Dog Tips

Ill be picking up a male yellow lab in about 5-6 weeks and this will be my first dog. I have noticed that there are alot of dog lovers here so I figured I would toss out some questions I have. I am a college student and my friend and I are moving into a nice apartment in september. It is all wood floors and has a small fenced in "Backyard" that is covered in cement. There is a communal yard about 10 feet from our front door and a park right across the street. Should I teach the pup to piss/poo in the backyard area with something down on the cement like turf or something, or should I teach him to go in the yard? It would be easier for him to go in the backyard area but I do not know what I could put down on the cement. What is the best way to potty train a puppy? Where should the pup sleep at first? And any tips or advise on how to train him? I really want the dog to be very obedient. I will also use him to hunt every once in a while. Also, any general tips you could give to a first time puppy owner?

 

a yellow lab? he will eat all of your shoes within the first week if you let him, all of the Labs I have had were chewers for the first year or two, oh and diggers too. Do you have lots of time to spend with him, if not you might want to wait, also he will need to get out and get that puppy enenergy out or you could be in for some trouble.

 

So keep shoes out of sight huh.

 

shoes, socks, tissue really anything seems to be a treat

 

You sure you're ready for a dog right now? They're a HUGE commitment and more work than having a kid. Think long and hard about it before you make life miserable for yourself and the dog.


...sorry to be the hater but somebody needs to...bad idea IMO.

 

SO TRUE..

 

I pay like $40 every two or three weeks in food. Not too horrible. Vet bills will rape you though...My dog jammed his leg while playing fetch or when my roommates were wrestling with him...ill see if i can find the actual bill tonight for a price breakdown..was way more than i expected

 

Oh yea the vet bills are crazy. Almost wish I could add my dog to my insurance plan

 

Oh and i almost forgot about how bad labs have gas

they are a ton of work to get where you probably want him. He will only listen to you and obey if you put the time in and work with him. Otherwise they get bored easily and begin to eat your home. If you spend the time I think labs are one of the best breeds out there, we always had them growing up. Now as anadult I know I am not home enough between myself my wife and our son and that it would not be fair to a dog. It's a tough call but something you do need to thing long and hard about. He will need you all the time for the next 10-15 years.

 

First of all, did you get permission from the landlord? Having those kind of floors would be risky in terms of damage and a landlord might not allow it. Dog nails scratch hardwood pretty good. Also, if he makes a mistake on the floor, if you don't get it right away, it might stain it.

Puppies will whine when left alone and some dogs will bark constantly. Being in an apt the neighbors might be a little close.

I currently have three dogs and two cats. The dogs as puppies were crate trained - meaning, at nights they were in the crate. Dogs will not soil where they sleep. First thing in the morning I would let him or her out to go to the bathroom.

During the day when until they were potty trained I blocked them off into the kitchen with baby gates so that if they made a mistake, it was easy clean up and sanitize.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. Ill clarify a couple things. Yes, dogs are allowed at our apartment. The apartments are set up more like a townhome. It is 3 stories with a basement and you would not be able to hear anything from a neighbor. Also, my girlfriends dad is a vet and has already said that he would help me out (Discount) with shots and whatever else the dog needs. I will be taking a decent amount of online classes this upcoming year so I will be at home a lot and have a good amount of free time to work with him. I know how big of a commitment it is and I have thought long and hard about the pros/cons.

 

Looks like you are prepared somewhat. Good job!

 

Sounds good man, take a ton of pics, they wont be so small for too long.

 

Any tips on potty training?

 

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I've heard not to use those training pads you place on the floor in the house. While they encourage the dog to go on the pad, it teaches them that going to the bathroom inside your home is acceptable.

What I did was to take my pup out for half an hour after I fed her (breakfast and dinner), watch for a lot of sniffing around in a concentrated spot, and if it starts to go, pick it up immediately and take it to a designated bathroom place.

When outside with my dog to get her to go to the bathroom, I would keep saying "go potty" until she would do her bizz.. then I'd give her a bunch of praise and love afterward. As the pup progresses, when you take them out, they'll know that "go potty" will result in a good thing for them.

Good luck!

 

I agree. Dogs need a lot of attention. They need to be out to pee every 3-4 hours unless you train him to pee and poop in a cat litter pan like mine we just got another dog this year. I kinda wished I didn't but wife wanted it. Have to worry about where the dog will go when your on vacation. If you come home drunk after a party and don't feel like walking him.if your stuck in class all day. Think long and hard cuz it's long road. Don't forget bet bills suck and always come at the worst time

 

ALWAYS reward them for doing things right.
NEVER punish them for leaving one on the floor. It's already too late.
A Lab will sort it out pretty quickly.

 

First thing make sure your dog is crate trained and not just put in the crate for being bad. My two dogs hang out in there crates sometimes because it is there space and get a crate that has a removable tray in the bottom so you can take it outside to spray it off with a hose.

Training takes lots of time you may want to spend the money and get a dvd on how to train your dog especially if you want to hunt him and remember when you work with training the dog especially a pup they have a really really short attention span. Remember be consistent and dont expect too much right away.

Potty Training - give the pup a treat when he goes to the bath room outside.

Remember yelling/hitting your pup doesnt do anything, they dont understand english and if the dog screws up in the middle of the day you cant correct them 4 hours later after the fact they have no idea why you are mad. When you need to correct your dog do it in a way that another dog would correct them. By that I mean grab the scruff of the pups neck it will get his attention. I breeder told me that and it has worked wonders.

Do some homework before hand on quality dog foods the most advertised foods are definately not the best foods and the quality foods dont cost that much more. When comparing foods use a calculator to figure out the cost per pound because each brand comes in different sized containers.