mybestfriend

I am a big fan of clicker training. I personally think as long as the dog thinks it is being rewarded - anything will do. I am lucky I have a Lab who is food obsessed, but one of my friends has a beagle who is totally disinterested in either food or toys. However, her dog is obsessed with yummy SMELLS. She puts a collection of smelly things in her bum bag and every time her dog needs a reward for responding to the clicker, she dives in and pulls out a new smelly treat. It is hysterical. The dog thinks it is the BEST treat in the world! She is very inventive and puts things in her bum bag like kabana, freshly cut grass, a perfumed hanky, anything new she can think of. I am sort of jealous! Labs put on weight so quick and food treats tend to be high in calories.

I had to laugh when I read your post. My Lab Molly has the opposite problem. She LOVES running full pelt on the spot on our slippery floorboards, like she is on a treadmill, till she gets enough speed and traction and launches herself like a cannonball down the hallway. She has slammed into the wall a couple of times, gets up and does it all over again. She can't get enough of it. It is probably not good for the floorboards, there are scratch marks all over them, but it is hysterical!

I went through exactly the same thing. I woke up one morning after two weeks with only three hours sleep a night, burst into tears and told my partner we would have to put her up for adoption. Five minutes later she was licking my tears away and 18 months later I can't imagine life without her. She is the happiest, cutest, well-behaved Lab you could imagine! I wouldn't give her up for the world. I was also saying "no" to Molly every two minutes and felt awful. But I got put on to a dog trainer who used only positive methods and it made all the difference. I would really recommend going down that path. Good luck! Tanya

Welcome to the joys of owning a Lab! My Molly is now 16 months old and I went through exactly the same thing. The good news is she has really calmed down. Still a cheeky bugger that loves to steal socks, but is much more obedient and calm. You probably won't beleive this, but she now lies quietly at my feet at night while i watch TV, do the ironing etc whereas six months ago she ran around like a maniac. The only advice I can give is be consistent and remember to train every day. Even if it is only 15 minutes of sitting, staying etc - just to get them focused. She still goes nuts when visitors arrive, but I just lock her in the kitchen for five minutes until she has calmed down. She now knows that unless she is calm she can't say hello and it actually works! Tackle one problem at a time and keep working at it. I have got to say though I would never have another breed - they are so funny, cheeky, loveable and good-natured.

I just had my Lab pup Molly allergy tested after months of battling with itchy spots and sores. She tested positive allergies to two types of dust mites, cockroaches, mosquittos, moths and storage mites. Now I know what I am fighting, Molly's situation has improved dramatically. She no longer sleeps on her futon mat, she has a vinyl beanbag instead (which dust mites can't get into), I boil her other bedding once a week etc. I guess the secret is finding out what the problem is and then tackling it. Good luck. Tanya

I don't know if this will help you, but it helped me. My Lab pup, for no apparent reason, became a 5:30am barker. I spoke to my dog trainer and she said either something is bothering or concerning her. She suggested getting up before the barking usually began and playing with her etc until I worked out what the problem was. Found out it was garbage trucks. So I sat with her from 5:30am to 7am on garbage mornings giving her treats, telling her how much fun garbage trucks were, playing games - three weeks later not a bark could be heard!!! About six months later (she is now a year old) she occasionally barks in the middle of the night, but I am usually able to track down something that is bothering her. Once it was the neighbours having a MASSIVE 3am fight and another time she was playing with a bug and it died on her and wasn't fun anymore and she was barking to wake it up. Now on the odd occasions she barks I get up to see what the problem is and play a game etc and then she goes back to sleep. I also sometimes leave the radio on for her (she can hear it through the kitchen window in her kennel) and she settles down. I haven't found that she feels rewarded at all if I get up (which I was worried about). My advice would be to find the cause firstly and then deal with it accordingly. Good luck! Tanya

So glad to hear I am not the only one with a dog that loves to eat poo. I was told Labradors would eat anything, but I wasn't expecting poo. I just have to laugh! Will try pineapple now though!

It must be a REALLY bad year for it. I guess all we can do is hope next season is better. Bugger!

Hi again. Your dog Zara and mine Molly sound like they are allergy twins! The vet did say the pimples were the result of a secondary infection from scratching. I will let you know how everything goes and if I come up with anything that works. Tanya

Hi Cactus. Your dog's symptoms sound exactly what I am going through at the moment with my dog. She started off with scracthes, that turned into sores, got pimple heads, lost hair, put her on antibiotics, they cleared up, took her off drugs and they came back again in three days. This has been going on now for three months. I have just been to a dog dermatologist who has put her on a final course of antibiotics and then we will go down the path of food allergy diets and allergy vaccinations if necessary. I sympathise with you totally. I suffer from allergies myself and I know how crazy it drives me having itchy spots! I would rather have them than my dog though. I have found aloe vera gel helps a bit with my dog. I will keep in touch and let you know how I go. Good luck. Tanya

The Loud Noises to Calm Your Dog CD was made by audio engineer Brian Newington to help his scared dog. His number is 02 9999 1582. Costs about $20 and worth every cent!

I am a big fan of the Loud Noises CD. My lab Molly LOVES thunderstorms now. Try putting the CD and the lowest possible level and when your dog pricks his or her hears, do not raise the levels any higher. At the same time, give him treats or play with their favorite toy to distract them. When I first started Molly was a bit anxious, but the treats were a great distration. When they are happy, turn up the volume again slightly. I play the CD all the time now, when I am doing the dishes, reading a book etc, up so loud it almost hurts my ears and Molly ignores it completely. It took months of work, but I am so glad I did. I went out on NYE to enjoy the fireworks and spent the whole night worrying about how Molly was handling it. I got home and found out she slept the whole way through. It just takes a lot of time (and favorite treats). Good luck, Tanya