macka

Don't stress if your fussy one doesn't eat too much - might take a few days to get used to the new 10min rule. But she won't starve herself! Good luck

Yes I often reminisce about going to the toilet on my own, getting out of the shower without having the water licked off my legs, sleeping in a bed with no dog hair in it, moving from one room to another without my two shadows coming to see where we are going and what we are doing now. Those were the days. :D At the end of the long weekend which we mostly spent at home with the dogs, I distinctly recall saying something along the lines of "OMG I just need some personal space, OK?!?" Atlas was a leg licker too, it was yuk, I have a theory though, I reckon it's about them hunting for their own water instead of just having it provided for them :D Actually that is one thing I don't miss at all about Atlas - all my black clothes are no longer covered in dog hair from him lying in the clothes baskets Mine both do it. It is gross! And yes they love finding "alternative" water sources! At our old house, they used to drink the water out of the little tray where it collected under the shower door, so I would just see this little pink tongue sliding under the shower door! Now in our current place, the shower door can swing either way when you push it and Leia has worked out how to push the door forward to get into the shower but not how to get out again. A few times I have heard this whimpering, so I go and investigate and there she is imprisoned in the shower!

Yes I often reminisce about going to the toilet on my own, getting out of the shower without having the water licked off my legs, sleeping in a bed with no dog hair in it, moving from one room to another without my two shadows coming to see where we are going and what we are doing now. Those were the days. At the end of the long weekend which we mostly spent at home with the dogs, I distinctly recall saying something along the lines of "OMG I just need some personal space, OK?!?"

Puggerup, I have a food-obsessed labrador who wolfs down whatever I give him in about 2 minutes, and a very fussy, slow, picky eater. For what it's worth, this is what I do: Ask them both to sit and wait about 2m apart, put down their food bowls in front of them, then release them to eat. They have 10 min to eat before I pick up the bowls. My lab finishes everything in 2 minutes barely having chewed his food, then sits and stares at my other dog while she delicately picks up individual pieces of kibble and crunches on them. She can't seem to just stand at her food bowl and eat so she periodically walks off to look at/sniff/do something else - doesn't matter, she only gets 10 min. I am sitting there watching them for the whole 10 min. If my lab tries to get too close to my other dog's food, I only have to say, "Archer, AH-AH" and he stops and looks at me. It is quite a pitiful look I can tell you. It takes all his self control not to touch her food but he doesn't. He rarely even tries any more. I have even on occasion wandered back inside and come back out to find Leia has lost interest in her meal and wandered off, and Archer is still sitting there just staring at it. Occasionally as a reward I give him a single piece of Leia's kibble before putting the food away.

Hey Fran I don't think you are being ridiculous at all. It is totally natural to want to bond with your dog and to feel upset if the bond isn't as strong as you had hoped it would be. Have you thought about maybe doing agility/flyball or some other activity together? Sounds like maybe you just haven't found the one thing that you both love to do? Some dogs just aren't that into fetch but if it's something you really want to do with her you could work on building her drive for the ball? I would also suggest lots of physical contact of the type she appears to enjoy. Many dogs don't like being patted on the head (for example) so work out what she likes. You may also find the dynamics will change when you move and there aren't other dogs & people around. But some dogs simply are more aloof, less snuggly, more independent than perhaps we would like. That doesn't mean she doesn't like you (I'm sure she does actually!!) It just means she is a strong, independent, confident soul! Bonding with her will take time, remember she is still only a pup!

feed them together but supervise?

OMG everyone's puppy photos are gorgeous! Leia was a very, very naughty puppy!! We were total novices, never had a dog before, and she made the most of that situation! I do not miss standing outside waiting for her to go to the toilet in the dead of winter! (I will not make that mistake twice, summer puppies only for me in future! ) But as difficult as she was, I loved her from the moment I saw her. I took a bit longer to bond with Archer as he was very unsettled for the first week or two, and yes I did have a few "what have I done?!?" moments with him, but since then he has generally been the easiest puppy and I couldn't imagine life without him. ;)

Dad is very handsome. ;)

Wow. I think most of us novices have our moments with a new puppy where we think to ourselves, "OMG what have we done???!!?" However this really takes the cake. Bizarre!

I actually use an easy walker on my girl as she pulls all the time (and I have been to a trainer and done a loose leash walking program with her but due to what I am sure is my poor handling skills unfortunately it did not work out), unless I use the easy walker which allows both of us to just relax and walk. However it was a big last resort for me, I really didn't want to use it otherwise as I know it doesn't actually teach her anything. I'd prefer not to use one on my boy because he actually does walk nicely 90% of the time so I don't want to put an aversive on him which would only be for something he does occasionally. The martingale does give him a correction when he lunges.

So why wouldn't you cut back on the food? After a few days they will adjust to the smaller amount of food and won't even know the difference.

Really good point Give them a chance to choose what to do. Give them enough space to choose correctly. Reward the correct choice. This makes a lot of sense, thanks.

Yes I think Archer is similar that's why I was sort of resistant to the idea of getting him to sit, because I know it aint gonna happen, or even if it does, it won't last long before anticipation builds and he lunges again. So from the advice in this thread sounds like that is because he is going way over threshold in his excitement, and we need to get further away to start with. P.S He is always a bit peckish! But yes, I usually walk them in the afternoon which is before dinner.

Thanks for the replies, I will investigate Click to calm etc, start crossing the rd and see how we go.

Few more of my boy... 25kg now, still a fair bit of growing to do.

Gorgeous photo! Interesting to compare Misty to Ruby above. To my untrained eye, Misty has a much broader and deeper chest, bigger thighs and neck. Misty could perhaps be a touch skinnier (?), very hard to tell from a single photo, but then she is also a much more solid girl to begin with so maybe not. Ruby looks a fair bit younger in her photo too which makes a difference. :rofl: He is stunning. Does he have quite long legs or does it just look that way because he is lean?

There's an offleash park just off the M2 (Delhi Rd exit) at North Ryde - but last and only time I was there it was chockas full of dogs including one very mean looking one so didn't end up going in. However there is plenty of park to walk around there which is not part of the fenced off-leash area. 68 Blenheim Rd, North Ryde NSW 2113 Link: http://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=-33.79658...=18&iwloc=A

MasonsMum: He sort of knows wait - I don't really have much occasion use that command except for getting out of the car so that's the only time I use it. I'd probably have to work on it more if I wanted to use it outside. I'd prefer to find a solution that allows us to keep walking though if possible, I don't really want to have to put him in a sit every time someone walks past. A good "watch me" command is a good idea Jeanne. When you say start at a distance how did you put that into practise? Cross the road? Is it "Feisty Fido: Help for the Leash Aggressive Dog" by Patricia McConnell and Karen London? Just to clarify, he isn't being aggressive he is just being overly friendly, and over-excited.

My 6 1/2 month old lab is doing very well with regards to walking on a loose leash. I have him on a martingale collar and a 3-foot leash, and he generally walks on a loose leash either beside me or slightly in front, and when he does get ahead he responds well to a light correction on the martingale. However, when we pass people on the street, with or without other dogs, he lunges to try and get to them, becomes over excited and, at 25kg+, difficult to control (and he's only going to get bigger!). Once we get past each other I am able to regain control and continue our walk, and he goes back to walking nicely again. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to teach him to ignore or at least remain calm around other people/dogs on our walks? He is just trying to say hello but doesn't realise not everyone in the world finds him as interesting as he finds them! I've already frightened a few people who were justifiably unhappy about having a 25kg dog lunging at them. Thanks

show us yours !!! Here's my boy, sometimes I do think he looks a little skinny, but he's only just turned one so prob got a bit more growing/filling out. I would really rather have him a bit lean than have joint problems. There's mine, right behind Archie! I don't seem to have very many recent full body shots! @ 6 months:

I'm liking this thread full of healthy lean labbie pics!

Maybe if you have a working lab and they get most of their exercise swimming, a layer of fat could be excused. However for your average pet that extra weight is simply going to put more pressure on the joints. I see so many overweight labs around and I find it very upsetting. Labs that are so full of joy and life but can barely run around the park from all the blubber they are carrying. It's cruel.

Not sure why you find it so annoying that people are enjoying chatting to each other! Just stop going into off topic, simple.

From his butt to the top of his head he is around 80cm, I am just so worried that I order a crate and it doesnt fit in my car! Think I need to measure the car as well ;) That site looks good however thats a bit more money than I am looking to pay at the moment, I am heading to Better Pets and Gardens later so I will get a price from them too. I would really like a used one though. If you find much cheaper than that and the quality is good - let me know! I fit that size crate into my Honda Jazz by folding it up and putting one of the back seats down, then I slide it in lengthways.

This size (102cm) will be big enough I think: Soft Crate XL The main thing is the length - measure Mason from nose to base of tail. If he is longer that 95cm get him the next size up. He needs a little bit of room at his head. Even if he is a large dog compared to the standard 69cm should be tall enough for him to get up and turn around. Btw I have purchased from that ebay store before - crates + service were good.