Moose has been with us for about a month now, and overall, he’s been an absolute trooper. At just eleven weeks old, he’s nearly housebroken—a remarkable feat for a Labrador his age. He’s mastered “sit” and “stay” when it’s time for meals, and we’re currently working on “lie down,” which he’s about 80% of the way to nailing.
But let me tell you, Moose is stubborn. Really stubborn. If he decides he doesn’t want to follow a command, it turns into a full-on showdown. His bullheadedness is starting to wear on us, and it feels like we’re dealing with the canine equivalent of the “Terrible Twos.” From our experiences with other dogs (and our daughters), we know this phase will pass. Eventually, he’ll figure things out and start following the rules.
Moose is also in the teething phase, and as expected, he’s nipping at everything. Convincing him that this isn’t acceptable behavior has been a challenge because, to him, it’s just another fun game.
Another challenge we’re facing is that Moose is still too young to be fully vaccinated, making it risky to take him outside of our property. As a result, he’s bursting with energy—the kind that has him bouncing off the walls. We’re doing our best to tire him out before his next vaccination in a week and a half. Once he’s fully vaccinated, we’ll finally be able to take him for walks, which should help him burn off all that puppy vigor.
I know this is just a phase. Labrador Retrievers are an intelligent and loving breed, eager to please their humans. Moose is testing his boundaries right now, seeing what he can get away with. Our job is to remain consistent in our training and make it clear what’s allowed and what’s not.
As I said at the beginning, Moose is a good puppy, and he’s learning. Once he gets past this “Terrible Twos” stage, he’ll be much easier to train and far less frustrating for our family.
