Labradoodledoo Doodles

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Comment by Angie, Hudson and Lily on January 2, 2010 at 4:51pm

Growing up all of my dogs chewed rawhides and there was never a problem. Hudson never had a problem with the rawhides at all and he of course loved to chew them. Once when I was buying food, the lady ringing me up at the pet supply store was mortified that I was buying such high quality food, and rawhides. She told me how terrible they were. I did some reading online about them and found that it isn't just that they aren't undiegestible, it is that they are chemically bleached and if you aren't sure that they are from the U.S, there ma be other chemicals as well. After reading that, I decided to go with the real bones/ Bully Sticks, although they are more expensive. I'm in no way telling you what to do, just wanted to provide info. I hope I didn't offend you- I didn't mean to.

Comment by Debb, Lucy & Oscar on January 2, 2010 at 3:56pm

Oh, BTW, Angie, I do have a collection of nylabones, bully sticks and plastic bones. I think I only got the 1 rawhide just to see how Lucy does with it. I watch her like a hawk with it, and never leave her anattended with it. Her baby teeth haven't made a dent in it yet.

Comment by Debb, Lucy & Oscar on January 2, 2010 at 3:44pm

I forgot to wish you both happy New Year yesterday... sorry, I haven't much thought of it, I've been so distracted this past week. I didn't even realize it WAS New Year's Eve until my husband came home from work early Thursday afternoon. This past week seems like a whirlwind of activity.

Yes, Angie, I know of the dangers of rawhide, and had heard that some dogs do okay with them and don't tear off pieces. Its like when one of my cockatoos was young I was warned about plastic and how some birds will swallow pieces and then there's trouble. I kept plastic away from him until one day he got to my DH's fleece zipper (which was hanging near his cage). He had chewed a good section of plastic zipper and I freaked. I rushed him to the vet for x-rays and he hadn't swallowed any of it. I now trust him with any plastic, although his favorite is wood. I understand your wanting to be safe and not offer rawhides period. I do. For me, I want more infomation about how my dog plays with rawhide before I make that call.

The clipper idea is a great one! I don't have clippers for Lucy yet, but my husband has some. I will start right away getting her acclimated to it. I do have a rotary tool for her nails which I'll also start using around her.

We introduced the birds to her today. Actually, we'd introduced them a few days ago with walk-by visits to the birds upstairs. The birds were so ready to come downstairs again into their larger cages positioned in the kitchen nook (where the hub of activity is in our house), that I decided it was time, regardless of how they took to Lucy running around. I eased them into it by having Lucy in her crate (which, btw, is only a few feet from one of the birds' cage). Its going well. Once Lucy came out, there was some commotion when she would run by, and some screaming as well. All to be expected, and I'm sure there will be more. Lucy and I are in the study right now (she loves to just lay on her cushion at my feet while I'm on the computer...never ventures around the room), and all is quiet in the kitchen nook :)

Angie, we extended the time last night and DH says she was awake when he went to take her out. I don't wake her to take her out, but I don't have the mid early-morning call. I have the late night and late early-morning calls. Does that make sense? We did wake her the first couple nights though. Well, sort of woke her... she was awake, just yawny and tired.

Jeanne, I'm glad you connected with Sandi. Do you know what the options are in the event Tura's adult teeth come in wrong? Is there such a thing as doggie braces? Accidents are hit and miss these past couple days. All my fault for not reading Lucy correctly. I'm learning. She DOES ring the bells, sometimes right after a potty break. I've heard it may be helpful to to remove the bells right afterward and return them an hour or so later. I've got to try that.
I washed Lucy bottom half last night too, Jeanne. With the melted snow and rain we've had Lucy would come in so muddy. Wiping her off with a towel only did so much. I washed her in the kitchen sink and she didn't much like it, but she did well, considering.

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend. I'll tell you later about the dog-washing plumbing contraption my husband installed in the upstairs bathroom tub today. Its pretty cool for speedy shampooing and rinsing, and pretty simple to install at a minimal cost with supplies you find at a hardware store. Its called the Texas Bowser Blaster (its not a product name, it's just the contraption's given name by the person who first made one himself). Do a google search to learn more. Or wait till I give more details later :)

Comment by Angie, Hudson and Lily on January 2, 2010 at 2:42pm

One other thing I keep forgetting to mention is that you might want to start running clippers around your pups. I used my husbands clippers and would just hold them and run them over Hudson (without cutting) while he was a puppy. I just wanted to get him used to the vibration and noise. Jeanne- the "private areas are bad for both girls and boys :). Hudson would get b.m around his. The groomer usually shaves around these areas- called a "sanitary cut". It IS TOO cold here! I am not a cold weather person. I like it sunny and WARM- even hot is okay with me. I'm really living in the wrong climate. No chance of moving until maybe retirement. That is a ways off though.

Comment by Jeanne, Tura and Dolly on January 2, 2010 at 2:22pm

Hi and Happy New Year. I finally spoke to Sandi and she says she has never had a puppy with crooked teeth so Tura is a first of her kind. I hope her adult teeth come in correctly so she won't need braces (?)
We took our first leash walk today and after initial bucking around she settled down and walked behind me all the way to the mailbox and back (about 12 blocks roundtrip) Also, we had a little backside bath because she is a sloppy pee-er I guess. Her sleep thru the night was a one time deal for now but she goes back to sleep by herself pretty well so its all good. Hope you are both enjoying the weekend. Sounds too cold for me where you are Angie....I suppose I'll take the rain. Having a spring/summer puppy is probably smarter :-0
We went 48 hours without an accident and then we were watching a game and not paying attention and there you go...

Comment by Angie, Hudson and Lily on January 2, 2010 at 1:31pm

Happy New Year Jeanne and Debb (and puppies!)! We went to Kalahari Resort (water park) for New Year's Eve. We just got back home. We had a great time, but missed the dogs. It is VERY cold here today- about 10 degrees, and it is VERY windy, so I'm sure it is much colder with the wind. Hudson doesn't mind the cold at all. Last year we had lots of snow at this time, and he had lots of fun in it. This year we have just had a dusting of snow so far, and now this bitter cold. I really hate winter! I'm glad to hear things are going well. I thought of using the bells with Hudson, and almost bought them a couple of times, but one of my friends told me that her dog used them whenever he just wanted to go out and play and it might be in 15 minute intervals. Potty training with Hudson went fairly well, but we had our share of accidents. He did better when he spent the day at my mom's (while I was working) because her doorwall opens right to the back yard. Ours was a bit more confusing, as it is a door that opens to a porch and then another door to outside. I also started letting him out every hour when he was awake in the house. At first we were aiming at every 2 hrs, but going down to every hr really helped. I didn't wake him if he was sleeping and that includes at night. Debb- I would recommend not waking her at night. She needs to learn to sleep through and she'll probably make it just fine. Hudson slept from 10 or 11 pm until 6 without any accidents at all. He never had an accident in his crate. We live on 4 acres, but it is a busy road, and Hudson was always out on a leash as a puppy. (We now have invisible fencing). I think that helped with his coming when called, and just getting down to business. I would take treats in my coat pocket and when he was done, as we walked back to the house I would call him every so often and treat him. It is a great time for a quick couple of minutes of training. Instead of rawhides -I know you said you were going to take it if she chewed some off, but, you might want to try a Nylabone. I just recently found one for "powerful chewers", and it had grooves, lines and bumps on it. Hudson likes it. He also really likes these white chew things that are shaped like dinosaurs. They have pointy knobs all around them. I don't know what they are called, but they are "fake" kinda like a Nylabone. For real chewing (maybe when she is older), real bones (from the pet store) and Bully Sticks (also avail. at the pet store) are better for them than rawhides. I must admit that I did give Hudson a coupld of rawhides, but when I found out how they weren't good for them at all, I switched to real bones. Jeanne- I also really liked the Smart Puppy book and dvd. I bought it online. The only book that I got from Sandi was a book called "Super Puppy" by Peter Volimer. It wasn't bound like a hardcover or paperback book from a store, more like a brouchure or program would be bound.

Comment by Debb, Lucy & Oscar on January 1, 2010 at 10:59am

I've been using a sound socialization CD to desensitize Lucy to noises such as fireworks. It includes babies crying, children playing, common household appliances, sirens, gunshot, street noises, and FIREWORKS. You start out day 1 with the sound barely audible, and every day increase the volume just a little bit. I've been using it about 3 days so far. We were out around 11:45 last night and fireworks were being shot off, and Lucy hardly acknowledged them, so the desensitizing seems to be working.

That's wonderful that Tura made it through to the morning hours! Congratulations! We're still taking Lucy out every 3 hrs during the night, not because she fusses, but because that's just our schedule. Guess we should try extending the times.

I usually wait till after Lucy does her business before any play. The problem is she doesn't necessarily want to play with me. She wants to go investigating all around the flower beds (and she loves pulling out the old hydrangea stems), and she enjoys eating leaves and who knows what. The leash will be used today, since her 'come' isn't really working yet. She had yet another pooping accident this morning. Lucy goes twice every morning and once in the evening (usually). The 2nd morning one is real difficult to predict, since its not immediately after a meal. My DH said he waited 20 min. for that 2nd one, and when it didn't come he came back in. It was just minutes later the accident occurred. She gives no warning on those either. She seems to have more muscle control over peeing, and gives warning signs, usually by ringing the bell, but not always.

Hey I hear ya on the raincoat! I had to pull an old hooded rain jacket out of the back of my closet yesterday. Sure did come in handy for all those potty runs.

I'm so ready for Lucy to be old enough to go for walks around the neighborhood. That will be much more fun that sloshing around the muddy backyard. We do have a large paverstone patio (which is great for running back and forth with Lucy for exercise), but with all the snow melting and this constant rain, the grassy areas are getting really bad. We keep towels by the back door and have this ritual of wiping all of Lucy's feet before she enters. This would all be so much easier if it were during the Spring or Summer, or even Fall! It is what it is. I'm just glad we have Lucy, regardless.

Sorry this is so long (I do tend to go on and on... :-)).

Comment by Jeanne, Tura and Dolly on January 1, 2010 at 6:43am

Fireworks are the bane of every dog owner. They were loud and booming for 45 minutes last night and Tura cried and whimpered. First I thought she had to go out but I just lay down next to her crate and pet her a little and she went back to sleep and so did I. Then I got up at 6am and she had not gone out all night to pee. Yippee.
I tried Sandi twice yesterday but no answer, I'll leave a message next time I try.
Tura also loves to play outside but we don't play with her until after she pees and if its after a meal, after she poops. I need a better raincoat:-(
We take her out a lot but will have to check out the bell idea so she can tell us. Good idea!
Great pictures. They are just the cutest, aren't they? How's Hudson dealing with the cold? They don't seem to mind the weather.

Comment by Debb, Lucy & Oscar on December 31, 2009 at 10:38pm

This one comes in a close 2nd.

Comment by Debb, Lucy & Oscar on December 31, 2009 at 10:37pm

This pic is a favorite of mine. Lucy at 7 weeks, 4 days.

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