Hello fellow puppy owners.... my female lab puppy will be 11 wks old on Sept 6... she is a handful and a lot of work at this age, especially given that I am raising her myself.... she is my 3rd yellow female lab.... however, when you have had an older lab for many years, you tend to forget all that is involved in raising a puppy.... both time and effort,.... Some particulars of raising her: Food: I feed her Eukanuba puppy food for large breeds 3 times per day and just raised it from 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup each meal .... When I got her from the breeder at 8 wks, she was small.... 8 lbs only.... two weeks later, she was 11 lbs so I increased her food by 1/4 each meal since the breeder says she should be gaining about 4lbs every 2 weeks and if not, to increase her food.... House/Potty training: I have a crate in the car and in the house that I use to contain her.... I take her outside after each meal, and after playing..... she has had a few accidents in her crate as I learn about her needs.... I try and praise her after each outing when she does her business... sometimes when outside, she doesn't focus on going to do her poop but instead looks for stuff to chew or pick up.... then, if I bring her back inside, thinking she doesn't need to go, she has pooped in her crate during the day or sometimes if i go back out without her she poops which I think to myself she was getting back at me lol....... frustrating!.... Overnight, for past week or so, she hasn't soiled her bed.... only accidents sometimes during day, after eating.... or when driving in car..... I have her on a strict regular feeding schedule to help with training: 6am breakfast and potty,.... 7am potty/exercise 5 minutes....and 9am potty/exercise 5 minutes 11am lunch/potty 12 potty/exercise 5 minutes 2pm potty/exercise 5 minutes 3pm supper and potty...... about 4pm potty (last water before bed).....maybe a minute exercise?..... 5:30pm potty Bed at around 7:30pm, 11pm potty 2:30am-3am for potty.... Biting/Chewing: She is in the constant biting/chewing stage.... when we go outside, I have to watch her like a hawk because she picks up sticks, rocks, grass, and so on and puts it in her mouth.... so, I am constantly attempting to clean out her mouth, which can be tricky, when trying to avoid being bitten by those sharp puppy teeth.... though I have rubber Kong toys and balls outside, this only catches her attention for a short time, then it is back to searching for sticks, grass, moss and stones to chew.... I worry that if I don't take it out of her mouth, that she will swallow something and chock on it.... I have for her a variety of Kong rubber toys, soft plush toys, nylabones, rope toy, and balls for outside... and recently bought her 100% rawhide chews for the teething months of 3 months to 6 months.... for during the day when crated and for car rides as well..... Fenced Yard: My yard is fenced but it is a relatively big yard (100ftx 150ft) so it is difficult for me to keep her focused on doing her business sometimes, as she wanders.... we are on a large lake, so I am concerned that when winter comes, she may take off on the lake.... I may have to put up temporary snow fence along the front if that happens.... my last lab never ran away, but my lab before that one did run away if she had the chance..... Walking/Exercise: she is not yet fully vaccinated.... 2nd vaccincation next week and final 3rd vaccination mid October.....so I can't walk her where other dogs have been right now which I find frustrating.... I have walked around the yard each day and she does follow me.... I have tried to teach her about a collar (which she fights me when I put it on and every now and then scratches her neck, but generally seems to have accepted it... I take it off when she sleeps at night)..... however, the leash is a different story.... when in my yard, as soon as I put the leash on, she puts it in her mouth and I am constantly telling her no, taking it out of her mouth, or hitting her nose as the breeder said her mother would bite to stop her.... and this goes on and on... ... when I bring her into town, she has walked with the leash (in areas where no other dogs have been around) and seems to do better there when on pavement... less mouthing of the leash.... I try to give her as much walking as I can as she is energetic.. Socialization: I bring her into Petsmart (in my arms only at this point due to not fully vaccinated)... and into other stores that allow dogs to get her to see and meet other people; I also walk her around busy roads to get her socialized to noise and traffic.... haven't been able to meet many other dogs yet as i don't know which ones are fully vaccinated when I see dogs on the street.... this may have to wait until she is fully vaccinated... Sleeping: the first night she cried like crazy (and also cried a lot on the road trip home which took about 2 hours).....then as time went on, the crying slowed to .... now, she sleeps without crying.....currently I get her up about every 3.5-4 hours or so to go out to potty at night.... I take her in the car for 5-10-15 minutes car rides every 2-3 days to get her used to being in the car.... for first outings, she cried and went potty.... now, she plays with her toys and if i let her out at the destination for potty, she seems to be okay..... Overall, I am finding that taking care of the puppy takes up most of my day and I have to try and fit in other work (at home)....required house/car maintenance in between sleep times..... Personality: this puppy seems very outgoing and very stubborn, strong-willed.... not one to back down easily..... I had asked the puppy that my preference was for a gentler laid back personality dog and I do hope she does settle down as she matures in one, two, or even three years......this dog is for a companion only, not a hunting or show dog etc.....I love the outdoors... walks, hiking, swim, cross-country ski in winter so the lab is a good companion for me....
Hi and welcome from me and my pup Isla. You sound like you are doing everything right for your pup. If it's been a long time since you've had a puppy it really comes as a shock. We lost our beloved lab in January at 12 years old and missed her dreadfully. We decided to get a puppy and boy had we forgotten how much hard work it was. Our girl does everything you have mentioned,especially biting and chewing! She is now 27weeks and so much better,so hang on in there,before your know it you'll have a lovely gentle best friend
Hello and welcome! Everything you have written about your pup I identify with 100% and have seen it written a billion times by other puppy owners. You are not alone! I grew up with three labs at different times, all placid, soft, gentle girls. Fast forward 30 odd years to the arrival of my pup and what a shock! However, she is now a placid, gentle and beautiful nearly two year old. She started to get better at 16 weeks, slowly, slowly but surely. Hang on in there, it's hard I know but worth it, as you know.
The first weeks home are all about the puppy but gradually as they learn house rules, it all gets easier. For some puppies that can be longer but for most of them, by about 16 weeks, you and the puppy have settled into a routine that seems much less demanding that those first few weeks. One of the things that we learned was to train "potty on demand" for urinating from the first day home. This simply means that the puppy goes out on a leash to a designated potty spot where it gets no attention other than "go potty" or corrections for biting the leash. Only after the puppy has done the business does the leash come off for free wandering and exploring. It takes a bit of time to determine when each puppy does it poo-ing but most of them have a "signal" that with careful observation you can see to give you a clue that they need to be let outside. Our Cain for example, puts his nose down and then turns around one or more times. Roamin (14 weeks) puts his nose down, lifts his tail and you can see his little rear end "pucker up". The trick for avoiding poo accidents is to see if the puppy has a schedule (thirty minutes after cleaning his bowl - 1 hour?) and second, is there a subtle tell that you can catch. Sometimes, you get the tell and take them out but they get distracted by a blowing leaf and don't go. This is when the potty on demand (on a leash) comes in handy...you take them to the designated spot and stand there until they go and then they are allowed off the leash to chase that leaf. The additional plus in this is that you also can train away the biting on the leash while teaching potty on demand. If you travel with your pets a lot, this potty on demand comes in very handy. Ours go camping with us and the grounds we stay in have a designated spot for pets to do their business. Ours eliminate very quickly so we can get them on down to the beach for a romp straight away....and on the drives to and from, we can make pit stops very quickly as they know that they are to get it done straight away and that a good treat waits for them in the truck afterwards!
Hi... well not sure if I am doing everything right but I am trying..... still sometimes I have to crate her longer than I like because I simply can't get required household chores done otherwise.... so sometimes, she does have an accident and goes potty because I wasn't there on time.... but I am only one person so I can only do so much.... yes, it has been over 10 years since I had a puppy (my 10 yr 4 mth old lab died very suddenly last Apr 4 due to what the vet believes was a brain aneurysm)..... so yes, I did forget how much work it is and how much time it takes..... thanks for your note... yes, now at just past 11 weeks, she definitely is in her crocodile stage.....and it is not much fun but I am looking forward to the months ahead when teething is past.... I can tell she is getting smarter and more devious as time passes.... sometimes, when I am in the yard trying to do some leash work, she will lie down and roll over and put the leash in her mouth.... over and over again.... so not much point in doing leash work in my yard.. too many distractions such as sticks, stones, and grass.... she seems to walk better on her leash when I am on a paved road (right now, using far off places where not many people go until she is vaccinated).... this coming week, is her 2nd vaccination and her first visit to the vet so I will see how that goes....
thank you.... always interesting to see how others are coping with the difficult 1st year.... the top posted article on this forum about biting and chewing was excellent.... everything the author mentioned is currently happening right now .... so I can relate... including the part where you wonder if you did the right thing by getting a puppy.... and the sleep deprivation and patience overload...haha... I can't wait to see her at 3 years old... ha ha..
Hi, thanks for your kind words.... glad this is nothing new.... haha... good to know that an outgoing, stubborn, and very crocodile- like pup can grow up to be a gentle lab.... I am just over 11 wks now.... difficult days ahead dealing with the teething but I just have to take it one day at a time.... it is quite a shock to go from a 10 yr 4 mth old mature and sweet lab who obviously knows your schedule and is a wonderful sweet companion to a puppy who has so much to learn about the world and yourself and has to grow both physically and emotionally.... as you say, I know it is worth it and it is a process that one must go through, just like human babies.....
Thanks for the excellent tips.... I appreciate it... Yes, i do try and stick to a regular schedule as i know that is important to dogs and especially puppies.... I haven't been using a leash right away when taking her out... I have been picking her up and carrying her to the same general spot and saying pee-pee until she goes... which works quite well...and hoping that she does a poop soon after....which she does if she doesn't get distracted by something.... but I think your method is better by taking her out on the leash, doing her business and then letting her off leash to romp around.... yes, i have been getting better at discerning when she has to go for a poop.... still not perfect ..... I do notice her rear end pucker when outside, as she smells the ground and turns in circles most times, if I am patient enough.... other times, i can tell she is not going to go, as she simply walks around looking for things to chew.... sticks, rocks, grass, moss..... now, if i could get her to poop on leash, that would be great.... and train away the biting.... and now she not only bites the leash but throws herself on her back so that I can't walk/run with her on the leash.... ha ha... as far as sound signals, this pup cries doing different things like when sometimes simply chewing rawhide bones, that I can't yet distinguish if she is crying to go out or just crying for another reason..... I guess subtle cues will just take more time for me to learn.....
Hi frosty so sorry to hear about your older lab,our sweet and gorgeous girl also died quiet suddenly this year and it's an awful time isn't it,our thoughts are with you. Keep up the good work, i know how hard it can be at times,especially doing it on your own,so well done
Not many of our current five ever gave a vocal signal that they needed to do their business and it can be quite frustrating with some of them. Our Kona and our Cain were both "tethered" to me at one point to complete their house training; the crate wasn't working for them as both were doing their business in it and didn't mind one bit walking and lying in it (both kennel raised rather than house raised which may or may not be a factor in that or perhaps they just didn't get the "keep your den clean gene".) I put their crates away until they were house trained and then brought them back out again (one week for Cain and two weeks for Kona). Roamin is the only one that I know of (or can remember) that gives a vocal signal and it is so quick and quiet that if I'm distracted I might miss it - it is just a slight whine. Which is why I say that the crate "saves your sanity" as well as keeps the puppy safe and out of mischief. Having to be constantly mentally aware of what a puppy is doing while out of the crate is an exhaustion just as hard to bear as being physically active.
Thanks so much.... yes, losing a lab through illness or sudden death like my lab from brain aneurysm or stroke is heart breaking..... my lab was really the sweetest dog I ever had and I still miss my girl..... I thought for sure she would live to about 14 or so, as I tried to keep her healthy by daily exercise, keeping her lean and lots of love but it was not to be.... such is life.... all we can do is keep them in our heart and move forward..... looking forward to many healthy years hopefully with new girl.....
wow... that is interesting.... I guess every dog really is different and there is no general rule that applies to all..... yes, given how active my new girl is and how stubborn she is at this point, I may have this crate out for her for the next 3 years... haha.... I am slowly learning (based on the accidents I don't catch) about how often and when she usually goes, as there appears to be a pattern arising..... slowly but surely, the accidents are decreasing and my patience outside is increasing to give her more time to focus..... or I bring her in to be crated and settle a bit and then take her out again once she returns to some sort of sanity... haha.... although she is quite vocal, I don't yet see any pattern related to wanting to go out as she vocalizes over almost everything at this point...
