Marnifer

She went to puppy classes when she was about 12 weeks old and then I took her to an andolescent class at the local vet run by a Delta trainer (i think she was about 5 months old then) and then we did the Canine Good Citizen course when she was about 8 months old. Since then, it has just been me. I have been meaning to take her back though and do a bit more with her.

Hi all, I have a lab. She's almost two and probably due to me being a bit overly cautious, I've never been comfortable taking her to off leash parks because I cannot guarantee her recallability. This is as much for her own safety (none of the off leash area's around the local (or neighbouring) council area are fully fenced) as for the enjoyment of other dogs/owners. Since she is two, she's also still very, ummm, enthusiastic whenever she meets new dogs. Taking her for walks she regularly tries to bolt when she sees another dog across the road. Anyway, I need to do some recall training with her and have been told to use a treat that is really highly valued. The problem is, she'll eat anything you give her - all day - and enjoy it all. When everything seems to rate at a 9 out of 10, picking the difference between everything else and the one or two things that might be 10 out of 10 is pretty hard. How does everyone else work it out? Does it even matter that much?

She's a 23 month old lab. We bought a clam shell last summer for her because we would often see her cooling off in the drinking trough. It seemed though that the only time she would use it was when my daughter was out playing in it with her. We will however try again this year... Thanks for all your help everyone.

Which was kind of the point of my original post. the leaking is unacceptable and i was looking for an alternative. we tried the water bowl idea when she was a puppy - was a big disaster. she would splash about in the bowl having a good play and the water would be gone inside of about 30 seconds. it still wouldn't work even now. she eats her food out of a stainless stell bowl which gets carted around the back yard as soon as she is finished eating. same thing would happen with a water bowl. at the moment, she has a terracota planter box. I have plugged up the holes in and sealed inside and out to stop it absorbing the water. This is good but when she drinks from it, the front legs are always in the water and the whole body often goes in as well, just to get a drink... as a result, the water gets dirty very quickly and the whole thing needs emptying and cleaning every two or three days. This was fine in the beginning but after 18 months, it starts to become a chore... Thanks everyone for your assistance.

The one that I bought isn't actually a refillable trough/bowl. It is a drinking fountain that has an infrared (or similar) sensor in it. when the dog comes within about 50cm of it, water starts coming out of the spout. the dog just goes to town lapping it up as though it was coming out of a tap. great idea - no algae to worry about. no leaves, dust, dirt, mozzies, etc to worry about. pity about the leaking...

Hi all, I recently bought one of these for my dog (http://www.vetnpetdirect.com.au/Comtech-WaterDog-Drinking-Fountain) and set it up. Well I took the first one back to the store where I bought it because it leaked profusely from about two or three different places. I tested the replacement at the store to make sure that it wouldn't have the same problem and it seemed to only leak from one place but that was avoidable so no major problem. However when I get it home and set it up again, it leaks from a whole new place. Admittedly, this is just a small drip this time but a leak is still a leak. Has anyone else tried one of these products? Have you had similar issues? I expect that a lot of you will have some sort of automatic watering system set up for your best friends. Anybody care to share what they do? Thanks for your help. Martin

Hi there everyone. Bella is a 14 month old labrador. She's been to puppy and adolescent classes up until she was about 7 months old but nothing since then - just the standard "doing the right thing" stuff around the backyard and getting pats and verbal praise and so on. I didn't really take her walking for exercise until she was about 13 months old (due to advice/precautions re hips) so I have been giving her pieces of Shmacko's on our walks when she does the right thing. What I want to introduce now is recall on a whistle so that I know she will come back if I take her to a park or the beach or something. I really want something super duper 24 carat gold with platinum plating and all the bells and whistles so that she knows when the whistle goes and she comes running she will get her very own little piece of heaven that will be so much better than the grasshopper or the other dogs bum that she has just found. Any suggestions?

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I'll check them out over the next day or so. It's only really been the last week or 10 days that i have started training and up until the weekend, it wasn't really hot - especially during the early morning or evening when we are walking/running. I only run three times each week as well. By way of disclaimer, when I say I go running, any serious runner would scoff at me if they saw the pace I run at. Since i have started, I haven't been faster than an average of 8.5km/h over a max distance of 5.5km. Given that we walk at about a 5.5 or 6km/h pace, it's not currently that much more strenuous for her (or me). persephone - I alwys keep an eye on her weight and height and she hasn't changed at all really in the last 3 months or so. I know that they are not supposed to participate in any exercise up until they are 12 months old and I was very mindful of that - I didn't even take her walking - but I thought labs were Ok after 1 year... Feel free to advise otherwise. i definitely don't want to cause any long term damage...

Hi all, I'm currently at the start of a training schedule for an Olympic Distance triathlon. I walk my 14 month old lab each day, usually about 2.5 - 3km. In the last week or so, I have started taking her with me on my morning runs a couple of times a week. Now, I carry a water bottle with me for my own use but I'm sure she would really like to have a drink as well. So far i have been dribbling a bit out of the bottle for her to lap at but i don't think she really gets all that much. Does anyone else know of a good collapsible bowl or similar that would be easy to carry whilst running but would be big enough for her to drink out of? Thanks Marnifer

Yes it was Petstock. Neither Adamstown or Warners Bay have any. Were did you get Artemis?

I buy EPH (large puppy) for my 10 month old lab. Have had no problems at all with poos and she seems to love it. having said that, she'd probably eat anything that was put down in front of her. I use it all the time when training her. I did have to buy a pack of the regular EP large puppy kibble yesterday though because the only place in Newcastle that I've found to stock it has been out for about a month and they don't know when they will be getting more in. Has anyone else had supply problems with EP recently?

Thanks all for your comments. I weighed and measured her this morning. 21.5" to the top of the shoulder blades (not exactly sure where the withers are) and 20.8kg. She'll be 10 months tomorrow. Does this sound about right? Showdog, the weighing of food is so that we can be consistent in the amount that we are feeding her and thus can be sure that there is no accidental overfeeding. At the moment, she is getting 200gms of Eagle Pack Holistic Large Breed Puppy food twice a day. We have been going off the general guideline that you should be able to feel her ribs but not see them. This is the case. Well I guess it's time to start the morning walks which will be much easier now that the mornings are not quite so cold and dark. Another 8 months for running huh? Looks like I'll be lonely for a while yet then...

Hi everyone. We've got a 10 month old lab who has never been exercised. We throw the ball in the backyard maybe once or twice a week (no more than 5 minutes at a time) and she does a few laps of the backyard herself but there have been maybe half a dozen walks around the block in the last 10 months - mainly for training than anything else. I'm very conscious of doing everything I can to ensure her hips are kept in the best possible condition. We bought from a reputable breeder (Bonnsway). Her food is measured out (on digital kitchen scales) at every meal and she gets very few extras. We don't let her climb the stairs to the pool. There's no jumping. There's no beach time at the moment. I've probably gone into overkill mode on it all but I wanted to be sure. All of the following questions are asked with her hips and elbows in mind... What I'm wondering is how much exercise is acceptable at this age and how much is too much? I've been looking for an excuse to go running (for my own personal benefit) on a regular basis. At what age is she going to be able to handle this? It will mainly be around the neighbourhood on footpaths and the road. She's been desexed so we can't breed from her but I was thinking of getting her hips and elbows scored to make sure that if there is potential for a problem later on, that we know to avoid certain activities down the track... I also thought that the breeder might be interested in this information - Breeders, would you? All constructive comments opinions and advice welcomed... Thanks in advance for your help... Martin.