VJB

These beds are pricey, but I love them, and they should last you forever. They are www.barkaparka.com.au They also make something called a Drytop cover for incontinent dogs. I don't use the drytop cover, but I can give the thumbs up for the bed itself...; As costly as it is, the bed will last a very long time.

I use bits of cheese as training treats (amongst other things), and it's never done my dog any harm. Wouldn't go giving her a whole block though, just small bits about the size of a 5 cent piece. She has around 10 bits some days no problem.

Lab's can also eat everything of the non-food variety too. If the nice warm cosy bed you have spend some hard earned $$ on is left, a dog will often use it for entertainment purposes, even with treat balls etc around. You can try leaving disposable toys around to play with, like cardboard boxes, toilet roll tubes, etc. Most puppies do sleep lots though, so hopefully this will happen. Won't be small for long though.

Could there be anything in the garden that could be causing him to break out in welts? Some weeds and plants can cause quite bad reactions.

I found things improved for us when I called my dog outside to do a wee, rather than pick her up and carry her out there. Once this happened a few times, it seemed to click that she can go out there at any time and she no longer relied on me to take her up the back yard. Your pup is very young and I would agree with others saying that you are expecting a bit too much at this stage. You could very well have a little while yet ahead of you with the whole toileting business..... some do it sooner, others do it later. Good luck, and I know its frustrating. Keep the harshness out of your voice where possible, and concentrate on praising when things go good. If accidents happen inside, it tends to be more human error than anything the dog is doing wrong.

You can give chicken carcass frozen.

I regularly do the "Oi" thing too. I think that it is only diverting her attention though. Luckily I've not yet had to deal with "nuisance barking" as such, and I actually want her to warn bark, so I use the diversion method rather than a reprimand one, when necessary. My dog will bark..cry howl (sounds like she's tortured) when I'm across the road babysitting. She's fine initially when I go, but if she catches sight of me a few hours later, and I don't come back up our driveway...... OMG.. she carries on. Sounds awful, but over the last few weeks it has lessened in intensity, and thankfully only lasts a few minutes. It's really just her having a tantrum, and I've got good neighbours who understand that I can't come back when she's making all this noise. I have to wait till she is quiet, or else she'd think she can get me back anytime by being so vocal.

I've been wondering the same thing......

Too late for APBT to cover up the evidence - I've quoted the unedited post in this thread and its quoted in the Feb thread too. Thanks. I knew I wasn't imagining things.....went to check.....then double checked, and it has been edited.

How odd. I wonder what the cause was.

nope would never suggest slapping a dog, Um,, sorry, yes you did, and you have just edited your post from that time. I remember it clearly. I'm not trying to make you feel bad or anything. We all have things to learn, and how you deal with your dog from now on and the knowledge you are gaining from this forum is a great thing. Dogs don't speak the same language as us, so it can sometimes take a while for them to pick up what we are trying to teach them.

If I remember correctly...... but I could be wrong...... did you once suggest slapping your dog across the face when it won't do what you want ?? If you are still doing this sort of thing (which I hope you are not) then your dog may be reacting negatively to the messages you are sending. This is a very typical time for a lot of mouthing issues with dogs, and while they are happening, I would try what Erny has suggested, and that is to get up, and walk away, turn your back and/or remove yourself from the behaviour you are trying to discourage. This is a much clearer way to send your dog the message,,,,, but they can be persistent at 3.5 months, very cheeky and like to test the boundaries. It takes consistency and persistence on your part to build a healthy relationship where you are respected and where your dog feels guided.

Your girl sounded very much loved and had a very special bond with you. It does hurt so so much when you loose them. You will have to post a pic of your tattoo at some point. We all grieve in different ways. You will remember her forever and ever, and she will be with you always.

How old is your pup?

I think treat rewards are essential and while in the initial training phase, it sends the message very clear to your dog that they are doing the right thing. After all, they all like to please. I have continued with food treats until my dog has "mastered" something fairly consistently. Eg; recall training outside of home. Up until the last month or so, I gave a food treat every single time she came back to me when called. I'm only just starting to lessen this. The reason I did it for so long is because I never wanted her to be off somewhere and toss up with herself NOT to come back to me because she may of may not be rewarded. I wanted her to return every time, so I had to make it "worth it" for her each time... with a nice piece of barbecue chicken, or cheese. Now that she has reached a pretty high response rate, I can call her back from most places and she doesn't always run back and sit in front of me waiting for something... so I've not had to rely on having treats all the time now. My high pitched happy voice is reward enough usually. It's certainly worth it for a few weeks at least, to have a couple of treats on you at all times so that you can try an reinforce some of the behaviours you are wanting. Just make sure you reward as soon as the behaviour had taken place...... and the same goes with reprimanding.

I'm unsure about walking 2 dogs together, but I can almost guarantee your barking issue will lessen with some outside stimulation. Maybe start another thread about how to walk 2 dogs at once as I'm sure there are plenty of owners who do. I would also try not to reprimand your dog when he comes to you after being called. He isn't going to understand that he is being punished for the barking,,,, I'm sure he'd think he was being punished for coming over to you. This can cause some recall problems, and he may end up ignoring you when you call him.

Sorry to hear your dog is unwell. Were the bones cooked? or raw?. Bones should never be given cooked as they can cause problems. Someone else may have to answer you re the possible pancreatitis as I'm unfamiliar with that. Has she been anywhere lately where she may have picked up something "off" or maybe a bug of some sort? Is she pooing ok?

Aside from the toys, water and food, is your dog getting sufficient exercise? Maybe needs to burn off some excess energy and this often makes them quieter and less reactive to outside noises. They need to get out for a good run and sniff. It's essential that dogs get some mental stimulation as this also tires them out.

How very very sad. So sorry to hear. I agree, the pic's are really special, something to treasure always. She knew love through being part of your family.... gone too soon.

Are you giving him the sausage treat once you are back inside, or taking it outside with you?. The reward has to be immediate, but generally happy praising in high pitched voice usually gets the message across. There is a product on the market called Urine Off that breaks away the enzymes in urine so that it can completely get rid of the smell. It may be worth getting some, and following the instructions. I've heard that normal cleaning solutions can sometimes leave a smell which encourages them to pee It's a frustration stage to go through, but you will get there in the end, and when you look back it will have seemed such a short time really,,,, just annoying when your in the thick of it.

I find this kind of a hard question sometimes. I have a GSP and her walks from about 5 months were for about 20 minutes, not necessarily at a leisurely pace, but not full speed either. Usually this consisted of walking around our neighbourhood streets. She may have also had 2 or 3 off leash runs per week for the same duration. Now she is just on 11 months, and our walks range from half hour, thru to 1 hour. She continues to enjoy a free run too a few times per week. I have not thought that I have ever over-exercised her, and she copes perfectly fine with the amount she is getting. I think recently we've done 5 km... (have yet to check actual distance in km's, it could be slightly more). We don't "rest" along the way unless I happen to walk past my in-laws and I can drop in for a coffee. We go to Agility and have done since she was 8 months, but she is restricted from doing anything that may cause her any harm. In fact, because we are only in the beginners class, there has been nothing of any danger presented to her at this stage anyway, so I think agility is fine too. If weave poles come in over the coming term, she may miss out on that till she is a little older. Our breeder gave us good advice and we restricted long walks while she was really young, but once she was 6 or 7 months, I felt like she needed and benefited from the length of walks she was getting. Mental stimulation is great,,,, but then so is a nice walkies. Made her and our day better, and much less mischief to contend with.

AnnaW, Heidi can still be a goofball too sometimes. Some dogs she is fine with, and then others, even when we meet on lead, she starts spinning and spinning and it's "out of control". I spend the entire time trying to keep her "behaved", and then I walk away thinking "why does she have to do that"..... excitement takes over and makes her completely deaf UNLESS....... I have B'cue chicken in my treat bag. I try to keep her focus on me, using the chicken as reward, and hope that she is getting the message that I am rewarding her calm behaviour. I always give her a command though before she gets the treat (otherwise she might think I'm handing them out for free). This has helped me keep her focus amongst other dogs............ until excitement takes over again. I will follow this thread with interest.

It could be a fungal/yeast ear infection. Get it checked so you know what your treating.

Sounds like anal glands need emptying. You can get your vet to do it. Is your dog up to date with worming medications?