aussielover

I ask before I attempt to give puppy cuddles! However, Gayle if I saw Isaak i would probably run straight over and smother him in hugs because he is so adorable (I have a huge soft spot for aussie puppies!). Having a puppy myself now I do find it quite irritating when people try to call my dog over to them when it is obvious i am trying to train her to walk on a lead WITHOUT being distracted. Also, one time someone tried to take the lead off me and drag Mindy towards them talk about over enthusiastic! I also like to get my puppy to settle before I allow others to say hello.

A few people I know think its trendy to have a white boxer because they are "so rare".

My puppy has done this once or twice. I freaked out and had her checked for worms and anal glands which were all fine. I noticed that after she did this, as soon as she was allowed outside she would do a poo. Could they do this because they are trying to "hold it in"? She also has a fold around her vulva which I try to clean the area regularly so this could be a cause I suppose.

don't let him out when there is washing, put the pot plants out of his reach. If you have been naughty and left these temptations around for him- say "no" or whatever you use to indicate you are unhappy and remove him from the situation or redirect him to one of his toys. And honestly, if you have a lab you will need to walk it daily- no matter the weather or the muddiness or they will become quite destructive. You would also do well to do some training at least once a day, the more the better! Teaching tricks is fun and a greta way to keep a lab happy and busy!

I know a lot of people have worse probs than I but... My puppy sleeps from 10pm until 6.30am She wakes without fail at 6.30am and HAS to get up then. Once she is awake, she will not settle back down. this is OK during the week, when i am happy (well, not happy, but accepting) to get up at 6.30, however on the weekend I like to sleep in till 8am at least. If I put her back in her crate she will bark and carry on for a while which kind of defeats the purpose of sleeping in... She is fine in her crate at any other time but having spent the last 8 hrs in it, I guess she has just had enough and wants to be up and running around. She can't be left in the garden unsupervised as she has taken to doing her own style of gardening which is not appreciated. I know I should probably consider myself lucky that she sleeps through the night just wondering how long it will be until she can sleep for a little longer :D How long do your puppies sleep for and is around 8 hrs at night typical? Any tips for settling her back down in the mornings (is that even possible?)? Thanks

Imo you'd have to be really unlucky for that to cause an obstruction, but of course it is possible. A long thin stip could be worse because those sort of linear objects can cause intussusception which is very serious.

That doesn't apply for labs!

OMG that is just terrible! I hope your poor baby recovers quickly, they sound like serious injuries. Definitely report the attacking dog. If it caused that much damage it should be made to wear a muzzle in public especially if your dog did nothing to provoke it. I also wouldn't let your dog play with the staffy again. I think there is a good chance that your dog will remember the attck and be quite nervous around it which may lead to another fight.

Ball chasing and frisbees aren't the best for joint health in any breed of dog. With balls, there is lots of sudden turning and stopping and with frisbees obviously the impact from leaping in the air is quite hard. Having said that, in moderation these are great activities and are enjoyable for both dog and owner. I'm not really sure that I would want a 40kg dog leaping into the air, in my experience breeds that are lighter and more agile are better suited to this activity but in the end it is really for you to decide whether you think your dog could handle it. As a recreational game I'm sure all would be fine as most dogs won't leap that high off the ground anyway, but if you're talking about competitions then they are dominated by smaller, lighter dogs. I would wait until his growth plates are closed though before you start this activity. ETA- I'm not a ridgie expert, so perhaps head over to the ridgeback forum, they might be able to help you better

Don't ever let her have access to the pool when she is unsupervised. She will be able to swim now with supervision but if she fell in she would panic and not know how to get out. This is the same for dog of any breed or age.

why can't it get up? Poor baby But very cute and squishy.

You know whats worse? People who actually pick up the poo but then leave the bags on the ground and "forget" to take them or leave it to hang on tree branches which I find quite disgusting. How much extra effort does it take to walk to a bin, you've done the "yucky" part already! At least S*** that is left on the grass will degrade over a few days but left in a bag it might be there for years

My girl had no troubles finishing her meals from day 1. What a greedy guts!

Does she get treats in between meals? If she does, you need to subract these from the meals. I would give 1/2 a cup twice a day and then maybe some chicken necks/frames, an egg, or a chew ,or something in a kong etc at lunch time. Does she look healthy, it is unusual for a lab to not finish a meal, no matter how big!

And say with a great big smile, "Oooops. Wrong s**tter" Hehehe you guys are sooo evil

I have personally not owned either breed but found through experience at work and at the dog park, that pointers are a bit less over the top in terms of energy and excitability than GSPs. Having said that, a GSP is in my top 5 breeds that I would love to own

My old arthritic dog used to do this because of the pain initially, but then it sort of becomes a habit and makes them feel good so they keep doing it. Also some dogs do it out of boredom. It is called an acral lick granuloma and you should get it checked out by a vet, it is not normal in any dog but especially a puppy.

Great videos! They are not really as bad as your descriptions lol I think he did really well and looked the part! He is so big now and you can definitely see the kelpie in him

Aww you are just in that hard and frustrating stage at the moment. I'm sure all puppy owners (except those with the most angelic dogs on the face of the planet) begin to feel some frustration at around the 2/3 week mark. Its not really long enough for them to have fully settled into their new homes and imo they are still too young and silly to really focus and tend to be very forgetful. There has been some great advice given already and I totally agree with making better use of a crate and puppy playpen. Please believe me that if you put the effort in, this will soon pass and you will have a very loveable, well behaved and cute puppy.

You could also use a small puppy playpen. I don't really see him sleeping on a coffee table... I use a crate for short periods of confinement and bedtime. I use a puppy playpen (well used too before she learnt how to get out of it!) for longer periods or when I can't watch her like when I need to do cleaning or cooking etc I also use tying up when I am studying or working and will tie her under my seat. this is because I don't have a crate available at uni. She has never had an accident at uni using this tie up method. I was told puppies are unlikely to toilet if they are right underneath you which has proved to be true in this case. I take her out to pee every hour or as soon as she wakes.

Teddy came to show my mum how wonderful owning a dog is and the importance of good breeding and a good start to life (he was a pet shop puppy who subsequently had issues and was not the easiest to train). Clover came to us to be a great companion for me and mum and also be a perfect family dog. She came to help me grow up and helped me through all the hard parts of childhood and growing up. Mindy came to show us how regular training can produce a wonderful dog that knows a lot of tricks! Also to show us and others how dogs can be of such a benefit to the community. And to mend my broken heart from losing clover. And to introduce us to the wonderful world of black labs!

Yeah me too!

Gorgeous dogs! Is mischa a lappie as well? she looks very much like a samoyed

don't wake your puppy to feed. when he wakes naturally then you can offer some food.

Maybe I should move to where you live...