(More) Dog advice
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jollygreen

Original Poster:

21,472 posts

232 months

Thursday 25th September 2008
quotequote all
So we got a puppy a few weeks ago and, by-and-large, she's great.

She's a black lab cross/mongrel thing (I refuse to use the word Labradoodle) and is 11 weeks old on Sunday.

It's worth pointing out that this is the first dog we've ever owned ourselves so we're a bit rusty on the whole training thing. I did the usual thing and went and bought all the books but we're still having problems with toilet training.

She eats 3 times a day and generally has very few accidents in the house. But after her tea (at about 7pm) she never needs a dump. No matter how long I spend outside with her she never craps outside. She gets shut in a bathroom at night and has a couple of puppy pads on the floor. Every morning, there's a turd there! I can quite understand that a dog her age can't hold on to pi$$ all night because her bladder's too small but why won't she sh!t outside in the evening?! She never craps in the house any other time! We've had her nearly 3 weeks now and, apart from the turds in the night, she's only crapped in the house twice.

It's really getting on my t!ts!

Any advice from dog-owning ph'ers?

R5GTTGaz

7,897 posts

250 months

Thursday 25th September 2008
quotequote all
Tea is too late.

Try 5pm

madmatt1985

1,116 posts

237 months

Thursday 25th September 2008
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no advise . but i thinka picture is needed (of the dog not the poo)

eldudereno

997 posts

257 months

Thursday 25th September 2008
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R5GTTGaz said:
Tea is too late.

Try 5pm
Yes, 7pm is far too late, my sisters labs get their tea at 4pm.

Photos please!!!!

Scraggles

7,619 posts

254 months

Thursday 25th September 2008
quotequote all
maybe the op can think about when he has food and needs a dump ? might shed some light on the idea, as for locking it in the bathroom....

BigLepton

5,042 posts

231 months

Thursday 25th September 2008
quotequote all
Just feed twice a day - breakfast 8am, Supper 5pm at the latest. The reason it craps in the bathroom is because you've put pads down, it thinks that's where you want the poo.

Dig a 3' by 3' and 1' deep hole in your garden and fill halfway up with sand. Cut a piece of wood that covers the hole exactly. When you find a turd in the bathroom pick it up and take it out to the sand pit with the dog watching. After a day or two it will learn you want the poo there and will prefer doing it because they would much rather go on soft sand than tiles. The piece of wood is a lid you can drop over the sandpit when you have visitors who don't want to see the prodigious output of your dogs arse! smile

jollygreen

Original Poster:

21,472 posts

232 months

Thursday 25th September 2008
quotequote all
Scraggles said:
maybe the op can think about when he has food and needs a dump ? might shed some light on the idea, as for locking it in the bathroom....
No mate I sh!t about 6 times a day, always have done hehe

jollygreen

Original Poster:

21,472 posts

232 months

Thursday 25th September 2008
quotequote all
Good suggestions about tea-time though, i'll try and get the OH to feed her before I get home from work.

What about all this pet psychology crap about the dog being fed last though? She's not fed last at the moment anyway as we don't have dinner until 8-ish...

R5GTTGaz

7,897 posts

250 months

Thursday 25th September 2008
quotequote all
Scraggles said:
maybe the op can think about when he has food and needs a dump ? might shed some light on the idea, as for locking it in the bathroom....
Perhaps it will learn to use the loo?

Simpo Two

92,941 posts

295 months

Thursday 25th September 2008
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I never need a dump after tea either.

jollygreen

Original Poster:

21,472 posts

232 months

Thursday 25th September 2008
quotequote all
She's shut in the bathroom so that she doesn't claw and scractch at our or our sons bedroom door!

Scraggles

7,619 posts

254 months

Thursday 25th September 2008
quotequote all
jollygreen said:
Good suggestions about tea-time though, i'll try and get the OH to feed her before I get home from work.

What about all this pet psychology crap about the dog being fed last though? She's not fed last at the moment anyway as we don't have dinner until 8-ish...
no wonder she wants a dump in the middle of the night, must be not good getting fed sooo late and then getting locked away in some room smelling of poo

if you feed the dog first when everyone else is being fed, it hints that the dog is the alpha male, aka the boss, so make sure that when it is fed, the feeder eats something first and then when finished, give the dog the food second, having the dog see the feeder eating first, re-inforces the idea that it is not top dog and ur missus is smile

as for needing a dump 6 times a day, guess someone is on a very high fibre diet ? only gone once or twice today, but not into big breakfasts and had minimal lunch....

Tuscan Tart

2,187 posts

239 months

Thursday 25th September 2008
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jollygreen said:
What about all this pet psychology crap about the dog being fed last though?
So that the dog knows its place in the pecking order.

Have you looked into dog training lessons in your area, might be a good idea. We've only had two dogs, but I found the lessons invaluable, and would certainly take a new dog if we got one.

BiggusLaddus

821 posts

261 months

Thursday 25th September 2008
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She's too young to hold it all night anyway. Get up half way through the night and let her out. If you find she's already done it, get up earlier the next night.

She'll be able to hold it better when she gets older and the metabolism slows down a bit. And feed earlier as above.

Liszt

4,337 posts

300 months

Thursday 25th September 2008
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Have a lab who is only 2 weeks older. He has 3 meals with the last at 8pm. He gets let out frequently and goes out at 1030 for his last trip. Then up at 6 to let him out. Every time he looked to go inside or went inside, shouted no, then picked him up and took him out side then used the magic word, and gave lots of praise. He now goes to the door and whines if he needs to go. We do use a crate rather than give him free roam at the minute and this is supposed to help.

jollygreen

Original Poster:

21,472 posts

232 months

Thursday 25th September 2008
quotequote all
Scraggles said:
as for needing a dump 6 times a day, guess someone is on a very high fibre diet ? only gone once or twice today, but not into big breakfasts and had minimal lunch....
Nope, just too much coffee... hehe

carerra g tea

5,964 posts

250 months

Thursday 25th September 2008
quotequote all
You need to take the puppy out later after the last meal. And exercise it more vigorously. But all of that is besides the point. As others have pointed out, it should be fed just twice, and the last meal should be earlier.

As long as you or the missus don't eat immediately before or after the puppy, it won't associate your meal times with its own and won't have alpha dog confusion.

Mojocvh

16,837 posts

292 months

Thursday 25th September 2008
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Feed it at 5, give it an hour and then walk/run its legs off. Result one empty, tired puppy who will sleep.

JohnP

76 posts

313 months

Thursday 25th September 2008
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We've got a 10 week black lab, she's currently fed 4 times a day (7, 11, 2 & 6) and are not having problems (touch wood).

Agree with other posters - feed her earlier smile

Forget shutting her in a room, get her a dog crate that you can put in the lounge/kitchen etc. They are ace, both our dogs have had them and the pup is in a safe place that they begin to regard as their den, which they don't like to mess in. They also have the bonus of preventing your rooms being chewed to bits ....

Loads of advice over at Labradorforums.co.uk - including excessive soppyness from Lab owners that are dafter than their dogs.

jollygreen

Original Poster:

21,472 posts

232 months

Friday 26th September 2008
quotequote all
JohnP said:
We've got a 10 week black lab, she's currently fed 4 times a day (7, 11, 2 & 6) and are not having problems (touch wood).

Agree with other posters - feed her earlier smile

Forget shutting her in a room, get her a dog crate that you can put in the lounge/kitchen etc. They are ace, both our dogs have had them and the pup is in a safe place that they begin to regard as their den, which they don't like to mess in. They also have the bonus of preventing your rooms being chewed to bits ....

Loads of advice over at Labradorforums.co.uk - including excessive soppyness from Lab owners that are dafter than their dogs.
I was wondering about this crate business but is it too late to start her in one now?