Michael Parkey

We love puppy pictures! Levi is almost 3 years old and still gets the zoomies about 9 PM if he hasn't had enough mental and physical exercise during the day. A game of fetch in the house takes care of it.

Levi will definitely chase and tree varmints, and hold them there long enough for me to investigate. Were I so inclined I could shoot them. Does that count? It is one of the desired characteristics of a farm collie.

Desert Drifter, call name Drift.

A 6 month old puppy isn't very coordinated. Excitement and speed bring this out. We got Levi when he was 8 months old. While he was always very accurate when grabbing a ball on the run, it took him over a year to catch a tossed treat reliably. There was nothing wrong with him, catching small objects just wasn't easy for him and he needed maturity and practice.

This sounds like pretty typical 5 month old puppy behavior. The long line is good advice. His attitude toward balls and discs may change as he gets older. Our BC Levi loves balls but thinks discs are less interesting than the average rock. Our Aussie mix Buddy has no interest in toys unless they are stuffed with something tasty. The only exception is his Nylabone.

This fall has given us a bummer crop of fantastic puppy photos. Thanks!

Lots of cute puppy pictures lately, but we always love more!

Totally cute! I can see the photo if I click on the link, but I think there is an easier way to attach photos.

Is it possible that Gracie is guarding Bella from a perceived threat? Or that Gracie does not want Bella to interact with the other dog or human? I'm glad you are rescuing Coco, but in the short term you will have to keep the dogs separated until you figure this out. Try baby gates and different combinations: Gracie with Coco, Gracie with Bella, etc. And just generally, most Lab puppies are too big, clumsy, and goofy to play safely with a Chihuahua.

Hilarious!

This is a long shot, but sometimes if you can observe the whole litter together they will show some personality differences. Boldness or shyness can show up early. Activity level is harder to judge. Andas D'Elle says, all can change with age.

Our dogs get Diamond Naturals, which is well rated on Dog Food Advisor and almost the same thing as 4 Health (same manufacturer). The kibble is always mixed with moderate amounts of healthy-for-dogs human food. This gives a variety of taste and nutrients.

Cute puppy! Two suggestions: Do some nose work with him in the house. Hide a treat somewhere and tell him to find it. Start with something very simple and make it more complex as he figures it out. Mental activity can be as tiring as physical exercise, and a tired puppy is a good puppy. Get him a tug toy and play tug-o-war. Don't ever let him use his teeth on you or your clothing.

There is a big difference between running and jumping on hard surfaces (bare floors, pavement) and on soft or natural surfaces (carpet, grass, mulch). Also a big difference between activities where the puppy is encouraged to do more (fetch, on-leash walking or running) and spontaneous activities where Byrn can set his own pace and rest whenever he needs to. I tend to be careful about hard surfaces and "forced" activities and less so for soft surfaces and free play. Play fighting with a much larger dog, especially one that gets carried away and doesn't know when to stop, is a real risk.

I also like the information on Dog Food Advisor. Be aware that there are two "grades" of Diamond dog food. Diamond Naturals is the better grade, and if memory is correct, it has no corn in it which always gave our dogs problems. I have been feeding Diamond Naturals for a long time and think it is a very good food at a reasonable price.