# We kept him



## MeanGene (Nov 18, 2008)

We rescued this pup from someone who was not taking care of him. He is a yellow lab mix about 10 months old. He seems really smart and has a great temperament. We are just not ready for another dog right now and I don't want him to just go to the pound. Please help me find him a good home. I don't want any money just a good home for him to go to. PM me for any more info.

Update:
We kept him. It's a long story but I'm glad we did. Turns out the vet thinks he is a pure bred. 6-1/2 months old, 60 lbs. and just a loving loyal pup. I need some help though. It's been 16 years since I raised our last pup and I don't remember some of the training techniques. I picked up a good book to re-learn body language and action meanings but how do I break him of digging up the yard and chewing on everything except his toys. Any help or literature advise would be greatly appreciated.


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## MeanGene (Nov 18, 2008)

Any help?


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## Lefty (Sep 20, 2008)

WATER DOG by Richard Wolthers is a great book. I have trained 2 dogs using it as a guide. Only takes about 15 minutes a day. Also bought the Retriever Fever DVD's by Shawn Dustin. They are good too.


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## pkred (Jul 9, 2009)

I found if you offer a dog a toy of the same texture as the non toy it's chewing on this can be a way to train him to chew his toys.


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

Labs chew everything. They are just mouthy dogs. The only way to break that is to catch him in the act for a correction and always have alternatives available to chew. Digging is hard to break. The dog must be caught in the act and corrected immediately. You could try putting an e-collar on the dog and then peek out the windows for a few hours. Each time he starts to dig, don't say a word, just lay the hammer down on the e-collar...or you could keep him in a dog run when he can't be supervised. The other option is to line your yard with something that he can't dig through.

Some people put the dog poop in the holes the dog starts. They don't like to dig around in their poop.


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

Keep him in a kennel when he is not being directly supervised. This is especially helpful when house breaking. This diesn't mean that you just pout them in a kennel 24/7, but just when you can't be with the dog, of the dog with you.


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## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

Loke said:


> Keep him in a kennel when he is not being directly supervised. This is especially helpful when house breaking. This diesn't mean that you just pout them in a kennel 24/7, but just when you can't be with the dog, of the dog with you.


This is great advice. Labs are usually very eager to please and will progress at a reasonable pace. What you have to understand is that consistency is the key.

For example, if you correct the dog 10 times in a row when the digging starts, then go inside and he digs 3 or 4 times without the correction - you're back to square 1. The pup will need to associate the digging, every time, with getting told "no." Use of a kennel or crate while unsupervised is very important.

I would caution you about going to an e-collar. In my experience you can ruin a dog extremely quickly if you don't use proper conditioning. Personally I think that e-collars are for fine tuning and reinforcement of principals that the dog has already learned. There is no substitute for taking the time to coach your pup daily until the principal is understood. Down the road, you can add some polish and consistency through collar reinforcement.

Remember that puppies don't do things like digging out of malice or disobedience. They are trying to explore, play, and have fun. Training and conditioning should happen with the least amount of correction that the dog responds to. Voltage from out of nowhere might work for certain dogs with the right temperment, but it can just as easily cause fear and perpetual nervousness about what shocks and what doesn't.


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

threshershark said:


> Remember that puppies don't do things like digging out of malice or disobedience. They are trying to explore, play, and have fun.


They do these things out of boredom. If you are not there to keep them occupied, then they need to be relaxing in their den (a place that they feel safe and secure when you are not there. You can get them at any pet, sporting goods, or farm store. They look a lot like this.)[attachment=0:3ff6834b]digimarc-300x300.jpg[/attachment:3ff6834b]


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

> This is great advice. Labs are usually very eager to please and will progress at a reasonable pace. What you have to understand is that consistency is the key.
> 
> For example, if you correct the dog 10 times in a row when the digging starts, then go inside and he digs 3 or 4 times without the correction - you're back to square 1. The pup will need to associate the digging, every time, with getting told "no." Use of a kennel or crate while unsupervised is very important.
> 
> I would caution you about going to an e-collar. In my experience you can ruin a dog extremely quickly if you don't use proper conditioning. Personally I think that e-collars are for fine tuning and reinforcement of principals that the dog has already learned. There is no substitute for taking the time to coach your pup daily until the principal is understood. Down the road, you can add some polish and consistency through collar reinforcement.


The old "You can't train with a collar" is good advice in most situations. Digging can be fixed with a collar and zero commands. You snake break a dog with a collar and no commands. That's how it's done. Treat the fence like a snake. Get a dummy collar and keep it on the dog when he doesn't have the real one on so he doesn't associate the zap with the collar. Give NO commands before the zap and the dog associates the zap with the fence he's trying to dig under. It's rude to say, but hit that dog with everything the collar's got and he'll never dig again. Ever.

Then again, he is a Lab. They are extremely cooperative...


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## MeanGene (Nov 18, 2008)

Thanks guys for the advice. We took out out large fenced kennel years ago when we turned that part of the back yard into driveway but we didn't really need it any more, our labs at that time were trained good. I have just forgotten how we got them that way since it was 18 years ago when we trained them. I do have a portable but only big enough for travel, I think it would be to small to keep him in all day while we are away at work or school. I'm going to try the dog-poop-in-the-hole trick, I had someone else tell me this also the other day. I do remember it being a lengthy process and am going to check out some books and dvd's. I'll let ya know how it's going in a couple months.

On another note i'm debating whether to get a DogLoo or just build a wood house before cold weather hits. I've heard the dogloos are designed to help them keep warm. Any thoughts?


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

If your travel kennel is big enough for them to lie down in, it is big enough to keep them in all day. You don't want to give them room to poop in one corner, and sleep in the other.


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## izzydog (Jan 18, 2008)

I think that dog might be the twin to my dog, Tank. He is 2 years old now and I had almost given up on training him and just having him be the family pet but some time in the last couple of weeks something has finally clicked in his tiny doggie brain and he has done a "complete 360". Give him some time and spend as much time as possible with him. I have found that makes all the difference. I just built 2 plastic barrel dog houses for my dogs with stuff I had laying around at work. They are supposed to be warm and they cost about $5 to make. Alibris has a ton of dog training books at alibris.com that usually cost between 1-5 dollars and sometimes dvd's as well. Good luck![attachment=0:2udpsenk]DSCN0243 (Small).JPG[/attachment:2udpsenk]


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## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

MeanGene said:


> I do have a portable but only big enough for travel, I think it would be to small to keep him in all day while we are away at work or school.


+1 to what Loke said. Canines are den animals anyway, and they do fine in a crate. Mine stay in crates while I'm at work. I like a crate that is big enough for the dog to stand up completely, and easily change positions or switch sides when laying down.



MeanGene said:


> On another note i'm debating whether to get a DogLoo or just build a wood house before cold weather hits. I've heard the dogloos are designed to help them keep warm. Any thoughts?


I actually have a lab-sized wooden dog house, really high end, that you can have if you want. It's fully insulated. My Springer used to do great all winter in it. My dogs live inside the house now and I have no need for it. It's shingled and built like a tank. I live in Bountiful - if you want it, then it's yours. Reply with your e-mail address if you're interested or want to see pictures.


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## Sprig Kennels (Jan 13, 2009)

nice looking dog...looks like it could definatley be a purebred lab. some great advice given here so no need to re-hash it but just remember to be patient with the dog and it doesnt do any good to repremand a dog for digging or chewing if you cant catch the dog in the act, one reason why e-collars work so well. timing is EVERYTHING when training a dog.


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## Gumbo (Sep 22, 2007)

I like the dogloo, I have two.

As for training, I'd focus on the basics: sit, down, come. If you have specific questions on any of these, let me know and I'll point you in the right direction. BTW, I'm not a fan of Water Dog or Wolters' books. I prefer Evan Graham, www.rushcreekpress.com.

Enjoy your pup, they're a lot of work but a lot of fun.


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## MeanGene (Nov 18, 2008)

Thanks alot guys. Threshershark, thanks for the dog house. Got it all sanded down and it's getting a coat of paint as soon as the rain lets up, maybe this friday or sat.


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