Hi everyone! I'm new here but I've read a lot of articles and threads that have helped me understand more about the beautiful journey that is getting a Lab. I have to start by saying I'm in the US and this is my first Lab puppy. Lola is turning 8 weeks this Friday (1/20/17, today is Tuesday 17th). Her father is a black Lab and her mother a Golden Retriever. Her coat is not super black, is actually a smokey black and she has golden stripes on by each side of her spine. She's so adorable! I'm in love! She was given to us as a gift at only 4 weeks old. We brought her home because saying no to her and losing her to someone else what would take her at that age was not something we could face since the breeders were trying to get rid of all the puppies. She and is still so tiny we have faced several challenges but I think she's off to a great future. We are feeding her milk replacement and formula still and introducing Fromm puppy kibbles which she'd eat as a treat from our hands but doesn't get the hand of eating them from her tiny bowl just yet. I'm a little concern she doesn't drink much water. Maybe is too early and since she's having milk, she doesn't enjoy water yet. We live in an apartment with carpet. We have her in the kitchen which has washable floors, where she sleeps and eats. We put puppy pads in one side of the room and she's being peeing and pooing on the pads for almost 2 weeks now. She sleeps and plays in the other side. We also have a big plastic pen in the livingroom, where she plays and sleeps after playing. We use it with plastic underneath so accidents don't make it to the carpet. We let her run around the livingroom sometimes after she's empty and we play with her and chase her around and her us. She's very mouthy and we're full of scratches all over. She bit our legs and toes for a little but this week she's being awesome. She comes now and lays over out feet while we're cooking, etc. but is barely biting our feet anymore. She's replaced biting our feet with licking, which we adore. She does bite our hands, though. I think we are yet to learn how to play with her. When she's biting unmercifully I put her in the pen so she calms down and sometimes she does but sometimes she cries a lot. It breaks my heart but I know when she's biting a lot and is very much excited, is better to remove attention, right? I think I am a little protective because I'm raising her since she was only 4 weeks old and I feel so much pain when she's crying and sad. She's so tiny and she doesn't know how to behave with us yet. We know it's not her fault. On the other hand, she already recognizes a cue to pee on my command (not so much the hubby lol). I'm the one training her every day. I know she's very little but I can say she's learning every day and, even though she doesn't sit every single time I tell her to, she does it sometimes. The same with staying, letting go, come, etc. I feel she's very smart but I know separating her from her mom so early has made this first month with us very difficult. But I'm so proud!! Well, after all this proud mother talk lol I want to ask an important question. Since we live in an apartment (2nd floor) with carpet, she has to be supervised all the time to avoid accidents. It's being exhausting but we got the hang of it. She has her first vaccine appointment this week. I want to know when it is safe to take her downstairs to the grass to potty train. We went to the vet already and asked and they said we shouldn't until the last vaccine at 12 weeks old. I'm worried about potty training. I don't want to start so late. I mean, I don't even know if is too late at 12 weeks. We don't have access to grass unless we go outside. We live ni a gated community with parks and lovely trails to walk her but I'm fearful she could get parvovirus or something if we put her on the grass/pavement. Excuse my ignorance. I'm learning with her every day. Thanks in advance!
Hi there and welcome to the Forum. Firstly I have to admit to a very sharp intake of breath by the title of your post.It is irresponsible for a breeder in any circumstances to pass a puppy to a new owner at this early age.I realise that Lola is now older but the Labrador Site and it's Forum is strongly against puppies leaving their litter before 8'weeks.We will not be seen to endorse this practice of passing /selling underage puppies on . However that time is passed now and by the sounds of it you have really done the best you can .....I am optimistic you took that puppy to the vet straight away? A puppy this age away from its mother would have needed a check up immediately and you would have needed very specific nutritional and care advice. You sound well set up in the house to help her with her toilet training.Your vet is right about her not being able to be on the ground where other dogs and germs have been until 12 weeks....if your outside space is communal and used by dogs that could be unvaccinated and other animals you can't take the risk.It's never to late to toilet train ,the pad method may be what you need to carry you through until she is able to go out safely and then you can start the transfer to outside. With regards to her biting......it's great she's better this week but be prepared for an escalation....she's come away from her litter far too young,she missed a lot of important lessons about bite inhibition and appropriate play.You are going to have to be her mentors in this and you sound more than up for the job ......you will have to teach her how to behave around humans and their skin and yes,withdrawing attention if she gets too rough is a very powerful message to a little puppy.One of our Members Mags has a lot of experience with young puppies and she advises always having a toy about your person and if a full on crocopup attack is brewing you can pop a toy in their mouth to save you a few bruises. Please don't think me harsh,I am delighted you've found the Forum and I really wish you a warm welcome.You sound committed to your Lola's care even though she didn't have the best start....I hope her siblings have fared just as well. Please consider buying Pippa's Happy Puppy Handbook ,it is packed full of advice that will help and I'm sure youve already realised there is so much help on the Forum Boards. Best Wishes Angela
Hello, and welcome to the forum. What an awful, awful "breeder" (using the word in its loosest possible sense) to be getting rid of the puppies at such a young age. It's entirely inappropriate and downright cruel. I hope that none of the puppies have suffered physically from such awful treatment. They are bound to have been stunted emotionally. You sound like your puppy is under the care of a vet, which is a good start, but you will have a long, hard road ahead of you with regards to the biting. Don't expect it to be cured any time soon, and don't look to other methods. What you're doing sounds right. Withdraw attention - only for a few seconds - and use toys for her to chew instead. The main website (www.thelabradorsite.com) is chockablock with good advice for raising puppies, as is Pippa's "The Happy Puppy Handbook". Don't worry about having to wait to toilet train outside until 12 weeks, if there is nowhere safe for her to go until then. After all, plenty of people toilet train adult rescue dogs. My parents' current dog was chained up outside her whole life, had two litters of puppies while on that chain, and had never seen the inside of a building. She was seized in the end, and they adopted her from the rescue centre. She was about 4 years of age and had to be toilet trained from scratch. She got there, and so will your pup!
Hi and welcome from me and Harley. It doesn't sound like Lola had the best start with the 'breeder' but it sounds like you are doing everything you can to make up for that. I have fostered rescues who needed house training at 2/3 years old, so it's not a problem to retrain at 12weeks old. It will be a lot of trips up and down the stairs, but it will be worth it. Good luck and look forward to hearing how Lola gets on
Welcome to the forum from me and my boy Bailey. Wow 4 weeks old, what a horrid "breeder". Congratulations on stepping up and by the sound of it doing the very very best for your Lola. As others have said you will have to teach her everything her mum and litter mates would have taught her about biting too hard, but withdrawing attention is the best way to do it. Never too late to toilet train a dog - our first family dog when I was younger was 2 years old and came via someone we knew and she had not had a happy life up until then, we had to toilet train her so don't worry 12 weeks is not too late - better to keep her safe. Good luck and keep doing the good work you have started.
So sad - hope your pup comes through with your love and care xx Welcome to you from Mags, Tatze and Mollie Tatze is my pet dog, a black Lab and she's three years old. Tatze means 'paw' in German. Mollie is my fourth Guide Dog puppy, a black Lab and she's sixteen weeks old.
Lucky Lola has really landed on her feet with you after such a poor start with her breeder. You're going to have a wonderful time training her and growing with her xx
Welcome from Hattie 9 years and our rescue boy Charlie 6 years. I don't think this 'breeder' has the right to call themselves that. Poor little Lola what a horrid start to life but I am sure you are doing a great job and I wish you all the success in the world with her. Enjoy training her, have fun with her and keep us upto date with your progress xx
Thank you very much for all of your replies. I will keep her inside until the last vaccine then and potty train her again after she's 3 months old. She's so loved in our house!!
