First Dog - advice needed
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CaptainBarnicles
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Cuuuute! What did you call him?
He's called Charlie.
Our Pet of the Month contest starts accepting entries in mid November…hint 
Aaaww!! He's absolutely gorgeous!
I see you've had some great advice already, how are things at the moment? Any parts of puppy parenthood being a particular question or concern for you right now? I've raised and trained three dogs myself, and had a hand in helping to train and learn from the dogs I grew up with and have lived with and loved dogs my whole life, so there isn't much of anything that throws or phases me now!
Laying the groundwork in basic training now while puppy is small and learning about the world will definitely set you and Charlie up for success. That natural clinginess that @seangee mentioned pups have absolutely a thing, I call it puppy elastic, and I find it invaluable for teaching a 100% solid recall, while the pup naturally doesn't want to stray too far from you anyway. A rock solid recall can still be built with an older dog long after that time period of course, it's just one benefit of raising a pup rather than getting an adult dog in that it's easier to lay solid foundations at this time. The early, often, and positive socialisation is the most important thing to do as much of as you can.
For yourself and anyone else who is used to dogs, but hasn't raised a pup before, like @GaryE mentioned this is your first pup too? Bear in mind that large breed pups are not fully mature until they hit closer to two years old, and that there are still phases that the dog will go through as they mature. Sometimes people are thrown when the puppy they thought had finally calmed down and begun to get through the worst of puppyhood, had stopped mouthing, destroying everything in sight, was fully housebroken, and had grasped sit/stray/heel etc, turns into a bit of a nightmare at around 15-18 months again. As if they've forgotten everything you taught them, their brain fell out of their heads, and you're worried you've done something terribly wrong. This is especially true in cases of delayed neutering/spaying (which I'm an advocate for when in safe and experienced hands, I didn't spay Pixie until after two), and in young, large males can be especially challenging.
But this is usually, if in a dog you've otherwise been raising and training well, just the teenage/early adulthood period in a young dogs life, where the hormones are rushing, the puppy elastic has been replaced with a more independent adult mindset, and the dog needs a calm leader to guide him through this stage and be patient. Even if he seems to turn into a brainless hooligan all of a sudden, the sweet natured pup you've grown to love is still in there, the training hasn't all been forgotten, and a more mentally and physically mature dog (and owner!) will emerge from the other side!
This stage is why rescue centres and rehoming pages are often packed with dogs aged around 16-18 months. The cuteness of young puppyhood has worn off, and if the owner hasn't been training or socialising the dog properly, this period is even harder, and they've suddenly got a dog in it's physical prime, but absolutely wild and untrained, and out of their control. Young unneutered males would be challenging older males at this stage of life, and young females become mature adult females, which also expect to be respected by other dogs, and can jockey for dominance with other female dogs, and heaven help a male who disrespects a mature bi**h as well.
Neutering early can reduce the challenges of this stage, since the animal retains a lot more of a puppy mindset and isn't experiencing the raging hormones of maturity, but talk through the pros and cons of when to spay/neutered with your vet.
He is gorgeous. I love dogs and labs in particular. We have 2 dogs now having just lost one at only 5 in July. He was a labradoodle but looked like a lab and was just gorgeous.
Labs are such a lovely breed I would love one
Once youve had a dog you realise they are better than humans , you end up loving them like your kids and become obsessed with them
Youve had all the advise already all I would add is don't be precious with him, let him playfight with other dogs he socialises with, don't scold him if you can but praise him heavily and reward for the things he does right and be consistent with that . Having recall, toilet trained etc makes life so much easier.
I would also say get another!! 2 dogs is so much easier than one in my opinion. I loved having three but now we just have one labradoodle and one staffy. Best company ever
Labs are such a lovely breed I would love one
Once youve had a dog you realise they are better than humans , you end up loving them like your kids and become obsessed with them
Youve had all the advise already all I would add is don't be precious with him, let him playfight with other dogs he socialises with, don't scold him if you can but praise him heavily and reward for the things he does right and be consistent with that . Having recall, toilet trained etc makes life so much easier.
I would also say get another!! 2 dogs is so much easier than one in my opinion. I loved having three but now we just have one labradoodle and one staffy. Best company ever
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Training, training, training. Then your pup will settle well into adulthood.
I have used Victoria Stilwell's technique of puppy training. Her video's are on youtube, and her web, also she hosts "It's Me or the Dog."
A good sturdy brush, they shed well.
Enjoy!
Ed Pursell
Fish Fanatic
Good choice and good luck! I’ve had Labs all my life, I’m 64. Great buddies! But can be a handful… This guys’s 2-1/2 years old, around 120 lbs. and thinks he's a 10 pound lap dog,,, Sits on my lap, my feet, sofa, and gives me hugs every day, Bull in a China shop to say the least. ….But it’s 100% worth it!!
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Just like your fish don't skimp on food (quality not quantity!). This is a really important phase for long term health so give him the best start you can.
I am facing this right now as I head into my 3rd sleepless night with new puppy.
I decided to give it a go with the food he was weened onto. He has had continuous runny / smelly poos verging on mild diahorrea. I was willing to accept that day 1 and maybe 2 might be due to the stress of the 2 hour car journey, being seperated from his litter, and being thrust into a household of 3 cats. Now its turned into diahorrea so tomorrow he will be switching to the brand I originally planned to use.
Initially I was pleasantly surprised at the price and the packaging had all the gumf about locally produced, natural ingredients blah blah blah. Then I saw the feeding guide and rather stunningly the recommended feed per day is 60% more than the more expensive brand. That's a lot of filler with little nutritional value to pump through an 8 week old stomach and suddenly the cost saving is a lot less too.
Sleepless nights: Putting in ear plugs to crate train a puppy with diahorrea will just result in a messy stinking crate (and home), and an even more stressed puppy. Its the couch until we get it settled.
I am facing this right now as I head into my 3rd sleepless night with new puppy.
I decided to give it a go with the food he was weened onto. He has had continuous runny / smelly poos verging on mild diahorrea. I was willing to accept that day 1 and maybe 2 might be due to the stress of the 2 hour car journey, being seperated from his litter, and being thrust into a household of 3 cats. Now its turned into diahorrea so tomorrow he will be switching to the brand I originally planned to use.
Initially I was pleasantly surprised at the price and the packaging had all the gumf about locally produced, natural ingredients blah blah blah. Then I saw the feeding guide and rather stunningly the recommended feed per day is 60% more than the more expensive brand. That's a lot of filler with little nutritional value to pump through an 8 week old stomach and suddenly the cost saving is a lot less too.
Sleepless nights: Putting in ear plugs to crate train a puppy with diahorrea will just result in a messy stinking crate (and home), and an even more stressed puppy. Its the couch until we get it settled.
Ha - mine used to go to sleep with her head on my foot to make sure I couldn't sneak off while she was having a nap.
I hope your pup gets well soon and can sleep through for you.
Which brand are you using now?
We transitioned Charlie onto Royal Canin which we thought had worked well - but the vet said he'd gained weight a little too quickly. The issue might be that the instructions on the pack jump from 2 months to 6 months leaving it vague inbetween, and this brand doesn't correlate to a dog of his (potential) size. Anyway, we've added in a third daily walk for now to try and keep him on track as he grows.
Sorry for your loss Simonas, gone way too soon but I bet he had a wonderful life with you.
Thank you!
Yes, the advice here has been tremendously helpful. Toilet training and crate training have been successful. For food (how predictable) he will sit, stay, look, leave and come (on a whistle, less consistent with his name) beautifully at home.
But completely ignores any command while we are out socialising. He is just beside himself with joy and excitement to meet new people and dogs, all the manners get forgotten.
We are having to work really hard at stopping him jumping and biting clothes. I actually thought Gary was exaggerating about the kefflar suits but with an ever increasing pile of clothes in tatters I see he was completely serious!!
We have a way to go on walking to heel and also have occasional food aggression, especially with stolen food.
Not started the block of training classes yet, as we are waiting until after our holiday.
Agreed!
Sorry to hear about pup's upset tum, but I'm sure you remember the sleepless nights from previous pups! Man, it really is like having a newborn, for that first week or so at least!
Weight management is much more about diet than exercise, and over-exercising a young pup can lead to terrible problems later down the line. Three walks a day is possible even for a young dog, but keep them very short, no more than 20 mins per walk, and try to limit the leaping and bounding movements rather than upping exercise as weight management.
Getting the right balance for feeding is absolutely tricky in a growing dog, but follow the vets advice, and don't forget to factor in treats when calculating his daily rations. If the vet thinks he's gaining weight too rapidly, then he needs a smaller daily feeding amount, less calorific treats, and remember to give him less of his daily food if he is given treats during training etc.
Make sure everyone in the house is on board with not giving him extras, especially giving him bits and bites of human food. It's so easy to overdo it that way, and as humans we often show love through food, and it's incredibly hard to resist the puppy dog eyes and begging! But it's important to manage his weight through diet and not through exercise, especially at this crucial growing stage. Overdoing the exercise at this point can cause so many problems with bones, ligaments and joints as they're growing and forming.
Absolutely normal! The fact he's doing well with all of the above at home already is a credit to you guys, trust me! Promptly forgetting all of that when outside and excited about all the sights, sounds, smell and excitement of strangers, other dogs and things is absolutely normal too. It takes time for dogs to generalise each new piece of training, so we build on it gradually.
I agree with the person above who recommended Victoria Stillwell's training methods, I use a lot of the same methods. In fact the "ah ah" noise she makes to indicate 'no' is one I adopted when I was a teen myself, and it's the only noise Pixie needs to hear for her to immediately stop whatever she's doing. She knows just from a warning tone in my voice when I'm serious and that whatever she's investigating, planning on or in the process of doing needs to stop. There are fortunately many videos for each behaviour you could want to train from her online! Her books aren't bad either.
But I'm a firm believer in teaching dogs what we do want them to do, not in stressing what we don't want them to do. Always try to reframe a question of "I don't want him/her doing this" into "what behaviour do I want them to show in this scenario instead?" So for example, we don't want the dog jumping up onto people. It's cute in a small pup, but quickly becomes dangerous once the dog has grown into a much larger pup, or if he's jumping up on a child or an elderly person. Instead of "I don't want him jumping, punish the jumping" we instead teach the pup what behaviour we do want him to do instead.
First step is not to reward the jumping by giving attention when he does it. Not that I think you would, but as a generalised example, if someone punishes a dog for jumping up, that also counts as 'giving attention' in the sense of continuing to engage the behaviour they don't want, rather than teaching the behaviours they do want. If he jumps up on you (when you come home, or when pup is excited for food or playtime tend to be the most common times) then turn away, don't give eye contact, ignore him utterly when he does it. The moment he drops back down and all four paws are on the floor again, praise him and hand him a toy, fuss etc. When he jumps again, as he almost certain will, repeat as many times as needed. He has to learn that jumping up on you does not result in what he wants, which is attention, fuss, and play. He gets attention, fuss and play when he isn't jumping up at you.
If he's too hyper and toys/fuss immediately leads to bouncing up at you, then keep the praise low key, and ask for a sit or down once his paws hit the floor. Then you can gradually work towards a much calmer greeting, and at least not reward the jumping for attention at the moment, and begin reinforcing the idea that jumping up is not the way to greet people.
When you say food aggression, can you explain in a little more detail, please? Has there been growling, any snapping, or is he taking things and then guarding them?
Fair enough, he's still very young, and it sounds as though you're doing really solid groundwork with him already at home!
Not snapping, maybe a slight snarl. He stole some defrosting meat from the side, ran off and would not "leave it".
He can stay away from the cat's food when being watched/ warned but if he gets to it before we see him he won't stop until he's had it or we pull him away. This is in the kitchen where he's not allowed but we sometimes forget to close the door, other times (when unsupervised) he has banged into the door until it pops open.
He is fine when being given food, he sits and stays until we say yes. It's the illicit gains that are the issue, once he's got it he won't give it up!
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