ok heres the big, i just got a yellow male lab puppy today! he is chubby and a really big fan of chewing . . . .i got him toys and food and everything he needs but i really dont know what im doing. i was 2 years old last time my familey owned a dog i was too little to understand. can you guys help a girl out i really need some facts!!!!

5 days ago I got a black female!! Her name is Sasha.

Tips:
1. get him fixed and keep updated with shots
2. keep him entertained!!
3. keep him exercised.. this is a must!! a tired lab puppy is a happy lab puppy
4. go to puppy training at your local pet store

Give me the specifics on what you need help on and I'll be glad to help!!

ALSO: post your post on the breed board as lab puppy-HELP!! and you will get more help with that name and on that board.

thanks i thought no one would help me. im trying to put pictures on this post to show people. about the exercise he is really chubby but he loves to run and he runs about a mile than stops is that a bad thing?post soon

Thats not bad thing really, he just gets tired. Try running lets say to the park or store or somewhere you go, you run half a mile there and half back. then he can go home and rest.

if he's overweight, get him some special food.

how do u post pix?

i dont know my friend is going to help me with it.it is real late at my house its 12 04 im the morning and he is barking how do i calm him down im real stressed out

If he is in the crate while he is barking, you will just have to ignore it because if you go and try to comfort him he will learn that if he barks he will get attention. Ways to help him calm down are give him a shirt or something with your scent on it, soft music, or a loud ticking clock to make him feel like he isn't alone.

If he is in the same room as you, you could always move him so the barks aren't as loud.

How old is he? You really shouldn't take young dogs on runs, especially not on asphault. It's bad on their joints and can damage their growth plates. For actual running, I would wait until he's two years old.
Are you crate training him? If not, go out and buy and crate and start. Over in Training Talk there are a lot of discussions on crate training and housetraining. Just go and read through those.
Get him in an obedience class. See if there's a positive training group around you, if not take him to Petsmart's classes.
If he's under 12 weeks old, don't take him out in public. Wait until he's finished his puppy vaccines. If you don't wait, you're risking getting deadly diseases, such as parvo.
For barking, you need to figure out why he's barking. He's probably bored, so he needs more exercise and mental stimulation. Buy a couple of Kongs and fill them with some food. Give him one to keep him busy. When you need to immediately get him to stop barking, you need to distract him. Make a weird noise, throw a toy, etc. Remove him from the situation.

he is 6 weeks old and is the runt we have 5 acres and hes run from the back yard to the front. we have alot of trees and he loves it when wind blows he chases the leaves

quote:

Originally posted by erl1391:
How old is he? You really shouldn't take young dogs on runs, especially not on asphault. It's bad on their joints and can damage their growth plates. For actual running, I would wait until he's two years old.
Are you crate training him? If not, go out and buy and crate and start. Over in Training Talk there are a lot of discussions on crate training and housetraining. Just go and read through those.
Get him in an obedience class. See if there's a positive training group around you, if not take him to Petsmart's classes.
If he's under 12 weeks old, don't take him out in public. Wait until he's finished his puppy vaccines. If you don't wait, you're risking getting deadly diseases, such as parvo.
For barking, you need to figure out why he's barking. He's probably bored, so he needs more exercise and mental stimulation. Buy a couple of Kongs and fill them with some food. Give him one to keep him busy. When you need to immediately get him to stop barking, you need to distract him. Make a weird noise, throw a toy, etc. Remove him from the situation.

i tried leaving the tv and radio on but i did not work. my cousin used the clock with her dog im gonna try it. im also thinkin about the shirt trick. what about a stuffed animal that smells like me. it was mine when i was little.

quote:

Originally posted by cavielover:
If he is in the crate while he is barking, you will just have to ignore it because if you go and try to comfort him he will learn that if he barks he will get attention. Ways to help him calm down are give him a shirt or something with your scent on it, soft music, or a loud ticking clock to make him feel like he isn't alone.

If he is in the same room as you, you could always move him so the barks aren't as loud.

thats what i used a toy and it worked good. anything with your scent will pretty much work

Yes a stuffed animal would work too.

6 weeks is waaaaay too young to take a puppy home, let alone take it outside other than to potty. Puppies should be with their mother and litter for AT LEAST eight weeks so they can be properly socialized and learn doggy manners.

umm hello im trying to become a vet

"umm hello" what does that have to do with helping sweetprettykitty and her puppy?

Six weeks is too young for a puppy to be taken away from its littermates. It is actually illegal in several states to sell a puppy that young. It's best to wait until at least eight weeks before seperating them (preferably longer). During this time the puppies learn dog behavior and bite inhibition- learning how hard is too hard to bite. Since your puppy is missing out on this, you must teach him and heavily socialize him once he has finished his puppy shots. I advise that you enroll him in several puppy kindergarton classes and set up play dates with other puppies.
For bite inhibition- be prepared to get bit. Puppy teeth are little needles, but you really have to tough it out. When he bites a little bit too hard, yelp like a puppy, turn your back on him, stop all play for a few minutes, ignore him, and baby whatever part of you got bit. Eventually this will teach him that biting very hard ends all play. Don't hit him or anything- that will confuse him and make him handshy (no matter what you're trying to train).
Have you taken him to the vet yet? That should always be your first thing when bringing a new animal in the home. Since you said that he's chubby, I'm wondering if he might have worms. Definitely get him checked over by a vet.
When he's crying in the crate, ignore him. By giving him any sort of attention (good or bad) you are teaching him that when he cries you come to him or talk to him. Whatever you put in his crate, be prepared for it to be chewed on or soiled on. I like to put in an old t-shirt of mine after I've worn it.
Also, at six weeks he needs to be taken outside ever hour or hour and a half to go potty. Typically, a puppy can only hold it for as many months they are old. Be sure to heavily praise him when he potties outside.