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  1. #11
    House Broken Amelia's Avatar
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    Well the trainer came for a consultation visit and felt Amber was anxious and frustrated so ask what we were feeding her. I told her Purina Pro Plan and she ask if it has corn in it. Told her yes and she said that could be causing some of her hyperness. So we watched her work with Amber giving her low fat cheese treats as a reward and trying to get her to stay in a sit position and receive the treat without lunging. The trainer makes a rope toy that is probably 5 ft long and brought that with her and it did keep Amber occupied while we talked.
    She offered us about 10 in home training sessions for $600.00 but my husband and I have decided to work on doing better with her ourselves.
    She did suggest a couple of hours of Doggy Day care maybe twice a week to help with her "frustations". Do any of you take your young pups to day care. I know of a great place but wondered if any of you had taken a young lab to day care. After she is spayed I may try a group class.


    Quote Originally Posted by Jen5200 View Post
    I don’t have any suggestions - but hope you’ll share what you learn from the trainer. Bella does something similar (not all the time), and corrections don’t feel like they are working.

  2. #12
    House Broken Jen5200's Avatar
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    Bella does go to day care 2-3 times per week. I feel like it’s beneficial, she get socializing with other dogs and other people. We also go to puppy school every week. She’s learning, but her attention span is pretty short at 5 months old. She knows “down” and “stay” but will only hold them for a short time. Maybe it’s just an age thing and it will get better as her attention span gets longer? Thankfully they reinforce this stuff at daycare so I am hoping that eventually it gets better.

  3. #13
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
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    I'm glad the trainer is giving you some ideas for Amber. I am resistant to trainers or pet store employees giving me advice about their diet or nutrition, especially if they're recommending a switch to a grain-free food. Your pup is a puppy and the concept of corn or any other ingredient in a well known, well researched dog food causing your dog to be hyper, I don't think there's research to back that up. Lots of breeders feed and recommend Purina Pro Plan and wouldn't do so if it caused issues. I would not change her diet if she's doing well on it otherwise. You also have to be careful with rope toys- if they pull out strings and swallow them, that can cause problems. I'm not saying my dogs don't ever play with rope toys but I don't allow them to chew or gnaw on them. Are Rope Toys Safe for Dogs? | Animal Hospital | Germantown, MD

    So, for those 2 things, I probably wouldn't continue with that trainer. If you and your husband are going to go it on your own, that doesn't rule out group obedience classes in your area where, for one thing, it can also be a relief to see that your own puppy's behavior is pretty much on a par with other pups the same age as yours.

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  5. #14
    House Broken Amelia's Avatar
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    I do find it confusing with all the negative things being said about grain free foods so I am going to check with our vet to see what he says. Purina makes a Pro Plan formula for large breed puppies that is grain free and has eggs in it. For sure I will be looking in to some group training!




    Quote Originally Posted by smartrock View Post
    I'm glad the trainer is giving you some ideas for Amber. I am resistant to trainers or pet store employees giving me advice about their diet or nutrition, especially if they're recommending a switch to a grain-free food. Your pup is a puppy and the concept of corn or any other ingredient in a well known, well researched dog food causing your dog to be hyper, I don't think there's research to back that up. Lots of breeders feed and recommend Purina Pro Plan and wouldn't do so if it caused issues. I would not change her diet if she's doing well on it otherwise. You also have to be careful with rope toys- if they pull out strings and swallow them, that can cause problems. I'm not saying my dogs don't ever play with rope toys but I don't allow them to chew or gnaw on them. Are Rope Toys Safe for Dogs? | Animal Hospital | Germantown, MD

    So, for those 2 things, I probably wouldn't continue with that trainer. If you and your husband are going to go it on your own, that doesn't rule out group obedience classes in your area where, for one thing, it can also be a relief to see that your own puppy's behavior is pretty much on a par with other pups the same age as yours.

  6. #15
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    Maybe I missed something, or maybe my standards are low, but I don't expect Stormy to behave much differently than Amber did if guests are over. Labs are just So! Excited! To See! People! With Kimber, we had to crate her when people were over until she was close to 2.

    How much exercise does Amber get consistently each day? Stormy goes to doggie day care once a week and for sure she's exhausted at the end of the day, but I don't think it overall improves her behavior. The day care workers are loving but they're not trainers. On the other hand, when she hasn't gotten enough exercise for multiple days, she is much more likely to misbehave. (It's been thunder storming here and she's getting a little bonkers.)

    I agree with SmartRock, I'd be leery about taking a trainer's advice on nutrition. Some puppies' tummies are sensitive and changing their food can cause digestive upset. Stormy's on Purina Pro Plan for Large Breed Puppies, regular version, so I'm curious what your vet says!
    Stormageddon, Princess of Darkness, aka "Stormy"
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  7. #16
    House Broken Amelia's Avatar
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    On a normal day Amber gets in about 3-5 miles of walking total with us. I don't have a fenced yard so we do take her to a friends house that does and lets her play a couple of times a week with their dog or we take her to the fenced ball park nearby for some off leash fun. I think she is worse when she is overly tired. I have had 2 other labs so I know each one has different requirements when it comes to exercise.
    I will try putting her in her exercise pen next time we have company and see how that works.



    Quote Originally Posted by kimbersmom View Post
    Maybe I missed something, or maybe my standards are low, but I don't expect Stormy to behave much differently than Amber did if guests are over. Labs are just So! Excited! To See! People! With Kimber, we had to crate her when people were over until she was close to 2.

    How much exercise does Amber get consistently each day? Stormy goes to doggie day care once a week and for sure she's exhausted at the end of the day, but I don't think it overall improves her behavior. The day care workers are loving but they're not trainers. On the other hand, when she hasn't gotten enough exercise for multiple days, she is much more likely to misbehave. (It's been thunder storming here and she's getting a little bonkers.)

    I agree with SmartRock, I'd be leery about taking a trainer's advice on nutrition. Some puppies' tummies are sensitive and changing their food can cause digestive upset. Stormy's on Purina Pro Plan for Large Breed Puppies, regular version, so I'm curious what your vet says!

  8. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Amelia View Post
    On a normal day Amber gets in about 3-5 miles of walking total with us. I don't have a fenced yard so we do take her to a friends house that does and lets her play a couple of times a week with their dog or we take her to the fenced ball park nearby for some off leash fun. I think she is worse when she is overly tired. I have had 2 other labs so I know each one has different requirements when it comes to exercise.
    I will try putting her in her exercise pen next time we have company and see how that works.
    You're so right about misbehaving when overly tired (which, who can blame them? I'm cranky when I'm overly tired.) Stormy's first day at doggie day care was on a Wednesday; after we picked her up, we went home for an hour, and then took her to our already-scheduled group training class. Big mistake. She was not into it at all, and about half way through she just lay down and refused to participate- not even for cheese!

    When she was little (2 months to 5 months) we crated her for regularly scheduled naps, and it seemed to make a very positive impact on her.
    Stormageddon, Princess of Darkness, aka "Stormy"
    Birthday 9-13-18, Gotcha Day 11-11-18
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