- Location
- Herefordshire, UK
Best advice re puppies
- Thread starter JLynne
- Start date
Candy
Biscuit Tin Guardian
- Location
- West Yorkshire, UK
Hello @JLynne and a big Welcome to you and your lovely Bailey from me and my small and sweet black Lab Joy, now five years old .Joy is my 5th Labrador and the 4th dog I have brought up from being a tiny pup. They have all been very different and all felt like hard work at the time, but looking back the hard work time seems like nothing at all compared to the loving companions they have grown to be and the great times we have had over the years. They have also all been so different, apart from the fairly standard Labrador traits of being gentle, loving and somewhat food obsessed. As far as advice re bringing up Bailey goes you have probably already done the best thing just by connecting with this friendly and very supportive forum, where there is a wealth of experience. 'This too will pass' is a mantra already mentioned by someone else and well worth hanging on to. One day you'll look at your lovely dog, possibly slightly greying around her muzzle and think 'Where has the time gone?' So listen to the good, wise and kind advice you'll be given here and most of all love your dog. Then I think it will all work out fine.
What lovely and much appreciated advice! Thank you for your wise words that have come at a challenging time. My husband and I have been working daily with Bailey this week to practice using a ramp to load up in the car. We kept it flat on the living room floor, praise her for taking steps on it and rewarding her with treats for each 3 or 4 steps. Gradually we set it up at a slight incline in the house for her to get the feel of loading up in the car. Today we set it up with a sight incline to practice getting up in the back of the car. It was a discouraging experience. She pulled on her leash, backed away and would not take the first step even with our practiced routine. I need to be able to load her up so that I can take her to the veterinarian to receive her next shots. I’ve watched videos but have no idea what to do to help her accomplish this.Hello @JLynne and a big Welcome to you and your lovely Bailey from me and my small and sweet black Lab Joy, now five years old .Joy is my 5th Labrador and the 4th dog I have brought up from being a tiny pup. They have all been very different and all felt like hard work at the time, but looking back the hard work time seems like nothing at all compared to the loving companions they have grown to be and the great times we have had over the years. They have also all been so different, apart from the fairly standard Labrador traits of being gentle, loving and somewhat food obsessed. As far as advice re bringing up Bailey goes you have probably already done the best thing just by connecting with this friendly and very supportive forum, where there is a wealth of experience. 'This too will pass' is a mantra already mentioned by someone else and well worth hanging on to. One day you'll look at your lovely dog, possibly slightly greying around her muzzle and think 'Where has the time gone?' So listen to the good, wise and kind advice you'll be given here and most of all love your dog. Then I think it will all work out fine.
Any ideas?
Candy
Biscuit Tin Guardian
- Location
- West Yorkshire, UK
Hello again! Just out of interest, is there any reason why Bailey needs to use a ramp to get into the car at the moment? Can she be lifted or jump in? Joy absolutely adores going in cars and has infact tried to jump into the cars of total strangers just when we happened to be passing! The reason for this I believe is because she totally associates going in the car with going to lovely places, so the car means a new walk, a holiday, visiting someone she loves, the seaside....just all lovely stuff! We thought we would have to train our previous Lab, Solstice to use a ramp after she'd had cruciate ligament surgery. We tried all the things recommended in the literature and she looked at us as if we were a bit mad. In the end we just put the ramp up to the back of the car and she trotted up it as calm and happy as anything with no encouragement whatsoever. She also associated the car with FUN!
I'm no expert, I just love my dogs and we muddle along happily together, but it seems to me that our Labs love to play, love fun and games, love food and love us, so if we can learn to incorporate this into what we'd like them to be able to do in order to make life more pleasant and easier for them and us, then that's what seems to work best for everyone.
Our lovely dogs are very sensitive beings who pick up quickly on our feelings. If we're feeling ' This is hard and it's not working and I'm not happy ' then so are they. So then we need to change it all around, make it fun, a game with rewards, in short we need to learn to be more Dog! Then we'll all be much happier. Have lots of fun with your gorgeous girl, I do with mine now, whilst also understanding that it can take a little while to get there. That's just relationship building though. xxx
I'm no expert, I just love my dogs and we muddle along happily together, but it seems to me that our Labs love to play, love fun and games, love food and love us, so if we can learn to incorporate this into what we'd like them to be able to do in order to make life more pleasant and easier for them and us, then that's what seems to work best for everyone.
Our lovely dogs are very sensitive beings who pick up quickly on our feelings. If we're feeling ' This is hard and it's not working and I'm not happy ' then so are they. So then we need to change it all around, make it fun, a game with rewards, in short we need to learn to be more Dog! Then we'll all be much happier. Have lots of fun with your gorgeous girl, I do with mine now, whilst also understanding that it can take a little while to get there. That's just relationship building though. xxx
Hello! Thank you so much for your response. We purchased the ramp to help Bailey get in the car since it’s a pretty big step from the garage floor to the car. Our puppy coach thought it would make the transition in to the car easier for her. She is not willing to get in to the car at all, and she is too heavy and wiggly for me to pick her up safely. Bailey has been a part of our family for three weeks, and we have only made two trips with her, both of which went smoothly for her. You have given me such wonderful advice about how to use the associations that dogs make so that they can have a happy life. (Such a sweet story about your Joy!). I am always trying to make her feel that the things we ask of her are fun and rewarding. Being able to happily and confidently get in the car is so important for all of us, and I wanted to be sure I could find a way to do that for Bailey. I really appreciate your words of wisdom.Hello again! Just out of interest, is there any reason why Bailey needs to use a ramp to get into the car at the moment? Can she be lifted or jump in? Joy absolutely adores going in cars and has infact tried to jump into the cars of total strangers just when we happened to be passing! The reason for this I believe is because she totally associates going in the car with going to lovely places, so the car means a new walk, a holiday, visiting someone she loves, the seaside....just all lovely stuff! We thought we would have to train our previous Lab, Solstice to use a ramp after she'd had cruciate ligament surgery. We tried all the things recommended in the literature and she looked at us as if we were a bit mad. In the end we just put the ramp up to the back of the car and she trotted up it as calm and happy as anything with no encouragement whatsoever. She also associated the car with FUN!
I'm no expert, I just love my dogs and we muddle along happily together, but it seems to me that our Labs love to play, love fun and games, love food and love us, so if we can learn to incorporate this into what we'd like them to be able to do in order to make life more pleasant and easier for them and us, then that's what seems to work best for everyone.
Our lovely dogs are very sensitive beings who pick up quickly on our feelings. If we're feeling ' This is hard and it's not working and I'm not happy ' then so are they. So then we need to change it all around, make it fun, a game with rewards, in short we need to learn to be more Dog! Then we'll all be much happier. Have lots of fun with your gorgeous girl, I do with mine now, whilst also understanding that it can take a little while to get there. That's just relationship building though. xxx
Lisa
Moderator
- Location
- Alberta, Canada
Tossing a treat in the car almost always works for my Simba….he will do pretty much anything for a piece of kibble. 
I think it's a super idea to use a ramp @JLynne - I know there are plenty that don't need them, and they can be a bit unwieldy - but we use a ramp with Kipper to reduce impact on his joints and I'll always use them with future pups now.
It sounds like you've done everything brilliantly in terms of getting Bayley used to the ramp, and it's frustrating that the last step hasn't quite worked yet - but I'm certain you can get there. I know you're keen to use it for her next shots - how far away is that?
Firstly I'd move back a few stages to where you're certain she's comfortable. Maybe all the way to having the ramp flat on the ground, maybe having it slightly propped up. Carry on as you were in making it the comfiest, most familiar piece of equipment; if possible, leave it out and when she's distracted in the house, or having a nap etc. - then pop out and leave some high value treats on it. Maybe play some games she's comfy with on it - if she knows Middle, then stand over the ramp so she trots onto it to put her head between your legs, or play 'two up' on the end of the ramp. Once you're sure she's relaxed with this, move on to the next stage - tilting it a bit - and then repeat with lots of space for breaks. If you see hesitation or any concern, step back a stage.
The next thing to think about is the car environment as this might have had a few things that were different as well as the ramp. For example, do you usually put on her harness and lead to go towards the car? Is there gravel that makes a different noise under the ramp? Does the boot lid cast a shadow? Does the ramp make a noise? Not suggesting that you might be able to change any/all of these things, but it's worth noticing the number of different things to help see it from Bayley's perspective. There's a lot of things going on for a youngster!
It sounds like you've done everything brilliantly in terms of getting Bayley used to the ramp, and it's frustrating that the last step hasn't quite worked yet - but I'm certain you can get there. I know you're keen to use it for her next shots - how far away is that?
Firstly I'd move back a few stages to where you're certain she's comfortable. Maybe all the way to having the ramp flat on the ground, maybe having it slightly propped up. Carry on as you were in making it the comfiest, most familiar piece of equipment; if possible, leave it out and when she's distracted in the house, or having a nap etc. - then pop out and leave some high value treats on it. Maybe play some games she's comfy with on it - if she knows Middle, then stand over the ramp so she trots onto it to put her head between your legs, or play 'two up' on the end of the ramp. Once you're sure she's relaxed with this, move on to the next stage - tilting it a bit - and then repeat with lots of space for breaks. If you see hesitation or any concern, step back a stage.
The next thing to think about is the car environment as this might have had a few things that were different as well as the ramp. For example, do you usually put on her harness and lead to go towards the car? Is there gravel that makes a different noise under the ramp? Does the boot lid cast a shadow? Does the ramp make a noise? Not suggesting that you might be able to change any/all of these things, but it's worth noticing the number of different things to help see it from Bayley's perspective. There's a lot of things going on for a youngster!