doggydawg Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 Hi everyone, I'm new here and I just got my 14-week old male Labrador Retriever puppy yesterday. While it's all very exciting, I can't help but be concerned about his nutrition and training, I'm new to dog-ownership. I'm at Armadale and the only place I could find that offered puppy preschool was Prahran Vets. Also, he has been fed a generic type food so far (the breeder is registered) and I would like to change it to something better, but don't quite know which brand to switch to. Any advice is greatly appreciated, I only want the best for my puppy but I'm afraid he might be a little old? (since puppy schools are usually up to 12 weeks) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 Congrats on your new pup! Do you have photos? We run puppy schools that allow dogs up until 16 weeks. Its important that you make sure your puppy school is well run, preferably by a qualified trainer who has experience with young dogs and is open to a range of techniques depending on the puppy. It should not be a puppy free for all and controlled play is an absolute must! If you are new to dog ownership, a one on one session can also be very beneficial to run you through any teething problems and answer any questions without the distraction of the group class. With regards to food, i feed a raw diet to my dogs but this does take some preparation. I'm sure someone else will come along and recommend some dry foods for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Hi! We started my pup at pre school when she was 11 weeks but weren't happy with how it was run so we have enrolled her into another one which is great! She started this week at 14 weeks so when she finishes she'll be 18 weeks so i think you should be able to find somewhere that would let her in. As for diet we're feeding our girl a mix of raw and dry food. She gets a variety of foods including raw bones, mince (chicken, beef), sardines, tuna and vegies and her dry is Eagle pack holistic and she LOVES it. I was a bit overwhelmed about what to feed etc as there are so many different opinions but she loves what she gets and is putting on weight at a healthy rate with good firm stools so hey, it must be working! Good luck with the pup!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisovar Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Hi everyone, I'm new here and I just got my 14-week old male Labrador Retriever puppy yesterday. While it's all very exciting, I can't help but be concerned about his nutrition and training, I'm new to dog-ownership. I'm at Armadale and the only place I could find that offered puppy preschool was Prahran Vets. Also, he has been fed a generic type food so far (the breeder is registered) and I would like to change it to something better, but don't quite know which brand to switch to. Any advice is greatly appreciated, I only want the best for my puppy but I'm afraid he might be a little old? (since puppy schools are usually up to 12 weeks) Whatever you decide to do with his diet do it SLOWLY, introduce new foods over time to allow his tummy to adjust, sudden changes can cause quite violent upsets in young pups. What brand of food is he currently eating? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sooty.pepper Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 I've been told that any of the Advance, IAMS, Eukanuba, Science Hills Diet, Royal Canin, Eagle Pack etc are top of the range feeds. As Crisovar said, it is essential that you introduce any changes in diet very slowly by mixing the feeds together. The last thing you need is a pup with an upset tum! Good luck with your little one. Lab's are a joy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doggydawg Posted September 10, 2008 Author Share Posted September 10, 2008 Hey everyone, thanks for all the advice. I've managed to find a puppy school that takes in 14 week old pups so I hope that works out! As for food.. we just came back from the pet store with Royal Canin Lab Retriever, we figured if there's anything new to try it should be good to start there! Yes we're very excited about our pup, we have 2 cats too and I can't wait till we can properly introduce them. All the websites say to start slow and easy so that's what we're doing.. doesn't help that I'm excited about having all my little furry friends together Once again thanks everyone for your input.. I may start him on raw but I'm sure that takes a lot of research so it won't be soon. And I'll definitely do it slowly.. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebette Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Congrats on your new pup! My Lab puppy is 14 weeks old now and quite a handful! I'll get him under control one of these days Make sure you pop into the Labrador thread in the Breeds section and show off your new addition. We are a friendly bunch and more than happy to help out with any Lab specific help you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted September 11, 2008 Share Posted September 11, 2008 (edited) Royal Canin is a great food you cannot go wrong with it. I have recommended it to clients and use it myself. One thing to remember is fat labrador fitter labrador with a waist, low body fat coverage Sorry its a pet hate - as a nurse and trainer seeing so many labradors that are fat. Unfortunately its a perceived standard they are rolly polly doggies but it breaks my heart. A thin dog with good muscle tone and nutrition is a happy, longer lived dog then the chubby arthritic labs you see waddling around. And remember obesity is considered 15% over their perfect body weight. Your dogs shape will depend on its lines and breeding, but if you can't see a waist or those ribs have a nice layer of fat, time to decrease the total food per day Also labs are hunting dogs so get out there and do a brain sport with them - obedience, agility, flyball, tracking etc even if its just you mucking around in your backyard your dog will be happier if you do a mentally challenging activity a couple of times a week. Walks are great for getting out and burning off a little energy but overall they dont really challenge the dogs brain that much long term. OK back to our normal programming :D Edited September 11, 2008 by Nekhbet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAX Posted September 11, 2008 Share Posted September 11, 2008 Welcome to DOL and congratulations on your new puppy. If you mean Armidale NSW, it has a great dog training club, they also hold three Agility and Obedience trials each year and teach weekly dog training. Your puppy is the right age to start training as long as he has had his second vaccination which he should of. I have attacked the link to ADTC website so you can have a look. Good Luck and happy training. :D http://www.armidaledogtraining.org/photos.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSDhandler Posted September 11, 2008 Share Posted September 11, 2008 i used to use science diet, super coat and optimum. most went down well, i thought the science diet was great, till i found royal canin, i swear by the stuff, i have her on that with a half raw diet. she is thriving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odin-Genie Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 (edited) My elkhound has a sensitive stomach so raw food doesn't go down too well. I have changed their diet from Eukanuba to Hills Science, and it seems to work well for my golden retriever's coat. Edited September 16, 2008 by Anu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now