leroysmum

Ours is another one that won't do anything when we are out. He doesn't even do poo on the lawn at home, he will go onto the garden where there is bark or onto a gravel area and do his business. He will urinate on the grass though but it will be close to the garden bed. We don't mind as I don't have to be doing pooh patrol every five minutes when the kids are out there. He will always sit at the back door though to wait to go outside if we happen to have him indoors. We did do crate training with him when we first got him and continually took him to one place in the backyard for toileting. Perserverance to train him in the right spot...lots of praise and consistency.

Our breeder had our pup on raw meat and chicken wings when we first got him and I think I kept him on that for about a week when I noticed that a huge portion of the chicken wing had passed through him whole! Our Vet also advised not to feed him raw chicken for exactly the same reasons that we don't eat it. That was enough for me. He has been on Eukanuba ever since with a fresh bone once/twice a week and some raw veg/fruit scattered around like a treasure hunt on some days to keep him occupied. We also feed him a tin of sardines once a week (not in one hit though). It's hard to monitor what they eat..ours finished up at emergency late one evening because he swallowed one of the kids socks, down it went in one big gulp. Luckily we were there to see him do it. He also took to eating up towels and he regularly eats the bark off the garden and anything that looks like timber.

Leroy is heading off to Becks Boarding Retreat for a short stay this week. Will let you all know how he likes it!

With our Choc Lab who is now 10mths we have found a Kong to be fantastic mental stimulation along with those Leo's that you can join together and the Everlast treat thing (can't remember the exact name of it but it's like a ball cut in half and you put a treat chunk thing in it). Another great investment for us was the Aussie Dog treatball which we actually put his dry food in when we feed him...keeps him entertained for ages and tires him out. From memory we introduced that to him around 4mths. I currently walk him around the block/park for about 20mins on a lead. As we take him to Obedience Training once a week, I do some lead work with him for part of the walk and then the rest of the way his reward for good work is to sniff about etc. as he pleases. Someone will also do some quick command training with him at the opposite end of the day to his walk i.e. sit, stand, stay, recall, drop etc. As I have two young children, we have never encouraged tug of war type of games or jumping up of any kind - this way it minimises the chance of any "accidents". We have also discovered the beauty of scattering carrot and apple pieces around the yard for a "treasure hunt" before we go out.....he LOVES it! Gets his sniffer going and keeps him out of mischief. Good luck!

We feed our 10mth old Lab twice a day. We simply split his total daily quantity into two - the reason being is to minimise the chance of tummy bloat. Our vet recommended this as our last Lab suffered from this condition.

Our Choc Lab who is now 10mths used to do the same thing when he was younger and I was quite concerned with him chewing on the rocks and pebbles not knowing if he was eating them or not. After much observation I discovered that he wasn't. I asked at our local pet store about the habit and was told that they actually chew/suck on them to get minerals from them. They usually don't swallow them. Leroy has grown out of the habit now but will, on the odd occasion, still toss one around in his mouth and relocate it.

Thanks for this advice. I think that's what they used on him at the Grooming place which is why I have been a bit hesistant to get one - he came out looking shocking. I am noticing a huge change in his coat (for the better) since I have been brushing him twice a day, much to his disapproval...he doesn't like it one bit!

We used to use the vet in Yarraville on Williamstown Road (Dr Burns) for about 10 years with our two Labs and found the staff to be great. Since the dogs passed on and we moved we have been using the Vet located in the Best Friends pet store with our latest family member. We have found the two female vets and staff there to be really good. They also provide you with printed reports and we even got a follow up call the morning Leroys desexing operation. So far we have been really pleased with them. Good luck in your search and hope this helps.

Hmmm yep, that's what he once looked like! Our last Lab was black and his coat was always super shiney and he wasn't fed premium brand food or got a regular brush. Will start him off on some sardines....what size tin would you be buying?

Thanks everyone, will take all your suggestions on board. I know the breeder said that about twice a year he will look a bit raggedy but it was extremely noticeable after he had been to the grooming place for a bath and came back with a flat back and fluffy sides. I have a slicker brush and a moulting comb that I have been trying to get onto him each day (much to his displeasure) and it is getting a heap of fur out and he does look a bit better afterwards. Will definitely try the added fish oil in his diet. Although he does spend a lot of time under the trees and pergola, he is very partial to sunning himself which of course takes the colour out of his coat. We have tried a product from the groomers that does have sun protection. Will let you know how we go! Once again, everyone's suggestions are appreciated. Have a safe and Happy New Year.

Hi Everyone, I have a 10mth old Chocolate Lab and his coat has become "mottly". He seems to have developed a flat patch along his black and is fluffier along the sides. His fur is coming out very heavily at the moment often in chunks when i brush/comb or touch him. He is an outside dog so his coat along his head/back has become a lot lighter. I have read some things that suggest he is losing his "puppy" fur, but was wondering if anyone could confirm this and will his coat com back beautiful? When he was younger he was a rich dark brown (almost black) and was so shiney. His underside is still gorgeous. He solely gets fed Eukanuba and a couple of bones each week. Any suggestions to help improve his coat would be appreciated. Thanks.

I located these in the phone book and was definitely going to go and have a look. Thanks for the recommendation they are close to us. Thanks for your feedback.

Thanks for your help - will put them down for an inspection. Have a great New Year.

Hi, I need to locate a great boarding kennel for my Labrador in April when we are away on holidays. Would anybody have any recommendations for one on the western side of melbourne down to Geelong? I haven't used one before so am just in the process of trawling through the internet/phone books and would prefer to have recommendations based on personal use. Thanks.