bozthepup

Yes, it takes some work not to just assume the toileting will look after itself and suddenly he'll 'know'. How is your 9wkold going with toilet training ? Boz still has a small few accidents inside but pretty much always poops outside (unless he's in the laundry on his own for extended period).

Thanks again all. Wow - I don't want to jump the gun on this but today when we put him outside (and drew the curtains) he had a bit of a whinge but not for long and then played outside happily for around an hour, just pottering around with his toys (and a tiny bit of digging!). Major progress - we hope this lasts !! AND ... he's sat quietly in his crate for a couple of short stints today. (He is of course the smartest little lab in town) :rolleyes: .

Thanks all ! Crate is seemingly a very nice place for him - we feed him in there regularly and toys, old clothing of mine etc are all there. I guess it just takes persitence. On the issue of him being outside, after going 15 'rounds' with OH he is now outside playing happily and has been for 30 mins or so. Seems like it could be tough to reverse the training procedure; assume we should wait for a day or so to try the different method? Do pups remember things like this quickly ? He's a very cluey little fella.

We have an adorable and very wilful 9 wk old Lab. We're first time Lab owners and I'm gathering from reading the forum that they can be challenging - which he is. That said, he's also doing lots of good things ! My main questions/concerns are: 1. We want to train him to be outside on his own - not for hours on end, but just when it's more convenient for us and ultimately as he grows up we'd prefer him to be an outside dog mostly. Currently, he yelps and barks at the back door. He's fine when we're out there with him. OH currently has a method where he stands at the door, and every time he barks (pup, not OH !) OH will open the door and scold him for barking. This goes on for some time ! Pup walks away, 'defeated', regularly but keeps coming back. OH is very patient and persistent with this but pup gets very anxious and quite vicious in his response. 2. Crate training - is it a good idea to put him in the crate at regular intervals (and lock the crate) - just to get him used to it ? We've tried it a bit and he just yelps til he's exhausted - and doesn't particularly seem to like the crate.

I am looking for opinion on finding the right 'balance' between letting our 9 week old (gorgeous) lab puppy engage in normal puppy play .... and vigorous play that might cause him longer term damage to joints / hips etc. His parents both have near perfect hip and elbow scores but we've noticed he ocassionally gets a very small shake in his front legs while standing still (after play). How can we strike the right balance ? I try not to let up jump up and down on anything and we have no stairs etc. Also, when is an okay age to start letting him do that kind of stuff ?