new here!

[rubble]

Hello, my yellow lab's name is Rubble and he is 15 months old. Long story short, my wife said we could get a dog when my daughter started walking. it just so happens she started walking about 2 weeks ago, around the same time that a friend at church was looking for a new home for Rubble. My wife told me to go meet him and see what I thought, well I ended up bringing him home that night. According to the previous owners, Rubble is a 15 month old British lab and was a service dog for diabetic and/or autistic children but, could not adapt to being still in a public place for an extended period of time. On his collar he had a tag that said Drey's alert dogs. When I met Rubble for the first time his name was Rocky. My son decided he wanted to call him Rubble so we changed his name which he has already taken to for the most part. As I approached Rubble he DID NOT jump all over me. He came up to me and sat and sniffed and waited for me to initiate the contact. I was sold after that. I was supposed to only go meet him but the more time I spent with him the more comfortable I was with brining him home that night. Rubble has already been fixed, up to date on all shots and has had a recent check up. I'm not sure what his blood line is like but I can only assume what he comes from a decent breeder after reading about Drey's alert dogs. The previous owner even threw in his cage, collars/leads, some food and toys (all for free, including Rubble). They are supposed to be organizing all of his paperwork for me to pick up soon. The reason I came to this forum is to learn as much as I possibly can about Labs, Service dogs, training, maintenance and behavior. I will list below a few things that I have picked up for Rubble and would like some feed back as to what you guys thin about the products. I researched as much as I could but there is so much stuff out there it is kind of overwhelming. I have had dogs in the past but the last was 6 years ago. I have worked with labs some in the military and love the breed. Most of the questions I have I can find the answers here by searching. I just ask that you guys give your honest opinions about the food, shampoo, type of brush that I list below. If you think of anything else that might be helpful please feel free to share. Food - Hills science diet advanced fitness (what he has been on since puppy food) Shampoo - Furminator De-shedding shampoo. (do you recommend a conditioner/waterless application?) Brush - Basic metal comb (recommended by petsmart to get down to his undercoat) Treats - Blue Buffalo beef jerky treats

thank you and God bless.

[ronmcq]

Welcome to you, Rubble and your family to the Lab board.
I'm probably not the one to ask your questions of but want to thank you for bringing Rubble and your questions here as there are many folks that I'm sure can help. From what I see, you are on track with what you have now if he seems to be doing well with them.
Looking forward to hearing about your adventures, he seems to be a special boy,
Ron

[POPTOP]

Hello and Welcome Rubble and family!

You're hooked now. Once you have a lab you'll fall in love with the breed. I don't know much about service dogs. Did have Bandit who passed away a few years back who did nursing home visits.

I'm not a fan of Hills Science Diet. I feed Fromm to both Mardi (a 12 year old lab and Archie a 6 year old GSD). You will get lots of different opinions on kibble. The trick is to find out what works best for Rubble.

Labs require very infrequent baths. I only bathe twice a year, spring and fall, to help loosen up the undercoat during shed. For a brush, I use a Zoom Groom. It doesn't look like much but does the job. It's rubber and helps pull out the undercoat without breaking the top coat. When it seems to not be working very well, give it a wash with dish detergent and it's back to new. Labs have a natural oil to their coats since they are water dogs and the Zoom will accumulate a fine coating. I also use a Bamboo brand comb which has rotating tines. I brush then finish off with the comb. I do not use a furminator comb since it can, it not used correctly, break the top coat. Dang, can't remember the name of the shampoo off hand; will look later and let you know.

With treats, I try to get one with as few ingredients as possible, meat being the first ingredient. Watch out, do not get anything made in China. Way too many recalls and dogs/cats who have died from the crap they put in them. when you do a kibble change, do it slowly, over a week or so. Add a little of the new at first and slowly increase the amount of new vs old. This will help prevent tummy upsets. Right now, keep Rubble on his current diet until he settles in with the family to lessen the stress on his body. Get a good ear cleaner, I use Zymox but there are others that are very good. You can also use a mixture of witch hazel and water or vinegar and water. If you do a search, this has been discussed recently and can get the proportions. Labs, with their flap over ears, do need a weekly cleaning. Also, you can get a doggy toothbrush and get him used to brushing. Some here brush daily, others a couple of times a week. Be sure to use a doggy toothpaste as human toothpaste can upset stomachs. It really helps reduce tarter.

Also, as soon as you get the paperwork, get him to your vet for a regular checkup, maybe even baseline blood work it if has not been done recently.

Looking forward to pictures.

[barry581]

Welcome!!! Sounds like Rubble has landed in a good place!

I've had Labs for over 30 years, and I don't bathe them, unless they get into something really gross or funky. For the most part I hose them off with the garden hose and wipe them down with a towel. That's about it for grooming. If Rubble turns out to be a heavy shedder (some are, some aren't) a Furminator is your friend.

As Fran said, feed what works best for the dog. I also feed Fromm, and am very happy with it.

Can't wait to see some pics!!!!!

[BaconsMom]

Welcome!!!

[4Thelove]

Hello and Welcome

[MikeLynn]

Hi and welcome to Rubble and his family±
Good advice above, I don't bathe unless it's necessary (good brushing is usually quite sufficient); some people say that even excessive ear cleaning can cause problems. As for kibble, I cannot recommend anything because I don't feed it, but there's been a lot of interesting and sometimes heated discussions here,so you can read some older threads to learn more. Good luck and thank you for giving Rubble a new, loving home.

[smartrock]

Hi,

Sounds like Rubble was just the right type of lab for a family with little kids- he's past the nipping stage and it sounds like he has great manners and some good training behind him. Welcome to you all!

Not too many people on here feed Science diet, I think because it's pretty grain-heavy and seems to get a lot of its protein from non-meat sources. However, if he's been on it forever and his health and his coat look good, nice solid BMs, there's no compelling reason to switch right away or at all. If you want to switch, you can spend some time learning about different foods and why people like to feed them. There are about a gazillion different foods and no one best food for every dog. Mine get bathed infrequently, usually if they've stayed at the kennel, but labs do shed a lot- and I do mean a lot. You'll want to brush him frequently outside and even then your vacuum may be in heavy use. Any questions, ask away!

[sparky]

Hello and welcome. Lots of great info to be found here.

[Jollymolly]

Hi and welcome