Our Pup Won't Walk Past The Front Gate ! He Hates Walks

[Flaves]

I wouldn't put the food into water to slow him down - it may encourage bloat.

Good thought!

How about feeding him his meals in a large black KONG..all stuffed in, with a big piece of meat or cheese to block the hole ...then he will have to work at it..and eat slowly :D

?

THat is a great idea.

OR give him a chicken frame, he HAS to chew that, he cannot just swallow it.

[Doghouse]

Just saw this..

Labs do like to eat, but within the mass growth period I would be feeding more than the 'pet shop' recommendations.. ask your vet..

My girls at 4 months were having 1 lamb shank per second day, lamb brisket or flaps to chew in addition to their three times daily meals.. and then there was puppy milk and our vegetable off casts as well as fresh mince with egg, and our excess meat requirements.. Mine arnt labs, they are working dogs of varying degrees :D and I have never had an issue with being hungry or the vet concerned about being over or under nourished..

Once your dog is through the mass growth period and after desexing I would cut back the food to the twice daily feeds..

[Joan of Arc]

Labs are not pigs, they are dogs!!

However they are inclined to guts thier food down like pigs and that is often a problem. A 4 - 8 month old Lab puppy is a mobile vacuum cleaner when it comes to food.

This is our basic diet for our girls who are now 7 months.

Breakfast - 1/2 cup biscuit and a small chicken frame

Lunch - no longer receiving a lunch meal ( we both work and no one to feed them at home and they are old enough for two meals a day now)

Dinner - 1 cup of biscuits, a handful of mince (sometimes chicken, lamb or beef - or kangaroo when we have it), a piece of lamb flap and then at least once a week we use egg or sardines.

This all varies slightly depending on a few variables but they are in very good condition, not over weight and their coats are shining and healthy.

I agree with the chicken necks being a bit dangerous for some dogs or pups, one of our girls is a swallower so she would never get necks, her litter sister is a methodical chewer and would chew the smallest dog biscuit for ever. She gets necks sometimes. ;)

Give him something that will take longer to eat eg chicken frames, lamb shanks etc, kongs are good but be aware that quite a few male Labs have enourmous jaw strength and will chew away at the actual Kong. We no longer use them because our yellow boy eats them.

All our dogs are trained to sit when we approach with their bowls, and wait until we place the bowls on the ground. They are not allowed to eat unti we release them to do so - you can lengthen the wait time by using the 'leave it' command and then perhaps something like a finger click accompanied by 'eat' or 'have your tea'.

WE also use the 'gentle' command when giving them anything by hand, to ensure that they only 'lip' hand held food - nothing like loosing a fingernail or more to a food orientated Lab (lol).

Lots of walks but not too far just yet, he's a bit young for long walks, always praise and if you are able to find a puppy preschool or the local obedience club - in amongst all these other things he will need socialising. Excercise and social skills are essential for Labs in order to curb thier natural enthusiasm for life. :D

Good luck with your boy he is gorgeous and keep the photos and the progress reports coming.

[ZEUS]

Thanks Doghouse, and a special thanks to Mercedes !

You went into detail and i really appreciate it. I am going to follow everyones advice

Thanks again