poodlefan

Follow up on your trainers recommendations Siobhan and book in for a behavioural consult ASAP. I hope the kennel will not put your two dogs in the same kennel/run together? Given they they are 'strangers' and in a highly stressful environment, I'd not be doing it. Kenneling alongside each other would be safer. Fear can be a trigger for aggressive behaviour - dogs will behave this way in an attempt to drive away the threat. If she'd been further provoked and her warning barking ignored, she may have been triggered to bite. Thank your lucky stars she didn't. I'd say the sooner you seek qualified professional advice the better. She's going to grow into a powerful dog. That said, the vet acted like a pork chop.. crowding and staring at her would be very confrontational.

Start with a vet check.. I'd be wanting to eliminate a pain reaction. Could leaving the collar on all the time be causing knots? Remove the collar, and perhaps try a slip lead that has a stopper so it can't tighten too much.. that way you can open the slip lead, and put it on without having to attach it to a collar. I'd also be working hard on pup tolerating handling.. how much is puppy handled other than to have it's lead attached? It's possible puppy is being a dominant little shite who bites when thwarted.. in which case, if the vet rules out pain, I'd be summoning a decent trainer. What some thinks is "firm" may not be getting the right message through to the pup. Alternatively, it could be a fear based reaction - you need to see what's going on.

Congratulations Bear. I bet the title was all the sweeter for knowing how hard you've worked to get there.

Todd: .Crikey, that's dark ages thinking. Most decent vets and breeder will tell you NEVER to add calcium to a pup's diet. Feeding calcium without the right balance of phosphorus can lead to serious issues, as can too much calcium. Luckily, nature has seen fit to provide us with just the right cal/phos mix... in edible bone. If you want to feed mince (which does not a lot for a pup's teeth and give little chewing exercise) feed chicken pet mince with bone in it. Otherwise feed chicken necks, wings and, as puppy grows, carcasses, lamp ribs etc. Even my toy poodle wolfs those down without any problem.

Its a very good source of training sets. They have new ones every month. Clean Run sell that sort of stuff too.. books full of sets etc.

Perhaps at your local dog club or in the home of the nearest agility tragic. No newsagent sells them here... you subscribe online to either receive a mag posted from the USA or get the PDF emailed to you. The electronic version is cheaper.

Clean Run is a very good one. They have a magazine, a chat list and a very comprehensive online shop. You can buy a lot of instructional material from here but the magazine is also very good.

Botheration, you have a Lab... probably at the top of the list for mouthiness If you want to speed things up .. put the pup on lead. Have OH or you hold the lead or tie it to something solid. You interact with puppy and remove yourself just out of reach if he mouths... it can help speed up the "no play with your mouth" lessons because you can keep going back or withdrawing quickly. Praise good behaviour .. and give puppy opportunties to mouth appropriate objects. It's just an observation of mine but my belief is that dogs given the opportunity to chew bones etc seem less inclined to chew hands, feet etc - or at least less frantic about it. Chewing is important to skull and neck development so do give access to appropriate chewing objects.

Blue coloured dogs may be prone to skin issues. I'd definitely be careful about feeding wheat or corn (two very common food allergens) to your pup Todd.

Unless you train a pup out of it.. it could last forever. If you've ever been around an adult dog with no mouthing inhibition, it's no laughing matter. The studies show this is not something that can be taught to an adult dog.. they either learn it as pups or not at all. A pup isolated from other dogs has only one source of learning not to mouth... people. There are quite a few threads about mouthing here and some excellent books about puppy training. The advice about discouraging calmly and making the behaviour unrewarding is very sound. Time outs (you leave or he does) may assist. It's a harder lesson to teach some dogs (and breeds) than others. Persistance may be the key.

Rice is a cereal. It has little nutritional value for dogs beyond being a readily accessed source of carbohydrates. Unless the chicken mince has bone in it, this diet would be amost devoid of calcium.. a disaster for a growing pup. If this is all the breeder proposes to feed the pup, it is not a very good diet IMO and could lead to major nutritional deficiency. Either feed a premium puppy food (not something you are likely to find in a supermarket), perhaps with chicken wings or similar added OR a carefully researched raw diet or maybe a mix of both. You might discuss your pup's diet at its first vet check but most vets will almost automatically recommend the food they sell.

I see the exercise as a potentially double edged sword. What might tire some dogs out can also serve to arouse others.. However, no matter what your dog's state of mind, it should be able to walk on a loose lead.

Spuds, who told you your dog needed braces? And can you post a pic of his teeth?

You need qualified experienced professional help. I'd be giving Dr Debbie Calnon a call for an evaluation and program. Many many factors may be involved in dog aggression.. it's not an area you want online diagnosis and help for. You also need to understand that dog aggression and aggression towards people are entirely different things. You will not 'socialise' your dog our of this aggression.. it will require a committed program of behavioural modificaiton under expert supervision. Is your dog desexed? If you buy and fit a proper muzzle, you can walk him safely without risk of him attacking other dogs. But see an expert ASAP. And don't leave him unattended with other dogs..

Big syringe.. syringe it down his throat (no needle of course).

Get your partners mother to sign over her microchip and rego papers. Better safe than sorry.

Yes. If it goes through the juicer, it goes in the mix. If it's baked, they get it too.

I've said it before and been flamed for it.. adolescent gundogs can be incredibly destructive.. if bored and under stimulated. Who told you GRs were mellow? They might be when fully mature but he's not the first demon child GR I've heard of. Where did you get him from? They can be demons but they shouldn't be constantly hyper. Do you still train him formally eg. at a dog training club? You may think you're giving him enough stimulation. He appears to be telling you otherwise. Obedience training at this stage is as much, if not more important than as a baby puppy IMO. Sounds like you need better boredom busters. I think you should also consider building a safe secure run. Ultimately, if you are unable to meet his needs and he to fit into your family, you may wish to discuss it with his breeder(?) but you're now at the stage with him that I consider the most trying in puppy raising. In the interim, if you don't want him ruining stuff, you have to keep him from accessing it.

I can't recommend someone in that area but it's important that the she not always be removed from near you because she growls at the pup. Make sure they both get their 'quality' time. He can also be removed. Small old dogs and big playful pups is a difficult combination.

So sorry to hear this Mel. Run Free Zelly

Petbarn has Varikennels.. I got mine cheaper than anywhere I could find online once delivery was factored in.

Judging by FHRP's recent experiences with her dog, it might be a grass seed.

A large piece of fake grass would have been my suggestion.. you could hose it off and use kennel disinfectant on it.

Choppa: Why? What happened?

Are there any small pin knots in his coat? It could be a lot of things unfortunately but I'd be checking for knots or tangles that may be pulling his skin.