jakeyjangels

Chicken wings are fine. Started my Labs on wings as soon as we got them home at 8 weeks. Depending your Labs age, and as my breeder recommended, it might be a good idea to cut the wings into 3 pieces at their joints which may prevent them choking on them if swallowed whole. Labs can be such gluttens !! I alternate between necks, wings & whole frames which I cut up with a cleaver for our 9 week old but give whole to our 16 month old Lab boy.

Same Fatsofatsoman about Kroll Gardens - dirty & unmaintained & strange feel about it. Alot of people rave about it though. Jangels loves our local park at Bracken Ridge - up the hill in the opposite direction from Woolies in Barrett Street. Views of the mountains, bay & the city. Really friendly people & dogs. Apparently lots of doggies between 4 - 5 pm. We go in the mornings early & it isn't so busy but nearly always someone for him to play with. Used to go to Nudgee with our old boy Lab jake, but he got attacked once so has turned me off there. The walking track at Peace Park Brighton near Nashville School is a nice spot for an on lead walk.

We were cutting up a fresh pineapple last night & Jangels carried on until we gave him a piece. He didn't really eat much but just played with it It must of been the smell that was the attraction Tonight I will put some in his food cut up into smaller pieces. He eats apples all the time, grated & mixed in with his barf pattie (non fattening & makes his meat go further) We mainly alternate between grated apples & carrotts. Jangels also likes oranges & lemons

I just purchased a 58 cm long x 45 cm wide soft crate for our Labrador puppy from www.crazysales.com.au It came with an included mattress /pad that looks like it can be washed and a carry bag. Very happy with it. At our front door in 4 days. $21 + $8.00 postage

Very interesting reading everyones posts. We have a 16 month Lab boy Jangels and pick up our new Lab puppy Louis next Saturday. It was a big decision in some ways, but other ways not. Our decision was based on both our wanting another Lab and our belief that Jangels would love having a mate. Jangels has been a pleasure to own. He has done very well with his basic obedience. He is extremely affectionate and just loves other dogs company. So for us the postives FAR outweigh the negatives. We can't wait until we pick up baby Louis

what a sad sad story So sorry

www.crazysales.com.au - crates www. animalhealthstore.com.au - Raw Feeding. BARF etc grain fee kibble, supplements, books etc www.vetproductsdirect.com.au - flea treatments, shampoo, worming etc

Thank you everyone for your replies Thanks to Ams Louis will be in a sterile crate now which I'm relieved about. 15 more sleeps

Thank you It may have to be a midnight delivery so check your letterbox every day over Easter as it may arrived in the middle of the night for you. Just received Virkon S Thank you so much for your kindness & efforts in getting it to me (I was working on coming to you) Very much appreciated Happy Easter

Thank you

Evening all. We have purchased a 2nd hand dog crate in preparation for the arrival of our Lab puppy in 3 weeks. Even though it is in great condition I would still like to clean/sterilise it myself before Louis's arrival . Can anyone give me any ideas on what I should clean it to remove any germs /smells . I read of a product on one of the forums here that vets use to sterilise after parvo etc but can't find the name/post on here now. It is a galvanised steel crate (not plastic coated wire). Thanks in advance & apologise if this is a repeat post.

Hi Drifter. We have a 15 month old Labrador boy (& previously a much loved nearly 15 year old boy) & we went through similar concerns when looking for a new puppy. (Also with posting probs on DOL as well!!) Our boys Dam score 6:4, Sire 5:7 Elbows 0:0 & both PRA clear & EIC clear. So far we have had no health problems with Jangels. I can understand your concerns re your dams scores but as there is so many conflicting breed average scores, I found it very difficult to work out the cut off score. From my experiences, the scoring is no guarantee whatsoever of the future of your puppy developing hip dysplasia. But a good start. Not all hip dysplasia is heridatory & there are so many other factors to consider in reducing the risk- eg lifestyle. Not over exercising up until 18 months of age ( no long boring walks as back yard play is all they need for their exercise because they know/have the option to rest when they are tired or sore) which allows their bones to set correctly without unneeded pressure , No stairs or jumping in or out of cars, no walking on dry sand at the beach & diet is very important - ensuring they eat lots of raw meaty bones so that they gets lots of calcium from the bones (bones grow bones) are some of the instructions we recieved from our breeder which we have followed. From my experience, other things are yes to definately choose a reputable breeder who will answer your many, many questions and be happy to be in contact with you in the future. A reputable breeder will want to stay in contact. I email Jangels breeder photos of him every few months and she is so happy to receive them. She helped me source a breeder for our new lab puppy also born 3 weeks ago. (She wasn't having another litter until the end of the year and I couldn't wait that long !!) I even made contact with Jangel's sire's breeder when reseaching for our new puppy. She was so helpful. Reputable breeders generally know who are puppy farmers v who have good quality puppy pets who are raised with love. The first 8 weeks of a puppy life is so important. Jangels has a tempermant/personality to die for !! I hear from our new puppies breeder (600 kms from us ) twice a week & with photos of our new baby!! I am happy to help you via PM if you want. I could probably get my past & present breeder to offer their opinion on your prespective choice of breeder/puppy if that would help you. The Labrador breeding world isn't that big. I understand how hard it is for us, the average 'joe blow pet owner' , to select a puppy who is healthy & happy. Lab puppies are generally all around the same price so you might as well get the best puppy you can for your money. Hope I have helped.

Exactly my thoughts twodoggies2001 Tinned food is takeway for dogs. Dogs are not 'designed' to eat cooked food. As you said breath and overall body smell is so much sweeter . My Lab is thriving on Raw meat & bones, Fish, Fruit, Vegies & natural yoghurt.

You seem to have a defensive attitude. Did you want advice on your email or did you just want to complain? Good breeders already put in the legwork by breeding excellent dogs. Good breeders often have no problems finding homes for their dogs. So there is an imbalance there that puppy buyers just have to put up with. There are plenty of ways to find out more about breeders than by asking them to give you information about themselves in writing. Replying to questions by email is very time consuming and not something that all breeders can do. You don't show that you value a really good breeder any more than an average one. Finding a list of breeders and sending of an email like that could not be described as legwork. If you really like this breeders dogs, why not explain why you do like them instead of sending them the form letter? Breeders don't usually have to provide long detailed emails about themselves, they usually provide info on websites or you can find out info in other ways. They develop a reputation within their breed. and within the show and breeding world. The dogs they breed are out there being examples of themselves for people to observe. But how will breeders find out about you unless you tell them about you? The demand for quality dogs is high, and people are prepared to wait if they are really committed. If you just see dogs as something that should be produced on demand and sold like any other low value retail household product, you are not really overly attractive as a dog owner. Breeders do not always look at dog breeding as a business, many look at it as a hobby, and not one where they are there to provide a service to the dog buying public. Pet shops are for people that want to buy a dog without any regard to quality. Quality costs more, and in Australia the cost is in time and effort rather than in cash. Good dogs are worth a lot more than average ones, but the cash price doesn't usually reflect that. In an email enquiry you don't have to volunteer a lot of detailed information at the start. But requesting a lot of detailed information from somebody that doesn't know you will probably not get far either. Providing a brief outline about your family to the breeder would probably be more helpful in motivating the breeder to deal with you. I understand why people are complaining, and I agree the situation isn't good, but you will get further if you treat the acquisition of the dog as you would if adopting a child, and less like you are down at Harvey Norman or Retravision trying to compare electrical goods. People either accept the situation or they don't, whinging here won't be able to alter it. I agree with those who are a bit wary of the 'no papers' breeder.

We use Third Avenue Veterinary Surgery in Sandgate for our labrador. Ph 3869 3347 Small surgery owned and run by Simon Armidt. He is very caring, listens and spends as much time as you need at a consultation.

Give Your Dog A Bone is my bible too. My Labrador does fantastic on his 'commercial free' diet. $35.00 from this website www.animalhealthstore.com.au

I haven't posted on here for ages but often just get on and have a read about everyon's new babies. I loved reading your 'novel' about Buffy. We had the same lovely experience with Jangels breeder six months ago. Buffy is just beautiful. Congratulations.

OMG She is absolutely beautiful Frodo's Mum. Where did you get her?

Nicolatu...... Oreo is doing really well with his training. I am having trouble with Jangels chewing / playing with his lead whilst training. I am just using a normal collar. Do you use a choker? Jangels has mastered sit, down and no & waiting for his meal so far. Next is stay at non meal times. Lily123 ...... Same Its been a long time since training a puppy for me also. 14 years so very "rusty" at this now. But it is fun & very rewarding.

Hi Lindainfa & welcome Yes totally understand the over protective bit. My husband and I are exactly the same with Jangels and we too are thinking of a sister for him later on. I want a black Labrador and he wants a Jack Russell. What breed is Arnie? He is beautiful Congratulations on getting a sister for him..How exciting.

What gorgeous photos BF. Zoe is so cute ...... and has mischief written all over her cute face!! Jangels too needs a bath at the moment. He looks like he has been under one of our cars as he has a black stripe down his back but I had my 4 wisdom teeth removed on Tuesday ;) and am still in a lot of pain so his bath will have to wait. The last thing I need is a bump in the face from a clumpsy 4 month old Labrador

Hi All, Lovemesideways: Riddick is just gorgeous. How old is he? I would love a sister for Jangels just like Riddick later on. Jusy need to convince my husband!! Niques: I sympathise fully with the biting. It drives you nuts. We tried everything from ignoring him to soft smacking after having cuts all over us. One day last week I had had enough and got serious as we have 3 small grandchildren. Every single time he nipped he got a soft smack and I walked away from him. He must of got about 20 smacks that day but I got through to him. Now I just have to say Jangels firmly and loudly when he starts and he usually stops. Blue Fairy & everyone else : I have been researching pet insurance too. Our breeder had 6 weeks free puppy insurance for Jangels with Petplan which has expired this week. www.petplan.com.au All the companies seem so far to be similar in price and so are their policies. After looking at their website, I rang Petplan yesterday. They claim to be the only pet insurance company in Australia that will pay your vet direct if you have a good enough relationship with your vet & can organise a 30 day or so account. Apparently all other companies reimburse you for the claim after you have paid your vet minus the excess. That would be invaluable if a serious situation arose and you didn't have access to thousands of dollars. I haven't decided yet who I will take the policy out for Jangels with but Petplan is looking interesting. I also want a policy that would reimburse us for the cost of purchasing Jangels if heaven forbid anything happened to him. Laurengolden: Re Raw Diet: We have fed our Labrador Jangels completely raw food since the day we picked him up, 7 weeks ago, except for dry biscuits as treats for training purposes. Our breeder suggested this as that is how she feeds her 5 Labradors and has excellent results. She suggested that I read 2 of the 3 Dr Ian Billinghursts ( a practising vet from Bathurst NSW) books on feeding raw food. The books were very easy to read and understand & such an eye opener. But in short all I do is go to the markets and spend about $10 or so on over ripe vegies and fruit and then get out our 30 year old food processor from when the kids were babies, and blend it all up. I make enough for about 3 weeks and freeze it in 2 litre icecream containers. I mainly use spinach, sweet potato, apples, bananas, carrots, broccoli, mangoes or whatever is in season to which I add egg yolk and the shell, garlic, kelp, flaxseed oil etc. and then mix in & alternate between chopped up chicken necks, sardines, chicken livers etc. Very easy & more work and you have to be organised but well worth the effort in my opinion and amoungst the many benifits it is easier to control a Labrador's weight, very clean teeth, no doggy breath and beautiful healthy soft coat. And his no 2's are so easy to pick up. And the big plus is it works out much less expensive then commercial food. My vet says you should be able to kick a dogs no 2's ! If you want anymore info don't hessisate to ask. (I'm only a newbie at the raw feeding but I have got right into it!). I hope this has helped.

Thanks for the explanation BF for the vaccinations. Our breeder recommended Jangels have a third vac at between 14 & 16 weeks which I assured her we would, so I will discuss the 3 year thing then. We don't use boarding kennels so that won't effect us.

Hi BF Glad Zoe is ok. Have you thought of maybe trying some raw fresh food like chicken necks if you can source them where you are? Just a thought. :D Bet you will sleep tonight after your big day. Fingers crossed your baby will too. Hi again BF: Do you know if there a difference between the 1 yearly vaccination & the 3 yearly one other than the price? Thanks from Jill