Uggggggh! :( I'm having a horrible day :(

[Cookiebaker]

Just before, I heard a crash in the kitchen, and came running. Malone had jumped up, and gobbled down half of a chocolate chip pound cake before I got there. :( It had been covered and pushed way back on the counter, I have no idea how he could have gotten it.

Sometimes I feel so sad about him. It's like we work with him so much, and he starts to earn our trust. But then, its like he seems to know that we trust him more, give him a little more freedom, and he turns into a nawtee puppy again. :( I feel like he behaves so well when I constantly supervise him. But the moment my back is turned he gets into something awful.


So, I called the vet, and I was so irritated because the lady on the phone LAUGHED at me. It wasn't funny. First off, I was scared because I know that chocolate can be lethal. Secondly, I was upset because I feel like this is a huge setback in our training with him. Maybe I will see the humor tomorrow or next week or something. But right now, I feel so sick inside. How on earth am I going to handle him after the baby is born??

Anyway, they told me not to worry about it. In the entire cake, there was only 12 oz. of chocolate total, and he got probably a little less than half of the cake. So they told me to watch him closely, but he should be fine, that he didn't get anything close to what would be lethal for him.

For the trainers out there, please give me some advise in how to train him so that I can trust him when I don't watch him 100% of the time. And please be gentle with this bad mommy. I'm so torn up about this whole thing right now, and feel like I should have been watching him closer. :(

[chocolatepuppy]

Well I'm afraid I won't be much help. Lacey has always been a counter surfer and Layla seems to want to be one too. Since Laceys knee surguries she doesn't like to stand on her back legs too much so she doesn't do it much anymore. We are now trying to teach Layla not to do it. We just push her off the counter and pretty much ignore her.
I hope Malones tummy is ok.

[Karen]

Don't feel bad, momma, he'll be fine. And just keep up the training, don't get too discouraged. Labs have longer "puppyhoods" than many breeds, and males seem to be particularly prone to looooooooooooong puppyhoods. Some day, you will realize suddenly that he hasn't been nawtee in a long time. I don't know when that day will be, but I assure you, it will come.

Meanwhile, no food on the counters without people to supervise!

[sanford8916]

My dogs don't get on the counters but I have a daycare and make it way to easy for them to clean off the table. The daycare kids have a little kid table and they look at the food and grab. No jumping required! Your pup will catch on with patience. Maybe when the baby comes you will just need to crate the puppy sometimes to give you a break when you can't watch him! Good luck! :D