Kylie and the black Lab

I thank you all for your advice. I have also emailed our breeder and they advised the following: Slow gentle walks for max 30 mins with training incorporated are OK. Based on what they have said and all of your advice, we have altered Jedda's walks to the following: 20 mins morning + 15 mins play time in yard 20 mins evening + whatever play she wants. During her walks she stops at every corner, stops to sniff things and "talk" to other dogs and she is always walking on a combination of grass and a footpath (moreso grass). Blacklabrador - you don't have to be so stroppy. I am only asking questions so I can do the best thing by my dog. I have always had Rotties in the past and walked them for up to half an hour - none of them had arithrytis.

Hi Sandgrubber, We can definitely see a waistline - she has quite a beautiful profile from the side. I think she is just a big stocky box head lab like her daddy. As for the exercise, thanks for putting my mind at rest a bit. Like I said previously - the walks are nowhere near strenuous, she actually comes home from them and runs like a loonie - from my point the walk is more a mental stimulus for her and some training. We have been very careful to avoid stairs, wrestling and jumping, so I'd still like to think we are doing the right thing by our beautiful girl. Cheers, kylie

Hi Paw Paw, What are your thoughts on exercise. Did you walk your lab prior to 12 months old?? Thanks for the weight advice. i will give her a feel over tonight too.

Breeder didn't really say anything about walking. I still don't really get it as when she runs around the yard - constantly and with vigour - isn't that "pounding" on her joints. Her controlled walks seem to take that "edge" off the psycho energy which I would think is where she could injure herself. I am always very careful with her.

To me that makes no sense - as the offlead stuff Jedda does is much more vigourous than the fat ass walk she does with me every day....... Having a VERY energetic lab - would drive her and us totally nuts if she wasn't walked....she waits for it every morning and night... Puppy school and jnr school actually recommended us walking her because she is so energetic and full of life. She has learned to walk on lead well, no pulling and sits at every corner before crossing the road. Going for walks is the highlight of her day!

Hi Showdog I split the walk into morning and evening - usually 40 mins morning, 30 mins evening. She is never jogging, only walking at my fat ass pace (which ain't that fast .... is this OK???

Hi all, Just wondering what the average weight of an 8 month old female lab is? Jedda is very broad across the chest and rear legs and her head is getting broader too. Her back is past my knee in height but she isn't overly tall. Some days she looks a bit porky but other days very slick. We are quite strict with her diet and she is walked for 1.5 hrs daily and played with for at least another 1-2 hours. She is 23kg's at present. Cheers, Kylie & Jedda

I was just wondering if dogs know when the weekend is? I know they are creatures of habit but yesterday I had a day off sick. Jedda thought I had left with her Daddy at the usual time but I was still in bed. When I came downstairs at 11am and she woke up and realised I was home, she wen't nuts. Even though I played with her in intervals, she would not settle and sat at the back door and barked at me all day!! Could she sense I was sick or was it just the change in routine??? She doesn't sit at the back door and bark on the weekends when we are home, just yesterday and she drove me nuts! It was such a miserable day with rain that we couldn't walk and I was sick anyway. I ended up putting her in the car and going for a drive to the pet shop to buy her a raincoat and a toy! When it got to 6pm when we usually get home, and the usual routine kicked back in, she switched back to "normal Jedda" and played and say outside like a good girl, not barking at all. ??? Has anyone had the same thing happen. This is more of a curiousity thing than a problem, although next time I am sick I may just come to work!!! Cheers, Kylie & Jedda

Yeah - the reason we got the lap and cap gates in the first place was for safety, security etc. Given she is so beautiful (not biased at all), I wouldn't want her to get stolen or fed etc either. (She isn't a huge barker by the way. ) Jedda has heaps of toys on rotation, kongs, hidden schmacko's etc, so I personally dont think she needs visability to the road. Thanks heaps to those who have replied so far.

We have lap and cap gates which have a few small gaps - but after Jedda has spent two weeks at Grandma and Grandpa's who have iron gates with heaps of visability to the road, my dad believes Jedda will get bored without the large visability to the road. I was always under the impression that the only a small gap was better as the dog would get frustrated with staring at stuff going past without being able to get to it and then possibly bark quite a lot more when we aren't home. What is the opinion and consensus on this one. Iron gates or lap and cap????? Cheers, Kylie and the now getting very large Jedda.

and a big thanks to Sidoney as well :p . I really appreciate all of your assistance. Until we get a chance to get the crate on the weekend. I messed up the routine a bit thismorning by making a coffee and moving around the house before letting her in for a walk. She barked at the laundry door - I then did the "grrrr" noise - after the second one of these, she was quiet, so after 5 minutes of quiet I let her in. She did seem a bit like "hey what's going on here!" My hubby was joking saying he would open the bedroom window and go "grrrr" whenever she barks at the AM!

Thank you to everyone who has helped me (especially Roo, Hugapuglet & dogs4fun) you have all put my mind at ease about using a crate. I think this is definately the way to go and I think we will put it in the loungeroom too so it is her "den". Where do you recommend we buy the crate from - ie the online sites or just go to a pet wholesaler? Thinking we will start the crate training thisweekend with our bubba. Again, thanks everyone, will keep you posted. Any more ideas or comments, please let me know!! Cheers, Kylie (&Wayne & Jedda)

Thanks everyone. i will discuss the crate option with hubby tonight... couple of questions: 1. is it just me or does my apprehension come from the fact that a crate looks like a jail cell??? 2. What size should I buy if we get one? 3. Wont she still need to pee/poo at 6am anyway??? 4. when she is used to the crate, should we always shut the door at night or leave it open?? cheers, Kylie

Weekdays Jedda's routine is: 5.45 bark bark bark let in (when quiet) and play/walkies/ food until 8am 8am to 12.30 - sleep time and roam around yard. each day she has treats hidden for her to find and rotated toys to play with ( although when we are home she sleeps most of this time anyway) 12.30-1.15 - home for lunch, play time and a snack 1.30-6ish - sleep time and roam around yard 6-7pm - walkies 7pm - dinner 7-10pm - inside relaxing with us and getting lots of attention. 10pm - outside to hound house - patted and said "in your bed" she voluntarily goes in and makes no noise Tues nights - goes in car to visit grandparents Wed night - jnr dog school Weekends - pretty much stays inside and follows us around wherever we are. Aren't generally out for long periods of time so she isn't alone for more than 4 hrs on a Sat or Sun. Also if we go anywhere, like golf or beach or outdoor cafe she comes with us. Hence, I just don't understand why she barks as we always get up around 6am. Even on weekends, I get up on Saturdays and my husband on Sundays. And in rain hail or shine! Basically whenever she barks in the am - we try and ignore her for half and hour at most, but she is persistent and we then open the door only when she is quiet. SHe is always included as a part of our family (fur child syndrome!) She has a very special place in our family, but I'd like the human/dog boundary to have a slight impact!! cheers, Kylie

back again - thing is..... once she is let in, she is totally fine!! She sits calmly waiting for me to go the loo etc. Follows me around until around 15 mins later we go for a walk. Of course she is excited at first so I rub her belly and give her pats...but there is absolutely no barking.. Given I need to leave for work at 7.45am, changing the routine isn't really an option as showering before walkies isn't really the go.... and I can't fathom getting up much earlier thatn 5.45!!!! so is it fair to think that it may be the "baby" thing like Bruno and Rachelle are also experiencing - or is this a bad behaviour that is going to get worse????? On weekends she doesn't instantly go for a walk, it can be up to an hour of just tinkering around inside before we walk her..... so her routine is mixed up a bit on weekends.... Also, given she has her own totally enclosed, waterproof houndhouse - which she voluntarily goes to for comfort, sleep etc..... would she really benefit that much from a crate... We have brought her inside on the odd night when whether is really bad and she has slept in the laundry but she has still barked????? thanks everyone! Kylie Oh yeah - she gets walked in the evenings as well!!!

morning.... Thismorning's events - Jedda started barking at 5.30am. I very quietly got out of bed at 5.45am and got dressed for the walk... I stood near the laundry door while she was silent for 5 minutes (could she feel my prescence - think YES!). Then let her in. She is very excited but doesn't bark at all. She sits and watches me go to the loo, get her lead etc and off we go. So i think it is a "wake up mummy" call - but I do walk her EVERY morning, she doesn't need to get her nickers in a knot at sunrise..... please tell me the barking every morning doesn't last till 2 years!!!! I really don't want to crate her as she is content the whole night, but is there any way to just stop the barking when the walk and inside is DEFINATELY coming, but just on my watch, not hers! Cheers, Kylie

The barking is definately an attention thing and it is the only time of the day that she is a little pain!!!! She definately is barking to get our attention and stops when she hears one of us come down the stairs... When she stayed at my parents for 2 nights recently she barked from 5am non stop until my dad went out to her... Is crating really the way to go? or is the ignore tactic the way to do it. I would really like to keep to her outside sleeping routine now that she is older...

Looking for like play school for dogs - have seen them on the TV before. Thought it may be good from a social aspect a couple of days a week.....

Would the crate be a temporary or permanent solution? As we have gone through the progression of adjusting her sleeping from ensuite to laundry and to outside. Our preference is to keep her outside as she can wonder around playing and do her toilet business. When she was in the laundry she would wake even earlier and bark as she needed to go to the toilet - so outside has eleviated that problem. She loves her houndhouse and putting her out at night isn't a problem at all - not one bark. Could we put the radio near her houndhouse??? Some people are saying to ignore her until she is quiet for a period of time, but I just worry about the neighbours.....

Hi, just wondering if there is any doggy day care in the North Ryde, Castle Hill, Epping, Baulkham Hills, Dural, Kellyville area??????

Hi Monie, She WONT stop!!! The longest has been an hour and a half... of the winging and barking... (and I don't want the neighours to throw onions at her either!!)

Yes, Jedda is a smart little cookie, that is for sure! She sleeps outside in her houndhouse and basically wakes early enough that we never wake before her. We have only even woken her around 4 times. It is her barking that wakes us up even before our alarm clock. She only goes silent at intervals, so there is really no window to reward except for in these "moments". So are we still rewarding her for barking even when she is quiet?? Will she grow out of this or are we just reinforcing the behaviour by going to her in the quiet moment (even if it is an hour after she initially started barking)???? We are in a two story house so how she even hears our movement in the bedroom I don't know??????? Cheers, Kylie

Jedda is now nearly 5 months old and at first she was barking at 4.30 in the morning. She still barks every single morning at between 6 and 6.40am. She does not stop barking until she hears that one of us is getting up. She is then quiet as she knows we don't open the door for her unless she is quiet. It is then walkies time. Why does she continue to bark like this every single morning???? She does get a walk every morning so it's not like she has to beg for it!! She won't even let us sleep past 7am on weekends!!!! Any suggestions are welcome as this is the only consistent problem we have with her, otherwise she is fantastic! Cheers, Kylie

Hi Rhi, Try a "gentle leader". Our Jnr school trainer recommended it. It is fantastic. Took Jedda a few days to get used to it, but it is great.

Hi Choc lab... took me a couple of days to reply as I am on hols at the moment so have limited access to a PC. Just so you know Jedda is 19 weeks and this is pretty much her diet.... 8am - raw chicken drumstick (organic). We buy the organic ones as have heard some stories about all of the chicken hormones etc making dogs nuts. We only eat organic chicken - so why not for Jedda too. We get the drumsticks by the tray in woolies and are only about $3 for a 4 pack. mid morning if we're at home - lamb neck or lamb cutlet snack if she is being a pest - pigs ear dinner - 2 cups Royal canin, 1/2 organic chicken breast, 1/2 cup green vegies (whatever we eat usually) snack for training - 3 small cheese cubes weekly - 1 or 2 eggs - raw in bowl I live in the Hills area NSW and buy the royal canin from the pet wholesaler on Carrington Ave, Castle Hill. I have heard there is another wholesaler in the area you can mail order from but I don't know the name - could try a google search. Jedda is putting on weight at a good steady rate - she isn't fat and her coat is amazing. So hopefully we are doing the right thing. From day one she was not a morning eater, even as an 8 week old she would not eat breakfast, so we shifted to what she seemed to enjoy - a larger evening meal. Hope this helps. Cheers, Kylie