Ok, let me give you a quick history on what is going on here. My husband and I have two kids ages 12 and almost 5. We decided to get a puppy and made a big mistake of getting it from a shelter (the puppy was an adorable shepherd/chow mix). I found this website and learned tons of info. I was crate training this puppy and she was doing sooo great! But 4 days after we got her, she was diagnosed with Parvo and we had to take her back to the shelter and have her put down. The kids and we were totally heartbroken. Sooo, NOW we have decided to do this the right way by researching breeds, finding a breeder, etc.
I'm thinking that a Lab retriever would make a nice family dog. We'd like a house dog that is kennel trained. I need help finding reputable breeders (I'm in So. CA) and any advice I can find. I figure we need to wait 4-6 months since our puppy had Parvo and during that time we can be researching and learning about the breed. I found one website that is a breeder with labs and they say that you should NOT crate the puppies (or adult dogs) because they become "hyper" or something. But it doesn't make sense to me to let the puppy roam the house and watch for it's "signal" that it's going to potty. I don't want dog crap all over my house! I know from crate training the puppy that it was very effective and the puppy was very receptive to it and didn't even cry that much when it was crated and when it did, we ignored it.
Any advice you guys can offer me would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks so much.

Oh by the way, this will really be our first puppy that we will be raising and training, so we are very new to all of this.

Gina,
Hi. Sorry about the puppy.
Stay away from that breeder. (Does everyoen else agree?)
I would recommend you try the Yahoo Breed selector. It will give you a multiple choice test and will "recommend" several breeds to you.
Read all the articles on this web site. Ed Frawley is "The Encyclopedia of Dogs".
ALso read posts on this d

Gina,
Hi. Sorry about the puppy.
Stay away from that breeder. (Does everyoneelse agree?)

I would recommend you try the Yahoo Breed selector. It will give you a multiple choice test and will "recommend" several breeds to you.

Read all the articles on this web site. Ed Frawley is "The Encyclopedia of Dogs".
Also read posts on this web site. My experience so far is that everyone here is willing to help.

Ed has a nice selection of videos - check them out. He also has books he recommends.

I am researching GSD breeders right now. I have a short list because it will be 12 to 18 months until we buy a GSD. If a breeder has a "change of attitude" towards me once they find out I am not buying now - they are off my list. This happened to one kennel - it is a shame because I met someone who has one of their dogs and had good things to say about them.

Another thing - use more than one reference. For example, I wanted to learn more about the GSD. I bought "German Shepherds for Dummies" which I found to be helpful. It was a good starting point for me. (I like the dummies series - I find them to be good starting points to learn about things.

I also have "The Ultimate German Shepherd". this one I have skimmed - but some of the same ideas are reiterated in this book as in the Dummies Book.

Also a good breeder should want to know about you nd what you are looking for in a dog et cetera. They should be concerned for the pups welfare.

Good Luck.

Carolyn

lots of people have labs, so they can't all be bad :-). But labs are usually not very relaxed animals inside the house, and that does bother some people. The breed selectors can be helpful because they make you think about what you want in a dog, that said I don't always agree with what they recommend.

On crate training, I don't do it. I teach my pups to target on puppy pads. I am also careful about taking them outside after they have eaten and making sure they go when they are outside. It works well for me. I have heard that it can be counter productive to crate train pups less than 16 weeks of age, they just can not hold it well and once they learn to go in the crate it sort of defeats the purpose.

On the shelters, you have to very careful with them, some operate more like back alley petstores than they do as "shelters". I hope they atleast covered your bills with the pup.

So what exactly is it that you are looking in for a pup and what things do you want to avoid at all costs?

Inside the home a Rottwieler is usually pretty laid back until you take him/het outside and tell them they can play. They seem to have a on/off swicht or either they love being lazy until they get outside.

On crate training, I don't do it. I teach my pups to target on puppy pads. I am also careful about taking them outside after they have eaten and making sure they go when they are outside. It works well for me. I have heard that it can be counter productive to crate train pups less than 16 weeks of age, they just can not hold it well and once they learn to go in the crate it sort of defeats the purpose. This is new to me. I crate trained my pup using the articles on this board and the puppy video from Ed. The key to being succesful is watching your pup and taking him outside regularly. This means getting up at night and taking him out. I agree with Thomas that you don't want the pup to go in the crate, this will make it more difficult. But that doesn't mean don't crate train it means you have to take him out. I don't know what puppy pads are but if you train the dog to go on them how does this teach the dog to let you know he wants out? I've crate trained three pups and would never have a pup or dog without a crate. Along with the articles, seach the old forums for discussions on crates and raising pups. Good Luck. Hope you find a great dog.
Bob

My parents had rotts and they were great dogs...very laid back in the house except when my dad got them worked up.

Anyhow, here's my thoughts on this...be warned I'm a newb here also and just trying to do the best for my puppy.

There are probably 27,000 different books on Amazon about dog training, everyone has a different opinion or approach. You'll find some that say crate train your dogs, others will not. Some will say it's ok to allow your dog to sleep in your bed with you or be on the couch, others will not...

The best way to approach this thing (I think) is to pick a methodology and stick with it as best as you can...

I personally have never had as much success with dog training as I have had using the methods in the Leerburg videos. Then again, I've never really tried to put much structure or time into dog training in the past...which is probably why my last dog was a disaster.

Anyhow-I highly recommend the Leerburg Puppy Tape and Basic Dog Obedience...as well as this board for more information. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Robert, Puppy pads are absorbent lined plastic sheets that have been scented so that pups will be attracted to go potty on them. It is used to teach the pups to go in one spot (the pad). You also teach the pups to go outside right after eating and by giving them encouragment right after they do their buisness. Eventually you relocate the puppy pad outside, after they get use to that you stop using the pads all together. It is sort of an offshoot of the old paper training method. However, for 'problem' dogs, the crate method, if done properly, is more effective.

The puppy pads are just adding an unnecessary step. Not to mention some dogs will eternally seek out anything on the floor from then on. I have dealt with dogs that were "trained" with those pee pads. No thanks. I prefer my throw rugs and papers on the floor do not become targets.

Housebreaking is not hard. I have done it with MANY adult dogs and puppies. It is about being one step ahead of the game, simple as that.