Lab strange behaviour

defender

Well-Known Member
My lab has started refusing to go out, she is six years old and i have had her for four years.
Often after a days shooting she does not want to go for an evening walk and I just put this down to being tired but now the behaviour is getting more frequent. Lately she has been reluctant to get into the land rover whereas she used to run to it when I picked up a gun. The last time I took her stalking she would not move away from the landy and I had to leave her in the vehicle. She has also started doing this in the car, she is keen to get in but reluctant to get out when we arrive at our walking destination. On saturday I had to carry her to the land rover but she was her usual self on the pheasant shoot.
Now she has started refusing to go for an evening walk, I can coax her a few yards but that is it and she doesn't pee or dump despite never going to the toilet in the garden so I am concerned about her not going to the toilet between her afternoon walk and the walk the next morning.
She seems happy enough and is in great condition and is full of energy on the pheasant shoot or when we do walk so I am at a loss as to this behaviour, any help gratefully welcomed!

Regards,

Martin
 
Hi,
a long shot. But has she become a little clumsy of late. Sounds like one of my old dogs who developed vestibular disease which makes them disorientated and they don't like to go in the car as they struggle to maintain balance.


Ian
 
There's a head scratcher.

The only similar experience I have had is with the Vizsla. He is always keen as mustard to go shooting, whether it be walked up, on a peg or stalking. Beautifully behaved and very useful on all disciplines. This year (he's now 4) he has taken to parking up on the walk in to the high seats. He knows where they are and knows when we are walking into them. I just put it down to the fact that he really doesn't like sitting up below the seat while I'm 3 meters in the air for a couple of hours. He is still well behaved, doesn't move a muscle even when the hares walk past a meter away, but he really doesn't like it and is beside himself when I come back down again. He is worse after a few outings on which we have been unsuccessful. I'm working on the principle that he has to learn to live with it and when I am successful make sure that he has a great track and a treat with lots of praise when I gralloch.

Is there something about the discipline of stalking (if that's when you have the problem - it reads like it) that she doesn't like? A bad experience with a deer, just not wanting to be separated from you in a seat, the discipline of having to walk to heel, the crack of a rifle? Do you give her a treat (piece of heart/ofal etc.) and lots of praise when you are successful?

It has to be a phycological thing...you just need to experiment and find out what it is. Not sure what passing just once a day has to do with it, possibly feeding time dependant. I feed mine once at 0700 and again at 1900 and he has a **** about an hour after feeding on both occasions, but then I eat 3 times a day and only have the urge to do it once :D
 
The jumping into the Land Rover thing may be a physical thing. At 6 years old, she should still be in her prime, but really that's middle aged and there could be some niggling injury or condition that stops her jumping in easily. Land Rovers aren't the easiest things to jump into.

But they all have their idiosyncrasies. My 6 year old dog is funny about rain. On a shoot day it doesn't matter what the weather is, but just for a walk, if it's raining, he's not keen. We have a corner of the garden with shillies that's a dog toilet. Fine weather - no problem. But if it's wet, he really would go all night rather than have a whiz. And food! Whoever heard of a Labrador not clearing up some spilt crisps from a grandchild? He will eat bread crusts, but not if there's jam or marmalade on them.

And then there's my daughter's dog that was prescribed anti-depressants. We often think of them as simple beasts, but there's more going on upstairs than we know.
 
Hi Ian,
No signs of clumsiness and most of the time happy to jump in the car.

Thanks,

Martin

Hi,
a long shot. But has she become a little clumsy of late. Sounds like one of my old dogs who developed vestibular disease which makes them disorientated and they don't like to go in the car as they struggle to maintain balance.


Ian
 
Nothing that I can put my finger on, sometimes she bounces with joy, spinning 360s, other times she just seems uninterested.

I don't think the toilet is connected, I am just concerned that she is not going out so may be uncomfortable because of it.

Thanks,

Martin

There's a head scratcher.

The only similar experience I have had is with the Vizsla. He is always keen as mustard to go shooting, whether it be walked up, on a peg or stalking. Beautifully behaved and very useful on all disciplines. This year (he's now 4) he has taken to parking up on the walk in to the high seats. He knows where they are and knows when we are walking into them. I just put it down to the fact that he really doesn't like sitting up below the seat while I'm 3 meters in the air for a couple of hours. He is still well behaved, doesn't move a muscle even when the hares walk past a meter away, but he really doesn't like it and is beside himself when I come back down again. He is worse after a few outings on which we have been unsuccessful. I'm working on the principle that he has to learn to live with it and when I am successful make sure that he has a great track and a treat with lots of praise when I gralloch.

Is there something about the discipline of stalking (if that's when you have the problem - it reads like it) that she doesn't like? A bad experience with a deer, just not wanting to be separated from you in a seat, the discipline of having to walk to heel, the crack of a rifle? Do you give her a treat (piece of heart/ofal etc.) and lots of praise when you are successful?

It has to be a phycological thing...you just need to experiment and find out what it is. Not sure what passing just once a day has to do with it, possibly feeding time dependant. I feed mine once at 0700 and again at 1900 and he has a **** about an hour after feeding on both occasions, but then I eat 3 times a day and only have the urge to do it once :D
 
I don't think it is a physical thing, she jumps into the land easy enough after a day out shooting.

rain is also a factor, like yours we can be out shooting all day in the rain but it does add to her reluctance for the evening walk.

Thanks,

Martin

The jumping into the Land Rover thing may be a physical thing. At 6 years old, she should still be in her prime, but really that's middle aged and there could be some niggling injury or condition that stops her jumping in easily. Land Rovers aren't the easiest things to jump into.

But they all have their idiosyncrasies. My 6 year old dog is funny about rain. On a shoot day it doesn't matter what the weather is, but just for a walk, if it's raining, he's not keen. We have a corner of the garden with shillies that's a dog toilet. Fine weather - no problem. But if it's wet, he really would go all night rather than have a whiz. And food! Whoever heard of a Labrador not clearing up some spilt crisps from a grandchild? He will eat bread crusts, but not if there's jam or marmalade on them.

And then there's my daughter's dog that was prescribed anti-depressants. We often think of them as simple beasts, but there's more going on upstairs than we know.
 
I've missed this post first time, apologies. From the sound of it, I'd check for pain first and an anxiety (perhaps the lady itself!) second. A trip to the vet is needed.
 
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