First time owner. Meet Lola!

**Medwa** · 07-01-2011, 10:50 AM

Hey guys. I'm Mike from Georgia and I'm a first time lab owner. My wife and I brought home Lola last Thursday and have fallen in love with her quickly. It is frustrating, however, having such a young puppy. Lola is about 6 weeks old, a lab/retriever mix, and a real handful. I realize that puppies aren't supposed to be separated from their mother at this young age, but it is what it is I guess. The owners were looking to get the litter good homes, and she was free, so we grabbed her up.

So far we have her completely crate trained and she has done a good job with that. We are still struggling with house training and walking on her leash, though. We have a pretty regular feeding schedule of three times a day, usually morning, noon and evening. We take her outside to eliminate about 15-20 minutes after eating. In addition to after her meals, I take her outside every time she wakes from a sleep (which is quite often), and sometimes when I need a pinch of tobacco. Somehow, even with all of the trips outside, she still manages to eliminate in the house frequently. It wouldn't be such an issue, but her stool is ALWAYS soft. Is that normal? We have her first visit to the vet next Tuesday, so I will bring that up to them then.

Walking her on a leash is also a struggle. She constantly fights with and bites it. I tried standing still until she drops the leash, but as soon as I attempt to move with her again she picks it back up and goes to fighting with it again. I realize that she's very young and will probably grow accustomed to it in time, but it is just frustrating I guess.

That being said, I don't want to seem negative about her. She has been a complete blessing to my wife and I, and we are excited to have her as a part of our family. Thanks in advance for any advice. And I love the forum here. I'm looking forward to meeting yall and becoming a part of the community.

**Mely1015** · 07-05-2011, 03:44 AM

Hi Mike...she is a cutie! Im not an expert but the issue with poop could be either worms or the food...check with the vet. And for pups as young as her you need to take her out every our and lots of praise when she goes potty specially so she gets used to the texture of grass on her paws instead of floors.

I'm my self have a new puppy, but she is 16 weeks now.

**Sophiesmama** · 07-05-2011, 04:07 AM

The loose stools are probably the food you give her. Give a good quality food with real meat as the first ingredient. Also plain yogurt about a spoonful or two is good for the digestion. If her stools are soft but not runny, it is prob too much fat in the food. As far as the leash goes, she is really young. We tried a leash a time or two with Sophie at 8 weeks and all she wanted to do is bite it. Now at 11 weeks she does better, still has times where she isn't as cooperative. Remember only leash them for a few minutes at a time at first. Don't try long walks especially on pavement as their bones are young and soft.

**kassabella** · 07-05-2011, 04:20 AM

Welcome.

My Lab Kassa took forever to house train. Your pup is stil young and it will click. Others who know best will give you advise on the leash, but I didn't have a leash on Kassa until she was over 12 weeks old. Then it was a small collar with a ribbon attached to get her used to it around the house.

**Tanya** · 07-05-2011, 07:12 AM

are you walking her outside on the street? she is still to young for that, she should just be walking in your yard/house. maybe a playdate with a solid dog friend at their place at most or visits to friends. they are very suseptable to get sick (very sick) at that age and there are LOTS of bugs they can catch util they have had all their shots. Definately do some research on balancing health and socizliation. I would just let her drag hte leash at that age to get used to it. and be more exiing than chewing hte leash (high pitch voice).

soft poops are not good, it coudl be in part due to stress. are you feeding what she was eating before you got her or did you change foods? I would definately talk to the vet about this and have them check her stool.

in your post on the other board I gave you tips for hte peeing inside.

**BigBrownDog** · 07-05-2011, 08:08 AM

Welcome to the Forum! She is a cutie!

Now - your expectations all around are just too high for such a young puppy. She is not physically capable of holding it for very long. It'll be at least another month -6 weeks before you can expect to be free of most accidents - be patient.

You can also expect that she will be mouthier because she did not have the benefit of those important last 2 weeks in the litter with her sibs - you should be prepared for this.

I would absolutely not take her off your property at this age. She should be brought out to the yard to eliminate and brought back in. When you take her off the property you expose her to potentially deadly illnesses that can float around where other dogs and animals have been. I highly doubt that she got any vaccinations at the "breeder" you got her from, correct? Until she has a couple of rounds of shots in her and she is 10 weeks old minimum - you should keep her on the property.

For other new puppy owners reading this - a vet visit in the first couple of days you have a puppy is important. While at the vet HOLD the puppy on your lap - do not allow him/her on the floor. Other sick dogs have been there and - trust me - that floor is not getting disinfected throughout the day. No contact with strange dogs (where you are not 100% sure of their vax status). She probably has worms, so be sure to bring a fecal sample.

I'd never add additional calcium (yogurt) into a small puppy's diet. Added calcium can make the puppy grow too fast which can impact their joints negatively. The puppy food you choose should have all the nutrients needed for normal growth.

**Owned_by_Titus** · 07-06-2011, 08:42 AM

Welcome Mike! I too am a new Labrador owner! My pup Titus is now 10 1/2 weeks old. We also got Titus at 6 weeks. Its very young to be away from mom and littermates. What puppies learn in weeks 6-8 with their littermates is important, so we have to show them what they have missed learning. The main thing they learn is that biting HURTS! Puppies taken away from the litter early tend to be more "mouthy". They havent learned that biting an ear hurts! The leash walking sounds normal. Titus still will bite at his leash sometimes while walking. Lola will catch on soon. Keep your training sessions short, about 5 mins. She will lose attention quickely at this young age.
She is definatly a cutie!