NBR: Seeking the advice of furparents

Jazibel · January 2015

So all of you parents of furbabies. Any tips to share with a new parent who hasn't trained a puppy in years?

Our newest addition joined us today - we're still deciding on a name. She is a 7 week old chocolate lab and just the absolute sweetest. Kaden loves her and gives her kisses and then runs screeching when she chases him. Shrug??

Anyway any tips, tricks, things we absolutely need to have? Favorite activities? Things we should absolutely not do? I'm hoping this dog will be with us until Kaden goes off to college so I'd love to start her off right :-)

Thanks Everyone!!

P.S.

Yes we know we are absolutely crazy!! We were seriously just starting to look thinking we'd adopt this Spring, when the perfect fit came along so we took the leap.... LOL ;-)

KH826 · January 2015

Yay!!! She is so stinkin cute - I can't wait to learn her name! So, we had Reese for about 5 years before Will was born, so I can talk about welcoming home a puppy and training her ... As well as acquainting baby with the dog, but not the two together! Reese slept in a crate in our room for about the first 6 weeks we she was home. She was also in the crate when we left the house for probably the first three months. After that she was fully house broken and she has had the run of the house ever since. We did put tshirts with our scent on them in the crate with her the first couple of weeks. We have her tons of play time, and let her wander around and sniff the whole house a lot in the first couple of days. We switched her food a couple of times until we found something just right for her tummy. One thing I know about chocolate labs (my BIL and SIL have one) is they can potentially be destructive as pups (scratching at carpet, chewing things, being rough on furniture) - so that is something to keep an eye for. In terms of letting the pup get to know the boys, I can't give a ton of advice because we are still figuring it out and your situation is different. Kaden is old enough to understand using gentle hands and to not pull the doggie's tail, but Owen isn't. We are still working on that ourselves and it will take a while. The difference is that we know Reese very well and we trust her, we feel very confident that she won't snap, so we let them play together and let Will test the boundaries with her. One thing I can recommend is the free dog obedience classes they offer at PetCo and other places like that. You can probably take Kaden and you can both learn together about teaching the pup. A class with the puppy that involves the boys (or at least Kaden) is probably a good idea.

Anyway, good luck! She is a beautiful dog!

trisholio · January 2015

Awe, she is adorable! I love Chocolate labs, but they are alot of work. They will chew anything (underwear was always a favorite). Don't play with the puppy and let her nip at your hands, feet, hair, ect. It's cute now, but not when they get older. I recommend crate training, it will save your belongings and help make them feel safe.
Good luck..... Yes you all are a little crazy, lol.

14141111 · January 2015

A couple of things:
1. Take the puppy as many places as you can. It will be a pain but it will help a lot later in getting it used to numerous situations.
2. Puppy kindergarten classes. These classes help a lot with socialization and basic commands. They also emphasize forming a bond where the dog looks to you for cues.
3. As much activity as possible to get the puppy crazies out. This could cut down on the potential for destructive behavior.

I've had my dog for 11 years and still have flashbacks about the crazy puppy years. He is now a very well behaved old man. It may say something about me that parenthood isn't scaring me as much as the thought of getting a puppy.

ATXmommas · January 2015

She is gorgeous!!!! LABS ARE THE BEST! Not that I'm biased or anything.

So, Bama is not the most well-trained dog ever, so please keep that in mind as I dish out advice. Ha. But, perhaps you can learn from what I think we did wrong.

First, I would definitely recommend getting her into an obedience class as soon as possible - I'm not sure what age is recommended to start, but I would definitely do it on the early end. With Bama, we waited until she was over a year. Total rookie mistake. We thought we could do it ourselves. We couldn't. And, it just gets harder to train as they get older. Especially with larger breeds since their strength will quickly outmatch yours.

Upon the advice of my dad, who trained 3 extremely obedient labs, we let Bama sleep with us when we first got her to help her bond. However, we did not follow his advice to limit it to 2 weeks. Ooops. That said, I also don't think their is anything wrong with having her sleep in a crate from the get-go either.

All labs are destructive as puppies. And, I've heard that chocolate labs are even more "enthusiastic" than blonde and black labs, so keep that in mind. My sister had a chocolate lab and my dad has one as well - they are extremely high spirited. Bama was house broken very quickly. We hardly had any potty accidents with her even from the beginning. BUT, she would chew anything in sight. We never crated her at night, but we did crate her anytime we weren't home for probably a year and a half. Luckily, we never had any problems - she would always go to the crate willingly - sometimes she would even go there while we were home to sleep, hang out. Don't feel bad about crating. Especially if you don't want her to eat your house. Puppies are like toddlers in that if you take your eye away for a minute, they will destroy something. If you like a pair of shoes, don't leave them accessible. I promise you she will eat them. That pretty much goes for anything else. Unfortunately, there are some things you can't put away that she will also want to eat (in our case, it was base boards and window sills).

Obviously, this pup is still a very young puppy, and i know you will watch her closely around the boys, but I will say that labs are known for being gentle with children. My little sister has a lab that is around 8-9 months now and she was great with Ash when we were visiting MS. The two of them had the best time. We actually met her for the first time back in August when she was just a few months and Ash was around 7 months and we didn't have any problems back then either. I wouldn't anticipate any problems other than the pup being super exuberant and not understanding her own strength, but I expect she will be very kind and gentle with the boys.

I may think of some more stuff later, but I gotta leave the house. Remember - put anything you value up and away!!! And, as she gets older, do NOT leave food on the counter. I can't tell you how much crap Bama has eaten from us making that mistake, but it does include a bag of chocolate and a chocolate cake (fortunately, it did not make her sick, but she did poop the foil chocolate wrappers for a while. Yes, she ate them foil and all).

ATXmommas · January 2015

14141111 said:

A couple of things: 1. Take the puppy as many places as you can. It will be a pain but it will help a lot later in getting it used to numerous situations. 2. Puppy kindergarten classes. These classes help a lot with socialization and basic commands. They also emphasize forming a bond where the dog looks to you for cues. 3. As much activity as possible to get the puppy crazies out. This could cut down on the potential for destructive behavior. I've had my dog for 11 years and still have flashbacks about the crazy puppy years. He is now a very well behaved old man. It may say something about me that parenthood isn't scaring me as much as the thought of getting a puppy.

YES to all this!

JGY · January 2015

As you know, we have a problem dog. So take that grain of salt with any advice given.

A couple of things, mostly to add on to what others have said ... be sure to carry an appropriate chew toy in your pocket at all times for the first few months. You never want to be caught without the ability to properly redirect the puppy when she chews something you don't want her to be chewing.

Also, while formal training for the puppy is really a necessity (as PP have mentioned), I would also focus a LOT on teaching the boys what is and isn't okay in terms of the way that they touch and approach her. They will also need to learn that even if she is the most patient dog ever, not all dogs are the same way. It will be really important for them (and more importantly you) to be able to recognize her body language that might indicate discomfort and/or the need for some space.

For crate training, I'd recommend this video: https://www.clickerdogs.com/crate_games.php It's expensive and looks really low-budget, but it worked like a charm for us. We struggled MIGHTILY with crate training at first. Now, our otherwise impossible dog runs to the crate any time we ask him to. If we could only get him to go outside to potty with such gusto ...

Good luck, she is absolutely adorable! We had a chocolate lab/pitt/shephard mix and he was absolutely one of my favorite "People" ever. Probably because he was kind of a weird dog and way more person-like than puppy-like. Anyway, have fun getting lost in those eyes!

JGY · January 2015

As an aside, I originally read the title of this thread as fuNparents. I thought, well that's not me but maybe I'll learn something ... and clicked on it anyway.

StacyLH24 · January 2015

Adorable! Also, everything that @ATXmommas‌ said!

Our big girl is a German short hair pointer and yellow lab mix, but she looks like a chocolate lab. She turned 4 in December. I went through the puppy phase with her as C had her when we started dating.

A crate is your friend. Ours loves to chew on things when we aren't home, even if it's just for five minutes (this happened the other day). We only crate her when we aren't home. All of our dogs sleep in bed with us...we don't sleep well as a result, so keep that in mind. While your puppy is little now, she will get much larger. Imagine that larger dog taking up space in your bed. Ours is a lap dog and that's my fault. I snuggled her on the couch when she was little and then never stopped that. As a result, she wants to be sitting on us and as close as possible to us.

I agree with the energy part - find ways to let her run as much as possible. Also, definitely take her anywhere that you can.

To potty train we would take her out shortly after any time she would eat or drink and also throughout the night. It is time intensive, but worth it. Treats are great for this!

Rawhides, pig ears, etc are good for a special treat and something to keep that mouth busy!

Ours isn't around children a lot, but she is still very gentle with them. Watch out for the tail! Busty's tail is out of control! It's always wagging and it hurts. Remove anything at tail height in your house that you don't want broken and expect the kids to be hit in the face with her tail at some point.

I have heard, and believe, that labs are puppies for the first 2-3 years. It can be daunting, but they are loyal dogs!

StacyLH24 · January 2015

One other thing, train her both on and off a leash. It's great to have a dog who comes when not on a leash and listens. Also, you don't want a dog who will constantly pull when on a leash - Busty does and so does one of our smaller dogs and it's a pain sometimes.

2momsinCA · January 2015

Everyone has shared excellent advice! We have two dogs, one we adopted as an adult and one we adopted as a puppy. This puppy days (and nights) were nuts! I remember Teddy having so much energy, running around the house like crazy, destroying some shoes, and pooping and peeing pretty much everywhere. I think everyone has offered excellent ways to manage the behavior! Those puppy days pass but some dogs stay a little puppy for years with high energy. I know labs absolutely love to play. We see them at the dog beach all the time swimming out to fetch balls in the waves. Exercise seems to be super important!!

Your new family member is adorable!! Enjoy!

bfonz619 · January 2015

Your new furbaby is ADORABLE!!! Labs are such great dogs and are super loyal. Exercise and discipline are the two major components to having a happy pup. I can't think of anything PP's haven't already mentioned in the way of advice. Oh, take lots of pictures!! You will want to remember the puppy stage!

redrockmama · January 2015

ATXmommas said:

14141111 said:

A couple of things: 1. Take the puppy as many places as you can. It will be a pain but it will help a lot later in getting it used to numerous situations. 2. Puppy kindergarten classes. These classes help a lot with socialization and basic commands. They also emphasize forming a bond where the dog looks to you for cues. 3. As much activity as possible to get the puppy crazies out. This could cut down on the potential for destructive behavior. I've had my dog for 11 years and still have flashbacks about the crazy puppy years. He is now a very well behaved old man. It may say something about me that parenthood isn't scaring me as much as the thought of getting a puppy.

YES to all this!

I didn't read all the responses, but all of these things!

ATXmommas · January 2015

TwoMomsInTX said:
YAY PUPPY!!!!!!!!!! SOOOOOO cute!!! omg **puppy sigh**

I should start by saying we have two dogs now a completely stubborn and untrainable basset hound with the worst manners ever and the BEST, most wonderful, amazing, well trained, well behaved black lab. I say that just to point out that don't feel like a failure if something doesn't work- all dogs are different & you just need to find what motivates them! For the lab- food & attention are her two main motivations!

I'm pretty much just echoing what others have said at this point, but totally do the crate training! There is plenty of free google advice on how to do it. Honestly Labs are usually pretty easy to train, ours picked up on it pretty quick. She loves her crate! She'll go put herself to bed in her crate when she wants alone time now!

Items I wouldn't do again/Lessons learned:
- Fido gets BIGger! anywhere that its really cute for a pup now, suddenly is less cute at 50+lbs! Think: bed, couch, lap... If I had it to do over, no dogs on the couch would be my rule! My SIL has hers trained to only come when invited... no idea how she did that, mine isn't that well mannered!

- Doorbell training! When our doorbell rings its all I can do to throw her in the backyard so she doesn't greet who ever is at the door & run all over. She never runs away, but if I could do it again I would spend time working on how to answer the door & give her a place to sit & stay until told to move... Maybe I'm just dreaming that's a possibility, but I would love it! Think- UPS, Girl Scout Cookie sales type people that don't really want to meet fido!

Good luck & keep us posted on progress and of course- PICTURES!!!

ETA: Get a microchip & keep the details updated, just never know!!

@TwoMomsInTX‌ - our dogs are twins. There is a permanent Bama dent on our couch.

Amber&Reva · January 2015

I second high pitched yelp when they nip to hard. Also one of our dog trainers suggested rubbing butter on your hands/ kids hands to teach the dog to lick at them not to bite them. Crates are your best friend and never should be used as a punishment but do have somewhere for "timeout" for bad behavior. Don't yell at the dog just immediately take the dog to time out. Ours used to be in the bathroom and just put the puppy there for a very short amount of time (30 seconds of silence). It is so important to be consistant also.

Jazibel · January 2015

Thank you all for the great advice!!! I've been reading over the last day (sorry for not replying sooner) and trying to get settled :-)

Sienna is doing great for day 2. Yesterday was craziness - but also a lot of fun. I was about 2 hours behind all day, getting out of the house, running errands, etc. But we did get a small crate (and medium sized crate - that unfortunately turned out to be broken). We read up on a "weekend crate training" process and hope to accomplish that this weekend.

Among the ridiculousness. Sienna was travelling in a box in the front seat of the car yesterday until we got the crate. She crawled out at one point and disappeared into the back of the mini van where she left me a present. It took me 20 minutes to find (under Kaden's seat). :P

Pics below:

Doggy wearing is in.

I'm glad Sienna is eating the gluten, grain-free food because Owen helped himself to his share last night

StacyLH24 · January 2015

She's adorable and I love the name!

ATXmommas · January 2015

Omg. You are giving me puppy fever. She is gorgeous.

StacyLH24 · January 2015

I'm not sure if this is a lab thing, but ours LOVES water! Any kind of water....cricks, lakes, mud puddles, water in ditches, etc.

ETA: She may destroy every toy that you give her. We haven't found a toy yet that she can't destroy, even ones that claim to be indestructible.

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