05/29/2026
We wanted to share an update with you about Marley. On June 22, it will be two years since he joined our family.
Marley came to us at about 3 years old, very scared and shy. We knew he had come from a home with senior citizen owners, and we quickly realized we had some work to do. He loved going on walks, but needed much more training than we expected. His prey drive was very high, and honestly, everything seemed to overstimulate him — noises, rustling leaves, shadows, cars, and especially small animals.
We started with shorter walks, lots of calm reassurance, frequent stops for praise, and patience. I even made another loop in the leash for my second hand because if Marley spotted a live animal, he could nearly pull my shoulder out chasing after it! Over time, with lots of walks, calm talk, and encouragement, Marley learned how to walk beautifully on leash without darting after every small animal. When he is safely off leash, he still enjoys the thrill of chasing rabbits. At home, he mostly ignores the chicken coop unless something disturbs the chickens — then he immediately goes into watchdog mode.
Marley can now sleep through the early morning trash truck and the mailman. He still alerts us when Amazon arrives because they come a little too close to the door for his liking, but we can’t fault him for being such a good guard dog.
As for walks, Marley loves them so much that we now walk about four miles a day. Dog parks are okay, although it takes him some time to warm up. He tends to shy away from aggressive dogs and prefers friendly retrievers, but honestly, he would rather just enjoy his long walks.
And toys — Marley is unlike any other Lab we have ever known. He proudly brings us his stuffies when we come home and carries them around the house, but he does NOT chew them, shred them, or even desqueak them. Truly unheard of for a Lab, but wonderful for our toy budget!
He definitely eats like a Lab now too, barely stopping to breathe between bites. When he first arrived two years ago, he barely ate at all. He stays lean for a Lab, not overweight in the slightest. He is also the best kitchen helper because he is always nearby supervising food prep and sitting close during meals, hoping for carrots or apple slices.
I call him my chocolate shadow because he follows me everywhere. The second I sit down, he is ready to nap because he has spent the day following me from room to room. When my mother-in-law visits, Marley happily keeps her company while the rest of the house is at work or school. He will even jump in bed with the last person still sleeping if given the chance.
Last weekend, we hosted about 50 people for a graduation open house in our backyard, and Marley did amazing. We had no worries whatsoever. He greeted everyone, wandered through the party making friends, and always made sure he knew where mom was. By the end of the night, he was completely exhausted from all the excitement and missed naps.
We are so proud of the good boy Marley has become. We are so thankful we had the patience to help him grow into the dog he was always meant to be. The “good boy” was in him all along.
Here he is with his family and the graduate. Thank you, DLRR, Amber and Family
