Posted on 07/13/2013 11:34:45 PM PDT by proud American in Canada
I hear ya! I’ve even had it happen. Either I would wind up balanced precariously on the edge of the bed...or curled up in a tiny ball. But the dog sure slept well. :)
we do spoil them don’t we....:O)
Nope.
Comes in with a flying leap and lands right on me.
[I don’t mind] :)
Late to the thread as always. I will pile on reference removing the puppy from Mommy too early, as well as advising to employ a crate.
But most of all congratulations on your new buddy!
Being lazy, I keep a pair of dogs at a time, so the younger observes & learns from the alpha. Since you’ve skipped this step, oops. LOL
Labs take an inordinate amount of time to cease chewing - two or three years. So you may choose, as I did, to crate for that long even after housebreaking in order to keep furnishings & clothes intact while you’re away at work. I’ve always thought that the extreme chewing is meant to compensate for their family-friendly dispositions. Tho not IMHO the brightest, labs are certainly the sweetest of companions.
Obviously, this means an adult-size crate. For the time being, you can block off the extra space to discourage bed-wetting.
Your darling baby is too young, her bladder too small, to crate her for hours on end. At that time for my last baby, I was fortunate to have wintertime and a van to accomodate the crate, so she came to work (at least as far as the parking lot) & had frequent potty breaks until her bladder capacity caught up with her learning. If you can coordinate with trusted neighbors to help you out...?
You can help her by withdrawing food/water before crating. (But labs are food-driven, so give a small treat so that entering the crate is a positive experience.)
By the same token, I disagree with crating the pet while her new family lolls about at leisure or slumber. She’s your friend, why would you deprive yourself of her sweet company? Until she’s housetrained, bed her down in a tall box next to your bed. You can drop your hand to her soft snout if she gets fussy, or reward her intelligence with a potty break once she signals for it. It’s only until she’s housebroken. Then you can get rid of the cumbersome box next to the bed.
None of my labs have ever been allowed on the furniture. The few times I’ve pulled an adult up into my lap, the lab beasties couldn’t wait to get back down on the floor. Good dogs!
As good as she is, the current labbie is hostage to her appetite. We’ve learned the hard way to help her avoid temptation to counter surf by shoving ppl foods to the back of the counter or inside the cool oven until we’re ready to clean up from a meal.
Enjoy her, and post pictures, please!
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