Biting…This is a tough one. As I have young children I need to get this issue resolved quickly. As with anything consistency is the key. There are a few techniques that I find to work pretty well.

When puppy is biting my hand I push my fingers depp into her mouth. She of course finds it unpleasant (but no painful) and she backs off the hand and I give lots of praise.

Puppys learn what pressure is too hard from their litter mates when the sibling they are biting yelp. It also works with humans, when she bites make a high pitched “yelp” and that will help teach the puppy that biting is not a game and is painful.

Another technique that works is when the puppy starts getting excited and biting turn and walk away or just put your back to her. She will learn that biting means “no fun” very quickly.

You can also try grabbing the muzzle and holding the mouth together use a command “no bite” or “out” or whatever command you choose and will be consistent with.

A combination of all of these techniques may be necessary but just remember to stay consistent.

I know I constantly preach finding a good breeder and the right breed for you and man is our little lab puppy (we called her Kayla) a testimony of that. She really has been better than I could have imagined.

We brought her home and introduced her to her new family and her new home. Her tail was wagging the entire time. I loved it, no nervousness just happy all the time.

I started the crate training immediately. I showed her the crate and let her go inside and around it. Using praise and treats the entire time. After taking her potty I put her inside and shut the door. I kept her close by us so she could still feel like she was part of the action. She never made a fuss. If she would have than the best thing to do is ignore her. Make sure you are taking her out enough to “go potty” but dont go to her while she is making any noise. She will soon learn that making noise means attention and/or getting out of the crate.

She was great at relieving herself as soon as we hit the grass. I praised her like crazy everytime she did. She is so stinking cute! While outside I have her on a leash which she hasnt seemed to mind but is not too interested on walking yet. I have been luring her with toys and treats and she is making improvements.

We already started the come, stay, and sit commands. She is showing good signs of understanding what is expected. We are also using the crate and place commands when she goes into her crate and when I want her in her place, which is a dog bed next to my recliner.

This really is fun stuff. My family is loving her to death and she is returning the favor. I will post again soon with progress.

I have a large family, there is me (of course) my wonderful wife and 5 fantastic children. The family dynamic is changing all the time and a breed that might have been good for us 10 yrs ago may not necessarily be the best breed for us today. I think thats one of the main factors that pushed me to the labrador retriever.

Mine was not a unique choice. The labrador retriever has been the number one breed registered with AKC for more than 10 years. There is a reason its such a popular choice. A well bred labrador retriever will be extremely intelligent, very adaptable, great with children (old and young), and on and on.

There are other breeds that fit this description but the for personal taste and opinion the lab is what we decided on. It may just be that the puppy that melted our hearts happened to be a lab but I would like to think I had something to do with the decision.

I say shes on her way because shes coming from a breeder out of state that is driving her here this Saturday. It has been difficult to not jump in the car and go pick her up myself but we have kept ourselves busy getting ready for her.

Its been a while since we have had a puppy so Im trying to mentally go through all the things to expect and make sure we have a plan when we bring her home. We are going through the house trying to use our “puppy eyes” to make it safe for her and safe for everything we dont want puppy teeth marks in. We have the crate, coller, leash, bed, we picked out what puppy food we want to feed her, we have shampoos and brushes, cleaners for accidents we hope not to have.

It really has been fun getting ready for this new member of our family. Saturday can’t come soon enough. I plan on a semi weekly, if not weekly blog with whats going on with the new pup. What issues we may be having and how we are resolving them. What is working well and what is not going as well as we would like. I hope that it will be helpful to others going through the same experience. This is the most critical 2 to 3 months of the puppies life to help mold her into the perfect family member. I am so excited to get started! I hope you enjoy the journey with me.

I understand that we are human. We have tempers and most of the time if we could have taken a second and not just reacted we would have handled the situation much better. It is the same with kids. The difference is that when we make a mistake with our kids, they are intelligent enough to know that we do make mistakes but still love them. Dogs arent so easy to forget that blow up and every time your hand goes up quickly they are going to remember getting wacked and cower or run away.

None of us want to make mistakes. None of us want to ruin our dogs. My advise is to try to plan ahead for every problem that you might run into and plan on how you will react. “If Fido has an accident on the carpet I will firmly correct with a loud NO and take him out to where he should go to relieve himself. If he finishes in the right area I will praise like crazy.” Try to think up anything that might happen and then plan your reaction. Its always easier to make the right choice when a situation arises if you have already decided how you will react.

It wont be easy but I promise you that it will be worth it. You and your dog will obviously have a much better relationship and be much happier.

I am always so excited to hear how things have been going and try to get over and visit as often as I can. Things have been going so great. The puppy has fit in so beautifully to her new home. The most fulfilling part has been seeing the relationship between the puppy and my brothers wife. She was not what we call “a dog person”. She had many unpleasant experiences with dogs growing up and never thought she would have one. As her kids grew older and some expressed their desire to have a dog she finally gave in.

My brother has always been a dog lover and has always had big dogs. With the eight kids (thats right, eight children) finding a breed that would be able to fit in with everyone and be hardy enough to take the sufficating attention small ones love to give.

There are not a large number of breeds that would have fit in to this household, but having all the background and doing our homework we came up with the perfect fit. She is proving it every day and I am excited for my next update.

Remember that the commitment to a new puppy is huge. You are talking about the next 10 to 15 years. Do your homework, dont make the choice based off the cute wrinkly face. Think it through, match up the breeds the meet your requirements and than go find some reputable breeders. Go visit lots of dogs and lots of puppies. Of course it is difficult to walk away but you will eventually find the one that is perfect for you and your situation.

Good Luck!