Molz_25

Thanks everyone for your advice... will pass that on to my friend - she is quite upset that her Labby is still overweight even though he has started regular walks/exercise ... Guess it's better to know now and to try to control his weight while he is still relatively young and to maintain exercise regime for him so that he can remain healthy..

It's my friend's Labby.... she says she gives him half a cup of dry food in the morning, a carrot OR apple in the mornings and dry plus some mince for night. He has recently (a few mths ago) gone for walks (once a day) but has still put on weight.... occasionally he gets marrow bone but I will ask her exactly what he gets as food for the day... Could it be the medication he is taking for epilepsy??

My friend's 4 1/2 yr old Labby is overweight and needs to lose 5-7kgs We are both aware that Labs love their food and can put on weight easily!! She was told by the Vet to cut out his breakfast and only feed him once a day at night.. She has cut his food and was wondering why has she been told to feed only at night - WHY? Can she not feed in the morning so that he can then work it off and not gain anymore weight? She is exercising him more and giving him the same amount of food but he has GAINED weight which has surprised her... he is on "epileptic" medication - is that the reason for the weight gain? Any help/ideas appreciated. SORRY - DOUBLE POST!!!

Hi My dog has had green discharge from her eyes for about 4-5 days Tried to get her to drink more apple cedar vinegar but to no avail. Any ideas what is wrong?

Hi, Just a quick update. He has been good for the last couple of nights. Then he started barking when we brought him inside after his dinner. He started barking for 30 mins (which has never happened before). Then when he was taken out for a toilet he came back inside barking a bit and whining. Oh dear...seems like we've taken a step back.

Hi Muffinmclay, My lab is now 12 weeks of age, we got him when he was just over 8 weeks ago. We bought a puppy pen and a crate. The first couple of days was REALLY tough. In the puppy pen he would bark, jump up and cry and whine. We tried to keep him inside with us in the crate and he worked the first time....because he was really tired and after that he did not seem to like it at all. We have the wire crate. Our breeder suggested that we start feeding him in the crate to get him use to it. We are lucky that he took to it very well. He really liked to be fed in his crate. We have him outside during the day and his crate goes out with him with the door open. He is free to roam around during the day. At night, approximately 8pm we take him in and put him in his crate. We have had problems with him barking and whinging a lot when we first put him in there but usually settles (when ppl are around and awake within 30mins). We cover it with a blanket as well. He has got use to the crate. Just keep trying. Now our problem is the fact that it is hard for him to settle during the night after he comes back in from toileting. But it is best to leave them alone as other Dol readers have advised me. It's hard though! Your pup is still new and he will definitely be missing his litter mates and mum. Ours howled like nobody's business for the first couple of days. It was LOUD and unbearable. Keep at it. Good luck.

How cute is she!! He's been pretty good lately and we have left him on his own when he comes in now. Only in the mornings if he wakes up really early we just put a treat in his crate for him and he'll eat that until he's tired again. Sometimes he will go toilet 2 hrs after we put him to bed and he won't wake up until 5.45-6am. It depends how much excitement he's had for the day too. Just waiting until he is ready to start short walks. That should tire him out a bit. He's had his 12 wk vaccination already.

Oh you are lucky with your pup! When I use to wake him during the night before he whines, we still encounter the same problem. He will still whine and bark just the same.

Hi All, I have noticed just recently that our lab pup takes a while to settle down after we take him out to toilet and do his business at night. He has never use to do that and would just whine a bit and fall back to sleep. Now I've noticed that it is getting harder for him to settle down at night after toileting. He barks and whines for quite a while and needs someone to actually sit with him until he falls asleep for about 30-45 mins Is this normal? Does anyone have any ideas about how to get him to settle down without all the commotion? FYI - he is now just over 10 weeks old. He always calls us at night when he needs to go out to toilet. Thanks

Hi, I am just after a few suggestions on how to keep my new labby in check when he starts to play too rough with my other dog who is a maltese/poodle. We only got him yesterday and being a puppy he just loves to play. At the moment, the maltese/poodle does snap at him when he is getting to rough...she knows how to do this but just this morning...he started to grab her tail and her collar under the neck. She didn't snap back at him because I assume she didnt not feel like she needed to(?) but because he's going to grow much bigger than her, what are some tips to help him play 'gently' that I can start implementing now. Thanks

Bonding only happens where being together is enjoyable.If all the experiences are terrifying then the 2 will never bond & you will have 12 yrs of hell. Doing it slowly & carefully is a must .Patience gets good results.It could take months before you can have a happy household or yoy could be lucky & it works well quickly but we always work on the months plan because its easier to prepare for the worst case scenario & be prepared than under estimate Thanks Settrlvr...one can only hope to be lucky hehe we will see. I have contacted the breeder about some of my concerns and will await a reply. two pups in the litter are already set to be guide dogs in training

You make a good point that the two dog need to survive happily without each other. I think it would be good to have the lab outside and Molly outside. Unfortunately, reconsidering the breed won't be up to me. It's not my dog and my mum and brother have their heart set on a yellow labby

Please keep them separate when unsupervised while the Lab is a pup! Even up to about 18 months old. Labs are puppies for what seems forever, and in the case of my Lab, when she was about 1 I decided to leave her unsupervised in the house with our little maltese on a hot day and when I got back a few hours later, the Lab had played with the little one so much that she was close to death (she would play with her by grabbing her around the neck and shaking like she was prey or a fluffy toy ) Emergency trip to the vet and she was fine, but I regretted leaving them together. Now the Lab is 2, she is trustworthy with the little one thank goodness! But they do still get kept apart during the day when I'm at work - Labs outside, maltese inside Omg...now THAT is what I want to try and avoid. Glad to hear the relationship between your two dogs is better now I'm just wondering, if you keep the both of them separate would that mean that they won't 'bond' together as much? Thanks for everyone's advice. We do want a particular colour - Yellow (I don't mind black but since Molly's my dog I don't get a say)

Hi All, I will definitely have a chat to my breeder. I have taken Molly to the dog park and seen her with a 6mth old lab puppy (sooo cute...and FULL OF ENERGY..) she gets a bit scared and runs away when they start to play too rough with her though. Also, Molly is an inside dog...but the lab puppy while everyone is at work will probably be outside for the time being. Would it be best for the puppy to have Molly be outside with him as well for company?

Hi, In a few weeks time we will be welcoming another addition to our pack - a male labrador puppy. I already have a 2 1/2 yr old Maltese x Poodle named Molly, she is very hyper and active and a little bossy at times. We will be getting the puppy from a reg'd breeder and I am just wondering if anyone has any tips/advice as to how I could pick a puppy that will complement Molly. Preferably one that is calm, since Molly is so hyper and active and likes to be bossy and 1 hyper dog is enough hehe I guess with puppies it is a bit harder to pick a 'calm' one since they are still young and want to play...but any suggestions would be welcome...

Sorry to ask this silly question - where can I find Jean Dodds recommendation on this? Does she recommend 3 vaccinations in total?

I am getting a lab puppy in about a month's time and have rung around a few Vets to see what sort of vaccinations the pup will require as I seem to have mixed response from people at work I have spoken to. The breeder will have the pup vaccinated at 6 weeks. As far as I am aware, the next vaccination is at 12 weeks and then another at 16 weeks... This was from one vet who says he prefers the "traditional" way - I then asked about the "new" vaccine on the market which can be given at 10 weeks (according to another vet). The 10 week vaccine is supposed to be better as it eliminates vaccinating a 3rd time at 16 weeks. What is everyone's opinion - should I go: (1) traditional way - 12 weeks, then 16 weeks vaccination (2) "new" way - do the 10 weeks vaccine and then nothing till 1 year old I am now confused as I don't know which is a better option ! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for that Gills... Which puppy pre-school did you go to?? ... i am expecting my pup but not for some time yet - after mid-Mar so now doing research on puppy pre-school. I know they do one in RSPCA but don't know if any good ... Anyone has any experience with the RSPCA in Springwood?

Is it true that "puppy pre-school" is all about the adults learning and the puppies left to play for themselves? ... can someone enlighten me?

thanks for responding... I am in Brisbane area (southside) - what do you think of k-9 Centre ? I have rung them and was told that they can do something for the aggression. She became like this after an attack by another dog.

Hi, My small dog has started to show signs of dog aggression towards other dogs and it has escalated since she was attacked. She does not display any aggression towards dogs she 'knows' i.e. our neighbours dogs. What is the best way to stop this? It is very hard to stop her when she gets into that state of mind.

Anyone know a good trainer in Brissie?? My molly also has little dog sydrome too