kristin_e102

Yep I seem to have busted his bubble by getting the BIGGEST container I could find in the house. I fill it up and its too heavy for him to tip.. He still swims in it but at least he isnt dragging it around... It'll do until I get my hands on a shell... Thanks Kristin

My 4.5 month old Lab has taken to chewing the wooden corners of the doors... on our rental house! My tip is tobasco sauce all down the door.. It didnt work for my last pup (he thought we were seasoning the wood for him ) but Tayza doesnt like it...so far...

I had the same problem with my lab pup and he chewed all the way through the lead. I bought a chain lead and its fixed the problem! He will put it in his mouth to take it for a walk but when he is walking he doesnt touch it! Hope this helps!

Thanks for the advice! Yes I have been planning on getting the clam shells as they love to get onto the cool sand in summer but I think I might fill one with water and the other with sand - what a great idea! Thanks so much Ill give it ago... Cheers Kristin

Hi everyone, I have posted the same question in lab forum but I thought I will post it here as well to see if anyone can help.. I have a 17 week old lab who digs in his water bowl then picks it up and pushes it around like its the best toy ever!! Funny to watch but when its hot and he does it in the morning and Im out all day, he has no water for the rest of the day.... Bit of a problem! I have tried putting a big rock in his water bowl (which is a big container) but he sees that as a challenge I dont know what to do and summer is fast approaching.... Any suggestions would be much appreciated! Cheers, Kristin

Hi Sarah, I had huge problems with my lab pup weeing in his crate and I ended up taking all his bedding out so he was just lying on black tray. He only peed there once and he has NEVER done it again. After about 2 weeks, when I deemed him reliable did I then put a thin sheet back in the crate. Now he has full bedding and has never been comfier and cries at about 5.30am to go out to the toilet - I have never had a problem since! Although, he still is having accidents inside (he is 17 weeks) he has gotten so so much better. Its just patience and vigilance I think.... And every pup is trained differently... Hope this helps! Kristin

There are so many foods out there and just as many opinions about whats good! I think I might finish the current bag of Eukanuba and try Orijin as everyone seems to recommend it. Tayza isnt doing poorly on Eukanuba (from what I can see, anyway), but I want to do the right thing, nutritionally. That website was excellent Botheration, thanks for that! Thanks everyone for the advice... Cheers, Kristin

Thanks for the advice. I have decided to stop the smacking as it really doesnt do him or I any favours. I have also told my partner to stop it too. Will start putting him outside I think when he is being naughty (if I can catch him, as he tends to run and think Im playing then he will forget that he is being punished!). Cheers, Kristin

Tayza seems to be doing well on it though? So is this a sign that its the right food for him? I am a little concerned about the cost though as it is pretty expensive... A few of my friends say that Eukanuba is good for a puppy but they dont need it as older dogs and they feed Supercoat which is a lot cheaper but I have still heard good things about it - what does eveyone think? Botheration - sorry for the delayed reply have had a hectic weekend! Im not sure why he isnt eating as much. I told the vet last time he was there which was a week ago and he said that some dogs self regulate (pretty rare in labs but it does happen). Perhaps I was feeding him too much as he was on Eukanuba and a nightly meal of meat and vegies as well as bones and pig ears. But the vet checked him over pretty thouroughly and said there was nothing wrong with him! So I guess he is just an irregular lab lol! Thanks for the great links Im going to check them out then make a decision from there. Cheers, Kristin xxx

Hi everyone, I have been feeding my pup Eukanuba dry food for about 1.5 months now because the vet recommended it - is this a good dry food? He was having a meal at night as well but I have just put him onto dry food only as he didnt seem very hungry. He is a 17 week old lab... Just after some advice to make sure Im on the right track.. Cheers, Kristin

Oh and I forgot to ask - I have a crate but have only ever used it at nighttime for him to sleep in, should I start using it while Im at home hanging around the house? I feel mean locking him in there though when Im home because I feel that he should be running around... but perhaps this is better than the smacking because I agree with everyone - it sucks and I hate it! Sorry for stealing the thread Kyra! Cheers, Kristin

Yes I agree I HATE smacking dogs, especially when they are so young. HOWEVER, I have tried everything! He knows the word NO to an extent and if he is in a relatively good mood than he will obey me but all the other times (and believe me, with labs if he wants to do something he WILL do it) he doesnt listen to a thing I say. The biting and nipping is the worst of his behaviour because as far as a Lab pup goes he's good (compared to some stories I have heard). I have tried crossing my arms and ignoring him, yelping like a pup would, replacing my hand, body or clothes with something he is allowed to chew like one of his many toys, giving him ice cubes to distract him and every other thing that is mentioned on this forum - nothing works! The only thing I have had success with, which I hate using so will only use it when in extreme situations is smacking. If I put him outside, its not really time out because thats where he is all day so he likes it. I smack then put him outside so he knows I dont wanna play anymore. Or sometimes I just smack and ignore him and he gets the message. He has been to puppy school and I have continued to practice the commands with him but until we start obediance in two weeks I think Im just going to have to put up with him. He is a pup and I knew all this was going to happen so Im not complaining at all. I was simply sharing what works with my pup when he is naughty. Cheers, Kristin

Hi, This will be a little cotroversial but if my 17 week old lab is doing something naughty - to me in particular - such as biting and jumping up to bite my clothes Ill say NO in a really big voice and if I have to do that three times because he wont stop he gets a smack (not belting him but hard enough so he knows im angry and not just patting his bum). It works because it doesnt happen a lot so when it does he knows im serious! He then gets put outside and more often than not when he comes back in he wont do what was making me angry again. This is my second pup and the first one we disciplined like this all the time and he was toilet trained within a week and had good behaviour. Before I got Tayza I read up on everything and wanted to do everything right so I was not smacking him and opposed to anyone else smacking him. I also didnt rouse on him when he had an accident inside but nearly two and a half months after we got him he STILL is not toilet trained. I guess its like the smacking your children debate everyone has different opinions. But Im just letting you know that I smack when he is doing something really naughty & repeatedly, and it works on him. Cheers, Kristin

Hi all, My 15 week old lab pup is an outside dog (during the day anyway) and has a whole backyard to play and go to the toilet in. However, he seems to go to the toilet in the one spot just outside the bedroom window... it has been posing a problem lately because of all the rain and it absolutely STINKS!!! Is there any way of getting him to go to a part of the yard which is further away? He is leashed trained but because he is outside most of the time he cant be on a leash out there... Please help! Kristin

Thanks for all the advice. The problem seems to only occur during the day time! We were having issues with crating but once I took all the bedding out he seems to be getting the message to cry and I will take him out and he goes staright away then comes back in (I do wait out there with him though). But, during the day time I think he just prefers to go inside I do the whole 'good boy' and give him lots of praise but at the end of the day he isnt going outside because he wants to - its because I put him out there lol! I think I might start giving him treats because that has worked well when training with him but where do I keep the treats? I cant keep them inside because that will mean Ill have to run back in! Thanks for the help! Kristin