# Puppy whines and bites his back legs and penis.



## Keats

6 Jan 16,
I have a Black Lab male puppy that was born on 30 Aug 2015.
We brought him into our home on Oct 24th. He weighed 12 lbs then.
I've had dogs all of my life -67yrs - and I've never had a dog like this before.
Neither of my previous male Labs did anything like this guy does.
For the past 3 to 4 weeks, he's been whining and biting at his back legs and his penis. He behaves like he's in pain and this goes on for perhaps 5 minutes before he just stops and everything is back to normal.
I addressed this with his vet and she said that he's not growing too fast. I thought that maybe his leg bones were developing too fast for his age.
She said it was normal and not to worry about it.
Perhaps it is normal but I've never seen anything like it before.
For the past couple weeks, his penis protrudes from the sheath and he may lick it. He sometimes has this condition when he's biting his back legs and sometimes bites his penis as well.
He is not tender and touching his legs or abdomen does not produce any signs of discomfort. On the contrary, he loves to have his belly rubbed and often falls asleep while your doing that.
He does not have any problems eliminating or urinating.
His appetite is very good. He's growing like a weed and is up to 40 lbs already. Whew!
He was eating Diamond Puppy food and the vet told us to switch him over to Diamond Large Breed Puppy food. We did and he loves it too.
Additionally, he gets crazy about 20-30 minutes after a meal. He barks and runs around and snaps at us. I believe that he's trying to play and wants us to participate and we try to throw a ball or play tug with a nylon rope etc to help him burn up his energy.
He'll be a absolute handful for about 45 minutes and then he lies down and goes to sleep like someone just turned off a switch.
We take him for walks in the park and try to keep up with his exercise demands.
Usually in the evening he will climb into my wife's lap and go to sleep. He must think he's a lap dog.
So it's Jeckel and Hyde for us.

Is it possible that the food is causing a reaction? He did it with both types of puppy food. It's more pronounced now than before but that might be because he's older.
There are no visible rashes on him. His coat is shiny and in good condition. He's getting his adult teeth and loves to chew with his molars.

I sure would appreciate any suggestions any of you may have.

Thanks,
Keats
Arizona


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## Amaryllis

Have you seen another vet for a second opinion? That sounds like pain to me, which could be pano or HD, or maybe he's just being a weird little puppy. I'd want a second opinion, though.

Where did you get him from?


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## elrohwen

Hard to tell if it's pain or itching. Itchiness is pretty common in little puppies, but usually goes away by 3 months or so.

I would get a second opinion. I would probably also switch him to a grain free food with a more unusual protein source (like fish or rabbit or duck) and see if that helps. The two foods you've tried are basically identical, so switching from one to the other wouldn't fix it if he really does have allergies.


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## Keats

Weird little puppy sounds about right. 
No visible signs of rash or other skin condition.
Food is Lamb lamb meal, ground white rice, cracked pearled barley, peas. 27% crude protein, 15% crude fat, 4% fiber, 10% moisture.
I will contact another vet for a second opinion.
If it's a skin condition, why does he not bite his front legs or tail? I can't imaging why it would only present in the back legs or penis.
I'm not sure what pano or HD is.

Thanks for the replies.
Keats
Arizona


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## Willowy

Pano is panosteitis. Basically growing pains. It can get pretty severe though, sometimes you need to get pain killers/anti-inflammatories from the vet. 

HD is hip dysplasia.


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## Keats

Thank you for the info. 
My daughter has a pup that had "Pano" and eventually got past it. I considered this when I took Henry to the vet and she said that he was growing normally. I thought that he was getting very big very soon but she said that his growth was not unusual and that he was in very good condition. 
I should add that the vet is an instructor at the local veterinary college. She's also a dog owner and has had Labs before as personal pets. I put a lot of faith in her and I really like her and the school. 
On a side note: We started logging the times we feed him and the incidence of biting himself and whinning. It happens about 10-15 minutes after he eats. It can last for about 5 minutes to maybe 20 minutes. 
I'm going to try a chicken and rice diet for a few days and see if this stops the situation. If so, than it may be a reaction to the food that he's getting. 
I also believe that we'll switch him over to Iams or Kirkland brand dog food. Our previous Labs did very well with Iams. The vet said that she feeds her dog the Kirkland brand dog food. 
We only had him on the Diamond brand because that's what the breeder started the litter on initially.
I'll post any developments as they occur.
Thanks again,

Keats
Arizona


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## AllisonH17

Please don't put him on Iams. That food is absolutely awful! It's full of things no dog should be eating. I'd be happy to provide some research if you like.


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## Keats

FYI.
I talked to my daughter and she explained that her pup had pano in all 4 legs. She said that was unusual. Usually it's only a leg or maybe two. She said that the dog would yelp very loudly whenever the pain occurred. My pup whines but never has yelped loudly.
She went on to say that it happened when the pup was simply walking and sometimes when she was jumping while playing with the kids. She said that the pup eventually outgrew the problem and is just fine now.
She also changed the pup's diet to a mostly grain dog food instead of one that mostly meat. The pup is doing better of that food. Could be something in the food is irritating the dog's system and maybe the meat heavy diet is just too much for them?
Time will tell.
Keats
Arizozna


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## Keats

Sat P.M.

We switched him to a simple boiled chicken meat and boiled white rice.
So far he's doing better. Has not bitten any of his parts for two days. I'm thinking that he could not tollerate the Diamond brand.
I'm not going to do Iams. The vet uses Kirkland for her dog and said it's good. 
I'm going to try the Costco - Kirkland large breed puppy food.
Time will tell.

Keats
Arizona


AllisonH17 said:


> Please don't put him on Iams. That food is absolutely awful! It's full of things no dog should be eating. I'd be happy to provide some research if you like.


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## Willowy

I believe Kirkland is made by Diamond, and the ingredients are very similar to Diamond Naturals. But, if you were feeding the regular Diamond food (not Naturals), it could have been the corn he's sensitive to, so Kirkland is worth a try. But if the problem is with an ingredient in the Diamond brand vitamin mix or something like that, it might not work for him.

Costco also has several different grain-free dog foods, I don't know if they're all-life-stages though.


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## AbdulKhan

It happens about 10-15 minutes after he eats. It can last for about 5 minutes to maybe 20 minutes. 

That is exactly the timing of a lot of dogs get an enhanced randy spell. My males always got randy 5-10 mins after their evening meal for about 15 mins. Could the sheath on his penis be to tight and hurting him? Could he just be getting frustrated that he wants to copulate?


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## hanksimon

1. Could he have a urinary infection? The Vet could determine by urinalysis. The leg biting sounds like arthritis or nerve damage ... if the dog were a senior. For a pup, I like the possibility of an allergic reaction.
2. The running around could be related to the allergy, or it could be the Zoomies, which is a common behavior of puppies (especially Labs!) with too much energy.
3. I'm surprised that your Vet didn't suggest the possibility of teething. Your pup is about 4 mos and they start to lose baby teeth and gain adult teeth around 4 - 5 mos, resulting in sore gums and teething. This may be one small factor in his behaviors.


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## Keats

Sorry I haven't been posting for a little while. Took the pup to another vet and she thought that he might have an anal sac problem. After checking that out, everything was fine. She chalked it up to just being a pup.
Her exam showed that he was in excellent health. As for the biting, it was probably something he'll outgrow. 
He is teething for sure. Chews anything he can put in his mouth. Including gravel, leaves, sticks, chew toys, fingers, the table edge, you name it, he will try it. 
I do believe that he got the "Zoomies" for sure. Funny how it usually follows a meal by about 1/2 hour. Hmmm..
I'm just going to let time run it's course. 
Thanks for all the wonderful replies..
Keats
Arizona


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## Keats

13 Feb 16,
Latest update.
The biting has slowed down a lot. He has almost all of his big boy teeth now and he's working hard to get the back molars in. He changed his eating habits a bit too. Now he will not completely devour his food at meal times. This started about a week ago. Now we put his chow in the bowl and he may or may not eat it or a part of it. Maybe he figured out that there was no competition from another dog and he's taking it easy. 

Now his latest concern is eating gravel. Our yard is covered in gravel (Phoenix, Az.) with just a small area of grass. He comes in the house with small (about 3/4 " diameter or smaller) pieces of gravel and "Chews" on them. I'm sure that it's a teething thing even though he has a lot of chew toys. We've actually seen him swallow a piece of gravel. He did this shortly after he got here in November and he vomited it up. He has not done that again. 
He did pass a piece of gravel in a bowel movement a week ago and that must have been unpleasant for him. 

His eating may have changed but he still eats all of the food he gets during the day, just not quickly each time it's presented to him. He never turns down a treat. He has consistent bowel movements so I'm sure that there's no blockages. I can't remove all of the gravel. 
I don't want to use a muzzel on him so I'm not sure exactly how to handle this. 

Is this something that will pass with age? 
He is extremely active. Apparently none of this has had any effect on his energy...

On a side note, he likes to eat leaves. Palm, orange tree, lime tree, grapefruit tree, he's not too fond of the citrus that falls from the trees but will beg for an orange slice. 

Then there's the digging. He's on a rampage with digging holes along our fence line. It's a cinder block fence and there is builders rubble below grade from the homes that were built before this house was built. He finds pieces of flat concrete (it's called gunnite) from pool installations that were dumped here by the builder and later covered with top soil when our house was built. I did not know about this when I bought the house..
He brings the pieces of concrete to the patio door to bring into the house and actually bites the piece with enough force to break it up. It's not a very strong piece of concrete to begin with and so far he's not suffered any damage to his teeth.
I have no idea if he's doing any of this while he's outside by himself. 

Has anyone ever heard of anything like this? Any idea how I can get him to stop digging? 

As time progresses, I am coming to believe that this is one crazy dog. He's a good boy but just nuts. 
So there you have it. The latest in the "Henry" saga. He's 5 1/2 months old now and we hope that we can get him into a training class / school in another month. He really needs it.

Keats
Arizona.


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## MysticRealm

You're gonna need to keep a close eye on him when you put him outside, not only is chewing rocks and concrete horrible for his teeth, but ingesting it could cause him serious injury or death, and cost you big bucks in emergency surgery to try to save him.


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## hanksimon

Yes, this is all normal for Lab pups. They need to chew, like a smoker needs a match! Get him a Kong and a hard rubber bone. Teach him "Leave It!" and monitor him for the next few months. Let him eat oranges and raw carrots, as well as steamed green beans and broccoli. Dissuade him from eating leaves, b/c him will locate some poisonous plants and chomp down. Citrus plants shouldn't hurt him, but tomatoes, oleanders, etc. will! So stop this behavior now, try to do the same with pebbles and concrete. Stone will fracture his teeth! When he has appropriate things to chew, and his mouth is less sore in about a month, it may get a little better.

However, my 6 mos fuzzy vampire chomped a 40 lb ponytail palm in half and he unscrewed the cap off the washout on the side of the house, b/c he could!

For digging, you might try to put some chicken wire down flat on the ground. Dogs don't like to walk on it or dig on it.


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## Keats

He has a bunch of hard chew toys and some softer ones too. I got him 100% nylon ropes in different diameters and he loves to chew on them. He still likes to pick up a rock in the yard and bring it into the house to "chew". We immediately take it away from him and try substituting a chew toy. He has all of his big boy teeth I believe. They look great and so far no damage. We're keeping a close eye on him so that he does not chew or swallow any rocks. He dug up a brick yesterday from the yard and brought it to the door. 
He's pulled the fronds from the pygmy date palm and we take the leaves away as soon as we see them. Hopefully he'll be ready for training classes very soon and perhaps that will help. He does like oranges and will eat pieces if I peel the orange for him. We removed all of the low hanging fruit this week so he can't reach any of it on his own now. 
The digging continues. I think it's boredom more than anything now. If we had a second dog to help keep him occupied that probably would have helped. We're not going to get another dog...
I thought about the chicken wire. It might be worth a try especially if I wrap the trunks of the palm trees with it. He loves to peel the bark off of the trees to chew on. 
His appetite is still very good. His bowel movements are normal and he is very active so I don't believe that any of this has had an impact on his overall health. 
There are a few resident (overnight) training facilities here in the Phoenix area. Pretty expensive but I've heard that a two week stay results in a well trained and behaving dog. We are going to look further into this as a possible way to go.
My wife has been researching training collars that have a remote control and she read that this is a method used at a couple of the training "Camps". I have a bark collar on him but it's intermittent at best. When it works, he responds quickly and usually does not go far enough to get the brief shock. The noise seems to get his attention. So does a dog whistle. I'm trying not to use it too much. Just enough to get his attention.
An so it goes. Henry's story is one for the books. A learning experience for both my wife and I. 

Keats 
Arizona


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## Willowy

Shock collars can seriously ruin a dog. Be very very careful if you choose to use one or allow a trainer to use one.

How much exercise and human interaction does he get?


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## Keats

After researching training collars, we've decided not to use one. We found a couple training camps nearby and I believe that at least one of them does use training collars. I want to set up an appointment to go visit and see exactly how they are with the dogs in training. The bark collar that we have was not functioning very well. I had to change the contacts for the provided longer contact posts because his fur is pretty thick. Then we discovered that the contacts should be positioned over his vocal cords and that the collar works on vibration and not via a microphone and sound. This was no where in the provided instructions. Duh !! 
He sits right away when I pick up the collar to put it on him in the A.M. Most often the only response that the collar provides is a beeping noise. That gets his attention right away and it distracts him enough to stop the barking. Very seldom does it get far enough along in the cycle to actually provide a brief mild shock. 
We get him out for walks as often as we can. He's a handful on a leash and my wife doesn't have the strength to hold him. I have sore arms after a walk because he insists on pulling very hard. I've tried commands, treats, a long leash, and a short leash but there is no difference. We use a vest type restraint instead of just attaching the leash to his collar. I'm thinking that he needs a chain choke type collar and not the vest. I want to be very careful with him and certainly do not want to cause and harm to him in any way. 
As for human interaction, it's pretty much constant. We're retired and home with him all day long. We do crate him in the afternoon for his "Time Out" nap and that's when we are able to run errands or take a breather. 
He may need some contact with other dogs. Maybe a Doggie Day Care for a few hours a day a few times a week might help him and make him chill out. ? 

The bottom line is that when he's being good, he's very good and a loving and affectionate pup. When he's misbehaving, he's a terror. The worse part is that he can go from sitting very quietly being petted to jumping up in my wife's face and trying to nip her nose or ear in a split second. He does not try that with me very often but he seems to like picking on her a lot. Maybe he thinks she's another litter mate and he wants to play? He plays hard and maybe he does not realize that he's very strong and has big new teeth. My wife has a number of small bites on her arms and hands to show for it. 

Keats
Arizona


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## Captain_Russia

The random chewing is pretty worrying, I don't think he's getting enough nutrition out of his food - any grain-based food is generally bad quality. I highly suggest Taste of The Wild if you can get it in your area, it has a lot of good things in it, not very much grain, and good value. My puppy is doing wonderful on it.
The digging could be a number of reasons, you should really ask a trainer about it.
How young did you get him? If he was taken from his litter too soon it could be causing his roughness.
As for the jumping and biting, it sounds like he just doesn't know biting is off-limits. The instant he jumps or bites, yell "Ouch" and turn around, ignore him until he calms down. Eventually he'll learn that biting and jumping gets him no where. If worst comes to worst and he doesn't respond to anything else, you might have to use that shock collar on him when he does it, but that is a serious last resort.
You say he has a vest for walks - is it front-clip or back-clip? Back-clip vests and harnesses train your dog to ignore and pull you because if you pull on the leash, it directs their attention away from you. I don't recommend a choke collar, those can be dangerous and uncomfortable, especially if he has a pulling problem already. Here's an article I recommend for teaching him how to walk properly on a leash - Teach Your Dog to Stop Pulling the Leash.


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## chimunga

Captain_Russia said:


> If worst comes to worst and he doesn't respond to anything else, you might have to use that shock collar on him when he does it, but that is a serious last resort.


Please do not put a shock collar on a small puppy. Even as a "serious last resort."


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## chimunga

One thing I don't think has been asked- How do you act when he is itching and scratching? If you're giving him attention while he's doing it, it may be reinforcing the behaviour. My dog had a similar issue when he was small. He was itching and scratching, and we could not figure out why. Turns out, we were reinforcing the behaviour by giving him attention and trying to distract him when he did it. He got play time every time he inched! The vet told us to start ignoring it, and he stopped within a couple day. It may not be the solution to your problem, but it is something to think about. 

I echo what everyone else says though. A second opinion from a vet may also be a good idea.


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## cookieface

Keats said:


> After researching training collars, we've decided not to use one. We found a couple training camps nearby and I believe that at least one of them does use training collars. I want to set up an appointment to go visit and see exactly how they are with the dogs in training. The bark collar that we have was not functioning very well. I had to change the contacts for the provided longer contact posts because his fur is pretty thick. Then we discovered that the contacts should be positioned over his vocal cords and that the collar works on vibration and not via a microphone and sound. This was no where in the provided instructions. Duh !!
> He sits right away when I pick up the collar to put it on him in the A.M. Most often the only response that the collar provides is a beeping noise. That gets his attention right away and it distracts him enough to stop the barking. Very seldom does it get far enough along in the cycle to actually provide a brief mild shock.
> We get him out for walks as often as we can. He's a handful on a leash and my wife doesn't have the strength to hold him. I have sore arms after a walk because he insists on pulling very hard. I've tried commands, treats, a long leash, and a short leash but there is no difference. We use a vest type restraint instead of just attaching the leash to his collar. I'm thinking that he needs a chain choke type collar and not the vest. I want to be very careful with him and certainly do not want to cause and harm to him in any way.
> As for human interaction, it's pretty much constant. We're retired and home with him all day long. We do crate him in the afternoon for his "Time Out" nap and that's when we are able to run errands or take a breather.
> He may need some contact with other dogs. Maybe a Doggie Day Care for a few hours a day a few times a week might help him and make him chill out. ?
> 
> The bottom line is that when he's being good, he's very good and a loving and affectionate pup. When he's misbehaving, he's a terror. The worse part is that he can go from sitting very quietly being petted to jumping up in my wife's face and trying to nip her nose or ear in a split second. He does not try that with me very often but he seems to like picking on her a lot. Maybe he thinks she's another litter mate and he wants to play? He plays hard and maybe he does not realize that he's very strong and has big new teeth. My wife has a number of small bites on her arms and hands to show for it.
> 
> Keats
> Arizona


Have you enrolled in a rewards-based training class? That would be a huge help to you.

The shock collar isn't helping anything and neither will a choke collar. You have a young, energetic, smart breed. How much physical and mental exercise is he getting every day? How long did you try each method to teach loose leash walking? 

Look up Kikopup and Donna Hill on youtube and check out the "recommended reading" sticky, but the best thing you can do is to find a rewards-based trainer to work with. As someone very wise has said, there are hundreds of things you don't want your dog to do and a few that you do - focus your energy on teaching him what you want.


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## Keats

2 April 2016
Henry spent 15 days at a rewards based training camp here in the Phoenix, Az area. (No Names here). He developed a cough on his last day there and we were told that he had come into contact with another dog that was coughing and possibly contracted Kennel Cough from that dog. Henry has had all the necessary immunizations and they were verified before he could be admitted at this camp. We picked him up the next morning and the following day we were able to get him in to see our vet. 
After a complete exam, she said that she did not believe that he had Kennel Cough and that he might have throat trauma. Hmmm? 
She declined to give him any meds and said to wait and see how this cough progressed - if at all. I should add that my vet is a professor at the Veterinary College in Glendale Az.

The Kennel called us later that day and we told them that we had seen the vet. The agent of the Kennel said that their vet had determined that the other dog had Mycoplasma, not Bordetella as first believed. 
We called our vet back to tell her of our new knowledge and she said that to do a test for Mycoplasma, the dog must be knocked out and a throat culture (swab) must be taken from deep in the throat and then grown in a petri dish for 5 days before it could be examined. She was not sure how they came to that conclusion after only three days total. Hmmm?

As time progressed, Henry's cough subsided and I'm glad to say that he's feeling much much better now. No coughing at all. 

We went along with the recommendation of the vet and her tech and bought a halter type collar for him and he's become pretty used to it. He walks much better on it but still will not heel.
As for the training, he will sit (but he's done that since we got him at 2 months), lie down, stay, and come on command. He still wants to pull when we walk and most of his bad habits are still there.

When we brought him to the kennel / camp, we explained that he jumped on my wife frequently while she was seated in her chair. When she tried to push him off, he would mouth (light bite) her hands and arms. She looks like she's done battle with a grizzly bear and has a lot of scars on her arms to prove it. We were assured that this would be stopped. It's Not.

He also counter surfs. This was going to be fixed as well. It's Not.

His barking has pretty much stopped but he will dig if allowed to run free in the yard. That issue also was not stopped.

We keep a leash on him whenever he's out of his crate. That way we can control him a bit better. 

My main issues are that his behavior can change in a heart beat. You can be sitting down petting him or even giving him a treat and suddenly he's jumping on you and mouthing you. This happens in a split second and for no apparent reason.
This is very annoying and sometimes quite painful. He did this before the training school so it's nothing he picked up there. 

His food has not changed, his toilet habits are fine and not unlike anything prior to the school. His appetite is very good, and overall he looks great. He's 65 lbs of muscle..
He still will try to pick up a piece of small gravel in the yard and he's been known to swallow a piece now and then and eventually pass it out later.
He's 7 months old and not neutered (YET) and is very very good most of the time. He lies around and listens and takes naps and is a good boy and wants to play a lot like any other puppy. But then is Dr. Jeckel and Mr. Hyde.
He has these bouts of being a nit wit and out of control. 

I'm at a loss to understand why he changes like this.
We've had nothing but Labs for the past 30 years. I love Labs and have never had a Lab like this guy. 

I'm open to suggestions if any one has had a similar situation or knows of something that might make him stop this crazy behavior. 
I really don't like the eating of gravel. That could be a very serious medical situation and very costly as well. I don't know why he likes to chew on the rocks.

Thanks,
Keats
Arizona


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## MysticRealm

Sounds like a regular 7 month old lab.
Sending him to training off site is all fine and good, but it's not likely going to cure any issues if the training is not continued at home.
If he eats things like gravel, his coughing could have been caused by damage to his throat from attempting to eat something and it getting stuck or down the wrong tube.
Reading up on PetMD on Mycoplasma it says nothing about a throat swab being needed to diagnose it.
"Your veterinarian will perform a thorough physical exam on your dog, taking into account the background history of symptoms and possible incidents that might have led to this condition. A complete blood profile will also be conducted, including a chemical blood profile, a complete blood count, and a urinalysis.

There are various diagnostic procedures that may be undertaken if the symptoms of mycoplasmosis are present. An analysis of the fluid secreted into the prostate can reveal if normal bacterial cultures are present. The presence of mycoplasmosis will be concurrent with inflammatory cells. If polyarthritis is suspected, an analysis of the synovial fluid, the fluid found in the cavities of certain joints (e.g., knees, shoulders), may be useful. Increased levels of nondegenerative neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, are usually found in this case."
However it does not seem to have much in the way of respiratory issues, mostly joint issues it seems


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## BKaymuttleycrew

I'm sorry the 'Board & Train' program didn't accomplish what you had hoped it would. Unfortunately, this is the *exact* reason why they are not a practical solution in the vast majority of cases. Since dogs don't generalize well (what they learn in one context does not easily transfer over to another) the 'problems' you are experiencing (counter surfing, jumping on your wife, digging in the yard, pulling on leash) are absolutely ones he might not exhibit in a different location or with a different person - but will do in your home or with you/your wife. 

It also sounds like he is lacking in impulse control. Not unusual or uncommon for an adolescent Lab (heck, most teenagers of any species experience bouts of being a nit wit and out of control! lol)

I would strongly suggest that you get a good, positive reinforcement based trainer to come into your home & give you some 'private lessons' on how to help manage him & train some alternatives to his undesirable behaviors. A professional that can see him doing what he does in the context of where he does it, will be able to lay out a training plan for you & your wife to follow. They will be able to show you how & when to interrupt his downward behavior spiral *before* it gets out of control & he is acting like a wild child. There will be subtle clues he's providing - it's up to you to figure out what they are and identify the moment you need to interrupt & redirect him. 

In the meantime, you might want to check out some of the following information on teaching impulse control (his lack of which it sounds like the majority of your 'issues' stem from)
http://blog.smartanimaltraining.com...ys-to-teaching-dogs-calm-and-polite-behavior/
http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/LoweringArousal.pdf
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/pets/dog-behavior/frustration-tolerance-and-impulse-control
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/is...29a:&st=email&s=p_weekendtip112313&t=t_button
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/14_5/features/Training-Hyperactive-Dogs_20259-1.html


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## Keats

24 Apr 16
Finally was able to log back onto the forum. I've been butting my head against the log in for almost a month. Sorry bout not responding sooner.
Henry is doing very well. His cough is gone and there were no lingering effects. I believe that the vet was right when she attributed the coughing to throat trauma. I doubt very much if he had any type of illness at all. 
That being said, we've worked hard to get him to follow through on his training. He still tries to act up now and then and he has jumped on my wife a few times but we're thinking that it's part of the Lab nature to be very playful. I think that he thinks we're playing with him and he is a lot like a small child and doesn't know when enough is enough. None of these events can be considered as "Aggressive" in nature. 
We just got back from the group classes that the training facility offers as a follow up afetr the on site training and he did very well. He needs to polish up his commands but he's doing them as commanded.
We went to a prong collar and he responds to that quickly. 
Impulse control is a good idea to work on. I'll have to check it out. 
He's pretty much stopped eating gravel because we only take him out while on a leash. He may still try to grab a small piece but usually we catch it right away and take it away. He's stopped biting his back legs and penis. Hurray...
Maybe it was just a growing thing. He's 74 lbs now and will be 8 months on the 30th.
The vet recommended neutering but suggested that we hold off as long as possible citing studies done about neutering too soon and how it could lead to joint problems and cancer later in life. I'll try to hold off till he's about a year, maybe a bit longer if possible. That should slow him down a little bit too. 
So for now, things are looking better but it's a long road. 
Thanks for the replies.
Keats
Arizona


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## Pauljhiggins

Keats said:


> 6 Jan 16,
> I have a Black Lab male puppy that was born on 30 Aug 2015.
> We brought him into our home on Oct 24th. He weighed 12 lbs then.
> I've had dogs all of my life -67yrs - and I've never had a dog like this before.
> Neither of my previous male Labs did anything like this guy does.
> For the past 3 to 4 weeks, he's been whining and biting at his back legs and his penis. He behaves like he's in pain and this goes on for perhaps 5 minutes before he just stops and everything is back to normal.
> I addressed this with his vet and she said that he's not growing too fast. I thought that maybe his leg bones were developing too fast for his age.
> She said it was normal and not to worry about it.
> Perhaps it is normal but I've never seen anything like it before.
> For the past couple weeks, his penis protrudes from the sheath and he may lick it. He sometimes has this condition when he's biting his back legs and sometimes bites his penis as well.
> He is not tender and touching his legs or abdomen does not produce any signs of discomfort. On the contrary, he loves to have his belly rubbed and often falls asleep while your doing that.
> He does not have any problems eliminating or urinating.
> His appetite is very good. He's growing like a weed and is up to 40 lbs already. Whew!
> He was eating Diamond Puppy food and the vet told us to switch him over to Diamond Large Breed Puppy food. We did and he loves it too.
> Additionally, he gets crazy about 20-30 minutes after a meal. He barks and runs around and snaps at us. I believe that he's trying to play and wants us to participate and we try to throw a ball or play tug with a nylon rope etc to help him burn up his energy.
> He'll be a absolute handful for about 45 minutes and then he lies down and goes to sleep like someone just turned off a switch.
> We take him for walks in the park and try to keep up with his exercise demands.
> Usually in the evening he will climb into my wife's lap and go to sleep. He must think he's a lap dog.
> So it's Jeckel and Hyde for us.
> 
> Is it possible that the food is causing a reaction? He did it with both types of the puppy food. It's more pronounced now than before but that might be because he's older.
> There are no visible rashes on him. His coat is shiny and in good condition. He's getting his adult teeth and loves to chew with his molars.
> 
> I sure would appreciate any suggestions any of you may have.
> 
> Thanks,
> Keats
> Arizona


Hi Keats,

Did you ever find out what the problem was? We have a 5 month old dachshund who does the same thing, bites his back legs and penis while screaming in pain, but then eventually stops and everything is then ok. Took him to the vets twice and both times he wasn’t doing it and they said he is “happy and healthy”, even showed them videos and they couldn’t explain it. Let me know, thanks.

regards
Paul


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## AmCoverdale

For our big and boisterous lab mix the Gentle Leader has worked well. It is a head harness and does take a little but if training for them to wear it. But it works in pretty much the same way a horse harness works. Our dog walks well but gets excited and will suddenly bolt. The head harness redirects his momentum and instead of dragging me forward it makes him turn to the side. It will give you a lot more control of your dog and also protects the dogs neck from injury.


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## DaySleepers

This is an old thread, so I'm closing it. Do feel free to post about your dog's situation in a new thread! You'll get a lot more responses that way than on an older thread like this one.


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