Help with Lab Puppy

[noodlestsc]

My advice is to rehome the dog to a home that has the time to provide the dog with it's needs. Dogs, especially a breed like a lab, needs to have ample amount of exercise. A tired dog is a happy (and non destructive) dog. You will not break the destructive habit unless the dog has another outlet to release its energy.

Knowing you, you are going to take this the wrong way but it's not meant to be, a dog with yours and your roomie's schedule is not a good fit. If I remember correctly from previous posts, it's your roomie's dog not yours? So it would be your roomie's decision. You can crate for extended times, but a younger dog needs the exercise time end of story. And if you don't want to trust the words of people on the forum, just google it, it is a well known fact.

I have had my lab since she was 6 months old and she is 11 now and still has a ton of energy. Coincidentally I got her from an older couple who owned her parents and didn't have time to take care of an energetic puppy. Although because she is older, she doesn't mind the extended alone time (she is alone with my other dog, an 8 year old shih-tzu and my 2 year old cat for about 12-13 hours during the daytime) Again though, these are older dogs so their needs are different.

[noodlestsc]

But I have problems with recommending a new and inexperienced dog owner to go for crates because more often then not I see things like this:




(That is a pure bred (no papers, but confirmed parents were both sheps )German shepherd. I asked the owner why she was so thin, and his response was because she was a runt. He opened the cage and she made a bee line for the nearest dog bowl, then started complaining about how badly behaved she was. Jumping up on counters, stealing other dog's food. I observed him giving her food... just a cup's worth. A single. Cup. I asked him how often she gets fed. "Just once a day." Told me she gets diarrhea frequently so feeding her too much makes her sick.)

But I'll see what I can do...


Herp Derp

Doesn't look underfed to me. German shepards (and labs) are garbage pails and will eat and eat and eat, so just because he ran for the food means NOTHING. My lab will eat her food and then go look for my wife to trick her into thinking I didn't feed her. By the way my lab only gets 1 solo cup of food a day. A little more on the weekends. And just like humans are different sizes and weights so are dogs. My lab is also a smaller one, weighing in at only 65lbs most of her life and is of healthy shape and size for her.

[KingWheatley]

Doesn't look underfed to me. German shepards (and labs) are garbage pails and will eat and eat and eat, so just because he ran for the food means NOTHING. My lab will eat her food and then go look for my wife to trick her into thinking I didn't feed her. By the way my lab only gets 1 solo cup of food a day. A little more on the weekends. And just like humans are different sizes and weights so are dogs. My lab is also a smaller one, weighing in at only 65lbs most of her life and is of healthy shape and size for her.

Perhaps she gets the right amount of food.

But this dog is literally underweight and just skin and bones. If you read some of my responses you can see the skin SUNKEN IN.

After increasing her food though, the diarrhea stopped, she looks much healthier, and doesn't desperately scavenge for food.

So I'm sorry, but I really think you are wrong. If your dog's spine is showing each nob and you can count all the ribs and see the bone structure without cushion... your dog is not receiving the nourishment it needs. Either because it has worms, not the proper food, or something otherwise.

You CANNOT tell me that any animal where you can see all the divots in its skeleton through its skin is healthy...?


Herp Derp

[KingWheatley]

Spoke with my roommate. He doesn't want to get a crate, or rehome the pup.

Though he likes the idea of the cong with Peanut Butter in it


Herp Derp

[noodlestsc]

Well judging by the pictures you posted of the dog in the cage it looked fine to me. I can't really see the spine or divets or sunken in areas through the bars of the cage. My bad.

[KingWheatley]

Well judging by the pictures you posted of the dog in the cage it looked fine to me. I can't really see the spine or divets or sunken in areas through the bars of the cage. My bad.

Yea that's why I had to go into detail. I was trying to be discreet about it.

If you kinda look closely, you can kind of see, but it's still hard to tell with the quality of the photo.


Herp Derp

[Bcycling]

Perhaps she gets the right amount of food.

But this dog is literally underweight and just skin and bones. If you read some of my responses you can see the skin SUNKEN IN.

After increasing her food though, the diarrhea stopped, she looks much healthier, and doesn't desperately scavenge for food.

So I'm sorry, but I really think you are wrong. If your dog's spine is showing each nob and you can count all the ribs and see the bone structure without cushion... your dog is not receiving the nourishment it needs. Either because it has worms, not the proper food, or something otherwise.

You CANNOT tell me that any animal where you can see all the divots in its skeleton through its skin is healthy...?


Herp Derp

actually that's not always true about seeing bones. I have a shorthair you could see all her bones until she was 2. I was concerned about it. Fed her as much as she would eat and even was feeding her high calorie diets. Took her to the vet every three months. Vet said she is healthy and will put on weight when she slows down. That took two years. I was worried someone was going to call on me for neglect so I kept taking her to the vet. I could see every spine bone and her ribs. They dog literally would not stop moving from the time the lights went on in the morning till they went off at night. She was crated during the day to help her conserve energy. Sometimes dogs are just very thin no matter what you do. I tried everything, but the dog would only eat so much. You can't force feed a dog. This dog is not driven by food. I could put her favorite human dish on the floor next to a pheasant wing and she would choose to point the pheasant wing instead of eating. She eats maybe a cup twice a day, although she rarely finishes her food.

[IsmQui718]

That pup needs a ton of exercise as mentioned by others. A tired dog will not destroy anything. Crating when nobody is home is an absolute must when nobody is home. As far as beds are concerned, I don't invest too much on fancy beds until they are grown past the destructive puppy phase. Used cheap $6 fleece blankets for my dogs when they were puppies, as they'd trash their beds.

I don't recommend leaving puppies unattended in the year for long periods of time. That's a recipe for mischief. Also, you run the risk of him escaping the yard.


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[IsmQui718]

Also, in terms of correct body weight for a dog, you should be able to feel the dogs ribs very easily, but not see them. Some dogs who are EXTREMELY active will have a rib or two showing (body score of 4/9) but it's usually because they require a higher calorie diet.


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[KingWheatley]

That pup needs a ton of exercise as mentioned by others. A tired dog will not destroy anything. Crating when nobody is home is an absolute must when nobody is home. As far as beds are concerned, I don't invest too much on fancy beds until they are grown past the destructive puppy phase. Used cheap $6 fleece blankets for my dogs when they were puppies, as they'd trash their beds.

I don't recommend leaving puppies unattended in the year for long periods of time. That's a recipe for mischief. Also, you run the risk of him escaping the yard.


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I will do what I can to help, but as far as purchasing toys and such, I have to leave that up to my roommate. I'm not going to be permanent in the family, so I've been trying to keep the puppy from attaching to me.


Herp Derp