard to get a dog back once their spirit has been destroyed so make sure you are careful with whom you choose.

If he is alone and kenneled all day, running in the evening just isn't enough. You could get him some crate toys like a kong (a toy that you stuff with peanutbutter or other treats that he has to work to get out.) He definitely needs more exercise. If you have a friend or neighbor who could walk him during the day and maybe take him to a dog park, it would do wonders. He is a baby and as he grows, his needs change.

I would check around his crate and see if something is waking him up..such as flashing lights from computer or clock or such. Also if the crate is under a window or close to a door move it away from there cause outside noise might be bothering him. Depending on where you live some random critters could be making noise outside and causing the barking. If you can't move the crate away from lights or noise look into getting a cover for the crate to block out light and most noise..a blanket will also work well.
A little late in warning but labs even though they can be great family dogs also tend to be the most troublesome in that for the first two or three years they can be a lot of trouble. From barking,chewing everything and anything they can fit their mouths on to all around trouble makers.
I strongly urge you to get you and your puppy into obedience classes.

5 months old is a baby/puppy. Of course he's going to bark. Having a puppy is just like having a baby and a lot of people don't realize it. You do need to give a dog/puppy a bathroom break in the middle of the night. Most humans get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, so you can't expect the same from a dog. Since he's a baby, the barking could be anything. If it's not to go potty, it could be an animal/something outside, (They can smell other animals, even when inside a house.) it could be he's lonely, not sleep due to sleeping all day, not enough exercise, tummy ache, etc. If he's fully housebroken and doesn't chew stuff he's not supposed to, you really don't need to keep him in a crate...You could leave the crate door open for him. We have a 6 yr. old pomeagle and sometimes he will bark a lot at night if he has a tummy ache or just isn't sleepy. A lot of times I will make sure he doesn't have to potty first, before I ignore his barking....but remember, dogs usually bark for a reason. If you don't want him on your bed, you could get a doggie bed and train him to sleep on that in your child's room. It's a good idea to have a non-agressive dog in a child's room for protection/as an alarm.

Maybe try leaving him in a room at night where he can do minimal or no damage. A laundry room or something. Labs can be pretty difficult for awhile because they're so energetic, and they also love to be with their people family lol. Thats the only thing I can really suggest. He may be suffering from seperation anxiety!

Oh goodness, sounds like our lab! :0 Maybe labs are known for barking, I don't know! Haha :) We had to get our lab a bark collar...seriously, he would not shut up! He is in his kennel too at the same times yours is and he barks at every little thing! Things we don't hear! He is almost 7 now & has been much better. Sometimes I wish we still had the bark collar ;) He will get over it I promise. Yes it is like having a newborn! If u haven't already, try giving him a bone at night in his kennel...a hard one that will last for DAYYYYYS...puppies like to chew to release anxiety & pain from new teeth until they are well over a year old. I'd say just keep ignoring him. We had a book called 'The Perfect Puppy'. Bought it from Petsmart. Lots of great tips! Our first dog too. Good luck & don't give up! We love our lab & he is our 2 girls 'best friend' too! We LOVE him! Except when he barks! LOL =D WOOF!

Don't know about labs but my golden was 17 when she died and she barked six times in her life. So it isn't a retriever issue.

When our retrievers were puppies we put a blanket over the crate at night. Told the dog this is different. It also kept out noise and lights. We draped it so the front of the crate is exposed, like a cave which is what the crate is supposed to imitate.

yep having a puppy is like having a baby.
Get him a bone to chew on a big rawhide one , stay away from nylabone they have been known to splinter.
Also make sure you take him out on a leash before you go to bed to make sure he goes. You can train him to go on command, just tell him "go" repeatedly and when he goes praise him and he will eventually get it. Labs are known to be hyperactive and barkers. I'm gonna guess not much research was put into the choice of dog. They have tons of energy . Because he is crated all day he will need LOTS of exercise when you get home. You may want to ask a neighbor to check in on him maybe play with him a couple of times a day while you are at work. My aunt used to breed and show labs. They are very trainable but they are stubborn. Try picking up a dog whisperer book . and getting him in a puppy class get him trained. That's essential. Also larger dogs tend to mature slower than small dogs so expect toddler like behavior for a while.

a barkign trick I've used before is to take an empty soda can put a hand full of pennies in it and tape the opening shut when they bark shake the can near the kennel and say "no bark" it startles them and they learn not to bark randomly

It is my thought that your dog wants to sleep in your son's room being they are best friends. Labs are GREAT dogs and are very protective, especially with children. Unless everyone in my house is at home at night, my lab is on edge and barks with every sound he hears. Is keeping him out of the crate at night an option? I think you would get more sleep that way.