[Shelley Henderson]

I have a one year old male yellow lab who is very rambunctious and loves to go and play with other dogs but has problems settling down. He is fine is we leave him at home and we crate him. He never cries at night when we go to bed and put him in the crate. He is a bit hyper I guess but the vet says no more than other labs his age. She tells me he will calm down eventually. The problem is that we need to be able to send him for the occasional overnight and it isn't working out very well. He just won't settle down when he is away from home. He always wants to play and we have had to put a muzzle on him so that he doesn't nip at the other dogs and be in their faces all the time. He doesn't hurt them but he just wants to play and then when it's time to go to bed he just won't settle. Help!

[labman]

From Labman's stock advice on puppies biting, ''I maintain a Lab's favorite chew toy is another Lab. Otherwise they settle for any person they can.'' Well, they expect other breeds of dogs to want to play too. And usually they will unless they are older, many dogs losing interest in puppy games by age 3.



If somebody is going to keep your puppy, they will have to support the other dogs' efforts to discourage it, or isolate the dogs.

You are sending the crate along?

[Shelley Henderson]

Yes we are sending along the crate most definitely. The muzzle seems to work and that takes care of daytime issues it's just the settling down to go to bed away from home issue. Any thoughts?
Thanks

[labman]

You could try what I found eliminates the trauma of a new puppy's first few night in its new home. At bed time, with a new puppy, I have found lying down in front of the crate like you were going to sleep and speaking softly to it, or singing, until it settles down and goes to sleep works very well. Follow the pattern, a period of active play, outside to eliminate, and then into the crate.

[Shelley Henderson]

Thanks for the advice. I am not sure if that will work as the first time the owner did exactly this and he wouldn't calm down. She thinks that perhaps no crate the next time and let him sleep with her on the futon. I say do whatever works but see at home he is totally fine. Even when he was first very little he didn't have any issues. We are thinking that last summer when he was only 8 months we sent him to another place for a weekend and he was left alone in his crate in another building and this may have traumatized him. How do I undo this to let him know that staying away from is okay and we will come back? It's like a child isn't it? He goes regularly for short periods to get used to this new place and he loves going and he loves the owners but nighttime is a huge issue!

[labman]

Is she keeping the crate where she sleeps? Before long, he may accept the idea he isn't being left too long.

[Shelley Henderson]

As far as I know she does. She stays in the building at night. I guess it's just going to be a matter of time for him to figure it out!