Barking/whining/eating things other than food, etc.

Re: Barking/whining/eating things other than food, etc.

Hi Jan. I do a raw and kibble mix with my 6month old. She had a few runny ones at the beginning just with the change in diet. But no probs now. Hope that helps. Took less than a week to get firm poo.

 

Re: Barking/whining/eating things other than food, etc.

[quote author=AnnetteB link=topic=6306.msg85857#msg85857 date=1402092734]
Hi Jan. I do a raw and kibble mix with my 6month old. She had a few runny ones at the beginning just with the change in diet. But no probs now. Hope that helps. Took less than a week to get firm poo.
[/quote]


Thank you. I think I'll give it a go.


Jan

 

Re: Barking/whining/eating things other than food, etc.

The throw the kibble on the lawn is popular in this house too. OH is a great fan. When the grass is slightly longer it slows here down and extends the game. OH. Thinks this is very good for her. The fact that it lets him off cutting the lawn is absolutely nothing to do with it.

 

Re: Barking/whining/eating things other than food, etc.

Hi all,

All going ok here... still a bit of a challenge what with trying to eat everything (pegs off the washing line, plastic flowerpots, etc.) but we are settling down a bit, so that's good.

Our routine took a bit of a hit with the early morning walks - all Lily did was jump up and bite the lead whilst I stood there outside the house, waiting for her to stop... and then I had to abandon the attempt because I had to get off to work. So OH is back to a mid-morning walk and we do another one when I come home from work.

As regards keeping her occupied, a nice play of 'fetch' in the garden during the morning followed by a chew toy/frozen kong to enable some work to be done seems to be working at the moment, though this is mostly back in her crate; she is still a sneaky monkey and will nibble and chew whatever she can get her teeth on to but will sometimes lay underneath OH's desk and behave/have a sleep. ( ;D)

Food-wise she is on part raw on some days (not all) but I'm afraid I have so far been a little unadventurous as apparently butchers cannot sell bones for dogs in the UK?? I suppose I could just ask for a load of different stuff and hope they don't ask - would they ask, I wonder? After all, it is meat on the bone I am buying, not just bones. Teapot57, Lily's stools were a little soft at first (for a couple of days) but have firmed up nicely. I know, such a lovely subject! The green feeder is also going well, I don't offer it every day, but she has got eating her meal down to 20 mins now so still well worth the £20 I paid for it!

I have found a dog park where my mum lives (about 10 miles away) and took Lily last weekend; she had a lovely run off lead and came back when called when 2 other dogs were present, so I am taking her on a regular basis; it is so lovely to let her off lead at last and practise her recall.

We haven't gone down the daycare route yet but will keep that as a fallback for if things deteriorate; Puppyville is certainly an intense experience and I am hopeful things will continue to improve.

The only downside is puppy training classes. What a nightmare! She is the biggest dog there and is like a thing possessed when we go, jumping and flailing about with her mouth open - she caught a boy with her open mouth/teeth this week. I could have cried and walked out. It was all ok but she is now moving classes to be with more labs - maybe that will be better; she's not so tough with bigger dogs!

Anyway, thanks again for all the help and comments, it is the only thing keeping me sane!

Amanda

 

Re: Barking/whining/eating things other than food, etc.

Sounds like things are improving and I'm sure they will continue to improve as she grows up

 

Re: Barking/whining/eating things other than food, etc.

Keep on with it, my OH works from home and after several months he stopped putting Poppy in her crate while he was working. She is a grown up lady of two years old now, and her favourite sleeping place during the day is under his desk.

 

Re: Barking/whining/eating things other than food, etc.

[quote author=amandamumma link=topic=6306.msg87587#msg87587 date=1402604588]
apparently butchers cannot sell bones for dogs in the UK??
[/quote]

Really? That sounds odd. As you say, though, no need to mention who the meat is for

Glad that things are improving

The behaviour at puppy classes is totally normal for a Labrador....there are a hundred people on here who could have written exactly the same paragraph Good idea to move class to be with bigger dogs.

 

Re: Barking/whining/eating things other than food, etc.

It was very interesting when we did puppy classes. There was an enormous shaggy thing (I think it was an Irish Wolfhound), 2 rotties, a spaniel, and 3 labs.

I am pleased to say all that ALL the labs jumped around like beasts possessed, I ncluding all over the trainer when he was handling them. The other puppies all looked on in disbelief. The trainer reckoned it was just something all Labs did.

Made me feel like less of a failure to see that it was something innate with the breed.

Not an excuse for not trying to teach her better manners, but a relief.

 

Re: Barking/whining/eating things other than food, etc.

Keep on with it, my OH works from home and after several months he stopped putting Poppy in her crate while he was working. She is a grown up lady of two years old now, and her favourite sleeping place during the day is under his desk.

Yes, he does that a bit already, let's hope it continues and she can behave herself without sneaking envelopes, etc. to eat (Sorry I don't know how to insert a quote like you guys do - how do you do it?)

About the bones - yes, I was told by the breeder (and others) that butchers cannot sell bones for dogs to eat, so you say nothing about the dog.. it does seem a bit excessive; I take responsibility for my dog, not the butcher. Anyway...

Puppy classes - I am so glad others have had the same experience!!! I feel my heart sink every time she does something to draw attention to herself, she jumped up at the trainer every time she approached her, too. All the other owners seem nice but you can imagine what they are thinking... We have fitted a dog guard in the car now, so I am ready to go out alone with Lily in the car to her new puppy training class (I have only ever gone out with one of the kids in the back with her). We'll see how that goes and being with the bigger doggies.

It seems like little steps is the only way to go.

Thank you for your encouragement and for again putting my mind at rest

 

Re: Barking/whining/eating things other than food, etc.

[quote author=amandamumma link=topic=6306.msg87999#msg87999 date=1402736389]
Sorry I don't know how to insert a quote like you guys do - how do you do it?
[/quote]

Found the quote button! But have lost the closing quotation mark!

 

Re: Barking/whining/eating things other than food, etc.

[quote author=amandamumma link=topic=6306.msg88008#msg88008 date=1402736803]
But have lost the closing quotation mark!
[/quote]

There isn't one.

 

Re: Barking/whining/eating things other than food, etc.

You can also add additional quotes from the same thread, by scrolling down when you are doing your reply, and clicking on the associated "Insert quote" button, so could potentially do Quote and reply to several comments in a thread.
Well done for working it out.

 

Re: Barking/whining/eating things other than food, etc.

Aha drjs@5 I will try that - thanks!

 

Re: Barking/whining/eating things other than food, etc.

Hi Amanda,

I hope you and Lilly are doing OK. I just wanted to reply to your post as I work from home during the week and Molly is 8 months old now. I would definitely recommend establishing a routine as this has helped to settle her.

Our routine is as follows: After we've both had breakfast, I take her out for a quick 10 minute walk around 08:30. When we get back home I get her bed and put it in the office and then she has a puppy biscuit as a reward for getting in her bed. I also have a supply of antler bones for her to chew. She then settles down until 11:00 so I can get a good few hours of work done! At 11:00 I take her out for a loo visit and then play some games with her or do some training. Then it's back in her bed whilst I get on with some more work until about 13:00. During this time she can get up and walk around but she mostly stays right next to me either sleeping or chewing her bone. We then stop for lunch- she has a kong with peanut butter in so I get some peace. We then go out for about an hour for a good walk in the country, ensuring that she gets a good run about off lead. So, when we get home she is nice and tired so I give her a fish jerky chew as a reward for getting in her bed. Then I can get another couple of hours work done whilst she has a sleep. Then it's time to switch of the computer and make dinner. I try to make sure she has a good walk most afternoons so that if I'm having a heavy day work wise she can just make do with a shorter walk, on the lead around the local park. I also find that scheduling breaks into my day helps me as well- it's good to have a stretch, a walk about and a break from the PC screen.

I hope that helps! Molly was really annoying too initially- yapping every time I spoke on the phone, weeing under my desk if I let her out of her crate but I kept calm (hah!) and stuck with the routine and after a few months I don't really have any problems anymore. Apart from barking at delivery drivers when they drop things off- that's the next issue to tackle!

Vicci

 

Re: Barking/whining/eating things other than food, etc.

Ah Molly the Dolly, it sounds like routine is definitely the way to go for the WFH issue.

I am now setting out all the things Lily can eat/play with in the course of a day, so OH doesn't have to think about what to do whilst he is working, just when to do something... Lily is sleeping under the desk regularly now, which is nice, but can still 'surprise' him when he's on the phone, e.g. stealing envelopes or eating the skirting board...

Puppy class going ok, better bunch of dogs (by that I mean they can cope with Lily's boisterousness better) and the opportunity to run about off lead but Lily is still mucking about at times. I am aware that she is well and truly a food-focussed dog and will not do anything without the promise of food. We tried to do some sitting/laying still for 1 minute (Bronze Good Citizen Award prep - but she's nowhere near ready for that!) but without rewards, so she sat for about 40 seconds and then wanted to play with the massive bulldog boy in the class and then just lolled about on her back chewing her lead. : - bit more work required there, I think.

Since my last post we have found a relatively safe public footpath and have been walking a few times a week with our neighbour and her 14 month old black lab Benji in the fields and Lily follows him everywhere - she has been in the water, in the ditches, romping in the fields, rolling around playing, jumping, generally getting filthy and running like a greyhound (so fast!!), all for about an hour at a time, she really seems to enjoy it. But one thing occurred to me: does all this mad abandon mean it will be harder to train her to be calm? Am I even making sense? It is almost as if I am thinking that keeping a lid on her behaviour is better than letting her have a mad runabout from time to time.

She is fine at home but we still have the issues where she is jumping up and using her long legs and her paws to grab other dogs around the neck and head and also jumping up at humans. Is it as simple as training with kibble to keep all four paws on the floor (like in the video I saw recently)?

Thanks for listening to me witter on.

 

Re: Barking/whining/eating things other than food, etc.

Glad things are improving
Puppy classes are very distracting......Especially for labs I think (well, that's my excuse )
I would let her have a romp with Benji, it will help with her energy and you could do some training whilst he's around such as recall, sit, play fetch etc......might even help with your training
For jumping, I tell her down and turn sideways and keep turning til she sits before fussing her and I get all visitors to do the same, it's worked for me

 

Re: Barking/whining/eating things other than food, etc.

Naya, I didn't think of attempting to do training when Benji is around - I'll give it a go. If she can do anything with him in the vicinity she might have half a chance in class!

I do the same as you as regards the jumping up but I think I will have to educate the people I know less well and stick to my guns. They are the worst for saying "it's ok, I don't mind!"... Grrrrr

 

Re: Barking/whining/eating things other than food, etc.

For the jumping up with other people, I have been putting a sign up on my door. Goes like this.

Puppy in training!

Please be patient!

And IGNORE the dog

Lol seems to be working so far. I also stay a step back from the door when I answer it so it's not quite so tempting. I have also started putting Milly in the crate when those people who have no self control come over just so my training isn't made harder. I find it easier then to say please don't talk to the dog as it teases her when she is in the crate. Seems to help. You could then bring them out after everyone is calm and sitting. I use my lead then to keep the control.