My 2007 hunting partner!

[andrew]

I took advantage of one of the very few moments that wife is "week to my wants" and I managed to convince her that our 20 month old daughter could really use a puppy!

One week later the dog is already "my" dog and the weekness is over and I am facing the "wrath of Angie"! But so worth it!

Libby is such a cool dog...I can't wait to get her into the field this coming season!

[Roper]

Leather couch+Labrador puppy=:eek:

Seriously, great looking puppy:thumb:

[dominic7471]

wow she is a beuty..... she looks like a great hunting partner! Thats what i love about dogs they are loyal till the day you die.... good job shell turn out great! :thumb:

[andrew]

Leather couch+Labrador puppy=:eek:

Seriously, great looking puppy:thumb:

Yeah even my daughter is saying "NO" every 5 seconds! Libby is lucky if she is in the living room, but give her 5 seconds of no supervision and she has the whole room torn apart!

[Jason]

Beautiful Lab pup.

We give our GSP some Goodwill stuffed animals to quench her chewing habit.
Just make sure you have a shop vac handy. Stuffing everywhere, but it is fun to watch.

[seekm]

great looking pup.

I've got a yellow and a black pointing lab. Both are great hunting partners and fantastic family dogs.

[FFK]

great pup, i love labs, mi labs been my partner for 3 years

[D3Smartie]

man it seems like a long time since mine was a pup. she and i have had some great times together. She turned 8 over thanksgiving.
Good luck with yours. As a friend of mine used to say... "she is certainly a fine Looking dog"

[Kaari Dahl]

Great pup!! She's a keeper. Good luck with her, that first year is wonderful, horrible and magical all at the same time. My lab is turning 5 in May and I really miss having a puppy, but not enough to make me want 2 dogs in my house!

Read as many training books as you can. I highly recommend the 10 Minute Retriever and the Smartworks series.

[andrew]

Thanks all...thanks for the info CWUGirl! I've been reading Richard Wolters "Water Dog" and it has been a fun read thus far...especially the 1963 remarks that today would have PETA on your doorstep!

Can anyone tell me when the whinning stops? We've resisted "saving" Libby, but OMG I'd take another colicky infant (which is worse than any Guantanamo prison camp torture) over the whinning! Its been over three weeks and it begins at 6:00 am and won't stop until I get up. When is it alright to place a bark collar on?

Andrew

[Itchy Dog]

Great looking pooch- congrats! My lab, Eddie, just turned a year old. I have high expectations for him next year. This year he just sorta watched and learned, although he did retrieve one duck on the opener. Have fun- they grow up fast.

[Josh Benjamin]

Thanks all...thanks for the info CWUGirl! I've been reading Richard Wolters "Water Dog" and it has been a fun read thus far...especially the 1963 remarks that today would have PETA on your doorstep!

Can anyone tell me when the whinning stops? We've resisted "saving" Libby, but OMG I'd take another colicky infant (which is worse than any Guantanamo prison camp torture) over the whinning! Its been over three weeks and it begins at 6:00 am and won't stop until I get up. When is it alright to place a bark collar on?

Andrew
how long has she been stuck in the house at 6:00am when she starts whining?? maybe she has to pee. how old is she? and why do you want to put a bark collar on her?
thats a great looking pup.
i second or third or whatever reading as many training books as possible. the Wolters books are good.
you might try putting a dirty tee short or sock with her to keep her from whining, she'll smell you and it will calm her down... are you crate training?
sorry for all the blah blah blah but when mine was a pup, he was a big whiner and we got him quieted down pretty easy.

[Kaari Dahl]

Thanks all...thanks for the info CWUGirl! I've been reading Richard Wolters "Water Dog" and it has been a fun read thus far...especially the 1963 remarks that today would have PETA on your doorstep!

Can anyone tell me when the whinning stops? We've resisted "saving" Libby, but OMG I'd take another colicky infant (which is worse than any Guantanamo prison camp torture) over the whinning! Its been over three weeks and it begins at 6:00 am and won't stop until I get up. When is it alright to place a bark collar on?

Andrew


That Wolter's book was the first training book I ever read. As long as you don't take the time table too seriously, it's an OK book to start with.

At 6am, she has to go out! You're lucky she sleeps in that long!! My last puppy didn't sleep through the night until he was 5 months old. He was the most difficult dog I've ever had to house train- the smartest in other ways.

An important lesson for her to learn is that there is no reward for coming out of the crate. Never praise, hug, welcome a puppy when you take them out of a crate. It sounds cruel, especially when they're so cute, but if you don't make any fuss out of coming out of the crate, they won't think it's a big deal to be away from you. And the whining will subside (as long as she doesn't need to use the bathroom!).

[TyMarrs]

Great pup! I've had my 6 m.o. for about 4 months now. We kennel trained him by putting him in there with Kong toys lined with peanut butter and stuffed with kibble, then frozen. A brain teaser to keep him occupied and to make his kennel his special place where he gets food, chew toys, and a nice comfy bed. When we can't find him around the house, he usually is snoozing in his kennel.

I'm reading Bill Tarrant's "Gun Dog Training" right now. It's kind of a narrative that introduces 10 or so of the top "humane" trainers and explains how they go about it. More about guiding a dog's natural hunting desires, rather than dominating them and forcing them into what you think they should do.

[Cliff]

Good look'in pup there! I hunt upland birds with setters, but last weekend a buddy of mine twisted my arm and I hunted a private hunting club near E-Burg. His lab was such a joy to hunt over. I'm a dedicated pointer guy but I still love hunting over labs.

[johnmetcalfe]

How do you get a dog to swim? I have a flat coated retriever (the pound said blacklab austrilian shephard). and she is about 4.5 years old but she won't go in the water?
Jm

[Itchy Dog]

You have to get her to do it on her own. I've never had a problem with any of my dogs doing that because they've all loved to retrieve, and all I had to do was toss a training bumper a very short distance (a couple feet) into the water. They can only get it by wading. Gradually work up to farther retrives and then they're hooked. If your dog doesn't like to retrieve, you may not be able to get her to go in. She may have had a bad experience when she was younger? Or she's just never been around the water. Try anything that makes going in the water seem fun.

[Gary Thompson]

John, does your dog heel good? Put her on a leash and walk her into the water until she has to swim. Praise, praise, praise!!! walk around for a while. Good dog. Yes you will get wet and or wear your old waders, cause dog claws will tear your new ones.
Andrew, the whining means it is time to get up and go hunting. Ha Ha Whining should end as time goes by.
My Goldens have always been kenneled, so whine, bark what ever. Barking gets me up to check on what ever might be prowling around. Gun in hand!!!!
Mans best friend. Good choise

[nativewiggler]

Wow! Brings back memories...

My dad had loads of hunting dogs... He trained them and sold some on occasion...

Personally, I loved our lab we had... Best darn dog I ever knew in my life but unfortunately, someone stole him while we were at school and work... That was a long time ago, but I still remember him and how much he LOVED the water....

Heck, I couldn't even take a bath in the house without him trying to get in the tub! Made it a blast when family came to visit - my sister-in-law will never look at baths the same!!!

No, I wasn't the evil one that let the dog in the bathroom on her - that priviledge belonged to my brother! I wouldn't do something like that....