NewKid

Sorry, should have mentioned, I dont have a breeder, she is a rescue x breed. To date the following breeds have been mentioned as possibilities, mastiff, APBT, great dane, labrador, staffy, boxer. The staffy bit was feasible when small but now????? She is 25 kg now so even if she doesnt grow any more, (impossible at 6 m I know :D ) she is still large. Hi, I have a labrador puppy and my vet told me to avoid supermarket brand puppy foods as they are too high in calcium - he stressed this because of hip displaysure (sorry about spelling). He said high calcium foods are incredibly bad for dogs that might develop this condition. I see in your list of possible breeds a few that might have the potential to throw this condition so it's probably a good idea to be careful which food you use. I use a dedicated Labrador puppy food from Royal Canin (Lab 33) but they do a large breed puppy formula as well. I tried it first, but it made his poos incredibly smelly whereas the lab 33 mix is fine. Another brand that has low calcium is Eukanaba Large Breed Puppy. Probably any of the better brands that are aimed at large breed puppies would fit the bill - just read the ingredients to figure out the ratio of calcium etc.

It might be just a phase or a bad habit, but I would speak to your vet if he is constantly eating his own poo. Most dogs will have a go at other poo, but they don't regularly eat their own. If they are eating their own poo it might be due to an underlying problem & there will usually be other symptoms. Your vet should be happy to tell you over the phone if it sounds like a dietary/health problem. If there is no problem then, as others have said, you'll either have to be quick or look the other way. :D

I hope you are right about that...I'm a bit depressed right now because he's had a few days of serious obedience training, plenty of walks etc. I even built him a custom sand/dirt pit today, then he burrowed his way back into the garden tonight - damage extensive & tolerance strained to breaking point. No digging this time, just a general destruction trail! He seems to home in on the pot plants that I can't replace. :rolleyes: We are going to build a more robust fence - basically a dog run, and keep him in lock down when he is not supervised. It's a shame but I don't know how else to proceed. BTW, the yard was fertilised about 8 months ago with chook poo and cow manure - I don't know how long it stays smelling yummy though?

I thought I would reply to everyone in one hit - saves reading and scrolling! First, thanks for taking the time to help. I can see that my heading might have been misleading, after all he is a very normal labrador puppy! It's heartening to hear that most labs stop being so high maintenance when they mature. I have already started scattering his food - feels weird but he likes it. I will also do short sessions of obedience training each day & see how he goes. I am already a member of the Obedience Club and will join the Agility Club when he is 1. Scarlet, I have a question about the sandpit - he already has an area that he is allowed to dig up as much as he likes. Naturally he took it one step further and somehow dug out the retaining cement around the garden and started to lift the pavers. Would a sandpit be more interesting to him? I was going to spread sand in his digging area but I could use a shell instead if you think it has a better result. Poodle Wrangler, on exercise & company- he is walked every day and played with - there is only one day of the week when everyone is away. He is given plenty of big shin bones to chew and has numerous toys. I did try a Kong with peanut butter but he had no interest in that toy and it has disappeared (I think he buried it?). Miss Monaro, I have already discovered the fun of plastic milk bottles and found out very early it is best to remove the lid - it's no lie that labs will eat anything! Bloss344, thanks for the website - I'll take a look. I know it sounds like boredom (the stopping to dig in the middle of play) but that day there were about five new people playing with him and kids everywhere and he couldn't seem to stop sniffing and digging at the ground with his nose (not his paws). I know that doesn't sound like much but he can dig out plants in the garden with his nose and usually once the nose starts, the paws follow.

Hi all, Banjo is the first labrador I have ever owned and I cannot believe how destructive he is. His bent is digging, stripping plants and eating inedible objects. We have fenced him off into his own area, removed all of the plants we cared about, and ignore most of what he does in the way of digging/pruning. However, he has started to attack the hanging baskets (after checking to see if anyone is looking!) and managed to burrow his way into the rest of the garden last night. We were met with a trail of destruction this morning that defies description. I don't know what to do to stop the digging. He is walked every day, taken to obedience once a week and the dog park twice a week. I have two young children who play with him and I also play fetch with him. But he sometimes stops in the middle of play to start digging in the lawn! What I want to know is, will he grow out of this, or are we doing something wrong? Any ideas or reassurance would be appreciated ;)