Blackdog10

Thanks that's okay I figured I'd get a few like that, I can't ask for help and not expect that. I guess I'm just trying to be honest and I get what you're saying but I've spent every moment with him since 9am yesterday bar 2hours when I tried to sleep last night. I never ever expected this and even people in this thread said he'd be okay prior to me getting him. Realistically no one spends time non stop with their dogs, I know heaps of people that work full time and have multiple dogs, I just feel I can't even have a shower without him howling the neighbourhood down. I just saw the neighbour next door and she said she remembers what it's like and she is fine with it said it'll take a few days for him to stop howling. I'm sorry I guess I'm just no good at this despite all the preparations I made.

I really don't want him to rely on me that much, I hate the idea of having him in my room. I just don't want him in there, heaps of people have outside dogs and they adjust fine, problem is that he's whinging during the day as well. When he woke up j spent two hours with him, playing, running around, feeding, toilet etc. he fell asleep in his crate door open then I took the chance to come inside and sleep and ten mins later he's howling to the moon. I'm completely lost and I feel like a complete failure, I haven't eaten since I got him, I feel completely anxious and upset. I have planned this for 5 years, I researched, I've been so excited, this is just beyond what I thought possible to happen. I'm just so upset and I know it's terrible but I think I made a mistake, I just don't know what to do. Night time I'd expect but day time I wouldn't, not this much. Will he get better???

I really don't want him to rely on me that much, I hate the idea of having him in my room. I just don't want him in there, heaps of people have outside dogs and they adjust fine, problem is that he's whinging during the day as well. When he woke up j spent two hours with him, playing, running around, feeding, toilet etc. he fell asleep in his crate door open then I took the chance to come inside and sleep and ten mins later he's howling to the moon. I'm completely lost and I feel like a complete failure, I haven't eaten since I got him, I feel completely anxious and upset. I have planned this for 5 years, I researched, I've been so excited, this is just beyond what I thought possible to happen. I'm just so upset and I know it's terrible but I think I made a mistake, I just don't know what to do. Night time I'd expect but day time I wouldn't, not this much. Will he get better???

Hi guys thanks, I'm concerned that if I bring him inside that he'll have to be in there forever to sleep and I'm not really that keen on having a adult dog sleep in my room. We had numerous dogs growing up and they were all outside and all of my friends dogs are outside as well and they seemed to have no issues. I don't know if I can do it being inside to sleep. He's allowed to follow me supervised or sit on his mat inside but that's about it, I just don't think I can do it if I'm thinking long term. At the breeders he was under the house but it was open, they left them all night and never went to them. Don't get me wrong I really appreciate your advice and I'll think long and hard today but I'm hoping that there's someone out there that go through this as well. Otherwise I guess he will be in. I did so much research before getting him too, it just sucks thanks again though I really appreciate it.

Thanks lab tested I can't wait till he settles I hope you are right. After 45 min of being really loud yelping and banging in his crate he was then quiet for 20mins and just started howling and banging again now. I'm so upset I've not gone out to him. It's just so hard. I know it'll make it worse. How do people do this. I'm so on edge, not a wink of sleep even before the howling as I'm so worried about him. Having him sleep inside on a bed isn't an option for us. I'm picturing your labby sleeping sound and just praying it happens for my little guy soon. He must be so unhappy & so sleepy after stressing his little body out with all the banging I'm pretty sure it's just him pulling at his bed/blankets but I can't go to see as he'll see me. . I guess I'll keep leaving him. This sucks i love him so much & I'll keep trying, I thought I'd be an amazing owner and raise a happy dog but now I can't help but think maybe I'm not made for having a dog can anyone re-enforce if I'm doing the right thing leaving him whine or any recommendations??

Got him today. Terrible first night. I'm awake and he's been howling after being asleep 3 hours (930-1230) took him out to pee like all the books say and he's been howling in his crate for 40mins and counting. It's taking all of my strength not to go to him as I'm told that's the worst thing to do. Oh man he's beautiful I love him dearly but I just don't know how to deal with this :(

Thank you so much it'd be so much easier if I wasn't on my own and has someone else to bounce things off of, it just worries me sick on my own worrying if I'm damaging him by the stuff I'm doing. I already love him to bits. I had him up for 3 hours between his last nap at 6 and the proper night sleep, he finally fell mostly asleep then I just said in your crate opened the door he went in and went to sleep I shut it and then closed the back door. His crate is on a fully covered in deck so like a laundry. I'm sleeping next to the door tonight so I'll hear him. If he yelps and carries on do I go out to him or do I let him get himself back to sleep. The people I got him from said he sleeps the whole night through and holds on to go to the toilet in the morning but I really can't see that happening here. It's so hard to know what to do. I've read I should wake him up to pee then put him back in the crate what If that wakes him up and he's awake all night howling? I also have no idea how to post photos on here otherwise I would. Thanks again :) Edit at 1253am - a cat next door and woke him up, so I took the chance to take him to toilet (he was quiet before I went in there), I did all the advised things, didn't speak, didn't play with him, just carried him. Then I put him back in his crate, sat for a few mins, he was quiet then I left. He's been howling & bashing around in his crate for 20mins now. I know it's not toilet, he feel abandoned but I thought the worst thing you could do was go to him so I'm not, I'm trying to stay strong but it's so difficult, he goes through bouts of just quiet whining and I'm assuming he's wrestling with the teddy/bedding/chew toy, then he barks/howls real loud for 10-15sec and repeats it. Gosh I hope I'm doing the right thing. Any help would be amazing. Thank you!!

Hi guys, now a lot of you are going to think I'm really silly, I just brought my lab puppy home (8weeks) he's beautiful but I'm stressing. He panicked really badly in the drive home but after about 10mins he went to sleep. Had to wake him up when we got home. I then tried to show him the yard to get him to toilet but nothing happened. I then showed him on the back deck and inside, he preferred to be on the deck so we spent most of the day outside. I had a good few hours play with him, then went inside to go to the toilet, make lunch, take the bin out and he went ballistic yelping, barking, howling for about 15 mins. I read things that said to wait till he's quiet then to go outside, he was quiet because he had gone to sleep, I moved him into his crate and he turned over and went to sleep but I left the door open so not to stress him. He woke a bit later just cruised around and was fine. Then I spent most of the day with him playing ball etc. he had dinner took him to go pee (no poo) then he wasn't interested in playing anymore and went to sleep about 6pm. He woke half hour later and has been awake ever since. We,be been out for another pee (still no pop)and now I want him to go to sleep but he's hyper, jumping chewing everything, he always used his crate today for quiet time but now he's going in there jumping around pulling the bed apart etc so I took him out closed the door now he's whining to go back in but I don't want him too because he's playing? Do I? As I want him to sleep? I don't know how to settle him. Any ideas? Please help, I'm very stressed. Now a minute later I was patting him quietly now he's asleep do I lift him into his crate shut the door and leave him or what? I'm so new! Sorry!

Thanks everyone! I think I'm just nervous in anticipation as its the first time I've owned a dog, well we had a chihuahua x Pomeranian growing up but I was little then. Im sure I'll have a thousand more questions when he comes home, anxious and excited all at once if that is possible. Thanks so much for your help

Thanks so much for all your feedback. I think I'll just let him out in the yard after reading this, I'll test him while I'm home and go away for short stints at a time while I'm off work and I'll soon see how he reacts, I'm sure that will get my confidence up as well and the worry will stop once I get to know him and he gets to know me. I'll definitely have enough time with him before and after work, socialising and puppy school after vacs as well. Thanks again.

Thanks for your reply! All sounds like good advice. We don't have wildlife, the occasional birds ibis and magpies but they all seem harmless. However we do have 10 steps so that's something I've been worrying about as well particularly when his muscles/bones are developing. I'm sure I could make a ramp for him down it with a few planks of wood. The other option is could set up wire fencing around the poles under the deck, there would be no stairs then but there would be grass and I could put his day bed there. I just thought he'd prefer the deck. This puppy stuff is stressful when all you want to do is he very best by your dog! Thanks again for your help.

Thanks for your reply! All sounds like good advice. We don't have wildlife, the occasional birds ibis and magpies but they all seem harmless. However we do have 10 steps so that's something I've been worrying about as well particularly when his muscles/bones are developing. I'm sure I could make a ramp for him down it with a few planks of wood. The other option is could set up wire fencing around the poles under the deck, there would be no stairs then but there would be grass and I could put his day bed there. I just thought he'd prefer the deck. This puppy stuff is stressful when all you want to do is he very best by your dog! Thanks again for your help.

Hi, I'm bringing home a Labrador puppy in a few weeks and I'm just wondering opinions on leaving the puppy while I'm at work on a covered deck with his crate and play pen during the day with plenty of toys etc to keep him amused. I have time off initially then for the first while I'll be coming home from work at lunch time to let him out etc. will also spend time with him before and after work giving him exercise and affection etc and as soon as im home he can come inside if he wants. My house is just really small and I don't have anywhere I can lock him in, the house has the laundry in the garage but it's a massive garage and I'm worried there's more things that could hurt him in there then on the deck so I was thinking the deck/pen would be a better solution? As he gets older I was going to give him full access to my huge (puppy proofed) backyard. I'm just wondering if I should be worried about someone stealing him from the backyard or is that my worry getting the better of me, I live in a really good neighbourhood have high fences and padlocked. I'm researching so much but this particular part about stealing I'm worried about. I'm aware of the separation anxiety part but I'll do the best I can in that sense potentially a dog walker middle of day if he's struggling after a little while but Im hoping exercise before and after work would be enough.

Great thanks, they said that they got another x-ray again before this litter as part of the breeding requirement and the scores were better, they said it is interpretation of the person doing it and they were dissapointed at the 2013 scores but accepted it as they were still under the average but they were happy with these ones and they are more in line with the percentage of the dam and the sire. I'm getting a copy of the paperwork when I visit again. They seem like really lovely genuine people and the dogs seem very happy and healthy with great temperament, I feel like I trust them. I guess I'm just nervous and making sure I do the right thing as I'm new to all of this and it is my first puppy (i had dogs growing up but I wasn't responsible for them etc). It's a bit daunting as I don't want to make a mistake and want to make sure I'm getting a healthy puppy and then give him the best start at a long healthy life with me.

Thanks. I was concerned about that too. I have emailed them and just asked them straight up why they told me different figures over the phone, especially since they had posted it elsewhere a few years earlier. I also asked for papers, just seems rather weird for them to do that so I'll see what they say I just wanted someone else's opinion on it.

Hi I've recently put a deposit on a Labrador and I checked with them what the hip scores were of the parents - over the phone they said 0:3 & 0:1 with elbows 0:0& 0:0. Then I found somewhere else on an old post they were 2:7 & 1:4. Still 0:0& 0:0 as hips. I don't know anything about this hip stuff other than the closer to zero and the more even the better but wondering if this is a problem? I am going to be paying a lot for the puppy I want to make sure it is quality. Can anyone shed any light on this?