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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Introducing…

57 replies

Dooglydog · 10/01/2024 19:48

I went to visit my future dog today. He was born may last year, and will come home sometime this summer.

he is bloody gorgeous, and just so scrumptious. I’ve never had a Labrador, but I think I’m converted 😂 he’s a working line lab.

isn’t he just beautiful.

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Dooglydog · 24/01/2024 21:29

I got this picture of him on Monday. I go to visit him again next week with my dad this time, who wants to meet him.

also this my older dog, I just thought I would share him too. He bloody lovely. I love this picture 😂. Sometimes my lip gets stuck on my teeth.

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MysticalMegx · 25/01/2024 16:34

Ahh beautiful 🤗

NormaLouiseBates · 25/01/2024 19:07

I bet you can't wait until he can come home!

I'm very intrigued by this training program and can definitely see the appeal in getting a ready trained dog!

Dooglydog · 13/02/2024 23:04

I have visited him twice since I last posted.

this time we did some heel work, and played a little bit of fetch.

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Dooglydog · 08/04/2024 22:58

Thought I would update as it has been nearly two months.

he doing brilliantly imho 😂

he’s really very good at walking to heel on lead, and we did a wee bit off lead (which was okay but not great, but he’s only a baby still).

he’s also pretty good at sitting and lying down (not every time but he is doing good).

and staying (no command for that, but there is a release command) the aim is that he’ll sit or lie down when you tell him to and then stay there till you release him. He is pretty good, not all the time but most of the time he is. He was laid down, I walked away, wandered past him while looking and a bit of talking, there were some other dogs and a cat, and he still stayed. The couple times he did get up he walked a couple steps and I went up to him told him to go back into the sit/down and 80-90% of the time he was straight back into it.

honestly, he is just wonderful. I just didn’t want to leave him, I just wanted to sit with him forever. But I feel so bad as I feel like I’m cheating on my wee doggy at home with him.

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ilovesushi · 09/04/2024 20:19

He is just gorgeous! Labs are the best.

Riverlee · 10/04/2024 07:47

He’s lovely. Great name.

Blistory · 10/04/2024 07:57

Can I ask what's been happening with him since he was born in May last year ?

I'm just surprised by the fact that his training is so basic and he's not reliable with his commands at his age. Particularly given that he's a lab and with a dedicated trainer.

You said you paid a lot of money for him so I'd expect bomb proof for the basics of walking on lead, recall, sit and stay etc at the very least

Youdontknowmedoyou · 10/04/2024 08:02

Has he met your other dog yet?
He's gorgeous.

fieldsofbutterflies · 10/04/2024 09:12

Blistory · 10/04/2024 07:57

Can I ask what's been happening with him since he was born in May last year ?

I'm just surprised by the fact that his training is so basic and he's not reliable with his commands at his age. Particularly given that he's a lab and with a dedicated trainer.

You said you paid a lot of money for him so I'd expect bomb proof for the basics of walking on lead, recall, sit and stay etc at the very least

I was going to say similar.

A nearly one year old dog who has been in training since birth should be sitting, lying down and recalling 99% of the time without issue, surely?

He looks lovely but it sounds like the breeder/trainer maybe isn't as experienced as they're making out to be?

Dooglydog · 10/04/2024 10:36

Blistory · 10/04/2024 07:57

Can I ask what's been happening with him since he was born in May last year ?

I'm just surprised by the fact that his training is so basic and he's not reliable with his commands at his age. Particularly given that he's a lab and with a dedicated trainer.

You said you paid a lot of money for him so I'd expect bomb proof for the basics of walking on lead, recall, sit and stay etc at the very least

They only really start training when they’re around 7 months old, apart from the usual toilet training and stuff. They don’t choose the dog for you until around 6-7 months, because they wait for them to develop more rather than picking a puppy at 8 weeks and going this is the one for you, when at that age it’s a tiny baby and honestly who the fuck knows what it’s gonna be like when it’s an adult.

they are very experienced and have a ridiculously good success rate of matching dogs to people. And if the dog becomes unsuitable for what you want it for while it grows and is trained by them, they will say so and choose another dog for you. It’s all in house. They’re a gundog trainer fundamentally.

hes also only 10 months old, so I certainly wouldn’t expect him to be bomb proof at this age, maybe it’s different if you have a puppy from 8 weeks and start from the very beginning. But these guys they let the dog develop with some training and then start properly once they’re a bit older. The dog if it’s being trained to a well trained pet level doesn’t leave until 12-16 months depending on the dog.

its just how they do it, I guess, and it seems to work very well.

i hope that makes sense.

another similar sort of place I looked at, choose the dog at between 8 and 12 weeks old and then the dog is ready to go at 8 months old. I wasn’t keen on that because, while I’m sure it works for many people, I just wanted to take it a bit slower, get a slightly older dog, and make sure I’m getting the most suitable dog for me.

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Dooglydog · 10/04/2024 10:39

Youdontknowmedoyou · 10/04/2024 08:02

Has he met your other dog yet?
He's gorgeous.

No not yet. I think maybe June/July time depending on when he is getting ready to come home. But I’m not totally sure at this point.

my dog is intrigued by my shoes when I come back each time. I feel like I’m cheating on him 😂

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Blistory · 10/04/2024 10:44

Fair enough.

I don't get it and I don't supppose I ever will. I'd be concerned about what is happening with the dog in the long months whilst it's not being trained. Who's looking after it, where does it live, why can't it be with you if it's not being trained ?

Why hand over a 'part trained' dog at prime teenage stage to someone who hasn't bonded with it ? And which hasn't had the chance to meet/bond with the existing dog.

And sorry but for a lab being trained, I'd want bomb proof at 11 months for those basic skills.

Dooglydog · 10/04/2024 11:16

Blistory · 10/04/2024 10:44

Fair enough.

I don't get it and I don't supppose I ever will. I'd be concerned about what is happening with the dog in the long months whilst it's not being trained. Who's looking after it, where does it live, why can't it be with you if it's not being trained ?

Why hand over a 'part trained' dog at prime teenage stage to someone who hasn't bonded with it ? And which hasn't had the chance to meet/bond with the existing dog.

And sorry but for a lab being trained, I'd want bomb proof at 11 months for those basic skills.

Edited

I totally understand your concerns, and I can very much see them and I had all the same ones.

i researched and went down a few times to check them out, discuss with the owner there and other people who have had dogs from them and the necessary and over and above necessary.

I do visit regularly, both to bond, train me and him. I know it’s not the same bonding as having a puppy from 10 weeks and growing up with the pup.

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Hoppinggreen · 10/04/2024 11:21

He is absolutely gorgeous but I have to admit that I find the whole thing a bit strange, I imagine you are being charged a fortune for something that I feel you could have probably done yourself (and enjoyed). The fact that you seem to be struggling to pay for it all is a bit concerning as well.
However, I am sure you know far more about the circumstances etc so I hope you get him home asap and it all works out how you hoped.

fieldsofbutterflies · 10/04/2024 11:38

Blistory · 10/04/2024 10:44

Fair enough.

I don't get it and I don't supppose I ever will. I'd be concerned about what is happening with the dog in the long months whilst it's not being trained. Who's looking after it, where does it live, why can't it be with you if it's not being trained ?

Why hand over a 'part trained' dog at prime teenage stage to someone who hasn't bonded with it ? And which hasn't had the chance to meet/bond with the existing dog.

And sorry but for a lab being trained, I'd want bomb proof at 11 months for those basic skills.

Edited

Absolutely - it makes no sense and it especially doesn't make sense that they don't start proper from day one.

Puppies should be learning the basics from at 6/8 weeks, not 6-8 months. At this stage I'd absolutely d or.ce

fieldsofbutterflies · 10/04/2024 11:39

Oops!

I'd absolutely expect a professionally trained Labrador to be able to sit, stay, down, recall and walk to heel the vast, vast majority of the time at 8-10 months.

Dooglydog · 10/04/2024 11:58

Hoppinggreen · 10/04/2024 11:21

He is absolutely gorgeous but I have to admit that I find the whole thing a bit strange, I imagine you are being charged a fortune for something that I feel you could have probably done yourself (and enjoyed). The fact that you seem to be struggling to pay for it all is a bit concerning as well.
However, I am sure you know far more about the circumstances etc so I hope you get him home asap and it all works out how you hoped.

Im doing it this way because there’s no way in hell I can cope with a puppy. I’m autistic/adhd and have some mental health issues, and I’m not totally overwhelming myself with a tiny baby. I did it in 2019, and whilst my dog is absolutely bloody brilliant I needed a hell of a lot of help. And it totally and completely overwhelmed me. And it was a hell of a lot more than the average puppy blues. And I was in a pretty good position then.

puppies are not for me, I’m not doing it. I cope really well with a 1+ year old dog. So that’s why I am doing it this way.

i can afford it, I just need to save very well, I don’t have an income apart from my disability benefits. And I’m certainly not gonna let my dad pay the rest of it, he very kindly paid the deposit, but I’m not putting anymore on him.

the dog will have a specific purpose/job hopefully. There’s just a much much higher chance he will succeed if I do it this way, rather than picking a puppy myself and largely hoping for the best.

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Dooglydog · 10/04/2024 12:00

Anyway, I’m not totally sure why I’m explaining all this because the main goal of this thread was to share cute pics of my dog and do the odd little progress report.

but I know people here care very much for dogs and want to make sure everything is good (which I do too, so I understand).

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Hoppinggreen · 10/04/2024 12:06

I am really sorry but I would still have concerns, which to be fair are actually none of my business but its an open forum so I am going to express tham anyway.
If you cant cope with a puppy due to your ADHD and MH another dog of any kind may make things worse. My MH is pretty good but DDog seriously made a dent in it.
Dogs can be very expensive and you will need insurance etc, can you afford that just on your disability benefits?
My concern is that you may be getting taken advantage of here by people charging you huge amounts for a dog that you may not be able to afford long term and promising you a "perfect dog", which he may not be.
Your existing dog is about to have a large bouncy dog move in with him - he should have met any new addition before you made a decision and a breeder not insisting on that raises alarm bells with me I am afraid

NerdWhoEatsMedlar · 10/04/2024 12:08

He's beautiful. Hopefully he is going to be a very useful and loving companion.

It is really common for working dogs to be sold/released later than pet dogs.

Ihateboris · 10/04/2024 12:12

Oh how adorable 😍
Fellow fox red lab owner here...I have three!!Such a wonderful breed x

drivinmecrazy · 10/04/2024 12:17

I have a gun dog, a Weimaraner.
They are incredibly stubborn and notoriously difficult to train.
He's now 14 months old and could do all yours can do with certainty by nine months.
The idea that gundog trainers don't train from the word dot is rubbish.
How can you build in the complexities of field training if you haven't got the bare bones?
He is a beautiful dog though and I can understand the idea that you pay a premium for a trained puppy, but two people I know that went down this route had their puppy with their family far sooner than a year!

Dooglydog · 10/04/2024 12:29

Hoppinggreen · 10/04/2024 12:06

I am really sorry but I would still have concerns, which to be fair are actually none of my business but its an open forum so I am going to express tham anyway.
If you cant cope with a puppy due to your ADHD and MH another dog of any kind may make things worse. My MH is pretty good but DDog seriously made a dent in it.
Dogs can be very expensive and you will need insurance etc, can you afford that just on your disability benefits?
My concern is that you may be getting taken advantage of here by people charging you huge amounts for a dog that you may not be able to afford long term and promising you a "perfect dog", which he may not be.
Your existing dog is about to have a large bouncy dog move in with him - he should have met any new addition before you made a decision and a breeder not insisting on that raises alarm bells with me I am afraid

I am very aware dogs are very expensive. I live at home so don’t have any expenses bar stuff I want, insurance and the health care plan at the vet for my dog and my cat, Netflix and a few other low cost subscriptions. My dad pays for the main food for the pets and I buy any treats and toys and paraphernalia.

i am walking in with my eyes open, my dad and step mum are on it too. I can most definitely afford long term, I have established all this in advance, I know circumstances can change but we have various things in place to assist if they do.

i may AuDHD etc but im very switched on and very cynical. There are times that im a bit wishy washy but vast majority of the time i am tip top. I just don’t cope with stuff the average person can. But that doesn’t mean I can’t research, evaluate, judge and come to conclusions myself.

my dog is a very sturdy border terrier, with a very good temperament, I don’t particularly have any concerns there, not to say I don’t have any though.

OP posts:
Hoppinggreen · 10/04/2024 12:37

Well it looks like you are going into it with your eyes open at least.
I hope you get to enjoy your lovely new dog soon

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