aussielover

A bored lab will dig for sure!

Well my labrador is abnormal and isn't all that greedy. She loves her food, but there are certain things she doesn't like- shock horror! She actually doesn't like pigs ears very much and won't eat them, nor does she like carrots. She doesn't like some of the chews we get at petbarn like the "roo roll". Yesterday I had to take her to work with me and she had to be caged, i left her in there with a treat (roo chew which she DOES normally like) only to come and check on her 30 mins later to find her drooling heaps, but not having touched the treat, poor thing! I brought her out the front with me and then she sat down and happily ate it. The vet said she was a disgrace to the breed LOL. Bub- I tend to really believe what a behaviourist and guide dog trainer who have had lots of experience with different breeds but particularly labs and goldens have to say about them. But at the same time i'm sure there are many goldies out there that don't do this.

Shame- i love dogs that nudge you for pats! None of mine have ever done that though. I really don't agree that a dog has to walk behind or beside you. It doesn't really matter where they walk so long as leader is telling them where to do it. As a future guide dog, my dog is walked ahead of me and is allowed to make certain decisions for herself eg. stopping at the curb, stopping before stairs etc Of course I have taught her previously that doing these things is the right thing to do. I don't feel that she sees herself as leader, she in't allowed to sniff or to wander wherever she pleases. Guide dogs are interesting in the fact that they have to act as a "leader" to the person, yet at the same time be submissive and obey certain commands given by the person, as well as make decisions about when not to obey (if a car is coming)

I agree in that situation it's a good idea to keep the dog off the bed. In that situation, there are probably also other underlying issues in the relationship that need to be looked at or monitored. If my dog started to try to keep other people out of my bedroom, me & her would be having serious words! Any dog showing signs of dominant aggression should not be allowed up on furniture or beds. However, I don't believe that allowing your dog up on furniture and beds alone, leads to the dog becoming aggressive or dominant. There are usually other factors involved as well

Mindy does that too! She is practising being bored at uni with me. She has to sit under my desk for 2 hrs at a time. She handles this very well and just goes to sleep or has a chew on her toys or chews.

Agree with what has already been said: labs are more full on and resilient. Goldies tend to be way more sensitive. Without proper discipline and training both breeds can be a nightmare. Goldens can be resource guarders (more so than labs), I've heard this from a number of reputable sources including a behaviourist, a guide dog trainer and quite a few goldie owners. I wouldn't say there is a major difference between the two breeds in terms of temperament and personality, both breeds can make the most wonderful pets and generally have a happy, friendly disposition towards humans and other animals.

Possibly. What other markers and rewards (eg. praise) did you use to indicate she had done the right thing? I used verbal praise. The exercise is repetitive and boring, but that is kind of the point? i think to test how responsive they are? she failed miserably then lol Why do you want obedience to be repetitive & boring? You've lost me there. Obedience should be fun for puppies! I think it is to test how willing the dog is to work for you. I obviously pushed her too far though. She is fine during her normal training which is short and fun. I just thought i'd throw in this exercise that we did at puppy school one time.

Gundogs and herders aren't meant to have true prey drive though are they? They are not meant to kill the prey. Gundogs aren't even meant to chase after live prey. I think it all depends on how you define prey drive. When i hear "prey drive" i think of the dog running after another animal and killing it. Under this narrow definition, sighthounds and terriers are the groups that most come to mind for having a strong desire to chase and kill.

what a lucky doggie you have! That looks awesome!

My lab has a great retrieving drive but if she sees a live bird, absolutely no interest whatsoever LOL. So not sure if that would make her useless? She will "point" at a bird and freeze but she has no interest in actually chasing after a bird that flies away. Most breeds that a bred for a purpose would have some drive for it, but not all breeds are bred to kill prey.

In what way do you think people treat their dogs like humans do you think? I call my dog "baby" and other silly names but I am aware of the fact she is a dog, in fact she is a working dog. I let her sleep in my room and she has lots of toys but she treated like a dog (imo) and expected to work for her privileges.

Thankfully Mindy is finally at the stage where the walk is enjoyable for me. Before she would have little tantrums and refuse to move at all or absolutely insist on sniffing something or not move at all. We have been working for a long time on her lead walking and today it seemed like it finally all came together and she behaved in a proper guide-dog like fashion. I am looking forward to doing some long walks with her when she gets older.

Possibly. What other markers and rewards (eg. praise) did you use to indicate she had done the right thing? I used verbal praise. The exercise is repetitive and boring, but that is kind of the point? i think to test how responsive they are? she failed miserably then lol

I'd say one of the terriers, possibly the JRT

This could be the case. I increased the number of sit/drops she had to do before she got the treat. She was ok for the first couple and then started barking, perhaps frustration?

Thanks to all those who have suggested that leash walking is more tiring than off leash free running! You're right! Just returned from a very satisfying leash walk with Mindy. She is absolutely knackered and fell aslepp about 2 mins after returning. She is now snoring away happily. I was a bit skeptical when this was first suggested, I couldn't really see how walking on a lead could be more tiring that running around crazily. But I was willing to try, so we did a 20 mintue walk and practised "proper walking" ie no sniffing, no distractions. We also practised all her guide dog stuff on the way such as finding the crub, finding stairs, finding a seat. I can't believe how tired she is now! She would run around crazily all day if i let her and shows no sign of becoming tired after a park visit. Glad I have found a way to tire her. Thanks for another great suggestion and tip DOLers!!!

I wasn't too keen on Mindy when we first got her. She was the naughtiest puppy ever! While the other puppies were content to sit on the grass or in their new owners arms, Mindy was off exploring or wriggling and whinging in my arms to be let down. She screamed the whole 1.5hr trip home- and i mean screamed- barking, howling, screaming, it probably soudned like someone was murdering her lol. She was also quite psycho and made all the other puppies at puppy school seem quiet and docile in comparison. Even the teacher thought she was a handful. My sister wanted to return her after 20 minutes! I was more determined to make it work thank goddness Having said all that, I really do love her, even though it took me about a month! I think we have bonded very well, I now take her everywhere with me out of choice and she is quite devoted and will follow me around. She is such great fun to train and to play with and now we get comments on how good and calm she is lol! So I think you can initially not bond instantly with a pup but still grow to love them and have a really strong bond over time.

I have had a few incidents with Mindy, nothing I would consider major, but slightly concerning. The other day I was practicing puppy pushups with her which is basically just a sit/drop/sit/drop- repeated exercise when she started barking like she was irritated with this exercise. I was a little bit surprised at this behaviour but ignored her and continued the exercise which she then started barking the whole way through, but still actually doing what i asked of her. I waited until I got 2 sit/drops without a bark and then stopped the exercise and rewarded her. Was this the right thing to do? When she was younger, she would also bark if she was asked to stop doing something naughty, or get down from the couch. She hasn't done this for a while now, but I am a little concerned about her becoming dominant. I was told all her littermates are quite dominant dogs, with one even having to be rehomed due to this. Is the barking something I should be concerned about? Or is it just her way of letting me know her displeasure? she actually does what she is told and this stage i don't feel there is any aggressive intent. This is the first time she has done this during a training session and I have done several more training sessions since then without a problem. Do you think this sort of behaviour is normal puppy behaviour or is it something I should raise with her trainer who i am seeing on wednesday?

Well i think it was owned by the people who ran the petting zoo. I hope it wasn't kept with all the other poor baby farm animals overnight...

Do you think she would run off? I know Mindy wouldn't come 100% of the time (i think it is pretty much impossible to expect a dog to recall 100% of the time) but I also know she is not the type to run off and chase somehting (too lazy!). I just don't call her when i know she won't come (like if she is playing with another dog). She will come if she is running off to greet another dog, but perhaps not if she is engaged in playing (when i have called her in this situation, she has come, but i try not to call her away unnecessarily). I would start in a low distraction environment like a fenced park when there are few dogs there. I guess the most important thing is that you trust her. i have personally found that when you call a dog you have to sound and feel like you know they are going to do it.

If I don't go with the Pal, the only other option is advance. I am happy to pay for the food, but when they leave the puppy raisers thye are only given what guide dogs is sponsored by. I will suggest they have a look at what guide dogs QLD does. I think it is a fairly recent thing that puppy raisers receive food. In the notes we received when applying, it said we would have to get the food ourselves.

That looks nice for people, but awful for dogs. Dogs do not need a flat screen TV and would prefer to be outdoors running around. It worries me that people can't see a difference between what is nice for them and what is nice/good for a dog.

Mindy may be changing from Advance puppy plus to PAL puppy. She has had sloppy poos on and off from around 8 weeks of age. She has had 3 faecal floats ruling out parasites such as coccidia and giardia and is up to date with all her worming and vaccinations. Guide dogs has suggested that the Advance is too rich for her and to try her on PAL puppy (apparently made by the same company as advance?). Has anyone else found that their puuppy has done better on a supermarket/non premium dog food? I am willing to give it a try but of course am a bit concerned as I have always thought of PAL as being not the greatest dog food.

Mindy is 5 months old and I am sure she is losing her baby teeth- she now has all the adult incisors and yesterday one of the molars/premolars fell out while she was playing tug with another dog. I have two questions: 1. Is this when puppies chew the most? I have not noticed her needing to chew more than usual. If anything, the chewing has decreased since we brought her home at 8 weeks old. She also mouths a lot less. She is given opportunity to chew on her toys throughout the day and receives a bone or pigs ear or dried roo meat to chew on 1-2 times per day and also has some rawhide chews available. She hasn't even destroyed one toy, which i am a bit disappointed by LOL- need an excuse to buy her more toys! Perhaps she is just naturally not a chewer. We were warned that lab puppies were very bad chewers and could eat through furniture, walls, tyres etc but she has not even shown any inclination to rip up anything, even socks and shoes. 2. Her breath smells revolting. It has gotten worse in the last few weeks. I have checked her mouth and there are no indications of infection or anything. Does anyone know why the breath smells yucky while they are teething. Could it be because she is now receiving raw bones more frequently? Can you do anything about the bad breath? I don't really want to do so far as brushing her teeth or anything like that though. I hope it will pass becuase i don't enjoy receiving stinky breath kisses. Well i like getting kisses but would prefer if they were not stinky lol.

How can you possibly argue that puppies are better off in a cage as opposed to at home with their mum and breeder in a loving family environment?