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I think her coat will definately cord, but I will definately keep it cut to about 3"-4" max. After I brush her you can hardly tell, it immediately goes back to it's natural seperation. I asked the vet about it and he thinks so too.I read up on the grooming it takes to keep it corded and not matted and you have to manually seperate it every day, bath regularly and it takes about 24 hrs to dry. I already have a full time job. lol.

Besides, I think she would be more comfortable with a coat of a reasonable length.

I really think I have the best of both worlds. She is kom physically, but all Lab personality.

Thanks for the tips.

She is not a working LGD. She definately has all the personality of a lab. Her coat has been a mystery to me. She never shedded even during her bath, then about a month ago she started to shed her puppy coat or what I call her bear fur and her new coat is coming in curly and "white". She was pure black when I got her with four white toes. See the pic below. Anyway she seems to have stopped shedding her puppy coat and is only half way finished. I don't know if I should help it along and have her groomed or not. My husband and I are kinda curious what it will do on its own.

Anyway, welcome again.

I agree with the flags, visuals always help. But you also need to inspect your collar and make sure it is working properly and is fastened properly. Check your batteries and you need to make sure your collar is not too loose, you should only be able to slip your finger inbetween your dogs neck and the prongs. If your dog has longer hair, they make longer prongs for these types of coats.

Additionally, once a dog learns that the shock is "not so bad" if there is something he really wants on the other side you may need to change your setting up a level or two to change his mind.

Also, take the time to escort him on leash around his perimeter and when he gets too close and you hear the beep, tell him no and pull him back. If he comes back on his own, reward him instantlywith treats or praise. Never try and "lure" your dog over the line, this just confuses them.

You should also be able to set your range as to where the dog receives the "beep" and where he receives the "shock". Increase the distance between the beep and shock. If he is at a run and gets the beep and shock instantaneousl y, he is over the line before he has a chance to to slow down and turn around. I have my shock set 4' from the line so if she ignores the beep, she has to make it through 4' of shock to cross the line.

Some dogs are more stubborn than others, but most dogs will learn to respect the fence with enough repetition and education.

We have an underground invisible fence. The dog collar will first "beep", then "vibrate" then if she is real stubborn she will get am mild shock.

They make remote collars that will do this too. They work off a hand-held "walkie-talkie" type device. We use it on Tink in the house to stop chasing the cat and teach her the inside boundaries. We also us it when we go hiking or to my father in laws farm (300 acres) so she can run free and I can call her back with the beep. I have never had to use anything but the beep on the remote collar. It is a great training tool.

You could use it from inside the house and when you saw them digging, give them a beep. My hand held device works with multiple dogs.

It has worked wonders with Tink and we can take her anywhere off leash and still keep her under control. The one I have was made for hunting sporting dogs and is water proof. I have absolutely no complaints with it.

I have a kom/lab mix with excessive hair (kom-side). I have done a lot of research and inquiry to other kom owners as well as my vet and groomer. They all suggested to shave their bellies and the excess hair between their pads/toes, leave everything else. This is my first year with a kom, she is 6 months old, we live in Ohio and our AC was out for 3 days. It was in the 90's and she seemed to fair better than us.

FYI

Thanks for all the info. The vet is squeezing her in on Friday and I bought her a small bag of Canidae on my lunch break. We will see how she likes it before I buy a large bag. The whole dog journal dog food list posted here was really helpful.

Thanks to all. I will keep you posted on her condition.

I called the vet last night and he agreed to throw the bag out. He told me to cook and feed her chicken and rice for a few days until she got over the stomach problems. He also had me bring a stool sample. She has round worm. He was surprised because this is an intestinal worm puppies get from their mothers. Her stool has been tested three times since I had her and it never showed up. He doesn't know if this is something she could have gotten from the food, but is also not something that should just be showing up now. He also doesn't think it accounts for her throwing up. I guess we will never know. She acted fine last night, so hopefully we nipped it in the bud. I go on vacation next week to Seattle and I am afraid of leaving her now.

So, what type of puppy food do you all use. I defineatly won't buy the IAMS again. Who can you trust?

Anyone tried Canidae?

Maybe its his diet. What are you feeding him? Quantity means nothing without quality. Maybe he needs more of "the good stuff" in his diet, less fillers, especially if he is an active dog. They can burn calories like crazy. You need to make sure he is being feed a good quality puppy food.