Our two Mini-labradoodles (2nd generation)have different types of hair from each other. Our female, Andi has wiry hair on her back but her legs, head are soft and wavy/curly. She doesn't shed hair on our clothes or furniture but when you comb her, especially on her thick back fur, you will get it in the comb. Amos, our black male, has more poodle like hair, soft, its wavy to thick curls. We cut his hair about every other week to keep the mats down, which was a real problem when he was swimming this summer. Now it is not such a problem and we let him go a little longer. I do find little curls like on the carpet where he scratches them out, mostly from around his neck or ears. Either that or his sister pulls them out playing! Our breeder did not promise that they wouldn't shed at all, but that there would be less than other breeds like our Brittany. We certainly have less shedding than with either our Brittany or our Cockapoo. Hers was more like fuzz when she shed. He did tell us that they would need combing and that daily would be the best route to go. Luckily, they both love to be combed and its part of our nightly routine while we are on the floor with them. I agree (QQ know this) that they are very sweet, lovable, and smart.

I have 3 labs, ages 12, 5 and 3 - female and two males respectively. Most people will tell you that they are the easiest dog to train. I respectfully disagree. All dogs are different even within the same breed. Labs are very stubborn and I think it is difficult to change their behavior for that reason. You may be doing nothing wrong. How do you react when you find the "accident". I am a major believer that rubbing the dog's nose in it does absolutely no good. Labs learn faster with love and treats and don't respond well to negative scolding. Did you crate him from the time you rescued him or just start recently? Is his crate in a place where he can be part of the family or is he in the crate in a spot where he is completely cordoned off from the family. Perhaps during the day when he has his "out time", you could leave the crate door open so that he sees the crate as his den. Maybe a small blanket would deter him from soiling in the crate. Encourage him to rest in the crate with the door open. Put a few toys in the crate. It may make him like his crate more. My youngest is 3, and we put his crate away when we put a new floor down in my office. He had still been hanging out in the crate. I wanted to put the crate away in the event I got another puppy - he wouldn't be giving up his home to another (new) dog. He started pooping on the floor in my foyer every nite. Not loose stools, completely formed. Same spot each nite. Couldn't figure why he was doing it. We started leaving the door open at night so he could go out if he felt the need. Went out but still pooped each nite. I decided to get the crate out of the closet and re-assembled it. No more pooping on the floor since the crate was put back into my office. The point is you need to get to the bottom of why he is doing the potty in the house when he was already trained. How long is he crated before he goes in the crate? Maybe taking him out to poop one last time before he goes into the crate help. If he has alot of energy maybe taking him for long walks or throwing a ball or frisbee for 30 minutes before putting him into the crate might help. My SIL rescued a lab recently and was having major behavioral problems. The lab rescue sent her a behaviorist (they paid for it). Is that an option from your lab rescue? The behaviorist told my SIL that the problem was no one knew exactly how old Jack was, but they were treating him like an adult dog since he looked adult because of his size. He suggested treating him like a newly adopted puppy and starting as you would if you brought him home at 7 weeks. It worked like a charm, but Jack didn't go in the house. How many times a day does he poop? If he is pooping 4-5 times a day at 6 months, I think that is too much and perhaps he is eating a food that is too rich for his system? What are you feeding? Is he on a regular twice a day feeding schedule. At 6 months he doesn't need to be fed 3 times per day. Also, the amount of food - the recommendations on the back of the dog food bags are much larger than what I actually feed my dogs. Do you take him out about 30 minutes after his meals? Also, is he out long enough so that he can poop more than one time, or do you come in right after he poops once? Lastly and most importantly, I would make an appointment with your vet to be sure he is not having a medical problem that is causing it. I think that is the first place to start to be sure he is well and nothing is going on medically with him. The vet may have suggestions as well. You are certainly not going to be the first client to experience this situation. Is he having loose stools? Also, definitely take a stool sample to the vet's office for analysis. He may have a worm or parasite situation. Best of luck to you.

Hmmm, I got an email Monday with pictures of Coco and Cookie from a friend in Kansas City----who got it from another friend in KC. The email offered is not the same. Now, I am a naturally suspicious person as well as being a person who likes helping people. This one raises a red flag as possibly being a hoax. No address or other hard information, a wonderfully touchy/feely story and lots of loveable other things. Just the thing to tug at someones heart and then have the fraud exposed. Makes me mad. In fact, I am in the process of investigating to see iff I can pinpoint the location if this is real. I hope it is and it turns out well----but my gut instinct is it is not.

You need a "training collar" and a 6' leash for basic obedience work. A "training" collar is what too many people call a "choke" collar. And it's only a choke collar if you put it on the dog incorrectly! I urge you to sign up for a Basic Obedience class... this is what the class is for, to teach you HOW. "Walking politely" is walking with you, often out beside you or in front of you... but NOT pulling on the leash. Your dog has a notion of just how far is acceptable, and knows that pulling is NOT OK. You begin by setting out for your walk as usual. The moment your dog begins to pull, you give a quick tug on the leash and head off in the OPPOSITE DIRECTION. I warn you, you won't get very far on the first few walks, lol. But the point is, you dog must learn that pulling gets him/her NOWHERE and fast! As soon as your dog turns back to you, it's PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE. And then then you set off again. You have to be patient and willing to suffer the "learning curve", and you must insist the dog NOT PULL. The way we were taught basic obedience was built on "walking politely"... the understanding of the leash, its constraints, and your ability to enforce commands via the leash. "Heel" was introduced later... after the dog was already walking politely, sitting, staying, "downing" with voice and hand commands. Walking politely was taught in conjunction with "watch me", getting the dog to look you in the eyes; important because getting the dog's attentiion is key to teaching obedience. I've found "watch me" to be the toughest command we've had to master... I'm STILL working on it 2 years hence! Sign yourselves up for a class. You'll LOVE IT! it's fun, rewarding, and gives you a whole new perspective on your dog. And mazer's "walkies" are an integral part of the whole process. The more you walk your dog and practice the commands, the easier it gets and the more fun it becomes. It's downright infectious. ;)