Bundle of Energy - Never Stops Part 2

[rochie427]

There's been some minor break thru with our over active Rosie. She is finally getting the concept of the Kong . I've been filling it with her kibble or some treats and watching her throwing it up in the air or nudging it with her nose to get the food out. Baby steps right ? I'm actually on the computer while she is on the floor with her Kong and it feels so nice .

[kimbersmom]

She's a baby, so baby steps are appropriate. keep it up!

[Halcyon]

Before you know it, you'll be surfing the net with a napping Lab by your feet! It's how most of my afternoons are spent nowadays after Bobby has had his exercise and training session.

[Woodrow_Woodchuck]

Excellent! Now you can begin to work her mind also. Start with a plastic pint water bottle and put a kibble or treat in it, no cap. Let her wok out how to get it out. Keep going with it until it is no longer a challenge. She will just pick up the bottle, turn it so the treat drops out then she can get it. Then add the cap! She will have to learn to take the top off to get the treat.

I had a great one for Sunshine. I took a tin can and a plastic yogurt cup The yogurt cup would fit halfway into the can before it was snug. With one crease in it I could push it until just the top lip of the yogurt cup was above the can. I put a kibble in the can and handed it to her. She figured out she could just take it from me in her mouth, tip it up and the kibble fell into her mouth. She would drop the can, eat the treat and bring the can back to me. I then put the kibble in the can, showed it to her and jammed the yogurt cup in, until it was firmly in but not all the way down to the rim.

She took the can, tipped it up.. No treat!???? She was a bit frustrated for a while, kept picking it up and tipping it.. still no treat!! She took it on her blanket and worked it over for a while. She could hear the treat, but it wasn't coming out. She finally pulled the yogurt cup out and got the treat. The empty can came back and I had her bring me the yogurt cup too. I showed her how it worked. It took her a while, but by the end of the afternoon she would lie down, grab the can between her paws, pull the cup out, take the can, tip it up so the treat fell in her mouth, drop the can and enjoy!

I pulled it out once a month and she would remember how it worked, first time. Another fun one was 6 yogurt cups stacked together and she would have to pull them apart to find where the treat was. So have fun and be creative! I'm in the camp where I believe making my labs think and work out problems by themselves, makes them better companions.

[rochie427]

Discovered today that she loves the beach although I had a strong feeling she would. Next time I take her I'll make sure I have a long lead on her so she can explore more. Not ready for off leash yet. Right now she is lying down on her blanket so she will get some treats for resting.

[Macy]

Macy was the spawn of Satan as a puppy. We couldn't even pet her because she would get all fired up. It never stopped. Glad your kong is working for you. The Kong wobbler is also a fun toy that works their minds. Some people even feed their dogs with it. I found that the mental exercises wore Macy out. She's still a bundle of energy at three but she has manners.
Can you get in puppy classes?

[rochie427]

We are in a puppy class. I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth but again tonight she laid down on her blanket and was chewing her bone and just being a good girl.

[Snowshoe]

Something that made a huge difference with Oban was to let him have the run of the house overnight. I did this after he'd been able to go a night without needing to bathroom for a month, or 5 and a half months old. The first night I prepared to sleep lightly in case he got into trouble but all he did was curl up on the mat beside my bed and he slept there all night. Previously he'd been gated in the kitchen. The day after his first free night the change in him was remarkable. No more running from room to room as if to check what might have changed overnight. It was truly a startling difference in behaviour. I suspect if your puppy already sleeps in your room with you this might not have the same dramatic effect but maybe something to think about?

[rochie427]

Snowshoe: For about the first 2 1/2 months we had her sleep in our room inside her crate and then we decided to leave her downstairs and have her stay in her other crate overnight. This is working out fine. When we have to leave the house for more than 2 hours we leave her blocked off in the kitchen with no accidents ( and she does have access to her water and food).

Once my husband goes back to work and my son back to school, I will little by little leave her out of the crate when I have to run some errands or need to do things upstairs.

[Woodrow_Woodchuck]

Something that made a huge difference with Oban was to let him have the run of the house overnight. I did this after he'd been able to go a night without needing to bathroom for a month, or 5 and a half months old. The first night I prepared to sleep lightly in case he got into trouble but all he did was curl up on the mat beside my bed and he slept there all night. Previously he'd been gated in the kitchen. The day after his first free night the change in him was remarkable. No more running from room to room as if to check what might have changed overnight. It was truly a startling difference in behaviour. I suspect if your puppy already sleeps in your room with you this might not have the same dramatic effect but maybe something to think about?

Interesting. I noticed a similar change with Sunshine, but she was almost 2 years old before she had my trust. She was about 6 months old before I trusted her in the bedroom, with the door closed and lots of toys around. I would wake up with MANY toys on the bed and the area looked like she had fun all night. I sleep like a log so never would have noticed. I could only imagine what the house would look like if she had free reign with me asleep!!!!

She would not search the house when I opened the door but would RUN wild for a spell until I fed her! I finally decided to try leaving the door open. What a change! The bedroom was not a disaster, the house was not a disaster, she spent the night sleeping on the bed, or beside it! Maybe she did wander all over, I'll never know. All I could think was that she did not appreciate being contained in that small area (the bedroom) and as long as she could roam she was fine.