LilyW

Hunter is just gorgeous....

Hey All, My girl is 13 weeks and has the runs quite bad at the moment. When we got her we were given two lots of wet food to try, we have recently gone back to the first lot and in the past she has never had a problem with the change over. She is still eating fine and seems to have the same amount of energy. Is it perhapes the combination of the change of food and maybe the heat at the moment (as i am in Victoria) that could be causing it?

Thanks all... will do that. Though at Puppy School we were told it is not a bad thing having her there as she needs to get used to groups of people, but i agree, will just keep my eye on her and keep her somewhere safe.

Thanks for the advice all, i will make a mental note not to buy the 'no chew' and just try some other products if she does start to chew. Still yet to get a kennel, so once we purchase that she will go outside - i am already stressed for her - i know she is a dog and will be ok, yet here i am at work and i have left the cooler on at home so she doesn't get too hot today... best to get her outside sooner than later though... Thanks for the advice on the bones etc aswell, will look into some dried things aswell.

In puppy school we were told when feeding them, get them to wait for the food and then when you give them the command to eat and they begin, take the food away and get them wait again and place it down once more and let them eat. I have done this with our pup and she is really good, no issues and is not at all food aggressive. I wanted to make sure she was good with the eating especially as she will be a big dog one day and you don't want a dog that gets aggressive or upset when someone goes near the food let alone taking it away.

Thanks shekhina, your right. I think my boyfriend and I are really good with Lily but sometimes its the other influences you have to be careful of cause our friends and family are putty in her paws.. or so to speak. We are having a housewarming next week, so i guess it will be a good test but i hope people follow our rules, otherwise there will be a few bad habits picked up. Hopefully the peeing thing passes soon, will have to work on my guests...

Unless you block access to things you don't want chewed, there is probably little you can do about it for now. The pup will eventually settle and grow out of it, but for now make sure there is plenty of dog type chewable things in the yard to keep the pup busy. Pay a visit to your local pet supplies store and look for things like kongs and treat balls that you can stuff with goodies, and big rawhide chewy rolls are great. Build a sandpit and bury treats in it, always good fun and teaches them to dig in the right spot instead of the wrong spot. Big marrow bones are great. Get the butcher to cut them in half so the pup can get at the good stuff inside, but keeep an eye out with big bones lying around the yard, as depending on the time of year, they can attract bees which the pup may snap at and cause a sting in the mouth. They can cause swelling and block airways. Make sure the pup has a comfortable bed with plenty of shade and access to fresh water. BTW I had a pup that used to alternate between digging a golf course and chewing on the house itself. I gave up trying to maintain a decent garden. He lost interest around 12 months. Great, thanks so much all for the advice. I was going to look into the sandpit thing, have heard thats a great idea. I know she is going to distroy the garden, not much you can do when you work - its ok if you can watch them 24/7 but for some people that just isn't possible, so i am prepared for that. Will keep my fingers crossed what we leave for her is enough entertainment. I take her out for a bit of a walk mornings and nights, so i hope that gets out a bit of energy, but i guess puppies have plenty of reserves when it comes to energy. Thanks again....

Hi Guys... I have too many questions at the moment!!! My puppy is peeing everywhere when a new person comes over. I assume this is an excitment/nervous thing. What is the best way around it and will she eventually grow out of it?? Is it best for people to only pay attention to her when she calms down and is outside. We don't give her attention when we get home until she sits and is calm, though she doesn't pee with us - is it best to make sure our guests do the same?

Thanks Akitaowner, we tend to put her outside when we are home and she does seem to love chewing grass and some plants - which the vet said is a retriever thing. But i know many people with dogs that have had the chewing of decks etc, so was hoping to prevent that - but i guess there is a chance she might not even be interested in it. Whats the best bone to get for a puppy?

My golden x rotti will be heading outside this week to get used to spending time in the backyard while we are at work. Just wondering if there are any products i can use to prevent her from chewing our deck area and stairs outside, i know not all dogs do it, but i have heard that there are some products you can buy to help them stay away. Any other advice you can offer for leaving a puppy outside for the first time??

When i feed Lily, i get her to sit a fair way away from her food and she stays until i say alright. Once she starts eating i pat her for a bit, even really close to her mouth - she is fine with it, even wags her tail. I don't want her to be one of those dogs when she is older that growls when you go near their food. So i have been told the patting while they are eating is helpful in calming them. I have alot of family and friends that have dogs and some of them are so badly behaved it amazes me - from what i have been told you have to been firm and consistent and make sure they know where they stand. I had people over the other night and we were telling them all the rules for our dog - if she bites, stop giving her attention, don't let her jump at you, don't give her any of your scraps etc - they were all laughing at us - but in the end she will be a happy well behaved dog - I HOPE!