aussielover

I didn't like it when (well-meaning) people tried feed my dog at parks. Especially if there were other dogs around as she was food aggressive. Also, when she was on a diet it was also pretty annoying

I think it really depends on the dog and also how long the dog will normally be alone for and where you are leaving it. As puppies don't have great bladder control, this would probably dictate the length of time if it was being kept inside. I'm not allowed to leave my pup alone for more than 3 hrs (she is a guide dog puppy)

I've had my 10 week old lab puppy for just over 2 weeks now. She had the usual carry on the first few days after she arrived but settled down to sleeping through the night and either not crying at all or only for 1 minute after being put in bed. she is crated in the laundary overnight she has now started to carry on again, it can last up to an hour. she has also started to pee during the night, which she never did before. There are a number of possible reasons why I thought this was occuring, but thought I would get other's opinions. 1. My mum came back from a holiday about 5 days ago (Mindy hadn't met her) at first I thought she was just excited and disturbed by having a new perosn in the house, but it is getting worse not better as time goes on 2. The laundary may be too cold? Would this keep her up and cause barking? 3. I've pushed her bedtime forward about one hour (from 12 till 11). I crate her if I need to go out for an hour or so. she is barking as we leave, but is not barking when we get home. I also never go to her if she is barking or crying, so pretty sure she doesn't think she will get attention from barking. Thanks for any help and suggestions

Taught Mindy how to speak today! I also taught her to shut up too My mum doesn't like it though I'm really enjoying teaching her tricks now! I am teaching her roll over as well which she gets 50-60 % of the time. she also had a play date with Rover and Riddick (2 very well behaved labs! made me completely jealous) who are owened by lovemesideways!

Yay! So glad to hear Morrison is doing well

How long does she persist barking for? Today i tied up my puppy and she went on for about 20 mins before finally shutting up. Wait for 10 secs of silence and then reward. Patience is key here I think. I was told be a puppy trainer that anywhere between 30 mins to 3 hrs of barking is normal

Is it actually ok to give young pups a bone? my puppy is 10 weeks old (but weighs 9 kg already) I was thinking of giving her a lamb shank (supervised of course) but not sure whether she was too young? I heard they can get tummy upsets etc

Guys I would highly reccommend brushing your lab regularly. Even though they have a short coat and never gets knotted, you will want to brush them anyway, this is one of the best ways to minimise lab 'rugs' in your house. Later on, furminating could come in handy too - it's a metal grooming tool that will really help with getting rid of dead hair. It took my boy a little while to not want to chew/bite his brush but with clicker/treats he got used to it quickly and now loves a brush or 'furmination'. Hey Mrs T, when do they actually start shedding? I haven't noticed any shedding so far. I will brush her more regularly now though.

I hope your pup is ok and recovers well. Where were the owners of the dog?

Awww Lottie- so cute!

why no balls/toys? I've been to many dog parks over the years and have always taken a ball for my dog and never had any problems. The parks that I visit always have several doggies that play with balls and I have never seen an incident. My dog was not possessive of her ball, i would certainly not have taken the ball along if she was. I think people should be very cautious when bringing treats or food to the park as i think this has more potential to cause fights between dogs. Also, people should ask the owner before giving a unfamiliar dog a treat (dog might be allergic or on a diet or food aggressive etc) People should carry a leash with them at all times, even in an offleash park, just in case.

Mindy was dreadful in the car- would poop and vomit when she was in her travel crate. even when we held her in our arms she would bark and cry. I was recommended by her guide dog trainer to put her in the footwell of the front passenger seat- now she is pretty good in the car. She might have the occaisonal whinge but it lasts for less than a minute and then she curls up and sleeps. I think it really helps being reaosnably close to me and the area is quite cosy. If there is no passenger, I put her lead in the door to secure her that way. This is the position that guide dogs travel in when they are working, so I'm not sure if it would be suitable for you as it is probably not the safest arrangement. But at least the dogs are restrained somewhat and comfortable.

Hey shebu, I use aloveen shampoo (don't bother with the conditioner) on my 10 week old lab puppy. She has a 3 baths in 2 weeks. I'm trying to get her used to it early because I know as she gets older she will be spending a lot of time swimming. You can leave the conditioner in though if you do decide to use it and it makes them smell nice I should really brush her more, but it seems a bit pointless as I am used to brushing a medium/long haired dog!

i know of people who have left kittens to run free in the car- while they are driving idiots! I've also seen people with a dog in their lap- while they are actually driving as well!

There's a difference between having a well adjusted, well trained elderly Rottweiler as opposed to a new Lab puppy...they didn't realise that he'd require so much time and they've been honest in realising he needs more than they can give him. Many thanks to everyone for their suggestions, very much appreciated and I'll pass all the information on. Yep, after having a well trained elderly Aussie, my new lab puppy has come as quite a shock! I honestly did not realise that it would be this much work and that the chewing would be so bad! Luckily for me, i have a lot of time and support from my family, friends and guide dogs, for the new puppy so I can hopefully get her into line! Perhaps Assistance dogs would take him? some of the really full on labs that fail guide dogs go on to the police as sniffer dogs- you could try them as well? Or maybe even AQIS to be trained as a customs dog?

Manuka Honey is used a lot for wildlife injuries (instead of a dressing). It has antibacterial properties and promotes wound healing.

Well I use what Guide dogs give me- but its bloody annoying! Ideally I would just use sentinel or interceptor and advantix She is on endogard once a month (middle of the month) Then heartguard once a month (start of the month) Frontline every 2 weeks (we live in a tick area) I understand that they need to reduce costs by using products from their sponsors though.

I think the acerage pet owner would be put of by the use of the word aggression (which is obviously a good thing!)

To be honest, if you're going to leave a dog in the backyard all day with no entertainment, it is going to bark, no matter what breed. Since you already have a dog, it is possible the two will entertain each other. Conversly, the older dog that already barks may teach the younger dog to bark as well so you will have twice the noise. I'm sure you've already thought about these things though, my personal suggestion would also be a Cavvy, most of the ones I know are very quiet dogs that rarely bark, even in boarding kennel situations. Italian Greyhounds are pretty quiet in general as well.

Doesn't Charlie have health issues? Therefore, wouldn't it be natural (and sensible!) for him to not want to play that much with other dogs? I think a really friendly, playful dog can also be poorly socialised especially if it justs runs up to another dog and jumps all over them. A lot depends on the individual dogs personality. I agree with others that have said a well socialised dog will not react easily. But is a poorly socialised dog was jumping all over them, they would ignore initially but then give a correction.

Out of interest: I know its a terrible idea to get 2 puppies at the same age! so what would be the youngest age of the first dog before you would consider getting another dog?

Sorry, double post.

That is when they are awake and active. When sleeping, they can hold on longer as everything slows down. It really depends on the individiual pup- my pup is 10 weeks and has been holding on through the night from 11-7 since 8.5 weeks old. I would concentrate on getting him to sleep thru the night, this is the reaosn why my pup holds on all night i think. When some idiots woke her (drunken screaming etc) the other night at around 2AM, she did have an accident. Don't leave water available to your pup overnight. It was recommeded to me by a trainer to take the water away at 6-7pm. I don't actually do this because we do training and a big run around/play time at around 9.30-10, but I don't put water in her "den" overnight. Obviously this is not good if your dog has other health problems especially kidney problem. But a healthy puppy should be able to go the night without a drink. It would be ideal for you to take the pup out as soon as he wakes but if he is waking during the middle of the night, then you may not be inclined to do this. Can't remeber if you are crate training or not? Crating will encourage him to hold on but if he wakes, he will need to go within 5-10mins as he is only a baby. If he has an accident in the crate it may lead him to dislike it, especially if he has to sleep in it for another few hours with the wetness. I would try to tire him out before bed, so he sleeps thru the night. I don't think there will be a big issue woth the newspaper, however, you could try using some soil in a tray or even a piece of turf (other dolers have done this). This will encourage him to always go on these surfaces. Good luck

Yeah I have a proud moment also! I took Mindy up to the video store with me. There were some kids playing outside and they wanted to say hello to her. I was a bit unsure at first as being a lab, she tends to mouth people and can sometimes (accidently) bite a bit hard, just in a playful way. Anyway they came over and started patting her, she was soo good and only licked them, no biting at all! It was like she knew they were little and couldn't be bitten!