mrs tornsocks

Just got back from a walk in the off-leash park. It's normally rather chaotic but I have never seen any aggro outside a few growls and warnings. My boy is a 1yo lab, so quite big (not quite fully grown) and bouncy but well behaved generally. He bounces up to everyone (dogs) and crouches wagging tail like mad until they sniff him. The reaction can then be anything to more sniffs to immediate play fighting depending on other dogs' reactions. He has been 'warned' plenty of times by dogs big and small and backs off every time. Couple walking their small white, maybe maltese (not tiny weeny, although small). Archie bounded up, and he does bound, so 30kgs is quite a sight to people who don't know him. The woman immediately picked up the swf (that was growling and barking at Archie), while I was constantly reassuring both wife and hubby that Archie would absolutely not hurt him at all, he's completely harmless. Archie also responds well to 'gentle' when he's playing with smaller dogs and once he reaches them, will definitely slow down / back off. Husband said very roughly "he is going for our dog", I replied "no I promise you he's not, he is totally friendly" .... and he made some other rude comment about how Archie was stressing everyone in the dog park despite there being plenty of dogs his size and bigger romping around. Arch tried to play with a few other little ones and was fine, owners reactions ranged from smiling to one who called their dog away and Archie moved on. Should I really put him on leash in these circumstances, given owners are all so different ? I was really tempted to say to this bloke "the only person that's stressing is you and you're passing that straight on to your dog, especially by lifting him up". But I can obviously understand his concern for his dog's wellbeing and uncertainty about a big bouncy boy.

Was he on his 'normal' diet ? My lab used to get slight mucus when he first ate chicken frames and turkey legs. Didn't last too long, his tummy got used to it and now poultry is his favourite yum yum

What a coincidence, I just hopped on here because Archie just had a little vommy about 30 mins ago, and he is now totally normal. It looked like the mouthful of food he managed to gobble at Petbarn on the way out (they have a water and feed bowl at the front) . He's a lab so would probably eat whatever I put in front of him now, but wondering if I should just leave his dinner for tonight.

Dorothy is absolutely lovely - she runs two canine kindy classes per week on our hospital grounds. We've had great feedback from both our clients and our staff who have joined in the classes. Her website is actually http://www.cheekypup.net.au/ oh yes, sorry !! That one is a creative agency or something. We have also taken our now 1yo boy back to Dorothy for some one on one, which has been most helpful.

someone should take their home video in there when it's busy so employees might not notice, film it, then ring one of the local news / current affairs shows with their footage, hopefully build into a bigger story about pet shops / puppy mills.

We went to this place, I really like Dorothy. She does a couple of different locations I think, we went to rooty hill. We had tried an earlier one at Quakers Hill vet, but didn't like it so much. http://www.cheekypup.com.au/

Have you had this problem with your labs? I guess we can give this a try. It does sound difficult though! I havent had the problem of him barking for food but he went through a phase of when he was put outside when I was cleaning the floors or I had guests etc he used to bark loudly at the door to be let in. It was so annoying but I used to just let him bark and only when he stopped he was let back inside again. He hasnt done it since he was about 7 months old though, he is now almost 13 months. Off the topic (Sorry) but I'm guessing that's your dog in the picture? He is beautiful and looks very similiar to my boy Jett Yes that is my boy, he was naughty for the first time and chewed up the chair for my outdoor setting today Mason !!

I'm confused but think you've changed your name OP ? I am wondering if maybe you might want to consider going back to some basics on training and it seems you're looking at that with TOT (it's pinned at the top of the training thread). You have a young entire male labrador -- there is a whole lot of energy and excitement in your gorgeous boy, and throw in a partner in crime with your GR and it's a pretty big bundle to deal with. My 1yo lab was desexed two weeks ago and he is a relatively calm fella, but I think I have been super lucky with that. He's still very energetic and you never know, there could be a bitch in season nearby - how long has he been doing this ? I may have missed it, but does he go to obedience ? How much training do you do at home ? If you can't do more than 30 mins exercise, then 10 mins of intensive training is good for both of you, and will expend plenty of energy for him. There are a few good tips for your specific barking issue here, but the broader training issue is one to consider. Also, I don't think it's too late to crate train him. We started him early but he now sleeps cosily and happily inside his crate (both outside and in).

Honestly ... because I am tired and it's somewhat energy sapping getting into a discussion that's not really going ultimately to help the OP, either by my wrong advice or by our back and forth. Idea was to be certain that it is food he's barking for (I'm guessing it's attention, not food, confirm that via process of elimination, then seek solutions). As I read it, OP is getting up @ 5am at the moment anyway.

That would make the situation worse. He would be being rewarded for barking and it would continue. I certainly wouldn't be happy getting up at 5am because the dog wanted attention. edited because I couldn't be bothered.

Have you tried letting him in when he barks, not feeding him, and going back to bed ? Or, just paying him some attention when he barks ? Obviously this isn't something you'd do for any length of time given it's 5am, but it might sort out whether it is in fact food or attention. Then you can start looking at solutions. Our boy gives one or two barks when he's ready to wake up (he sometimes sleeps in the laundry), we just put him outside so he can do his business and spend a bit more time exploring and until we're ready. We walk him, then feed him a bit later when we're ready (and when he's settled down from walk). Usually ends up being around 7.30-8am.

what does she weigh ?

Perhaps he is too warm from the snooze on the lounge with you and the blanket and that this is the reason he initially chooses to be outside, at least initially. Personally, I wouldn't coat a dog such as a labrador - they are double coated by nature and the problem with a jacket is they can't escape it if they are feeling too warm. If he has a nice cosey spot (kennel) to go to which serves as protection from all weather (including drafts) then I'd suggest he'd be ok. I can only compare to Victorian weather though, but our nights get cold as well. When I was a kid we had a labrador. Those days were different and people were outside more than they were in and often there was someone at home for a good part of the day. But also in those days, dogs were predominantly outdoor dogs. Ours was. He had a wooden box with blankets and that was situated in our outdoor laundry, to which the door was always open. He was more than comfortable, warm and ok out there. Why don't you skip the snooze on the couch with the blanket (just give him a comfy mat for him to lay on) and not have him warmed up before bed-time, and see if he's still looking to go outside then? ETA: Have you had your heating going lately? That also might be the reason for him initially opting to go outside. Labradors are generally cool-weather dogs. Thanks ! He doesn't snooze with blanky and me every night, just so happened it was last night. Generally he snoozes on the floor before we put him to bed and then goes outside when we tell him it's bed-time. It's interesting though, he didn't go outside until the weather cooled at the end of summer, so he obviously found it too hot during that time and preferred to sleep in the laundry. Haven't really had heating going - it's only just started to cool here in Sydney, crazy weather.

Not a chewer. Hasn't destroyed a bed, dug in the garden or done any of the other stereotypical stuff. Had a go here and there, but not that determined. Not sure how he'd go with a coat though. Didn't really like his Santa hat at Xmas.

This is the the point I made to OH, it's not like he's been an outside dog or is a farm dog that you could maybe argue he's used to it. He snoozes up lying on the lounge with me and the blanky before he goes to bed - and then he goes outside to bed. The crate is under shelter on the wooden deck and covered. Might invest in a coat but think I'll be able to win the argument with OH

Six weeks or so ago, our 1yo lab decided to take himself outside to bed. We'd tell him it's time for beddy byes and instead of walking into the laundry, where he has a bed, he went the other way and out the back door. I think previously it might have been too hot for him, but since it started getting cooler, he still seems to prefer it. So ... now that it's getting colder it's raised the question whether he'll stay outside. We would quite like him to sleep outside, just because he sometimes wakes up earlyish in the laundry and barks to get out (to play, not to toilet). Also, our laundry has a lab carpet from his hair. I am worried he'll get cold, my OH thinks I'm silly. He sleeps on a lovely pet futon in his crate (lab, not OH ) and last night I put a thinnish blanket over the crate since it was quite cool. Would a lab get cold in the worst of the Sydney winter ? I know they're bred for chilly waters but just wondering.

My dog is from a Lacote sire, although mated to another bitch (ie not bred as such by Lacote). We were charged - and bought - higher than what I thought was a 'standard' lab puppy price. Won't go into the circumstances as to why we did this, but we did so knowing that there was no legit reason to a choc to be more than a yellow or black. I would ask a breeder why they charge $1800 for a choc, when leading (eg breeders of Aust champ show dogs) breeders charge less for a yellow or black. Just see what the reaction is. You know what though ? Don't get too bogged down in it. You are obviously already doing plenty of research and getting good reccs here, so weigh those up -- and ask the breeder heaps of questions.

Have you tried Pets 2000 at Castle Hill ? Just ring them and they'll check stock over the phone for you. http://www.petcare2000.com.au/ I find them cheaper than Petbarn etc too.

oh, guess what my mr perfect 1yo just did ? I am working out on the deck and he just brought me OH's socks ! He did 'leave it' when I told him tho.

How old ? What breed ? 1. pups do this, perfectly normal so try to have a bit of patience whie you work through it 2. you need to secure everything until he grows out of it 3. instead of plush toys, get some more hardy toys, better for him, less mess for you 4. train him to 'leave it' or 'drop it', so the times when you do catch something in his mouth, he knows it's naughty. There are prob better training links than this, but it was the first one I googled http://www.wikihow.com/Teach-Your-Dog-to-Drop-It Our boy used to do this all the time; he's now one and for the first time in ages, he did it last night. My runners were lying in the kitchen area, and suddenly one disappeared. I called him, marched him towards the back door (was dark outside) and told him to 'fetch it'. Shoe returned !!! He knew that it wasn't something he could play with and came back all coy with this prize. Was an awesome feeling after the frustration of those times as a pup, plus the training I'd done. He's no wonder dog but that brought a smile to my face.

ponders the meaning of life with me. plays basketball.

Archie got desexed yesterday, was a tiny bit groggy last night when he came home, but is otherwise well, the area is swollen as expected. He's probably 7-8/10 energy level to his normal self, got a bit excited when I got home after a few hours today, not jumping around too much etc. When is it okay to take him for a walk again ? He's usually pretty full of beans on his walk. The vet notes don't mention it and we forgot to ask when we picked him up.

Yes it is for -15months, I don't know about the sizes, sorry. We've only ever fed lab junior but I guess we're not far off moving to adult since he just turned one.

Hi Shaun We have had two labs, our current boy came to us on Royal Canin and we have stuck with it ever since. He's just turned one. I really recommend it. He gets other yummy raw stuff but RC worked for us. Our previous pup was on Advance, which seemed good too, although he went to the bridge at four months so didn't really see the long term benefits.

our fella is going to be desexed tuesday. how long does the collar usually need to be on ?