How is it going for everyone?

Boris is doing well and is fairly well-behaved most of the time. He enjoys the car, boat, and basically everything else. I can't say I've really seen him frightened by much of anything. He hasn't actually swam yet but has been walking around in the water. I decided not to force it and figure he'll get deep enough eventually.

I took him to the vet last Friday and he weighed 20.2 pounds. The only bad news was that they did a fecal sample and he came out positive for Giardia. It is hard to know when he got it because I guess it is easily passed along. He has also eaten a fair amount of goose crap since I've got him and he's had the occasional drinks out of questionable water. They've given me some pills that he has to take for a week and he doesn't seem to mind. Just thought I'd pass along my experience in case any of you wanted to bother with the fecal test. They also gave him some de-wormer as they said that 95% of puppies have round worms. I have to give him more in 2 weeks. I'm not really sure what would prevent a dog from getting worms or giardia in the future though?

-AP

Bear is doing great! He loves the drift boat, and is taking to swimming just fine.

He is being a little tough on the house breaking thing, and the puppy bitting. I took him to the vet a week ago and had him checked out. He was free and clear of all parasites( and fleas!), and is very healthy in general.

Lu is doing fine. Definately an alpha female. She doesn't back down from any of my friends dogs, and plays freely. She has a good temperment, and loves the boat and car. It took maybe 2 minutes to teach her to sit. Stay and heel are coming along fine. She fetches to hand quite often, but does get distracted on occasion. She loves birds, especially quail. The vet wants to see her this week. We're very happy with our new family member!!!!

Man... I told Vedder a week or so ago that it sounded like his pup had giardia. Dave, you ever figure out what was bothering Tye?

kenna is doing well for the most part. she did puke in the kitchen on saturday night and again on sunday morning, but i think she's past it now. snit, i know what you mean. i think lulu and kenna would be wrestling for alpha status. she's like a chocolate tornado, especially when she's tired (kind of like a 2 year old kid). the fetching is going ok, some good, some distraction. i've got her working with a 20' check cord, and once there's a dummy being flung about, she stops chewing on it. treats help. she's got "sit "nailed, "down" is new, but she's got that for the most part. the biting is starting to taper off (anybody else's hands look like you've got the pox??), we started using a spray bottle, and now she hates the thing. she's quite vocal, and will bark at you if you're not paying attention. we weighed her on saturday, and she's just shy of 20#. she met the neighbor's dog. a bit timid at first, then ran her off--pretty funny.
she's awesome

we had her stool checked on the first visit, and was negative, but we did the wormer anyway ( for round worms).


willy

Tye is now 22 lbs. Got poop no more pills from vet a week ago
And is fine now. Has sit nailed. Fetches when not distracted.
Loves the boat and car. Chews everything like a maniac. Swam when he jumped
Out of the boat. Wades but does not yet swim willingly.

We lost a lot of ground on training with three other dogs and kids here
at spectacle lake for three days.

He got pretty excited today when we caught a bunch of big kokanee.
The wife adores him. I kinda like him too.

Mack is doing great!! He is now a little over 23 pounds. He is now 98% house trained. He will retrieve to hand as long as nothing else is distracting him. SIT STAY and COME are almost mastered. He has been a great addition to the family!! Thanks again to Art for doing such a great job with these pups!!

FB

This has got to be one of the most spoiled litters of pups I have ever seen. This includes the one I kept. Do any of these big tough lab pups sleep outside. Radar hasn't yet. I have one off those panels that installs in the runners of a sliding door so Radar can go in and out at will. It takes about 3 minutes to install. If you plan on hunting these dog this winter you might want to get them acclimated to cooler nights before summer is over. On hot days put their crates out side in the evening and give them the option to sleep there. Once they get used to it they may prefer to be outside year around. My first would sleep outside even when he had a way to get back in the house at anytime. He would also make retrieves on the coldest days of duck season in eastern WA. Some days that would leave him sitting in the blind covered in a layer of ice with his butt froze to the ground, waging his tail waiting to do it again. Herd him stand up one time and leave fir stuck to the ground. When I looked down he had rocks froze to his sack and was still happy just to be doing what he loved to do most. He slept in the hotel bathroom that night an didn't see to mind.

Aaron are there any signs of Giardia to watch for ???

Lots o' liquishatting, followed by lots of water drinking....

Just my opinion, but with summer salmon fishing coming up, I'd recommend training these pups to stay away from dead fish in the boat or on the beach. My dogs have always been trained to get up on a seat in the boat when a fish comes into the boat. Then the boat is washed down and the fish put away in the cooler. Can't be too cautious IMO.

Pepto Bismol

Tried Pepto - no good. Vets pills - good.

Tye hit 23 lbs today. Just back from a 9 hour drive. He did beautifuly.



He is now couch trained. Wife allowed this at lodge. It WILL stop now! But cute picture.



Told Tye Art's story bout ball frozen to ground. He's been licking his balls ever since.

Doesn't have anything to do with summer, or salmon for that matter. Salmonids carry the fluke, even a good ol' rainbow will get'em sick. Remember, it's in the blood. Dogs can lick a fish all it wants, but it's injesting the blood that will bring on "salmon sickness". If it's going to be a fishing partner, you might as well get'em sick, treat it, and be good to go for the future. The trick is, you have to let them get quite sick, or they could get it again, BUT, as long as they get it good, you should be fine.

Take if from me, with a lab that literally lives on a hatchery, there is no 'avoiding' fish. He got sicker than all get out at around 6 months, and has never been ill since, even after eating daily morts, licking filleted carks, etc.

Looks like Tye learned how to smile. Did he fall off the raft or swim out to it. How long after that pic was taken did it take for the raft to start leaking. Way to go Dave. Glad to see Tye isn't being spoiled.

Be careful I think some kid is trying to steel your dog.

Kid loves the dog. I told him it's his, but has to live at my house.

Dog was carried to raft. Swam back to shore. Swims when necessary, but not yet loving it.

Today we begin stay and better fecthing training. Has come and sit prety solid now.

A couple of thoughts-

First off regarding raw salmon. Killed my first Britt at 4 years of age. Got sick the week before opening day for uplands and was pointing grouse just a few weeks before. $3000.00 and two weeks later I was told I could pick him up on Monday. Sunday night he hemorrhaged so instead of picking him up on Monday we euthinized him. Pretty sure I can't recommend the "let them get really sick and treat them" plan.

Never heard of a lab that doesn't readily take to swimming. Britts, albeit game, are really lousy swimmers. A couple of tricks are to tie a pheasant wing around a bumper and as a normal part of training toss it into the water occasionly. My experiance is that they get so wigged out over the pheasant wing that they are swimming after it before they realize what the heck they're doing. Or you can do what I did and simply cross the river and continue fishing. They'll follow in due time

I will go with Twitch on the this let em get it since It just take's a small amount of blood it's pretty hard to keep em away been there done that small piece of mind that he won't get it again Not fun and expensive .Just Keep an eye out and get them to the vet quick,being lethargic is a good sign.

Sorry for the bad experience BB, I thought I was going to lose mine when he got it.

Tip on fetch training,Don't let pup retrieve everthing you throw make em sit and Fetch some yourself. Makes training them to steady/honor much easier

Easier to train stuff into them than it is to train it out later.

The odds of your dog becoming immune to salmon poisoning aren't 100%. They can become immune but there aren't any guarantees.

IMO its pretty damn stupid to "let them get it once" in the hopes they become immune.

They could end up dead just as easily as they could become immune.

I would not advocate intentionally feeding them blood or such but I just think that it woud be very difficult to keep a dog that is around fish alot away from it.
You are right it's not 100% But It's been two years many fish and no problem's
I actually would not wish the sickness on any dog.So let me rephrase I am glad my dog got it because I don't believe he's going to get it again.My other dog has not had it so I am on both sides of the fence.

Guess I too should clarify. I'm no tsaying feed'em a cark, then sit back for a week and say, "there, that'll teach ya!"

If your dog will be a fishing dog, or around you at all and you fish (in the boat, in the garage with fishing gear,etc.) it's inevitable, THEY WILL get salmon poisoning at some point or another. Hell, all they'd have to do would be lick your boot in the garage, and that little globby of blood from the floor of the boat...just got them sick.

What I'm saying is EXPECT IT, and learn signs and symptoms NOW, PRE sickness. If you have a lab, and it won't eat...something is wrong. Are they drinking more water than normal? No pooping? LETHARGY? If you have a puppy, that won't eat, and won't play? ding ding ding... look into it. Don't be affraid to take temps. too!

Every dog is different,(size, breed, sex, etc.) and will be effected differently. My 6 mo. old lab was mildly sick for 5 days before starting Rx treatment. Our current host had an old border collie, that was only sick 2 days before becoming VERY ill.

And it's never 'once and done' kind of sickness. KNock on wood, like browndog, 2 yrs now, and lots of fish contact, and no more sickness. Like chicken pox, supposed to be one and done... sometimes isn't. Don't think your pup is superman, and feed'em chunks, "because you can". Again...jsut pay attention to your dog in teh days following any exposure to salmonids (trout, steelhead, coho, 'nooks, etc...)