je33ie

Yes, be real careful to make sure he doesn't swallow the stones. Have a read of this - it scared me so much about my lab I watch her like a hawk: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/editors-...86908-20725795/ Try spraying chilli or tobasco sauce or citronella on the stones if it's impossible to keep the pup away. And make sure he's got lots of better things to chew instead!

Hi Sarah, Your puppy is still very young and expect accidents for many weeks yet. Geordie's 16 weeks tomorrow and she still has accidents. A few things we did (other than what Fiona mentions above are: 1. Clean up any spill with 1 part white vinegar, 3 parts water. Don't use soap, disinfectant or any other usual cleaners as apparently dogs are attracted to these and will probably go in the same spot again. Geordie's never gone in the same spot twice so the vinegar does work. Also, when you wash his bedding, don't use washing powder, just throw in some vinegar. But be warned - don't let the dog lap up the vinegar because Geordie did this once and she didn't like it one bit!! 2. When you take him out for his final wee before bed, make sure he does one. Even if you have to stay out there for half an hour be patient. Also, when he does wee, praise him, give him a treat, but don't take him inside right away. Try waiting another 60 seconds or so and play with him. If you bring him in right away he'll soon learn that wee time means bedtime and he'll hold off as long as he can. 3. When you catch him weeing (and only when you catch him, if you find a wee a few minutes later it's too late for correction) interrupt him by clapping or something (don't growl as this will only make him afraid) and call him outside with a treat. When he's at the door, give him a treat, when he's out on the grass give him another treat. This will teach him to walk to the door himself when he needs to go. 4. Take him outside every 10 minutes! Until Geordie was about 11 weeks she did wees every 10 minutes while she was awke. It used to worry me but now I know it was simply what puppies do. Also remember that puppies may wee 4 or 5 times when you take them out, so make sure you wait about 5 minutes each time or he'll come right in and do another wee. 5. And last of all - remember it's your fault if he wees inside. Don't ever blame the dog or think that he's not getting it, because it's actually you who needs to learn the "I need to do a wee now" signs of your puppy. I feel bad when Geordie wees in the house, because I know it's my fault she wasn't outside when she needed to go. I almost feel like apologising to her!! Also, be happy that he's doing wees in front of you and not trying to hide them. If he's starting to run away when you growl then you need to stop this right away, or you'll end up with a puppy that's nervous about weeing in front of you (maybe this is why he's not going when you take him out before bed?). Next time he does a wee in front of you, see it as a good thing - because he's actually trying to show you that he needs to go, and next time you might just catch him as he's squatting and coax him to the door in time. Good luck!! You will get it, just be patient and persistent. And expect accidents throughout their whole life... it's just a part of being a dog owner!

Just keep trying, we persisted for a few days then for some reason she just got it! We left trails of liver treats up and down it, and whenever she got to the top or the bottom, we've give her LOTS of attention and give her a big treat. She's so good with it now, she beats us up or down the stairs every time. If he's a bit worried about sliding down the ramp (Geordie definitely was) you can buy some of that grippy-rubber stuff and stick strips across the ramp. This will give them more confidence in going down it. Good luck!

Thanks Sharon! How'd the ramp building go? Geordie's now getting too heavy to lift in and out of the car, so I'm considering building a car ramp too. It's a bit embarrassing though I remember when I used to see people getting their pups to walk up ramps and I'd think "why doesn't the lazy spoilt dog just jump!?!". That was before I knew of the damage jumping can do... :rolleyes:

I do this ALL the time out in the backyard. The neighbours must think I'm crazy...

We were told to not let Geordie up and down stairs until she's 7 months old. I know with a lab that's impossible... and we had the same problem as you (carrying her up and down the stairs everytime she needed to do a wee, soon wore me out!!). Solution: we built a ramp! Materials cost about $100 from a big hardware store. Made up of two 2.4m x 0.3m pieces of wood, then we nailed 'grip' pieces across all the way up. We also got some rubber and nailed that on for extra grip. It took her a few days (and lots of liver treats!) to get her up and down it, but now she loves it. And I'm happy her hips are safe!!

We have crate-trained Geordie and love it. How we did it: set up a crate in the loungeroom, barricaded off half of it (I read somewhere that if you give the pup too much space it will wee at one end and sleep at the other), and encouraged her in there with treats. At night we'd take her out for her final wee, then put her straight in ther no fuss lights out, then we'd go to bed. After a couple of days she started going in there herself when she was tired! The best thing about the crate is that she's only ever had 1 accident in there (and that was when we foolishly removed the barricade too soon!) and when we duck out to the shops or go out at night we can lock her in there and know she's happy, warm and safe. As for staying with their littermates, I think it teaches them manners and how to interact with other dogs. They learn a lot from their littermates, e.g. biting hurts, rough play means you won't be liked and other dogs are fun not scary... there's probably other reasons that others will tell you.

Sometimes you need to be cruel to be kind. If you can tell she's tired, put her in her crate with no fuss and ignore her for a few minutes. She'll settle down and soon learn that crate time = rest time. Once she learns this she'll probably start taking herself to bed when she's tired... Also make sure that the kids know that crate time = leave dog alone time. It needs to be her refuge where she won't be disturbed by curious little fingers wanting to play.

Yes, I was told by someone that dogs prefer a smaller space as they are 'den' animals. Reducing her sleeping area will discourage her to mess her bed also as dogs don't like peeing where they sleep. Geordie has a space in her crate of only about twice the space she takes up stretched out, and that seems to work fine (although she's getting bigger every day so it might be time to expand it a bit!!). Good luck! I hope she can stay sleeping inside, as I'm the biggest believer that dogs are happier when inside the house with us humans.

Hi Redmum! Sounds like the pup is settling in fine. Just remember to be consistent, and most of all - enjoy her!! They grow up way too fast so make sure she gets to enjoy being a puppy while she can. We have Geordie right at the other end of the house in her crate (she's now 10 weeks old) and let me tell you, that first night of ignoring her while she cried herself to sleep was one of the hardest nights of my life!! But I'm glad I did it because now she doesn't cry at all. Make sure you take her out for a wee just before bed time (and sit out there until she does one), then put her straight in her crate. For the first few nights we set an alarm for every 3 hours and ignored her crying in between, that way we knew that it wasn't a toilet-cry, just a 'I'm sad because I miss my brothers and sisters' cry. She's now sleeping the night through and I'm finding I have to wake her up in the morning! I would highly recommend having her in another room though, then she won't become dependent on you being there all the time for her to go to sleep.

Kristen - haven't seen you on the Lab forum yet... make sure you join us and share some pics!!! ---> http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...&start=1335

Hi B&K, Geordie's been chewing my OH's weight bars... she looooves them but I'd prefer her not to do it! I bought her one of those really tough black chew toys (I think they're made of recycled tyres) and gave that to her instead this afternoon, and she completely forgot about the metal bar. Maybe you could try something like that? As awesome as it would be to teach a dog to lift weights, I think I have more important things to teach her

I'm no expert, but maybe she could try putting the lead on when the pup's really tired and going to sleep? Then just leave it on her in the house while she's sleeping. I tried brushing Geordie when she was excited and didn't get anywhere, so I had a go when she was really tired and dozing off. She now lets me brush her every day without fuss.

Matters what type of dog they're getting but I read "Labrador Retrievers for Dummies" from cover to cover and learnt so much! Get your niece a hot pink/blue lead and collar for the pup if you know what sex they're getting!! I think I like Geordie's collar and lead more than she does!

We met an 13 week old shepherd at the beach the other day and he was pretty relaxed. He didn't jump on the pup, but ran around trying to get him to play. The puppy was knocked over once but it didn't seem to hurt him. I can't take her to parks yet, so we might have to try the driveway or somewhere like that...

We're off to my mum's tomorrow with little Geordie. My mum has a 19 month old Dobermann and I'm trying to work out the best way to introduce them. I'm thinking of taking her crate with us so she has a 'time out' zone... but other than that I'm stumped. I'd be interested in hearing others' suggestions! Should he wait outside and sniff Geordie through the glass? Would it be better if they're both on leads? How do I make sure he doesn't hurt her? Editted to add that he is fully vaccinated, and I'd like them to meet asap because I see my mum at least once a week so it would be good if they get along!

You're not being a pain, I love smelly irritating puppies :p :D As for answering your question, I wouldn't have a clue. But I'm interested in hearing people's responses!

Tayza is adorable!!!!!! He looks just like my 9 week old Geordie (although her eyes look blue in these photos - are they blue?). Here's a photo of her. Geordie sounds just like Tayza. She's so happy to just follow me around the house and sit and look at me calmly while I make dinner. She'll sleep in her crate for about 50 minutes of every hour and the rest she has a run around and a play. She only seems to go skitz first thing in the morning in the backyard, running around and around non-stop with her ears pushed back (like she's trying to improve wind resistance or something :D ). Fingers crossed they'll be like this forever!! :p

Yes, I agree. Although there are probably no legal requirements, I would give you a refund simply to keep up the reputation of the breeder. They are lucky that you haven't named them on here as they might have trouble selling their next litter. When I got Geordie she came with a letter from the breeder saying if there was ever anything wrong, that I should contact her asap. I know that she would help me out in any way she could and would always return my emails if I was concerned about money! I think the offer of a new pup is reasonable.

Yeah. CSI: Melbourne. Martha is my trusty pardner! I really don't mean to be mean, just don't want to be taken for a ride. I agree! We don't want people on here feeling like they have to be too nice and not telling us the truth. That's what makes this place so special!

Also, I just thought of something. Are you sure he is weeing in his crate? Or could it be drool or spilt water? I though Geordie had wet her bed the other day (as it was a little damp in one part), but when I watched her take a nap she blows wet bubbles out of her nose, that make the bed feel damp. So cute!

Oh what a shame! Keep trying though...! To shrink photos, I open them in paint, then go to 'Image' then 'Stretch/Skew' and shrink them to about 20% by 20%. Then save it as a NEW file name (you'll want to keep the large versions for photos!). Then try attaching the new file to here. That always works for me.

You're awesome Botheration... You should be a detective!

Hehe!! Sooo cute! Congratulations (love your sig too by the way!). We're starting puppy pre-school at Mt Hutton Vet (after some recommendations) in 2 weeks so I'll let you know how it goes.

But what do others think? Does it do them any harm to restrict access to water in the evenings to prevent accidents? Hi botheration! I'm loving hearing your stories about Martha BTW... I let Geordie drink all day until it's time for bed. I let her have a big drink, then we got outside for her bedtime wee. Then she doesn't have any again until the morning. She doesn't seem overly thirsty in the morning so I think it works for her. Hehe, she's snoring at the moment - puppy snores are so cute!