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My puppy Martha is having trouble learning "drop" for lying down. PROBLEM ONE I taught her to lie down by using a treat lure from a sit position — I directed her nose down with the treat. But she's never learned to do it after hearing the command — that is, she still won't drop UNLESS I lead her nose down with a treat, just as when I was teaching her. If I just say "drop" she stares at me, uncomprehending. In all other respects she's a quick learner — usually only needing a day or two to understand what's required of her — and at only ten weeks old she can come, sit, stay, leave [food], take [food] and down [off the couch or table] on command. So why doesn't she connect "drop" with the action of lying down? PROBLEM TWO Even when she does it using the treat, she only stays dropped until she gets the treat. Then she gets straight up. How can I get her to stay down until I release her? (Which she can do from a sit.) By the way, I started training without a clicker, but I've just got one. (Only yesterday, but I think she's got the hang of it already.) Am I asking too much of a ten-week-old puppy?

I got my Kong on eBay!

Oh, it would be great if you could report back on that Russ. I'm on Eagle Pack at the mo but want to switch back to Orijen. PS I don't want to play favourites or anything, but I think I love your signature best of all poocow. If I could have two more dogs I'd have a BC and a golden cocker for sure. But what's Top's OCD licking — well, I guess it's self-explanatory, but I've never heard of it before. Does he just lick everything in sight?

*head completely disintegrates as it is sucked in to the space/time/cute-capacity warp created by the cuteness of Lucy admiring the cuteness of Orlando Bloom*

*head explodes further because of the cuteness of Orlando Bloom*

*head explodes because of the cuteness of Lucy*

So, I bought a clicker from the pet shop about half an hour ago. We've just been practicing — I've just been clicking and treating, so she learns to make the connection. I'm pretty sure she's already got it. Thanks to everyone who advised me. For some reason I thought it was a huge deal, but I can see it's just going to be a great aid.

Bubbly, we posted at the same time, but I can already see this is a great site. Can't believe all this info is free. As for corrections/punishment, I still don't really understand. I ignore Martha when she does stuff I want her not to do (mainly ripping my flesh apart with her scissor-sharp teeth), but I don't think she'd know what a reprimand meant! But how can I gauge when playing becomes OVERplaying? That's what I'm struggling with. And how can I gauge when exercising becomes over-exercising? At the moment, I just let her set the time limits. Excellent point. I hadn't thought about it like that. I know, and that's exactly what I don't want. I want people to love her as much as I do! Cheers for all your advice.

And thank you for that Bubbly! That site looks amazing and I'm tackling it from the very beginning. As I said above, I understand people have divergent views, and I want to hear as many as possible. There is more than one way to end up with a beautifully-trained and mannered dog, I'm sure, so I want to learn as much as I can before deciding which approach to take.

Uh, sorry to sound thick, but what IS a correction? Does that just mean repeating the exercise but doing it correctly? Or is it punishment? Oh, and THANK YOU to everyone who is answering. Please keep it coming — I'm very keen to hear divergent views. Lord Midol, many thanks for those links. The socialisation one particularly has taught me a lot. I just assumed that free doggie playtime was a natural part of what dogs need. Perhaps I should make it clearer what I want from Martha. I am a rambler, and I want her to be a companion to me on, well, rambles. I want a well-trained, focussed-on-me dog who heels with me on command, but I also want her to accompany me on bushwalks (where dogs are permitted, of course) during which she should stick close to me, but not heel. Having read the socialisation thread Lord Midol linked to, I don't think I will join in the doggy free-for-all that takes place in my local park. By the way, before you all despair of how thick I am and how much direction I need, remember this is my first puppy training experience. I ask lots of questions, but I'm a good learner and I'm soaking it all up!

Really? I fed less of the Orijen, but my stockist didn't have any Orijen so I got Eagle Pack. I'm just using the pack itself as a guide — in fact that's the lower end of what it says she should get given her age and weight. I agree though — it seems like a lot to me also! Having said that, she's in no way overweight, she's quite lean. She is growing VERY fast though. By the way, she LOVED the chicken wings. I only gave her one for her dinner, and this seemed to do her. I might feed her even less kibble and go for two. I find feeding all very confusing — lots of conflicting advice — but I'm trying to maintain her weight so her ribs are not visible but I can easily feel them, and so she has a defined waist when observed from above. But should I factor in her growth as well?

Hi all, Martha is getting her 12 week injections soon THANK GOD and I can start walking her. She's really keen to get out and she's started that going mental think dogs do. (You know, running around in circles like a maniac.) I live near the most gorgeous parkland (Yarra Bend/Merri Creek area in Melbourne) with both on-leash and off-leash areas and lots of other dogs. Because she's a labrador, and growing in front of my eyes, I'm very anxious about the risk of hip dysplasia. I do not want to over-exercise her, as this will increase her risk. But I haven't got a clear idea of how much exercise is too much. Or how we start the whole "walking" experien. My idea is to take her across to the park, find a quiet spot, and spend some time practicing walking (at heel) on the leash. (I've only just introduced the leash to her. She hates it. And I've never done it before, so I'm also learning how to teach her.) Also, some time practicing recall. But I'd also like to give her some time to socialise with other dogs and play off leash. Fifteen minutes? Half an hour? Also, should I let her play first and get it out of her system, so to speak? Or should free play and sniffing etc be a reward for good leash work? Also, I know a lot of people say you should never practice recall unless you're SURE your dog will actually return — otherwise you teach them that they can ignore you. Her recall is great in the house and backyard, but I suspect that when she encounters other dogs it's going to be hard. How do I test it without failing? What do I do if she ignores me? I plan to take her well away from the road, by they way. I know that some people don't let their dogs play with other dogs at all. I'd find that very hard to do, but are there reasons I should consider it? Any other advice about walking would be great. I have carried her to the park to have a look around and it drives her crazy — she wants to sniff/mouth/run up to/jump on everything, everyone and everydog. Oh, also, do I have to wait after her vaccinations or do they kick in straight away?

I know! Much as I believe Martha to be the best pup in the entire universe, Darcy is driving me crazy! I want to cuddle him!

RockyLover, I think you should reconsider. Looks like you just got off on the wrong foot with the forum. Remember, the people whose posts you didn't like were only concerned that your projectile-poo pup may have been infected by the pup who just died. They were only concerned about your dog. Why don't you stick around? Sounds like you do a brilliant job fostering dogs and I'm sure you could find a lot of support on these forums. Good luck either way!

Name: Martha (so-called because the breeder got her sex wrong — and she didn't know if she was Arthur or Martha) Sex: Little lady Date of birth: 22 May 2008 Age: 2 months Colour: chocolate Breed: Chocolate Labrador Hobbies: Smooching, going mental, digging, pooing, somersaults, chicken wings Loves: Smooching, going mental, digging, pooing, somersaults, chicken wings, those people I live with Hates: goddamn itchy goddamn collar

You're right. I just tried it.

Hello! Martha wanted to say hi to Charlie. She says she feels like she's looking in a mirror!

Kristen, there's two ways to post photos — via the web (if you've got your photos stored online) or as an attachment. If your photos are on your computer, attach them via the little box below the box in which you compose your posts. It says "Select a file" on the left. Click on "browse", locate your photo and attach it! Because we want to see the little devil! Here's some more of Martha given that you were so kind as to complement her. I could certainly look at her all day.

Actually, I have another question. This may sound nutty, but I was just doing some training with Martha, and thought, while I'm waiting to buy a clicker, I may as well just click my tongue. As long as I don't mind looking like an idiot, can I just click my tongue instead of using a clicker?

Thanks to all those who replied. I've learnt heaps. We went to puppy school for the first time last night and the trainer taught us to use a short, sharp word (like "yes") as the marker. I'm now teaching yes = treat. But I think I will train with a clicker as well. Which brings me to my next question. Where do you buy clickers?

For dinner, I thought. So kibble for breakfast and lunch, then a wing for dinner. I guess my questions are: 1. are chicken wings safe for a young pup, and 2. how much kibble do they replace. Ness, how old/big is you puppy?

Martha is a ten-week-old Lab puppy. I was feeding her Orijen but my stockist ran out so I got Eagle Pack instead. After doing a bit of research I don't think it's got enough meat in it and want to supplement. How many chicken wings should I feed her? She's on 2.5 cups of kibble. I thought I'd give her 1.5 and a chicken wing — does that sound right?

Just a couple of quick things. Martha is too young to have had any "hip certificate" - do you mean her parents weren't scored? If you feed her a highly nutritious food but restrict her calories during the formative months, then you will go a long way toward giving her joints their best chance. HD and OCD both have hereditary values, so if she is predisposed then you can only do so much to reduce the expression of the disease. But the key is to keep them lean, not over exercise, and feed well. Hi Sags, Yes, I do mean her parents don't have hip scores — sorry, don't really know the lingo — but your advice is brilliant and tallies with what I've been reading. I actually went to get more Orijen yesterday and they'd run out — I had to get Eagle Park instead. I am not sold on it particularly and it'll be back to Orijen after this bag is finished. I am trying to do what you say — feed her well but keep her lean. But how lean is lean? The bag the kibble comes in gives a range and I feed at the lower end of the range. I try to maintain her at a weight where I can't see her ribs but I can feel them under her skin. I also stand over her and check that her stomach comes in a little toward her hips. But she's still a puppy and looks rotund rather than having a pronounced waist. Does that sound ok? Also, as for exercise, I let her exercise as much as she wants to. If she's really going off her nut I run up and down the hallway with her a couple of times, but otherwise I let her find her own limit. What I worry about more though is jumping. We have raised garden beds where I want her to poo, and there is a small step up to it, but she prefers to launch herself from the side and jump on the concrete. She also jumps off the couch. I've read that too much jumping in puppyhood is not good for the joints either. Would you agree? Sorry to take over your thread Kristen! But all this stuff is relevant to Tayza too. Look forward to seeing some photos too!

After all these fantastic recommendations I decided to go with North Fitzroy Vet Clinic classes. We start tomorrow so I'll let you know what it's like. Thanks to everyone.

My pup at nine weeks is starting to look leggy, in that the ration of leg to body is different to when she was six weeks. Pups grow fast, and look leggy at different stages, I think. I worry about growth spurts too but in the end, as long as you happy with the food you're providing, they're perfectly natural. But even though I think her growth is normal, I am on the side of those who wouldn't feed Science Diet. After an enormous amount of research, I choose to feed my girl Orijen puppy food. It depresses me how many foods are stuffed with corn — Science Diet included. It's expensive though, and I feel the same as Blues & Boots — even though I'm persuaded that the protein Having said that, I'll probably switch over to a BARF diet at some point.