DH just brought home a puppy
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Anonymous
+1, I adopted an adult lab who had been well trained by someone else. Fantastic family dog but still a lot of work just for normal dog reasons. I've had many dogs but only one puppy. It's a lot and if you don't put in consistent labor you will ruin the dog. |
Anonymous
As someone who has been rehabbing "rejected" puppies for decades now, can confirm. Skilled trainers can bring them back, at least most of the time/most of the way, but it's SO much easier to just train them correctly the first time. Buy once, cry once. Quality early-life training is critical for easy adult dogs. If you don't know how to train dogs, never start with a puppy. |
Anonymous
I'll even go so far as to say: if you have kids under 10, you don't have time or resources for a puppy. While there may be occasional exceptions to this, it holds true often enough that people would be wise to consider just how many young creatures they're really capable of caring for. Until your kids can reliably get themselves up and about their business, they'll need the attention you'd need to spend training a puppy. It's just not worth the stress and chaos. |
Anonymous
There’s a motto I could live with. Unless you are 16, nobody wants a surprise car. |
Anonymous
Also, if your kids are only 7 and 9, they should not be allowed to walk the dog solo for several years. Lab puppies are great but they grow quickly and get big way before adulthood. Young labs are STRONG and excitable and curious. They can pull away from kids in a heartbeat. Whatever you do, if you keep this dog do not use a retractable leash under any circumstances. Also work with a trainer as soon as you can. |
Anonymous
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No way this is DH's first rash behavior.
OP, bring home someone to to be your new intimate friend who can pee on DH's stuff. |
Anonymous
| Ha my dad did this when I was 9. It was nighttime when he brought the puppy home. A friend of a friend’s dog had a litter. My mom said if the dog cries once it’s going back in the morning before the kids wake up and see it. The puppy was quiet as a mouse that first night, so we met her and fell in love. Second night she cried alll night lol. It was a lot of work for my mom at first but we helped some (as much as kids do before the novelty wears off). She was a great dog who lived almost 15 years. My mom ended up being her favorite. It was good for the family and my mom loved that dog even though the timing and the way it happened was not ideal. Sometimes you just have to embrace the unexpected I think. |
Anonymous
This is the leash you want for a retriever. The leather is soft and you can choke up on it (wrap it around your hand or grab it mid-leash) if need be, but the double handle that is close to the collar is essential and will give you LOTS more control if the dog pulls or if there's another dog/walker/bike passing you on the sidewalk. https://www.chewy.com/soft-touch-collars-leather-braided/dp/166701?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=20027453190&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAiaC-BhBEEiwAjY99qN4-5PY_JCP669iYa5L_li91wJPAhiUnTPRMfB8zPy_Ml5PCNvwy_BoCPtQQAvD_BwE Under no circumstances should you ever ever ever get a retractable leash. Depending on your 9 year old, they might be able to walk the dog, once they are both a little bit trained. My 9 year old walked ours with no problem but they were strong/athletic and also really used to walking in the neighborhood/sidewalk safety generally. You may also find it useful to have one of those small belt treat holders -- the dog will naturally want to walk with their nose up against your hip if you have little treats or kibble there. And you can give him a couple little treats per block to keep the interest up. |
Anonymous
| I somehow missed that it was a lab in the first post. The dog should get a minimum 30 minute walk in the morning -- ideally more like an hour. Initially dog should then go out about once per hour for a pee break, with another decent walk at lunch and then another after school and another after dinner. Once the dog is maybe 12 weeks, dog should be fully house trained and you can start doing just the morning, lunch, afterschool and before bed walks. Labs need a lot of exercise to be good dogs. An under-exercised lab is just a demolition machine. If you have a fenced in yard, you can sub in a vigorous game of fetch/soccer/chase-me for one or two of the walks. Your nine year old should be able to handle at least that. (Never play a game in which you or the kids chase the dog -- the dog should always be chasing you or the kids. Also never play a game in which the puppy jumps up on you -- that will get old fast when he is big and strong and knocking you over. Puppies that jump get "no jump!" and you turn your back to ignore them, or put up your knee in their chest.) |
Anonymous
| If my husband did that I’d be so happy!!! |
Anonymous
| Same! |
Anonymous
This isn't necessary. If you have time, go for it. But if not, a 15-minute walk and some intellectual stimulation (puzzle feeders, hidden treats, snacks in a rolled-up tied towel) 4-5 times a day is plenty, plus a couple "just business" trips to the yard. "Exercise" for a dog isn't purely physical training. When it gets older, a 30+ minute walk might be appropriate. But the last thing you want to do is beef it up physically without educating it mentally. |
Anonymous
That leash is gorgeous. Now I want one! If the leather is too spendy, or you're going to let pup drag it in your yard while training recall and don't want to regularly clean the leather, the same dual-handle can be found on nylon leashes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C2PVBP99?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3&th=1 Definitely no retractables! Belt treat holder is a must, IMO. Puppies don't need to eat their meals from a dish. Most of their kibble can be used as "motivation" and pre-training heel by making your hand a snack dispenser as pp describes is ideal. Throw a couple into the crate and make going into their crate a happy activity. Use kibble as reinforcements for teaching sit, and down, etc. Use actual treats for higher-value rewards, or when you need a better distraction (e.g. puppy is distracted by loud truck outside, cue "look" and offer good snack for staying engaged with you/snack) |
Anonymous
Labs are a sporting breed. They're bred to have enough energy to run around all day, and they love having things (pheasants, expensive shoes) in their mouths. Any surprise lab is going to a random dog from a careless breeder, so yours may be different. But this was a completely irresponsible move on your DH's part. I'd be furious, and I love dogs. |
Anonymous
Sporting dogs are generally less work than working dogs. Working dogs are bred for stamina and focus to work all day every day. No one hunts pheasant all day every day. So for a retriever a couple long walks a day plus lots of nap time is usually fine. But they need to be real walks. |