Why is my Labrador acting out?

If your Labrador has been acting out you might want to know why and what you can do about it. This post will show you common reasons why they do it and what you can do to get it to stop.

So, why is my Labrador acting out? Possible reasons are that it’s ill or injured, a change in its diet, someone mistreated it, stress, it needs exercise or you might have inadvertently rewarded the behavior.

There are many reasons why your Labrador might be doing it and it might be due to a combination of them. However, there are some things you can consider when trying to figure out the most like causes and there are a lot of things you can do about it.

Why your Labrador is acting out

Below are some common reasons why Labrador can act weird and what would make them more likely to be the reason why yours has been doing it.

A change in its diet

The reason might be that there is an issue with its diet. It might be eating things that it should not be, not eating enough, or it might not be getting the right nutrients in its diet. This would be more likely if it acts differently after eating certain foods or if it has started doing it since a change in its diet. You can look here to see what sorts of things you should and should not be feeding your Labrador.

Illness or injury

The cause could also be that it has gotten an illness or injury. This would be more likely if it has been showing other signs of being ill or injured such as vomiting or limping. If it does seem like illness or injury could be the cause the best option would be to take it to a vet.

Someone mistreated it

It might also be the case that someone mistreated your Labrador and now it is behaving differently due to things such as anxiety, fear or anger. This would be more likely if you know that someone recently mistreated it or if it acted out when someone was being aggressive towards it. It would also be more likely if it tends to act out when certain people are around.

Stress

The cause could also be that something has been causing it to become stressed. Things that might be making it be stressed could include having to be alone for long hours, someone recently leaving home or another pet dying. This would be more likely if it started acting out at around the same time that something happened that could have caused it to be stressed.

A change in its schedule

Labradors and other dogs generally like having a set routine that they can follow. If there was a sudden change in its schedule that could also have been causing it to act out. Sudden changes in its schedule could include being fed at different times, getting exercise at different times or being left alone at different times or for longer.

It needs exercise

When Labrador are not able to get daily exercise, they will often start acting out. It is normally advised for them to get at least an hour of exercise per day. If your Labrador has not been getting that much it would help to make sure that it does by walking it yourself or by getting a dog walker to do it for you.

You have reinforced the behavior

The cause might also be that you have encouraged it to act out by giving it things it wants when it does it. If you tend to give it things such as extra treats, toys or attention when it acts out, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards.

Instead, it would help to reward it when it is well behaved and to follow the tips below to get it to act out less.

How to get your Labrador to stop acting out

Below are a number of options you have when getting your Labrador to stop acting weird.

Make sure that it is not ill

If it seems like illness or injury is the reason why it has been acting out it would help to take it to a vet. By doing so you will be able to rule out the possibility of it being due to illness or injury and to get expert advice tailored to your particular Labrador.

Make sure that its diet is right

It would also help to make sure that your Labrador is getting the right diet, that no one else has been feeding it and that it does not have access to things that it should not be eating. You can look here to see what you should and should not be feeding it.

Give it lots of exercise

As mentioned above, it is important to make sure that your Labrador is getting a lot of exercise on a daily basis. If it is not it would help to give it exercise either by yourself or by getting a dog walker to do it for you.

Train it

It would also help to train it to be less likely to act out at you or at other people. You can do this by desensitizing it to other people and rewarding it for being well behaved.

You can watch the video below for more tips on how to do so.

Get help

If your Labrador has been being uncontrollable or you cannot figure out why it has been doing it, you could also get help from a dog behaviorist. Doing so should help you to see why it has been doing it and what you can do to get it to stop.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider when trying to figure out why your Labrador has been doing it.

Consider when your Labrador started acting strange

It could help to consider if anything else changed when your Labrador first started acting out.

If it started doing it suddenly, it would be more likely to be due to things such as a change in its diet, a change in how much exercise it gets or someone mistreating it.

When it does not act weird

If there is a certain time that it has been acting out more it might be the case that the timing has something to do with it.

If you notice that it does not act out when a certain person is not around it could be a sign that it does not like that person. Whereas, if it doesn’t act out on weekends when you are at home all day it might be a sign that it has some separation anxiety.