Other Threads You May Find Helpful The Forum RecommendsDog and Puppy Training Guides I have been reading a lot of great information on these forums and I'm so glad that I found them and very thankful for sharing this wealth of information. Sorry I have a tendency to be very informal about things so if the need to skip a brief history lesson the questions are near the bottom. I pretty new to the whole training thing. I did have a full blooded black lab, Dozer, who had to be put down on June 1st due having a really bad case of arthritis which was caused from his immune system attacking his joints. After spending a solid year (Every 2 weeks) of going back and forth to the vet for medications, blood work and exams it got to the point where it was time to say good-bye. I have some medical issues myself and Dozer was my escape from those everyday issues that I faced. He was indeed my best friend and I miss him dearly and really didn't want another pet just yet as I am still sadden by his passing. That being said, My Family and Friends noticed and I was really upset by this and stop being social. My 34th birthday is nearing it's ugly head so a few of them got together and surprised me with 8 male lab puppies, all 8 weeks old. Their intent was to cheer me up and to help me cope with the passing of Dozer. So I picked out the one I wanted out of the bunch and now the fun starts, PUPPY TRAINING! I've only had Stryker for 4 or 5 days now and he is very intelligent. 90% of the time he alerts me when he needs to go outside by running to the door and giving a little whimper. Which of course I praise him every time he does go outside. Right away I started with the basic command of NO because he loves to chew on everything including my flesh. Again something I am not used to at all. He knows the difference between the tone in my voice when he can keep doing stuff (I chuckle sometimes at the stuff he does while trying to tell him No) and when he better stop. He's already given me 2 straight nights of silence when he's in his pin for the night which I am very thankful for. He follows me every where I go and sits at my feet while looking at me so I've been walking him without being on a lead while using the phrase, "Stryker, Come" and reinforcing that with a praise. When should I start other training commands? The Foster parent I got him from says he's already had his first set of shots so when should I get him the remaining shots? When should I start socializing him with other dogs? Right now I'm afraid of any interaction with other dogs due to not having all his shots. When I got him I was told that he was eating solid foods already so I went out and bought a bag of Blue Wilderness PUPPY food. The first night he chowed that stuff down like it was candy. I feed him not quite half a cup in the morning and at night. The second night and every night since he doesn't empty the contents of his bowl. He'll eat maybe a half of what I put in it. Is this a sigh of distress or a sign of something I need to worry about? His stole is sometimes solid but other times it is soft. I'm not sure if that's related to the crumbs that he scrounges off the floor or what. I know I can ask these questions when he goes to the vet for the first time next week but I don't like waiting for answers when it could effect the health of the puppy. Thank you in advance for any helpful information.
It sounds as if Stryker's doing very well already. What a lovely surprise he must have been after having Dozer as a huge part of your life. 'Sit', 'stay' and 'wait' are also good commands to begin early on, getting him to 'sit' and 'wait' for his food, rather than just giving it to him. 'Leave' is also very useful particularly when puppies (and older dogs) seem to grab anything that's going! Are you feeding him twice a day or more often? Puppies usually have four meals a day, then cutting down to three and then two, but perhaps the breeder gave you different advice? Enjoy Stryker's puppy days!
Re the vaccinations, advice will differ from vet to vet. I was told by a vet friend and the breeder to absolutely not take Xena out until she'd had her 3rd injection (14-15 weeks!). But when I took her to my vet for her second injection (10.5 weeks) he said no, take her out, socialise! He said that vaccines are a lot better now than they used to be. God, if I'd waited until 15 weeks to take her out I'd be in the loony bin.
Hi there and welcome! It is a worry with a new puppy and can be frankly hard work. Most puppies benefit from 3 or better still 4 small meals when little and that can help with better stools. Sometimes too much food at once can cause diarrhoea. If your little guy isn't finishing his evening meal he may be too full. Try splitting the same amount over 3 meals at least and see how you go. With regards to vaccines it depends on what you are getting vaccinated against, what risks there around and about, and what your vet says. I must admit I go with the wait until the vaccination course is completed before taking pup out on the ground. Doesn't mean you can't socialise though. Short trips in a small carry bag with plenty of towels just in case to see the outside world and get loads of love! Schools shops wherever. Just avoid putting him down on the ground outside where other dogs frequent. Good luck!
Yes he was quite the surprise. I started work with the "Stay" command a little bit. I don'y want to over whelm him with to many commands at once so I'm working still on the "No" command as well as the "Stay" command. I am only feeding him 2 times a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. Each feeding time I top off what is left so that it equals 1/2 of a cup. I am going to split it to 1/3 three times a day and see if that makes any difference. I know it's been super hot here, triple digits so I'm wondering if that has anything to do with it as well. He doesn't act like he's starving and drinks plenty of fresh water daily. After getting a hold of the breeder/foster mom she informed me that today he turned 9 weeks old and he has his first set of shots exactly at 8 weeks of age. I called the Vet that I took my other dog to and they said just to keep an eye out and so we setup an appointment for his second set of shots in 2 weeks. They also recommended that I wait until he gets his second set of shots to socialize with older dogs that I know but keep Stryker out of dog area's until he is up to date on all his shots. There are a few healthy animals that I know of and I invite their owners over to have their dogs play in my yard. We pick up any stool as soon as we see it. Thank you, I am going to try a smaller amount 3 times a day and see if he'll clean his bowl. The Blue Wilderness Puppy food is really good for him according to the dogfoodadvisor site. It rates 4.5 out of 5 stars. For the price, it better be good. The vet kind of laughed when I told him what I was paying and said that is a little over kill but until he can really run free(ish) and socialize with other animals at a lake, river or the ocean for example I don't want him getting fat and become lazy. I spoiled the heck out of my other lab too. Best recommended food, tons of toys, constantly traveling with me and whatever else I thought he might enjoy. I know I go over board sometime but the return of his loyalty is well worth every penny. Thank you everybody for your helpful information.
hrmm.. 9 weeks old and his little buddy decided to "come out and play." (His little "PP"). Is that normal for his age? He didn't pay it no attention. He was just sitting there with it hanging out and free and nilly with his legs spread. I was like, "Well ok then.." I chuckled and told him if he plays with it to much it'll fall off.
I might be his anatomy that pushes his penis out when he's sitting, especially if his back legs are splaying when he sits -- puts extra pressure on that area and something has to be displaced. Same happens with Snowie when he sits like that with back legs spread out.
It's great that you are getting some sleep Recall training tends to benefit from some strong rewards, especially once you get to the point where your puppy becomes a little more independent. Check out this article for lots more information Train Your Puppy To Come
Told I was talking to a neighbor who is on the OLDer side of life and she told me that because Stryker is Lab and Australian Shepard that he would make a great service animal. Then she told me that because of the Australian Shepard and Lab being mixed that if I did not give him a "job" to do then he will be very disobedient and destructive. I've never owned a dog who was part Australian Shepard so I don't know much about their bloodlines other than they are great farm dogs. I was always raised that a dog will only do as good as it's owner trains him. For example any dog can be aggressive you play rough with it on a constant bases or a dog will be loveable if you love it. It goes for all breeds but is there any truth to what she told me?
Different breeds certainly have different traits. Dogs bred to think for themselves can be very "naughty" because they're problem-solvers who can work out how to get to that yummy-smelling turkey. Something other breeds may never even consider that the turkey is within reach if they only apply themselves. That said, there will be a great variety of personalities within a single breed, and when you add a mix into the equation, who knows what traits of each side you're going to get? Learning what your dog's personality is like and finding the right things to train him is part of the process of dog ownership. With a mix like that, I'd say he'd probably excel at something like agility or flyball, which would give him an outlet for his boundless energy, alongside working his mind to tire him out.
Thank you so much. I know he's still young but I wanted to see how he would do with a bouncer ball, the big rubber ones they use in schools. My buddies kid had one and so we used that. He was really unsure about it. Ran around the yard stopping near the ball to bark at it. I moved it around on him a few times so he would see that it was harmless and after about 5 minutes of barking and running away he touched it with his nose and discovered that it wouldn't harm him. I tried the same thing with a tennis ball and had the same reaction. However this time it took less time before he came in contact with it and he enjoyed playing with it. He ran all around the yard with it in his little mouth. I tried tossing it a few times and I noticed that he hasn't quite figured out where it goes after it leaves my hand because he looks around for it almost like he's lost. So to help him with this coordination I think I will try a Frisbee and see how he does as it's still smaller than the bounce ball but larger than a tennis ball. Thank you for the advice.
I remember throwing balls for my two when they were young and they had that same "whu? where did it go?!" look on their faces. They learn in time. You can practice games of "catch" with him, where he doesn't have to jump for it, so from a sitting or standing position, throw it directly to his mouth. Gently, because he'll probably miss a fair bit to start with! This helps with coordination and isn't hard on their joints. It pains me to see dogs leaping - and often twisting in the air - for balls, frisbees and the like. When you want him to learn to chase it, sit yourself in a hallway or corner, so it's a really small area, and gently roll it around, or bounce it gently on the floor. Again, you need to avoid any high-impact or twisting movements, and always finish the game at its peak - that is, don't let it get too repetitive and boring. Four or five bounces should leave him wanting more, and give you a dog that's excited about the ball, which means you can use it as a reward later on. Personally, I avoid tennis balls because they can be abrasive on a dog's teeth. I have a couple of the Kong squeakers, which are like tennis balls, but these only come out on very special occasions, and only in areas that aren't too sandy, because the grit still gets caught in the fibres. The rest of the time, I use rubber balls, which they love just as much as tennis balls, are even more chew-proof and easily washed.
