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  1. #1
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    Ivory Lab Puppy..chasing the cat's..biting everything in site, normal?

    Hi All,

    We just got an Ivory Lab from a breeder. The day we took him home (he is 8 weeks) he was for the most part calm and relaxed. This is day 3, and he's changed completely. He has not "dropped" so to speak, but has already tried twice to hump my daughters arm/leg. He is really being rough with the cat, we got him a wire kennel and he's chewing on the metal wires nonstop, chewing on shoes, clothes, fingers, hands, anything really. He seems to have quite a bit of energy, then all of a sudden crashes like coming off a sugar high. I had a black lab puppy quite a few years ago who was very different, almost no mouthing or biting, aside from chewing on puppy rawhides. So, we are a little lost as to what to do. We have tried redirection, chew toys, puppy rawhides, all of which work, until the cat or a handle or finger comes into view. The breeder we got him from did not have ideal conditions, a LOT of dogs on site, didn't seem like a puppy mill as she was in a trailer. He also seems to have some clear discharge from his eyes. Seems really healthy otherwise, a few loose stools, but we had him checked for worms and nothing. Eats like a horse for his age. So, any tips would be greatly appreciated with the biting, chasing the cat...etc. Also, the breeder had a fancy website, but like I said when we got there it didn't look very fancy. I also notice he gets the hiccups a lot. That normal? Thanks so much.

  2. #2
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    Any person can make a fancy website, that's not a sign of anything. I looked up the breeder, I think I found them. I would enjoy your pup, but I wouldn't recommend those folks to anyone you meet looking for a puppy.

    Training takes time. Set up an expen so the pup has a safe place to sleep in the middle of the home. Hiccups are normal. Right now, pups will eat, potty, play and sleep. And they should be sleeping ALOT. I know others will chime in with how to redirect and teach NO Bite, etc.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by JenC View Post
    Any person can make a fancy website, that's not a sign of anything. I looked up the breeder, I think I found them. I would enjoy your pup, but I wouldn't recommend those folks to anyone you meet looking for a puppy.

    Training takes time. Set up an expen so the pup has a safe place to sleep in the middle of the home. Hiccups are normal. Right now, pups will eat, potty, play and sleep. And they should be sleeping ALOT. I know others will chime in with how to redirect and teach NO Bite, etc.
    Thank you for the information.
    Last edited by JenC; 04-05-2015 at 06:06 PM.

  4. #4
    Senior Dog
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    ...and an "Ivory" Lab is a Yellow Lab. Renaming Black/Yellow/Chocolate is usually a red flag.

    Hiccups are totally normal in puppies...Danny had them for about two years.

    Welcome to the board.

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  6. #5
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    Hi there. Welcome to puppyhood and to the site.

    Just, FYI, there's no such thing as an ivory or white Lab. It's just a lighter shade of yellow. He will darken as he ages, even if just slightly.

    It sounds like you already realize that choosing a breeder sight unseen from a website was probably not the best way to determine whether or not this person is a good breeder... It may not have been a puppymill of the sort that you are used to, but could easily have been a backyard breeder (BYB). Were many of them pregnant? Were there lots of litters? Did she screen you at all or just want a deposit? It's not really important now that you have the pup, but it can probably help you deal with his behavior a little better.

    Is your puppy more along field or conformation lines? Did you meet the mother, at least? What was she like?

    Have you taken him to the vet yet? What did she say about the eye discharge?

    That said, the behaviors your puppy is exhibiting are pretty normal. Every puppy is different depending on where you got him (genetics) and sometimes, where you are in life. You may be noticing more behaviors in this puppy because you have a significant other, a child, a cat... I felt like my black Lab was harder because I was dating someone with kids when I got him so I had to manage the puppy and the kids, not to mention my significant other and an elderly dog. Linus felt easy because I was single and I had a young adult dog to help entertain him.

    The first day is always quiet as the pup is tired and out of his element. The following days are when the pup comes out of his shell to reveal the landshark phase that can last awhile. You've only had him three days, and even if you are being consistent with him, you can't expect major changes in that period of time.

    How old is your daughter? If she is under the age of 16 and depending on her maturity level (teenaged girls often like to scream which just gets the puppy even more excited), I'd institute a rule that she is not to sit on the floor with the puppy nor is the puppy allowed to be on the sofa or bed with her. There is something about kids and puppies and you put them on the same level and not only does the puppy try to play like he would with another puppy, but kids not only do not know how to deal with it, their actions and noises just encourage the puppy to do it more. What I find that works with kids, is when the puppy bites, shove a toy in their mouth. It's simple and it works. As far as the humping, that is a simple redirection by mom and dad. But, if she is not on the floor or on the same level with the pup, this should not happen. Teach her to play with the puppy with toys, not hands, which helps as well. When I had to deal with kids and Lab puppies, they were old enough to follow directions (10, 11, and 12) so if they played with the puppy with their hands, clothes, or other inappropriate item, or sat on the floor with the puppy when asked not to and then screamed when they were attacked, they were sent to their rooms. We had to lay down the law, especially as Sam was 30 lbs of puppy when I brought him home at 10 weeks and a little bit of a monster.

    Give the cat a spot to run away to. That can be a cat tree or one of those doggie doors with a cat hole in it that leads into a bedroom or maybe the cat's room where he has food, water, and his litter box. If the cat won't take off, then you need to redirect the puppy. This is where clicker training can help. You can teach him to leave it by waving a treat in his face and once he stops torturing the cat and pays attention to you, click and give him the treat. Leave it can work for many things -- eating stuff he's not supposed to, torturing the cat, chewing things, etc. Timing is key. Just as soon as he stops doing what he's not supposed to do, click. The click lets them know when they are doing what you asked and that a treat is forthcoming.

    For biting in general, we have a sticky located here.

    He is probably not kennel trained and wants out. That is also normal. He's been with you for three days. Do you have things in the kennel for him to chew on like stuffed, frozen Kongs? Also, be sure to use the kennel appropriately. Are you familiar with crate training or new to it?

    Finally, get thee to dog school! You should enroll in Puppy K immediately.

  7. #6
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    Your post with the name of the breeder will probably be taken down as I don't think it's allowed. I did look at the site, however, and there are several red flags, I'm sorry to say. While the website itself is not ugly, what is on the website does not indicate that this is in any way, shape, or form a good breeder. I'd say that she is a puppymill. That doesn't mean your dog will be terrible and that you shouldn't love him. He will probably be harder to raise than a well-bred dog, sure, but even well bred dogs can be monster puppies. She does not breed for temperament, that's for certain. Unfortunately, it looks like your pup's parents were not screened for any genetic health issues. You paid about as much for you puppy as you pay for a well-bred, health screened puppy in many areas, and if you paid for the unlimited registration, you actually paid more or the same as you would for a health screened, titled parents (conformation, light field and obedience) show quality puppy in my area.

    Some of the red flags are... She markets white and ivory Labs. The other possible red flag is that she also breeds Akitas. She offers full registration for $400 more than limited. That is awful. She has 13 girls that she breeds solely to her three boys. Holy cow. That is a puppymill. Some of her dogs are cute, but some of what she calls english labs look like fat field labs. She has several english labs that are 40 lbs. and are actually pet bred looking dogs. She doesn't have any of them posed, so it's hard to tell. None of her dogs actually have titles, not even a CGC to their names. When she breeds what she considers an english lab to a field lab, she calls them an english/field lab combo. Ugh. She mentions only one dog, one of her males, that has any testing done (CNM and EIC), but I don't see anything about the dams or sires having any other health tests like hips or elbows. She has repeat breedings with her males and females on site. It sounds like if your dog has severe hip dysplasia when his is two years old you can take him back and get a new puppy.

  8. #7
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    I removed the info about name and that. Thanks for the update. Wow, we are/were uneducated.

  9. #8
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bubby82102 View Post
    I removed the info about name and that. Thanks for the update. Wow, we are/were uneducated.
    I added a bit to it.

    I don't think it is uncommon to get your first breeder puppy this way. Then you learn...

  10. #9
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    Not the best on puppy advice as we home seniors. Wanted to extend to you tons of patience, lab puppies can test you royally. Do talk to the vet about the eye discharge.

    Remember, be consistent, everyone in the family, train with patience, positive reinforcement, love and more patience. Did I mention patience.

  11. #10
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    Ok, to answer your questions..

    The breeder is state certified and akc certified.

    When we were on site, there were no pregnant dogs, but they had just had another litter of puppies April 1st. There was only 1 litter (the April 1st litter) and 2 puppies left from the previous litter 8 weeks ago. She did not screen us, and saved the puppy we wanted until the next day when we went to get him. I don't know what you mean when you ask about confirmation lines? We did meet the mother and father, they seemed pretty calm. Oh, and she didn't ask for a deposit because we said we wanted a certain puppy and were coming the next day.

    The breeder said that the eye condition can be helped with some contact saline and keeping the eyes clean, also that the vet can prescribe special drops. We have a vet appointment tomorrow @ 11:00 with our vet. The vet doesn't know about the eye discharge, he said it needs to be evaluated before he would know what it is.

    My daughter is 11, and we just talked to all 3 kids about not being on the floor anymore. We have a 12 year old and 16 year old son as well.

    One thing we were doing with the pup is letting him sleep on our bed. He would whine and cry otherwise. Should we not allow him to sleep at the foot of the bed?

    Where can we get a clicker?

    We do have a puppy kong, but not frozen.

    We aren't familiar with crate training a puppy, with the dog we had last that we got from a pound, she just went into the kennel at night and was fine. We have a wire kennel for the puppy. He keeps chewing on the wires though.

    We are putting small treats in his kennel to get him to go into it, and are keeping him in it in small time periods slowly increasing it.

    Edit: What does CGC, CNM, and EIC stand for?
    Last edited by Bubby82102; 04-05-2015 at 01:49 PM.

 



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