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  1. #21
    House Broken furballs's Avatar
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    Oh, this all sounds familiar. But at 1 year, Rocket is becoming an awesome dog. What DW and I found was that he needs to know how lucky he is to be in our home. I was always more strict, much more willing to apply firm discipline, and I had fewer issues with being 'attacked'. I'm not talking alpha dog stuff, but he still needs to know it's your house, your rules.

    I share your pain on the frustration of not being able to exercise. Do you have stairs in your home? I got him in the habit of chasing a toy up the stairs several times to tucker him out. At 12 weeks, it didn't take long.

  2. #22
    Puppy marc515's Avatar
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    Not sure why you can't walk him? While avoiding dog parks and other areas frequented by many dogs, we knew our boy needed some exercise, so we walked him around the streets of our neighborhood; two to three times a day, as the rule is 5 minutes of walking for every month in age.

    Have you put him on the floor and laid on him to show him who the pack leader is? It is important he learn that ASAP

    Our breeder recommended we socialize him every day, or as much as possible. When my wife went grocery shopping, I would sit out on the bench with him, and he was the hit. I had folks taking his picture, and even got asked out twice (LOL). We also took him into Home Depot, Lowes, Bed Bath & Beyond, and pet stores.

    Once he had his shots, he met some other puppies who live locally, and we meet at least once a week at the park for them all to play.

    While we didn't do puppy class because we were teaching him basics at home, he is now 6 months old and in obedience class.

    Exercise, socialization, and training are the basic keys to having a great Lab.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails -tucker-mar-28-2014-11-jpg  
    Last edited by marc515; 07-29-2014 at 07:17 AM.

  3. #23
    Senior Dog Jeff's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by furballs View Post
    I share your pain on the frustration of not being able to exercise. Do you have stairs in your home? I got him in the habit of chasing a toy up the stairs several times to tucker him out. At 12 weeks, it didn't take long.
    No, no, no, no, no stairs for pups.

    From Science Daily A number of environmental factors can affect the incidence of hip dysplasia in dogs -- ScienceDaily
    The opportunity to exercise daily in parks up until the age of three months reduced the risk of HD, whereas the daily use of steps during the same period increased the risk. Overall, it would appear that daily exercise out in gently undulating terrain up until the age of three months gives a good prognosis when it comes to preventing HD.


    Quote Originally Posted by marc515 View Post
    Have you put him on the floor and laid on him to show him who the pack leader is? It is important he learn that ASAP
    Umm what? There is no such thing as pack leader mentality between humans and dogs, your more likely to traumatize them and make them aggressive than teach them anything. He who controls the food is the leader, that's all you need. You will get a lot more through positive training than forceful training as well. However, laying on them that's a new one I never heard of before. No don't do that, but still a new one. Ranks up there with the guy that jumped out and bit his dog when it first came into the house to show him who was boss.

    This whole pack leader thing especially with a puppy is a myth. pups have no sense of being dominant or pack leaders.

  4. #24
    Senior Dog Halcyon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by staygold912 View Post
    Halcyon - you said your pup was the worst between 12-16 weeks? How was 4 months to 7 months during the big teething phase for you? Just curious, our guy is 13 weeks now and the mouthing and nipping is getting better and better each week, but know the teething will start up soon. Wondering what to expect?
    Part of the reason why I found 12-16 weeks the worst of it all was being overwhelmed with how "intense" he was at it. Nothing would snap him out. As I said, I expected the "nipping" but I never thought I would be ripped to shreds with puppy teeth! I emailed our breeder who gave us lots of encouragement, reassured us it was normal and we were doing things right and told us to be patient through this "trying time." Not going to lie, I believe my first thread was a cry for help for the biting as I didn't think his relentlessness was normal at all. Turns out, it was.

    I began implementing different techniques to curb the biting and crated him several times a day for naps. 4 months to 7 months wasn't too bad. I did have to teach him an "off switch" in the house which helped immensely. By then, he had caught the gist of it around 5-6 months and his bite was much gentler. Over time, I managed to teach him no teeth on skin and supplied, encouraged and rewarded him for chewing on toys and bones. I did it so much that he now has a habit of carrying toys around to greet people or when outside, a plank of wood. Plenty of toys were sacrificed during the teething phase but we survived! When he got "the look" in his eyes, I just had to give him a stern "no bite" and he backed off. It was good for a while until he hit the teen phase, where we are now going back to reminding him of no teeth on skin.

    In short, if pup is showing improvement week by week, I wouldn't be too worried. As they learn bite inhibition, they gain more control and it does get gentler over time. Bobby used to pierce skin as a young, overtired pup but nowadays, he does not. I found that once a tooth fell out, it didn't take long until they all fell out. I remember one occasion when he was 5 months, I was trying the lip curl technique on him and couldn't because more than half his teeth were missing! The adult teeth also came in quickly.

    As Jeff said, 4-7 months is when you start a bond with them. You slowly stop seeing them as a PITA to a dog you can love (until you hit the teen phase, kidding!) for a lifetime. Their attention span improves. They gain a little independence. They get into a little more mischief and you really start to see their unique personality shine through. To date, there hasn't been a day in which Bobby hasn't made me laugh or smile.

 



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