5tumpy

An update guys... We haven't ended up getting her down a trainer yet, no time... However, we have been brushing her daily, and it's gotten to the stage now where she's standing reasonably still... She'll wander a little, but not making it any harder for us... Thanks for your help guys!

Yep, sure do! This morning, we walked to the groomers... It was about 2km... I though she was pooped, we were 10 mins before they opened, she wouldn't move, she just layed down on the grass and went to sleep... lol... But yeah... Will definitely start brushing her after her daily walk...

As requested! Butter wouldn't melt in her mouth!

Yep... That's initially why we haven't consulted a trainer sooner... We put it down to her being a puppy in her head, but a adult in her body, and so gave her a bit of leeway... She behaves herself 90% of the time, it just seems to be when she gets excited that we have issues... Again, I put this down to the puppy thing, which is why it hasn't bothered me... Evidently, it's not normal, so we'll seek help... In terms of the daily brushing, we've tried it, the problem is that she can be pooped one minute, laying down panting, and then crazy again the next... Like all labs, she's very food orientated, but for some reason, even a nice liver treat or 10 won't get her to behave while being brushed... She's ok for the first couple of mins, but after that, off like the energizer bunny! We've tried all different types of brushed, and mits, and no difference, it seems to be that she thinks anything she touches is a toy! Yep, fair enough, I seriously didn't realise how big of an issue this was, I just assumed it was normal... All good advice, makes sense completely... Thanks mate! Yeah, she's a beautiful dog! Hopefully with a bit of help from our friendly neighbourhood obedience school she'll be even better! That's exactly how I took it too... But oh well, live and learn! The weird thing was, I thought she would need to be stripped and specifically asked for her to be, and they told me it wasn't need as "blow drying will get rid of all that fur", so I thought, "They're the experts!".... Evidently not... Yep, usually it's $25 for the DIY... $60 for them doing it... She usually puts up a bit of a struggle getting in, but I put my foot down, and like I said, if I tell her to do something, it gets done... Once she's in, and I clip her collar onto the wall mounted chain they have, and she whimpers a bit, but lets me wash her without too much fuss... Thanks again for the advice everyone... Getting some great info here!

You asked for opinions, I gave you mine based on your post. Did you just want everyone to agree with you? No one in this thread has agreed with me... At the same time, no one else took an arrogant, condescending tone either... It's that I took offence too, not your opinion...

Yeah, fair enough, perhaps my expectations we too high, hence the whole reason for this thread... Maybe my girl a total nutcase and badly behaved... But I assumed, evidently incorrectly, that my dog's behaviour wasn't unusual and that the groomer would have strategies to counter her behaviour... I'm not shirking my responsibility for having her trained, in fact, I've just asked for recommendations for trainers... I love my dog want her to be happy and healthy, she's come back the unhappiest I've ever seen her, and as such, perhaps I'm reacting emotionally and unfairly towards the groomer, but I will definitely do whatever I can to get her over her issues with being groomed...

Point taken... Thanks again for the advice!

That's guys for the honest posts, without judging and being rude... Sounds like we'll have to get her trained then... Can anyone recommend a trainer in the Penrith region?

Yeah... I totally understand what you're saying, but surely it's not unreasonable to expect a pro to be able to handle my ~30kg lab? I have little doubt that this is what she did... But it's their job... I work in tech support, if I have a customer who's a bit difficult, I don't hang up on them... Know what I mean?

Yeah fair enough... But sitting and shaking is only one example I gave... Like I also said, but you neglected to quote... She is predominantly an outside dog, but is allowed inside when we're home etc... If we open the back door for something else, she does not come in unless invited... If my wife or I tell her to do something, she does it... The only exception to that is grooming... She hates being brushed, she hates being bathed... I thought a pro would be able to overcome this... Again, you only seem to have half my post... I said i paid $35 more than what I would have paid to do it myself, i.e $60... Thanks for your opinion... Although I personally think you're being uneccesarily harsh... But then again, when you're a perfect dog owner as you obviously are, I guess it's hard to understand that others might not be...

Hey Guys, Just wanting some opinions on what you expect from a groomer... Lab owners expecially... Ok, so Mackenzie (my 22 month old black lab) is a bit crazy... She reminds me of Marley from the book/movie actually... So I accept that she's difficult to groom... But I really was expecting more from a pro groomer than what I could myself... I took her to a groomer specifically because she had a lot of her winter coat left, and everytime my wife and I try to brush her, she decides it's time to play... So I decided to bite the bullet and get her professionally done, as she also needed her feet trimmed... So I take her down, drop her off... 3 hours later, I pick her up... She's been bathed, but the dead fur is literally visably hanging off her, if I pat her I get fur in between my fingers, and she doesn't look like she's brushed at all... They did a good job on her feet, but they also clipped her whiskers, which I didn't ask to be done, and I liked her better with the longer whiskers... When I picked her up, they told me she'd been a bit of a handful, and suggested obediance training... So I get the feeling they put her in the too-hard basket, and only did half the job... To top it all off, now when I'm out of her sight, she does this panicked bark that I've never heard her do before and so this just adds to my disappointment... The bottom line is, I forked out $35 more (i.e $60 for the groom) than what I would've paid to do it myself, and to be honest, I think I could've done the same level of work with her... Were/are my expectations too high? Is it my fault for not having her obedience trained? While she's crazy, we don't have a great deal of trouble getting her to do what we want her to... She sits on command (both verbally and by clicking my fingers), shakes on command, she doesn't come inside unless invited... So I don't know that she does have an obedience problem, she's just very energetic, and wants to play the whole time... Everything's a toy to her... Which is the problem when I groom her... Is it just that the groomer was expecting a docile lab and got a crazy one? All opinions welcome guys! And if anyone can suggest a groomer in Penrith for future reference? In case I decide to have her pro groomed again in the future...

Hey Again, Typical of Mackenzie, it's like she waits until I'm worried about her to come good again!!! The lump/firmness I felt before was gone by the time my wife got home from work about an hour ago, so we got the torches out and did one final poop patrol for the night, low and behold, we find a fresh, very runny one (sorry for the visual but you've all seen worse no doubt!) that was the exact colour of the stocking... And there it was, right in the middle of it, so very unpleasant, but there nonetheless! So, all that worrying for absolutely nothing! It came out in tack, not even torn, I could've washed it and my wife wouldn't any the wiser, but of course, I turfed it straight into the bin! Thanks a lot for the advise guys, good know I'm not the only one with a dopey dog who doesn't know what's food and what isn't!!! Take care all! Bryce (5tumpy), Lauren (his wife) and Mackenzie the (typically dopey, but very intelligent when it suits) Labrador.

Hey All, Sorry about the slow reply... Been busy at work and stuff, forgot to come back and check after the first few replies... We're starting to get a little worried... She hasn't pooped it out yet that we've seen... In the first 24 hours, at the Vet's advise, we gave her food until she wouldn't eat anymore (about 1kg of pedigree casserole tinned food) but since then, she hasn't eaten... It's been about 36 hours since she ate, which, as lab owners would know, would normally lead to her whining and sooking... Then again, in the first 24 hours she ate what we'd usually give her in 6 days, so maybe it's normal... Her tummy, pretty much right in the middle of her bald spot, is very firm, and she doesn't like being prodded, but no yelping or anything, so I'm not sure if she's just protesting like I would if I was getting poked there and didn't know why, or if she's tender... She's stilling a bundle of energy, and apart from the loss of appetite is her normal self... So we've set Saturday as the deadline, unless we notice a change first... Come Saturday, if it's not pooped out, we're going the vet, just to be safe, as most people I talk to say it usually takes a couple of days to pass these things... But yeah, keep the advise coming guys, is there anything in particular I should be looking for why checking her? Any particular spot? I have no idea where a doggy's intestines are, so it's pure guess work when looking for lumps etc that the stocking would make... Thanks again all!

Hey Guys, My wife was doing the washing, and my incredibly stupid Black Lab decided to eat a stocking that fell on the floor... She's about 30kg, 20 months old, and the stocking was a knee-high stocking... We called the Vet immediately, and she advised us to get our hands on a low-end casserole canned food, and try and induce diarreha... We've done that, and given her 700g of Pedigree casserole food so far, but we're wondering if we should keep giving it to her until she poos, or if we should just feed her normally... I don't want to keep calling the Vet, unless I absolutely have to, so any advise you could give would be fantastic... Thanks all!