poodlefan

With some high drive pups, its YOU that has to limit the off lead exercise or they will run themselves into the ground. After 1.5 hours of running and playing in soft sand, many an adult dog would be exhausted. What you saw may have simply been physical exhaustion and muscle stiffness or it could have been more serious. Rest her and look at her after that. If you still see things that concern you I'd be off to the vet. Until she's 12 months old, I'd be limiting play to small periods and resting in between.

Sheree: What you would do hypothetically speaking, assuming this is a 'normal' puppy is not necessarily what this puppy's owner should do though is it? As I said in my first post Sheree, internet diagnosis is fraught with risk. The risk here is the safety of the OP and her family and the future of this pup. Personally, I think you're probably right. However I'm not keen on having someone base their actions on that.

Sheree: Sheree, quite a few behaviouralists regard resource guarding as manageable but not curable. You, Littlelab or I might teach this pup not to resource guard from anyone of US but it does not necessarily mean that this pup or any of those other dogs you worked with won't grow up to resource guard from people or children who have not established a higher rank order over it. You can't "alpha" a dog out of every behavioural issue. Sometimes, you simply mask it until a lower ranked person happens along. Sometimes that person is the dog's owner or a family member. Littlelab, this pup has been through a food related illness where, it would appear that it could not obtain proper nourishment for a few weeks. Think for a moment, about how that's shaped the value of food at a very important stage in its development. This food guarding might be anxiety related or it could be dominance related but absolutely no one can tell you that without meeting and observing the dog and talking though it's history with you. Remember this this is a pup in a family with young children. In order to ensure the safety of those children AND to give the pup the best possible chance of growing into a happy, well adjusted adult, a professional evaluation is warranted IMO.

Sheree: And the other 10%? I don't mean to pick on your posts Sheree but the very technique you're advocating can also exacerbate a resource guarding issue. If you want a concrete example of this, ask Centitout about what happened with one of her puppies when a family followed this advice. You haven't seen this pup and you don't know for sure what the owner is dealing with. None of us do. Littlelab a growl is a warning. Never ignore it and never push the dog when it's growling or you may be bitten. I'd be doing nothing other than feeding the dog in isolation before a professional assessment is made. Show me two trainers and I'll show you two recommendation on what to do. If you want this to improve, get in the car and spend one day a couple of hundred dollars with someone with both the qualifications and experience to assess your pup and give you a carefully considered program for dealing with this issue. If you keep interfering with this pup's food you run a serious risk of making this worse. Keep mucking about with it's food when it's growling and you may provoke a bite. If it happens it will be your fault and you'll have taught your pup the one lesson you never want it to learn - that biting stops unwanted human behaviour. You need a big picture on what is happening with this pup in your family. All of these behaviours are indicators of the relationship between the pup and the your family members. Make an investment in the future of your family unit - you won't regret it.

Littlelab: Any one can do a six week course with Barkbusters and buy a franchise. You want someone with some serious experience and Barkbusters standards are highly variable. I'd not let a BB trainer near my dogs.

The rice porridge offers little nutritional value . I'd be replacing it with kibble. Is the kibble you've been recommended wheat based? I'd suggest giving him another chicken neck or wing rather than the cooked meal. He wont' get much nutritional value from the rice and veggies anyway.

When I get a small matt PW, I use the end of the comb (one tooth) to tease out the matt. Seems to work quite well.

Conversely Dog Mad, I've heard of someone who complained about their puppy "biting" and was told it was only "mouthing".. and it wasn't. Puppy meant business. That's why it would be great for someone to see this dog. General rule of thumb.. "mouthing" involves mostly canine teeth .. it tends to be exploratory. If the "mouthing" involves molars and is "chewing", it ain't.

Dawn washing up liquid is meant to be superb for grease removal!

My friend's Cocker has her UD title in Obedience and is two passes off her OC. She has a Novice Working Gundog test "title" too. Another friend's Yankee Cocker has got the Novice Working Gundog passes and her ADM JDM in agility. They are good little workers in the right hands. We see a few of both varieties in agility.

Allerzeit: Gundogs have been selectively bred to either find, flush or retrieve game (originally to arrow or net hunters and more recently to shot). Some were only bred to find Pointers, Setters), or find and flush (Spaniels) or to retrieve (Retrievers including the Lab) game and some do all two (some spaniels) or three roles (utility gundogs or HPRs). The Tollers actually attract game and then retrieve it when shot. Some retrievers were selectively bred to retrieve from water (the Lab is one as was the Poodle) and some on land. Some were expected to work a range of terrain, others to work on dense brush or marsh. Gundog folk, feel free to jump in and correct any bits I've got wrong please!! What all gundogs share is a selectively bred desire for interaction and focus on people. These are dogs bred to work all day, for trainabilty (high intelligence and willingness to please) and without fail all of them have long puppyhoods. The retrievers have all been bred for their willingness to pick up and carry prey and as puppies this makes them very mouthy. I can tell you that an untrained Labrador is a bloody handful. Like children, it's the bright ones that tend to give you the most grief!!

Daggles: Not to the best of my knowledge. Best method of dealing with it is prevention. Pick up faeces ASAP. I have heard that the problem can stem from malabsorbion or excess protein which makes the poo more palatable and that improved digestive processes (you can add digestive enzymes to food) can assist. It definitely does seem to be more prevalent in some breeds. I'd still discuss it with you vet and perhaps take a stool sample next visit.

Good for you. I don't because you can give the best classes in the world but unless the handler takes onboard what you say in those classes and implements it at home, you are shouting into the wind. Honestly, sometimes I despair at some of the dog/owner combinations I see.

Sheree: That's a pretty tall order considering you've never seen the pup Sheree. No qualified experienced trainer I know would make it, particularly without having observed the dog and its owner interact. Internet diagnosis and modification of dog behaviour is fraught with uncertainty and can be downright dangerous at times. There are far too many variables involved. Littlelab, I second Blacklabs suggestion that you get a professionally qualified and accredited behaviouralist out to see your pup. Teething problems with settling a puppy into a family and establishing boundaries of acceptable behaviour are not unusual and with such an intelligent, active breed quite normal. It would be the rare puppy buyer who hasn't had those "oh my god what have we done" moments about dog ownership and early intervention by someone who can see you and the pup interact can set you on the path to a well mannered, happy dog (and a happy owner) I have not seen this pup but the mouthing, barking and behaving completely psycho sound like perfectly normal puppy behaviour. You need ways to occupy that growing mind and body and right now you are the best playmates your pup has. You need to show her what play is acceptable and what play isn't. Gundogs are mouthy babies and the first thing you need to teach is that NO CONTACT between her teeth and any human is acceptable. Do a search here on "mouthing" and you'll find lots of suggestions for dealing with it. At her age, many gundog puppies literally run at you with their mouths open to latch on. You need a consistent, effective deterrance strategy. As for the growling over food. The technical term for it is 'resource guarding' and, if mishandled, it can turn into a real issue. Constant mucking about with food can increase some dogs levels of anxiety about it and actually worsen the problem. The crate suggestion is a good one. This is about giving the pup a safe 'den' in your home AND providing a method of ensuring your dog does not have unsupervised interactions with your child while you are occupied elsewhere. How you transport her in the car is a side issue. I'd strongly recommend you get one and leave it set up permanently somewhere. Until you've sought a consult with a professional, I'd be feeding her in there undisturbed. Put her in, ask her to sit at the back, place the food in and release him to eat (this will have to be trained). Then leave her alone to eat his dinner, release her when she's done and remove the bowl. Great family dogs are made, Littlelab, not born. Some professional advice and the implementation of a program of consistent training will set you on the path. I consider an ongoing program of obedience training mandatory for gundogs until they reach maturity at around two. Incidentally, no pup of this age should be doing much onlead walking IMO. It's too hard on growing bones. And to answer your question? Yes, labs can be aggressive. No breed can or cannot be aggressive. It's a combination of genes, experiences and environment that determine temperament. Edited: Molly is a "she"

Have to disagree with that, i've spent a fair bit of money on one's with a so called proven track record and didn't get much more than advice. I guess it's a matter of finding the right one. I myself have all but given up on handing over anymore cash to these so called specialist trainers. I really wonder now if some trainers receive their qualifications out of a cornflake's box. I hope the topic starter finds the right one. So do I but she doesn't need a trainer. She needs a qualified behaviouralist ie someone with qualifications in animal behaviour and with a track record of success. The best way to find one is word of mouth from someone who's been successfully helped. People like that do not get their qualifications out of a cereal box. There are no miracle cures and the realistic goal IMO is desensitation to the point where the behaviour can be managed. Sometimes, given the handler/dog combination, there may be very little that can be done to improve the situation. I don't think it's the case here but I do think there's such a thing as a dog that's genetically hard wired for aggression. Given the right environment (indeed almost any environmnent) it will manifest in some dogs.

There is no way on earth I'd expose Zorro to a child, ANY child, before I'd received adviceand hands on assistance from a qualified behaviouralist (and by that I don't mean a dog trainer) Your own an aggressive dog C&Z. Sure, he's not aggressive all the time and towards all things but I don't know an aggressive dog who is. The fact that his aggression is probably fear related will be small consolation to the parents of any child he happens to bite. To the victim and their parents, why he bit won't matter one iota. I'd not have him unmuzzled near kids without an appropriate supervised program of behaviour modification. You risk his life doing anything less. In terms of advice, you're to some degree going to get what you pay for. You want a behavioural specialist with a track record for dealing with such an issue and not just some general advice. In the meantime, make a visual barrier (eg. shade cloth or PVC) that screens Zorro from that yard.

Hi Poodlefan, OK - so I am also adding ground flaxseed to her BARF, so maybe I should exclude CLO even if its small quantities? Quote from DrB The BARF diet, pg 36 - "CLO is the one daily supplement I recommend above all else for the vast majority of pets" In another book he recommends the supplement only be fed every other month. If you are feeding ground flax seed then you shouldn't need another source of EFAs in the off month. I feed a blend of oils I buy from the health food shop.

Cod liver oil would not be my choice for Omega 3's. I'd be using other fish oil or, if the dog tolerates it, flax seed or other vegetable oils. Cod Liver oil contains fat soluable A and, if fed in too high a quantity, can lead to a harmful excess of Vitamin A in the diet.

C&Z: If he isn't aggressive, then what is his reaction to the kids?

What were the "behavioralists" qualifications C&Z?? Any "behaviouralist" who's suggestion was that you use the kids next door (the very ones who created this behaviour) as guinea pigs and without professional supervision sounds off the mark to me. I'd be looking for a second [better] opinion but you need a program of desensitisation and you need a secure safe place for Zorro to be during the day (I think a run was recommended before?)

Hormones have been banned livestock food additives since the 1970's I think. I'm not so sure about antibiotics though.

Sandgrubber: To the best of my understanding, it's the first Sandgrubber. That's one of the reasons why the additon of EFA's while low in volume, boosts the percentage of raw fats in a dog's diet so effectively.

Silverhaze: You must have a BIG freezer Silverhaze!!

Unless the chicken mince you feed has bone in it, and unless your puppy gets supplementary chicken wings or necks, this diet is not balanced. Lose the wheatbix (it has no real nutritional value for dogs) and start feeding a premium (not supermarket brand) puppy kibble that will contain all the essential nutrients for growth. As wheat is a very common allergen, I'd be inclined to look at a rice based food. The addition of some essential fatty acids and zinc (which would probably be in a premium kibble) will help skin issues. I'd suggest you discuss his diet with your vet. Where is he scratching? Is it possible he's allergic to something in your garden?

Sandgrubber: Studies have proven that working and performance dogs do well on a diet of up to 30% fat.. sled dogs being one of the better known examples. Dogs that tired or tyed up on a diet high in carbs performed far better on a diet high in fat. Horses are the same. Carbs give instant, and fat gives longer lasting energy to dogs. There also appear to be benefits for more sedentary dogs including more regular heat cycles and better whelping rates, better skin condition and hair quality. There are also studies showing the benefits of a diet high in fat to dogs suffering from cancer. Fat, not carbohydrate is the primary source of energy for dogs.