Hey everyone, so recently I got a yellow lab,Sonic, he's about 11wks now and initially I was pretty firm on the fact the he would be housed outside, but now I kind of feel bad keeping outside. Now by no means is he being neglected, but I'm just kinda on the fence about keeping him out or bringing him in. If I did decide to bring him in, I would firstly have to get my soon to be wife to agree to it. Not that she dislike dogs, but she had a traumatic experience as a child where she was attacked by a dog while walking home one day, and still has the scar to show for it. She is ok with me having him with him outside, but I haven't tried asking to bring him in. If she does agree though, what should I do? Thanks in advance everyone
Hi @JZSmooth What is a Lab sonic? Dogs are social animals. They are meant to be around we humans. We have socially evolved together. So what do you need? Crate and instructions for crate training https://thehappypuppysite.com/crate-training-a-puppy/ kong a house line stair gates so that you can cordon off areas. various tug toys enrol in a puppy class and both you and your partner should attend. talk through the real prospect that most puppies bite as a way of communicating, and how to deal with it--redirection onto the tug toys patience and understanding Good luck
I do know some happy well adjusted outdoor dogs but they have 'outdoor' owners who spend everyday outdoors working with the dogs. Dogs need companionship. At 11 weeks old your dog also needs exposing to as many different situations, noises, people as possible. Especially if you're ever going to want/need to have him indoors. A weekend break in a holiday cottage for example, or a trip to a pub while you're out on a walk, will be impossible for your dog if he doesn't know how to behave indoors. Maybe you're not planning to do any of these things but what you do now is critical for how your dog will be for the rest of his life. Hes not learning anything outdoors on his own.
100% your dog should be inside. Dogs have evolved to live closely with human companionship - have a read of John Bradshaw's 'In Defence of Dogs' for more fascinating and readable research on how canine brains have evolved to benefit from being around humans (and vice versa). As for your partner having been bitten by a dog before - puppyhood is the perfect time to bond with the pup and for her to form a positive connection with him nearby and training him. A puppy is far less intimidating than an adult dog. I would be worried about a puppy which is banished to outside because one member of the family is afraid of dogs - every indication is that will become a dog increasingly isolated from the rest of the household, with needs unmet and unseen (because they can be easily overlooked outside) and pushed out further and further to the edge of the household and family. This is where problem dogs and problem situations come from most frequently.
Hi I just wanted to say I think you and your pup will miss out on so much of he is outside. My girl makes me smile all day everyday, we also do training at every opportunity and love cuddling up also, if she was outside I would miss lots of opportunities to do all of the above. For your partner it will be so much better for her to get to know the pup if it is inside. I was attacked as a child and am quite fearful of dogs but feel I learnt to trust my own two dogs from being around them from puppies.
So what would be some for steps, once I bring him in? He has never been inside before,even when he was with the breeder.
Hi @JZSmooth I would leave the door open (blocked with doorstop so it can't slam shut) and just let him take his on time in exploring a part of your home. Don't lure him. Just let him enter at his own pace. If he enters talk quietly and inviting. Avoid yelling as a result of your own excitement. Let us know about about his first steps.
I will, he has no problems coming in, most times he'll run in for a brief moment when I go out to feed him. I'm sure he'll be eager to be inside. I'll have to go and get a crate for him as well. Also, I have a resident cat and hopefully they'll get along. I read that Labs were pretty good with cats
Jo's notes on crate training that I linked have some good advice about what crate to get. And mattress/bedding. You will have to be busy with toilet training too. Hmm. My Labs did not read that information. Maybe yours will be a different story. Good luck.
Hmm. My Labs did not read that information. Maybe yours will be a different story. Good luck.[/QUOTE] Hopefully, he does fine with the cat. How old were your labs when they were around the cats?
Hi @JZSmooth If a puppy and cat are introduced to each other when the puppy is around 3 weeks of age, then there will be no problems. Later on, it's hit and miss. I realise one can't time travel. I had one Lab who lived on a farm for a year when she was 6 months old. Loved the cats, pigs, ducks. When she moved back to suburbia, wanted to fight all cats. She certainly did not generalise.
The dog cat thing is tricky I think and depends on both of them. Our Cat was a tiny kitten when we brought her to a home with two big Labs. They became friends quickly, sleeping, snuggling and playing together often. I believe she grieved the loss of both our guys when they each passed away. When Maggie came home they were about the same size and it was pretty good in the first week, but after Maggie got bigger than her, the play became a little too rough with the cat. The cat luckily keeps coming back for more and trying to be friendly with Maggie. My hopes are that the pup will learn to calm it down for the cats sake. Right now its lots of the cat coming to see the dog but within a few mins she retreats to her safe pearch. If the cat is "hissing, growling and acting scary, I think it will be hard for the dog not to want to "get at it" Thats just our experience. But our new puppy and our cat are living under one roof and making it work. Cat stays away when she's not in the mood to be trounced. Puppy sleeps with us, cat sleeps with our daughter
I'm really glad you are thinking about bringing him in. At first it might seem that you have to make a few adjustments, but they will only be temporary until he can be trusted around the house. So - yes, you will need to get a crate. If you have space, get the biggest you can and preferably with a divider (so you can split it off into a smaller crate whilst he is younger). You will need to introduce him to the crate in the right way so that he likes it. Michael has posted a link to an article I wrote on crate training at the top of this thread in an earlier post, so follow the steps there. I would highly recommend you get a 2.5m Clix Puppy House-Line for him to wear any time he is out of the crate. This is a really light weight leash without a handle on the end so it doesn't get caught. This will help with things like interest in the cat, chewing things he's not supposed to, jumping up on people or furniture - in short - it is a way to quickly control the puppy (NOT correct or punish the puppy!) without grabbing for the pup's actual body all the time. Finally, you will need to spend extra time toilet training him as he is probably used to just toileting wherever he is. He is still young so it shouldn't take long - and he's old enough to be able to control his bladder and bowels once he learns what it is you want. To toilet train, take him out frequently (every 30mins at first) to one spot in the yard and hold the puppy house line. As soon as he has finished, give him a treat or a piece of kibble from your pocket, to reinforce toileting outside. Meanwhile, I would highly recommend enrolling in a positive/force-free puppy training class and preferably getting your girlfriend to handle him in it, as that will really help with their bonding if she can do some training with him whilst he is a puppy. At the very least, buy a good dog training book (I like Train Your Dog Like a Pro by Jean Donaldson) and follow the steps there with her and your puppy...
We have had both outside adult working and inside pet Labs, I was also savagly attacked ( 3 weeks in hospital) by one of our pet Labs, last October and understand how your girlfriend could be feeling. Our outside ones were all brought up as young pups indoors and all house trained etc before moving outside. They were never banned completely from coming in but once they were climatised to being outside 24/7, a part from sticking their heads in if the door was open, to be nosey, they didn’t ever want too. Especially when the central heating was on, it was too hot for them. As said above moving your pup in now at 11 weeks would be no different than collecting your pup from the breeder slightly older. He won’t of been outside long enough for it too be difficult. If it didn’t work out you could then always move him back out later on. As long as your girlfriend knows, is happy with the fact that your pup while he is learning and teething could bite for quiet a few months yet and that Labs do grow very quickly into big dogs and accepts that, Im sure it will all work out fine. I will say this based on my own experience. While I was in hospital recovery from the attack that happened my kids got me a new puppy and even tho we had previously had 5 other puppies, none of those ever bite anyone. This new one (now 7 months and 30kg) was like a little crocodile and still play bites now. I wasn’t expecting or prepared for it and it has caused problems with me being cautious/scared, call it what you like and the pup has picked up on that and Im now his main target. I would suggest you talk to her and find out how she feels, would feel as the pup gets bigger if she was being bitten, even tho it wouldn’t be intentional like her previous experience. The last thing you want is to have not only a upset girlfriend but a upset puppy.
Are you willing to elaborate on being attacked by one of your pets? I might help some others understand what our labs are capable of even though we don't expect it. It sounds really traumatic.
I am also curious what the circumstances were surrounding your attack. Three week hospitalization is a serious event. And yes these happy go lucky breeds have sent more people to emergency than any other breed, but take that number with a grain of salt, they are also the most common and popular breed so the statistic is flawed but neverless they do bite and can inflict severe damage.
So the plan is to bring him in tomorrow, I needed to get some things setup first. I do wanna bathe him first though. Any tips for that? He's not fond of water being put on him. Also, thanks to everyone who has chimed in and given advice.
