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

Ok cool I called the vet this morning and they want him to go in this afternoon just to have a look. I did notice that he was a bit agitated on Sunday night after the vacc - is this common too? The lump does seem a bit smaller today so Im not sure if I should still take him to the vet? Cheers Kristin

My 12 week old lab had his second vaccs on saturday and just tonight we have notice a hard lump on the back of his neck in the area where his needle went in - is this normal? The vet said he is in good condition so I dont think there is anything else wrong with him.... Does anyone know if this is normal? Thanks, Kristin

Hey, Probably a question that has several answers but I am tearing me hair out because it seems I cannot do anything right! My lab is 12 weeks old and we have had him for 4 weeks - I have been putting him outside every half hour to an hour as well as after sleeping, playing, eating etc.. However, he is not getting the picture that outside is best place to do business!! I will take him outside and sometimes he will go but other times he will come back inside and do it inside! He is crate trained although we have had some issues with that as well (which I have posted about and he is getting better)... Please help! Im open to further suggestions about toilet training or just a general time frame that I am looking at! Cheers, Kristin

Thanks so much for the wisdom! Have had three nights at present without any 'accidents'...He has even started crying to be let out :rolleyes: although he is not yet reliable we are definitely on the right track!! Woohoo! I ended up taking out the bedding except for one towel which is scrunched into one corner for him to lean on... Will keep you updated on progress! Thanks heaps, Kristin

I have been taking him out every 2-3 hours up until about 3 nights ago. He would not be allowed to play and he was put straight back into his crate - he would still wee at interval times! Should I go back to getting up every 2-3 hours? He is not a big drinker and doesnt drink before he goes to bed but if he does I take him out til he does a wee. He also doesnt have water during the night or treats. he does have toys in is bed however... would this make a difference? I know its disgusting letting him lie in his wet bedding I hate it but what can you do when you have no fresh bedding in the middle of the night? And all wet bedding (and anything else he happens to pee on) gets washed in vinegar to remove smell.. So, having all those bases covered what other tips have you got? I appreciate all this by the way I need all the help I can get... Cheers, Kristin

Hey, Have posted about this a few times but I just cant seem to find the answer! My lab is 11 weeks old and has been in his crate of a nighttime ever since I got him 3 weeks ago and adores it! He takes all his treasured possessions in there and doesnt cry when put in there at night. However, He pees in it every night! I was getting up and taking him to the toilet up until about 3 nights ago as he was peeing in it anyways so there was no point me getting up! I thought it could have been a territorial thing so I stopped replacing the bedding but it hasnt stopped! He wees then lies in it night after night! what do i do??? he doesnt cry at all when he needs to go to the toilet unless he needs to do number twos... Im out of answers for it and am starting to wonder if it is a puppy thing and he will grow out of it or there is something wrong.. Please help! Cheers, kristin

p.s How do I get into the lab pages? ;)

I am so glad someone else experiences "zoomies" (great name, Ill start using that one!). I nearly wet myself with laughter every time he does it! Oh and also yesterday I had tears of laughter - he was sniffing around and came across one of my ankle boots, which he decided to have a sniff inside of. Well, the boot got stuck on his face and he couldnt get it off so was running around in circles with a boot attached to his snout! Funniest thing I have ever seen! ;) Anyways just to keep on topic - Tayza is still wetting his bed! He went three nights of sleeping right through and now he is back to wetting every night! ;) Any tips? Or maybe i should just keep letting him do it and hopefully he will grow out of it! Also, do you guys feed just dry food? Im considering it as I have heard its all he needs but Im worried he will then be hungry... Cheers, Kristin

Lol omg yes i know the look, intimately!!! Fingers crossed hey - they are just gorgeous at this age sometimes I could create a breed of miniture lab that would stay with that puppy look forever! :-) Do you have any problems with your crate? Tayza, I have figured out, is territorial and pees in it every time there is new bedding, but not when i leave the same bedding in it... weird huh? does anyone else have this issue? No his eyes arent blue i think it may have just been the camera... Have fun with Geordie! Kristin

Thanks, er, that was kinda awkward.... Lol Dont worry I would do the same thing to your Martha! lol Tayza just had a shower with me coz he was a bit on the nose and now hes running around like a complete mental case! Question - was Martha, or anyone elses lab, mental from day one or nice and quiet like Tayza and just developed the crazy thing. The reason I ask is because Tayza is one of the most placid, chilled out pups I have ever known apart from the odd skitz attack here and there and Im wondering if Im just going to wake up one day to find a crazy puppy? Also, any more suggestions with the weeing in his bed? Cheers, Kristin