I FINALLY got a dog!! and i have a question

So i finally got a dog!!! i'm so so excited! he's adorable. We adopted him from the PAWS near my house and he's 6 years old. He's a black lab mix and something else, i'm thinking maybe golden retriever or a little bit of newfoundland (his head kinda looks like it) anyway, i'll get pictures of him up soon. His name is Batman, but we're also trying to think of some other ones, so if anyone has any ideas that'd be great. and he's extremely well behaved especially for a shelter dog, the only thing is, is that he gets really really curious about cadbury (my rabbit) and we've been keeping him in his cage since we got batman, but sometimes he still goes over there and he likes to paw at his cage. does anyone know about introducing them or what might help alittle bit?
Also he is soooo destructive with his toys. and he LOVES those cheap squeaky toys but within 5 minutes he tears them up. and tennis balls too. we tried getting him one of those kong toys and hard rubber balls but he doesnt really care about then. So does anyone know of a super heavy duty toy thats not too hard and maybe squeaks? ( he loves squeakies) i'm hoping to get his pictures up soon cause he's soooo cute.
thanks

Congrats on your dog!! Can't wait to see some pics of him, I'm sure he's very cute and sounds like a great dog!:D
For names I like:
Midnight
Corbett(mean's black raven in latin)
Jett
Baron
Bear
Bubba
Ollie
Elvis
Voodoo
Kosmo
Kaiser
Hubble
Warlock
Barkley
yes I know I'm not the best at names:o

thanks for the suggestions! we used to have a dog names barkely when i was little about 1 or 2 maybe, he was my first dog i think, a chocolate lab. :) i'll see what the rest of the family thinks about the names

Congrats!! :D

Kai loves his Cuz ball. It seems to be pretty durable and it's squeeks... a lot.

http://stuff.silverorange.com/images/cuz.jpg

Congrats! I can't wait to see pics of him. I don't know anything about introducing him to Cadbury, though. You might want to go to pet general and see if any of them have advice.

thanks guys! also he wont eat his food :confused: i know he likes it cause he'll eat it if we feed it to him and sometimes he'll look interested in it when he walks by his bowl, but far i've only gotten him to eat once, by mixing it with water and olive oil and hiding a treat in there. and i know he's got to be hungry cause he's kinda skinny anyway. and he eats treats and acts interested in food when we are eating. its wierd. oh yeah and also he hasnt pooped since we got him. and i think he's eaten enough that he should have

G.P. Girl :)

How is the name "Midnight" , I like that one for a black lab.:)

Congrats! He sounds cuuute! Have you taken him to your vet yet? Try taking him just for a check-up.. its good to get your dog introduced to your vet and he probably needs flea/tick and heartworm meds anyway. Call and ask the vet about the BM problem... >_< hopefully it isn't a blockage from all of the stuffies he's been tearing up. More than 2 days without a BM is serious!! Try giving him a few tablespoons of canned pumpkin for constipation.

About the food, what are you feeding him? If its lower quality than what he was getting at the shelter (which probably wasn't great), he might just be holding out for better kibble. When you feed him, only leave the bowl down for 10 minutes, then pick it up until later in the day. Dogs won't starve themselves unless they're sick. Also consider another brand of kibble if he continues to dislike it.. theres sooo many dog foods out there! I definitely recommend buying quality foods from feed and pet stores, not the grocery store :p

Kongs are good... stuff it with large biscuits, peanut butter around the inside, and even try freezing kibble with water and bits of meat. http://www.kongcompany.com has good Kong recipes! Try bouncing it for him, most dogs like to chase Kongs because they bounce irradically. ;) I'm bad with names... but I like the names Bailey, Hugo, or Jax for Labbies.

I would post that in health, about no stool and not eating enough as well as in here!!

Congrats! I love all the names that were suggested, how about:
Beau
Nemo
Tommy
Buck
Krimbo
Leo

Good luck!!

Steph and Jes-can't wait for the pics!

CONGRATS on the new Dog! :) Hope to see many pics!

As to names, here is what I have come up with:

Guinness
Jet
Raven
Harley
Carbon
Expresso
Nigel(black-haired one)
Vader
Zukua(Hebrew for Shadow)
Annerire(Black in Italian)
Buio(Dark in ")
Ombra(Shawdow in ")

Hope those help!

Thats awesome! Congratulations! I can't wait to see pictures.

Congrats!

And I also suggest getting him a nice big black kong and stuffing it w/ treats and kibble. hopefully the food will interest him in the toy thus him being interesting in eating food.

Good luck!

thanks for the advice, he's been eating ok now and he went to the bathroom this morning so that was good, but he's funny cause he stuffs himself way inside a bush to do it. lol. we went to a natural dog food store the day we got him, so it's good food, i think he's just a picky eater. we got him some raw chicken dog food, (they said it was good for his coat and skin, which is alittle dry) and if we mix a little bit of that in he eats it just fine. i took some really cute pictures of him, i'll try to get them up in a few minutes

Congrats!
When I first got Oslo I only let Niño in my room on my bed, so Oslo and Niño could see and smell eachother and were safely apart. Then I left the door open and Oslo in his cage durring the day and let kept Niño out at night, untill they were ok enough to be together. I like Paula's name suggestion Carbon.:D

Also, which of the brands of dog food was bad? with like, the testing on animals... is it Iams or Eukanuba? or both? i've never realy had to bother with it before cause i wasnt living in the states when i had my other dogs.


this should be the link to my photo album with his pictures, they are really big to put on here. let me know if it doesnt work
there is an option to veiw photos without signing in and all that stuff under where it asks you to sign in
Batman's PICS

aww hes so cute!

He's so handsome! Congrats on your new addition :)

He's gorgeous! Do you have any idea what he ate prior to being at the shelter? Is six a little old to be changing his name? I think Batman could work, you could just call him Bat.....;) Good luck with your new family member, regardless of what you call him.

He's cute. Your family looks so happy to have him.

I think Batman is a cute name!

Congratulations. :) He is a very good looking boy.

well i think 6 might be a little old to change his name, it was Flash at the shelter, but they said it wasnt his real name i think cause he didnt respond to it. now we've narrowed it down to Batman, Emmett, Mowgli (sp? from the jungle book)i also like Elmo or Grover :)

I like the name Batman, but Emmett is also a cute name!

Congratulations! :) It's nice to see you posting again.

:) He is soooo handsome!! I love the jumping pics. aww, he has the sweetest face ever.. he looks a lot like a Golden/Lab to me too. ~_^ give him tons of kisses for me, what a sweet boy!

Yeah, basically most of the foods at specialty feed stores is good quality. Make sure there's no preservatives, "by-products", or corn, and very limited wheat and starches in his food. Lamb Meal, Chicken Meal, etc, should be in at least the first ingredient... preferably the first 2 or 3. Its great that you got him whole raw chicken! Good luck with the Kong stuffing and everything, I cant wait to see more pics of him... and hear what you decide to name him! :p he does look like a Batman, or Emmett

He's so handsome!! Congrats on your new addition. :)

I don't think 6 is too old to change his name. Just pick one, stick with it, and reward him when he comes or answers to his name (coming to you, looking at you, ect.)

Kia never plays with her kong unless I put peanut butter or treats in it.

the silly guy doesnte ven like paenut butter, but he loves that liver paste stuff that goes inside the kongs. he's so cute, he looks like a puppy when he plays cause he's so clumsy and he has a really big head

He is so handsome! Congrats!

I like the name Batman :)

He's a handsome guy. :)

I like the name Grover.

Congrats on the new addition! He's a cute labbie boy for sure! I think the name Emmett is cute too ;)

I feed my dog Royal Canin, and I'm pleased with how her fur looks. She has black fur too, and it's really shiney:)

**hugs**

Congratulations!!!

He is so cute! :D

And it's good seeing you around PT again!

I haven't been too sucessful with introducing dogs and rabbits... :p I don't trust Daphne enough to let her and Benjamin together. I did train Daphne to ignore Benjamin's cage though, and when I have Benjamin out I shut my door.

But here is an article you might find useful:
http://www.rabbit.org/journal/1/dogs.html

He's a handsome guy! It's great you adopted a 6-yr. old. sometimes mature dogs are harder to place. once he adjusts to his new food, whatever you feed him, he'll be fine. I've always used Science Diet - it's a dense food that results in less poop, and mine like it just fine. Sherman's kennel used Diamond (I think that's what it was called ) , but he's adjusted just fine.
As far as changing his name, there's probably one he responds to more than the others - can you tell? does he prick his ears or furrow his head when you use a name? (personally I think he looks like an "Elmo")

thanks for the advice guys, that link had some good ideas:)