husky/lab pup

[reksav]

my girlfriend and i picked up a husky/lab pup about 2wks ago, he was 8wks at the time. now ive never had a dog before and my girlfriends experience is limited at best. flint is nearly house broken (a few accidents here and there, about once a day at this point), he comes when you call and sits when you tell him to (atleast he does for me). we put a harness (without a leash) on him when we take him out and he stays right with us, doesnt get more than 15ft from you without turning back. we live in the country on a 5 acre lot surrounded by apply orchards with no neighbors no real traffic on our road so he has plenty of room to run and play. if we take the harness off outside he just lays down and wont move, im not sure why or where he picked that up from. everything seems to be going great right now with a few exceptions but im wondering what else i could expect from flint as he gets older/bigger. how big will he get? also my girlfriends cat thinks hes a dog but hes overweight and lazy now, he likes to lay with the dog but when the dog is awake he isnt such a big fan of this and bites the cat trying to get him to play with him, is there any way i could help to stop this? flint didnt do the biting on the cat thing until i took him to my parents and he began playing with their blue heeler (mixed with something small that i cant remember, about 20lbs full grown), she loves to play rough. its at that same time he started biting our hands when we pet him... any tips how to stop this when its people and cats the dog is playing with? also flint is about 25lbs right now, any ideas on how big he could get?

well any tips would be great... i know i sure could use em.

[clm]

Puppy classes are where you want to go when he hits 12 weeks old or after his second set of shots. They'll address bite inhibition and get him on the road to being a well behaved dog. In the meantime if you google puppy bite inhibition, you should find some articles on how to curb the behavior. You may even find some articles on the Pets.ca website.

I have no idea how big your pup is going to get, labs can get pretty big and husky's are smaller and slighter, so it's hard to say.

As for house training, he'll need to be approx 12 weeks old before he'll be able to hold his bladder for any length of time, so first thing every morning, everytime he wakes up from a nap, after he's been chewing on something for any lenght of time and after any excitement in the house, get him outside cause he'll have to go .

Have fun with your pup. You should post some pics in the photo section.

Cindy

[~michelle~]

it will be hard to tell how big he gets because it depends on his parents some labs are bigger and some smaller and same with huskies so its hard to tell.


this is going to be a very active and hyper breed!

i would also suggest being sure to limit all jumping on people starting now!!! its cute for the first few months but not so much fun when the dog is 8 months old

good luck and post some photos

also since you got your dog at 6 weeks it may have some issues around socialization ( you got him a little bit earlier then he should have been taken from his litter) once he has his 2nd set of shots socialize him with alot of dogs and puppies!

[Ford Girl]

There are all kinds of stages of development (some good, some bad, LOL!!!), google "puppy development", you will find all kinds of info by age and what to expect. Also, when you take him in for a check up and/or vacines, prepare a list of things you want to ask your vet, as well have your vet show you how to clip the pooches nails, clean the ears, etc...make the most of your appt.

Sign up for a puppy class for sure, if they are offered near by, and begin socialization as soon as possible, followed by an obediance class if needed.

At 8 weeks old they need to be taugh bite inhabition, they learn this every time they play with dogs, and the cats should tell him off as well, animals teach animals, it's your job to teach it how to behave around humans.

A book I found helpful is the Puppies For Dummies book, simple, easy reading and covers everything from nutrition to grooming to stages of development, kenneling, as well as health issues, behavioral issues and what is expected of you as the leader. Good luck, and post some pics!

[reksav]

thanks for all the tips, ill be looking into classes for him and will be picking up that book tomorrow. also i posted a few (bad) pictures in the photo section. thanks again

[H.P.]

Your baby is so cute! You need to train him as soon as possible, not to rough house with the kitty. Huskies tend to have a very high prey drive, but if you teach him now to be easy with the cat they should be fine. My dog, as best we can tell is a lab/malamute mix, at 10 weeks, she was about 14 lbs. She gained about 2 lbs a week until she was about 7 months and 48 lbs, she still weighs that and is almost 1 year. It really does depend on the parents though, and your vet might be able to give you a ballpark figure, judging from her frame, and their experience. Have Fun!

[collleen_1234]

Hello, Reksav.

I would just like to imform you of how lucky you are! I have a lab/husky cross who is about 2 and a half years old now. His name is Sandy. At his age he is now an adult and weighs 29kg. He is about 40cm high and is yellow with brown eyes. Of all the dogs I have had he has been the easiest to train and he can now sit, answer to his name, paw, beg, stay, liedown, rollover and my favourite do the highjump! The best way to train him was with treats! Why I say you are lucky is that he is the most gentle, halarious and fun loving dog ever! He is very good with children and has never attempted to bite any dog or human. I wish you many happy years with Flint!