Hi,

best introduce myself first, I am the new owner (had minstrel for 3 weeks) of a chocolate labrador.

the initial 2 weeks were very intense, no sleep, barking, whining, biting, digging, chewing....

well after not really that much effort she now

sleeps from 10:pm till 6:30 (she actually goes into her puppy pen when she feels tired around 10ish!) no barking

she had her first walk last night, and was let off the lead, and stayed around and played, retrieved a bit, but mostly just looked at me when I threw objects for her.. also more interested in sticks than the xpensive toys!!!

Then this morning took her on anotehr walk, when the cars came past I said sit, she sat and waited until the car went past then we continued...

her puppy biting, is still there but she knows she shouldnt do it, and only really does it when she gets excited.

She stills whines a bit when i leave the room but hey, I can cope with that..

She does mess the pen during the night but not by much adn knwo this will get better as hse learns control..

she loves her Kong, but hasnt quite mastered the art of getting her treats out..

generally she is a lovely girl... she is left on her own from 7:30 - 10:30 and from 3: - 6 everyday, has loads of room (big kitchen) to play and sleep until we return.

Thanks goes to all the posts I have read on this site which has helped me since the first night of zero sleep and a lack of house training...

just one question though, I use eukanuba large breed food and sometimes mix it with pedigree puppy, also scrambled eggs or warm milk as her last meal... Does this sound right?

Thanks again

david

David, never ever throw sticks for your dog and don't allow them to play with one. There are more deaths and injuries caused by stick than you can imagine.

Re: Sticks..

really ! inever knew that...

will try and concentrate her on playing with her toys...

Far too many scents for her to investigate at the moment though!!!

cheers

Aaahhh bless ! I have a chocolate lab called Min too !

Re the food she really ought to be on puppy food rather than a feed for large breeds.

What did the breeder have her on?

Lucy

Sorry the food is Eukanuba Large breed puppy food...

She is over 11 kg already! but not fat!

Well done, David, you've made an excellent start between you. :) :) :)
Cathy.

Hi David, I always feed my lab pups on rice pudding just b4 i go 2 bed it settles for a good 8 hrs, and some thing else you also said the pup messes in the dog pen if u block it off so it only has enough room too sleep in it ,it should solve that problem too

Apart from the (sticks) you seem to be doing very well with her, and I would not change anything, she seems to be a little star, you must have put your homework in before you started. She should be clean as far as poo goes any day now and the bladder control will follow within the month, (with luck) Try not to over do the walks or exercise just yet and increase the amount slowly. IMO I would not change her food, she is doing ok on what you are doing and can go onto junior at about 5 months after she has dropped to 3 meals a day.

Sorry I only mentioned the stick to start with, it was that that worried me, have seen a dog bleed to death, not a thing you forget in a hurry.

Jackie you were right to mention sticks only the other week someone rang about adopting a lab their other dog had died an horrific death through a stick they had to watch in helpless heartbreak as Vet tried in vain to save the dog.
Its something we do without thinking ( throwing a stick) I know but Im glad you mentioned it on here.
Can I mention something else we do as well that could be disaterous giving plastic bottles to chew I belive that too can have dire consequenses

Dogs love plastic bottles, remove the cap and the cap ring, and watch the puppy with it, as soon as the pup can puncture or really chew the neck remove it and make sure any older dogs don’t steel it. Then I think it is safe, do not ever leave a puppy alone with any toy that they could bite a piece from, no soft toys and nothing wood. Kongs and such like toys are probably the only safe choice if the pup is not being watched and it is worth paying the most you can afford.

what if the pup doesn't have control yet?

Not sure what you mean but if the pup does not have control, it does not have control and there is no way it can control things. So all you can do is try and catch things in time and take the puppy out (more training you really) then once the dog knows it needs 'to go' it will take its self out or at least to the door. I do not worry too much because I have other dogs and in my breed they spend most of their time out side, a pup will soon follow the others and take to peeing outside when they do and as I have several males that is almost all the time. LOL

If the pup doesn't yet have control and it's dog pen is blocked off then surely it's going to be forced to soil it's sleeping space? My pup has his last meal around 8pm - which is way before I go to bed.

Yes, I agree, I would not personal dream of making my pup pee and soil it's own bed so I can't answer your question. Must say I have never been in that much of a hurry to rush the puppy stage, if I was I would get an older dog from rescue.

aaaaaah what a lovely post! gives me hope for my (generally very good but off-day today) pup too - you might have to give me some hints on how you got her to take the lead so successfully!

keep on having fun :)

Thanks all for your posts and advice... I am sure I would nto have enjoyed the success to date if it were not for you guys..

katie, re: the lead, all I did was a week prior to actually taking her out i used to put the lead on her for 5 mins during the day, then have 5 mins in the garden, she pulled and sat down at first, but now as she is interested in where we go on the walks she seems ok, she sits at command all the time which always impresses me!

I even use the sit command when she is being naughty as it seems to work...

God luck and thanks again all