# The wait is over: Puppy news



## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

That's awesome congrats! Can't wait to see pictures!

5 hours is fine. Having them let out in the middle of that amount of time is fine the first couple weeks and then 5 hours should be good. Just remember, when you feed pups and they drink at meals, they'll drink enough to fill the bladder 2 or 3 times, which means you should take them out every 20 min over the next hour after a meal. You will take them out, and 20 min later they will probably pee on the floor and you'll be frustrated as to why. Making sure you take them out 2 or 3 times before putting them in the crate will give them the best change not to make a mistake in the crate.

I use 42" creates for of the Golden's I've ever had. Use the divider panel. I give my pups 1/3 of the create up until 4 months of age and then 2/3 of the create took about 7 months and then the whole crate after that. They may be house broken but never give them the extra space to make a mistake. They should be able to stand, turn around and last back down, that's it. It's not play time in a crate.

About the create... NEVER use pee pads in a crate. They are scented and will draw the puppy to want to use them. This in turn will make the puppy think they are supposed to go to the bathroom IN the crate and good luck ever straightening that out. In fact you don't even want to use pee pads if your going to create train. The point of the create is to teach them to hold it and go only outside, never inside. Again, the pads will make them want to use them inside. Using pads and a crate will just make it so you'll confuse the pup and have to train to only go outside later on.

Set the vet appointment for Monday or Tuesday. I always take new pups to the vet within 3 days off having them home. A lot of breeders want it done working 4 days. I know the very your breeder uses and she has a different vaccine protocol I use. So it's good to have your vet see them and setup a schedule for the boosters.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Thanks Eric. I will send you a PM about the vaccine protocol issue.


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

Congratulations. That is great news but I imagine there's a lot to get done in a hurry. Is there any way someone can take a few days off to help the puppy settle in? It's such a big change to leave the litter and she is such a little baby.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Congratulations! Looking forward to seeing pictures.


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## robertsonse11 (Sep 6, 2018)

If you have someone stopping by midday to give the puppy a potty break, they should be fine for the 5 hours you are gone. Even if you were home all day, you would still need to put the puppy in their crate for 2 hour naps. Just make sure you spend plenty of time with them in the morning and evenings. 

That being said... if I were you, I would take 1-2 days off to spend at home with the puppy when you first bring them home. That first 48 hours is tough, and it would be traumatic to bring the puppy home and leave them alone in a crate the very next day.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

robertsonse11 said:


> If you have someone stopping by midday to give the puppy a potty break, they should be fine for the 5 hours you are gone. Even if you were home all day, you would still need to put the puppy in their crate for 2 hour naps. Just make sure you spend plenty of time with them in the morning and evenings.
> 
> That being said... if I were you, I would take 1-2 days off to spend at home with the puppy when you first bring them home. That first 48 hours is tough, and it would be traumatic to bring the puppy home and leave them alone in a crate the very next day.



That was I did with my current dog. I had off Friday, Sat, Sun and Monday and drove to Michigan on Friday and drove home Saturday and that gave me 2 days to get her settled in before back to work. I just had my sister come over mid day to let her out till she was about 12 or 14 weeks old.


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## Neeko13 (Jul 10, 2010)

Congratulations...so so exciting!!!! Good luck!!!


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Thanks everyone! Yes, I will be taking off so I will have a couple of days to get her used to her new home and then my neighbors will be helping me out on some days. I have also thought of hiring a pet sitter service to come in to let her out if my neighbors are unavailable on certain days but that worries me having a complete stranger in the house and taking care of my puppy. Has anyone here used a pet sitter before?


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## laurenC (Sep 20, 2017)

Congrats on your baby! My breeder tests her bitches so we have a nomograph as to when to re vaccinate the pups https://www.vetmed.wisc.edu/lab/cavids/canine-nomograph-what-is-it/ . so i wait until then until i go to the vet. This time it was at 10 weeks. i strongly recommend titer testing your pups so you dont over vaccinate your dog....im for anything to decrease the insane cancer situation we face with our so loved goldens. CONGRATS again!!


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

laurenC said:


> Congrats on your baby! My breeder tests her bitches so we have a nomograph as to when to re vaccinate the pups https://www.vetmed.wisc.edu/lab/cavids/canine-nomograph-what-is-it/ . so i wait until then until i go to the vet. This time it was at 10 weeks. i strongly recommend titer testing your pups so you dont over vaccinate your dog....im for anything to decrease the insane cancer situation we face with our so loved goldens. CONGRATS again!!



Thanks. This is very interesting. I've never heard of this. I did titers on Callie for distemper and parvo but at age 7. Does the breeder do this nomograph testing? If she has not, then there is no way to get this info regarding the immunity , right? I will ask her tomorrow when we go to get puppy. Thanks


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## laurenC (Sep 20, 2017)

yes breeder tests the bitch to know when her immunity of parvo/ distempter run out and they need to be vaccinated. we only vaccinate several times to ensure that moms immunity is not killing the vaccination. tough on puppies to have so many unneeded vaccines. definitely ask hopefully she has tested the bitch nad the nomograph info will come in your puppy packet. congrats on your new baby!! SO fun!!


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## Lincgold (May 11, 2018)

Congratulations! Excellent advice from Maggie’Voice. I worked when we had one of our pups. Fortunately, my job was only 15 min away so I was able to come home for lunch and let him out. I never used a puppy sitter and all of my dogs did well. Good luck to you. Please send photos when you can.


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## sophieanne (Feb 4, 2014)

Congratulations..today is the big day ...can hardly wait to see pictures and hear about your little girl....


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## robertsonse11 (Sep 6, 2018)

debbie624 said:


> I have also thought of hiring a pet sitter service to come in to let her out if my neighbors are unavailable on certain days but that worries me having a complete stranger in the house and taking care of my puppy. Has anyone here used a pet sitter before?


I have been using a professional pet sitting service since Ned was 9 weeks old. It has been a great experience. The company I used is really reliable and professional. He has a primary walker, named Betty, who he has really bonded with. If you choose to hire someone, ask around for recommendations and make sure that the company is legitimate. They should have clear policies, good communication methods, and liability insurance.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

robertsonse11 said:


> I have been using a professional pet sitting service since Ned was 9 weeks old. It has been a great experience. The company I used is really reliable and professional. He has a primary walker, named Betty, who he has really bonded with. If you choose to hire someone, ask around for recommendations and make sure that the company is legitimate. They should have clear policies, good communication methods, and liability insurance.


Thanks! So far, my neighbors are chipping in to help for the time being. Maybe I won't need a service I am hoping. Worse comes to worse, I will start to research some places and a friend of mine has started to use a service. But I am hoping I won't need one.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Here she is, our new puppy. Were not 100 percent settled on her name as it's only been 2 days but we're leaning towards Coco, short for Coconut. And a middle name of Butters bc we met a lovely golden on vacation with the name of Butters and fell in love with him. And moms name is Buttercup so feel it fits nicely. She's adjusted immediately to our home. Sleeping through the night in her crate with no crying and no accidents. She's becoming more at home with us and has quickly turned into a land shark! I've been using firm no and redirection and giving her a bone or toy to chew on. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated bc she chews everything from our feet to our clothes and everything in between. We are in love.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

More pics of puppy


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## Sniper (May 1, 2018)

That is a beautiful puppy! Congrats!


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

She's beautiful! Congratz again! On the biting, that's what you do, just correct and redirect. Expect the land shark phase for about a month or so maybe 2 if they are stubborn about it.


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## LynnC (Nov 14, 2015)

Oh my she is precious  . Try Bitter Apple Spray. Enjoy puppyhood!


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

She is so tiny and cute. Enjoy that fuzzy stage.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Thanks everyone! She's a keeper. And a land shark, lol. I have sprayed bitter apple spray. Sometimes she doesn't seem to mind it and chews the object anyway. Its a knock off brand of it so maybe I need to try the real one. So today was her big day in the crate while I was at work. My neighbor came in to let her out after 3 hours and then we were home with her 3 hours later. She did well. I feel guilty though. Thankfully Tuesday is my only long day. I'll keep posting about her, I should call them Coco's chronicles, lol.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

There are other ones as well. There is a bitter cherry and a bitter lime. Don't go crazy with it and put it everywhere because the pups will start to get a taste for it, they become immune to it. so use when you really need it and don't rely on it for training. Also it's not a bad idea to rotate it with the others I mentioned as when they expect one and it's another it turns them off to it.


Land sharking is part of the fun! lol


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

She's beautiful!


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## SusanS (Jul 23, 2018)

Coco - Butter is a very cute name, but she's cuter! Definitely a keeper ?


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## Valhalla09 (Jan 26, 2019)

She is just adorable! Our Ragnar is finally leaving the land shark phase behind, for the most part. Enjoy cuddling that little ball of fluff.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

debbie624 said:


> More pics of puppy



Looking at your pup made me go back and look at Maggie's pics from when I first got her. Same breeder, different parents totally but they look so much alike!


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Maggie'sVoice said:


> Looking at your pup made me go back and look at Maggie's pics from when I first got her. Same breeder, different parents totally but they look so much alike!


OMG Eric, you are totally right. They look like twins. Coco's mom Buttercup is very petite. Dad is bigger. I am hoping she will be on the smaller side. Its so awesome the girls share common family members. And with Callie since Maggie's grandsire is I believe Callie's sire (Malagold 5 OClock Somewhere) from what you said in a previous post months ago.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

debbie624 said:


> OMG Eric, you are totally right. They look like twins. Coco's mom Buttercup is very petite. Dad is bigger. I am hoping she will be on the smaller side. Its so awesome the girls share common family members. And with Callie since Maggie's grandsire is I believe Callie's sire (Malagold 5 OClock Somewhere) from what you said in a previous post months ago.


Maggie topped it at 58-59 pounds and stands 21.75" at the withers. At 8 weeks she was 7.8 pounds


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

So Coco is biting everything and often I can't walk into a room without her attaching herself to my pant legs. I say firm "no" and redirect her with a toy or bone but she quickly returns. what do you all do for this? As I mentioned above, I have tried the spray. Also, I have a sight question. Sometimes we are noticing she doesn't seem to know we are in the room unless we try to gain her attention or get close to her. I'm not sure if I should be concerned or if it is bc she is only 7 weeks old. She was examined by my vet Monday and she said she has no health concerns. I didn't notice what I am seeing though so I didn't say anything. Anyone here experience this before?


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Question about food. We've had Coco now for 1 week. The breeder feeds Purina proplan adult. The litter is cobred with 2 people, 1 saying to feed our puppy the adult food, paperwork says they feed the puppy food. I've been feeding a blend of both and bought small bag of the puppy proplan focus chicken and rice. My question is is this the proper ratio of calcium to phosphorus. Heres pic of the label. Thanks.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

Connie feed the puppy but not large breed puppy. Have no clue why the other lady is feeding adult food. Isn't like she isn't already feeding the mom puppy food, so it's not from being lazy and not feeding different foods.

It isn't strictly about calcium and phosphorus but mostly. I still recommend using large breed puppy food until at least until the pup is 8 or so months old. But certainly a puppy food. The foods have different vitamin packages and puppies require different vitamins that the adult food has. 

For the Cal and Phosphorus you want a 1.1 to 1.4 parts Calcium to 1 part Phosphorus. The bag you listed should fall into that ratio, which is overall the most important thing.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Maggie'sVoice said:


> Connie feed the puppy but not large breed puppy. Have no clue why the other lady is feeding adult food. Isn't like she isn't already feeding the mom puppy food, so it's not from being lazy and not feeding different foods.
> 
> It isn't strictly about calcium and phosphorus but mostly. I still recommend using large breed puppy food until at least until the pup is 8 or so months old. But certainly a puppy food. The foods have different vitamin packages and puppies require different vitamins that the adult food has.
> 
> For the Cal and Phosphorus you want a 1.1 to 1.4 parts Calcium to 1 part Phosphorus. The bag you listed should fall into that ratio, which is overall the most important thing.


So the co breeder is feeding the adult Purina Proplan Focus large breed to all her dogs including the puppies. She had a reason but I don't remember and probably bc it didnt make sense. Maybe bc the puppy formula has more calories and she is concerned about gaining weight too quickly. I asked my vet and she said to feed the puppy formula. I can't find the adult large breed puppy so I got the Puppy formula chicken and rice. And its weird bc on Connies info sheet it specifically says she is feeding the exact one I bought and she emphasizes its not large breed. So not sure if I should continue this food. Coco is doing fine on it, her poop looks normal and no issues. She scratches occasionally but I think its just puppy behavior. I can see that she is gaining weight. why do you recommend feeding the large breed puppy formula?


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Feed her what she came home on and don't change unless there is a problem.
There was some discrepancy on food when I took home my Malagold pup as well....feed them what they came home with and don't overthink it. 
Puppies develop longer distance sight as they grow. At 7-8 weeks they usually don't see more than 10 feet or so with any great clarity. It improves dramatically as they grow up.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

debbie624 said:


> So the co breeder is feeding the adult Purina Proplan Focus large breed to all her dogs including the puppies. She had a reason but I don't remember and probably bc it didnt make sense. Maybe bc the puppy formula has more calories and she is concerned about gaining weight too quickly. I asked my vet and she said to feed the puppy formula. I can't find the adult large breed puppy so I got the Puppy formula chicken and rice. And its weird bc on Connies info sheet it specifically says she is feeding the exact one I bought and she emphasizes its not large breed. So not sure if I should continue this food. Coco is doing fine on it, her poop looks normal and no issues. She scratches occasionally but I think its just puppy behavior. I can see that she is gaining weight. why do you recommend feeding the large breed puppy formula?



I don't know the reason the other lady feeds her puppies the adult large breed but they should be on the puppy large breed till 8-10 months of age. correct calc-phos ratio and a vitamin and mineral package meant for a growing puppy and not for an established, grown dog. The calories don't mean anything because the bag of food has a general feeding chart based on what the average puppy needs to eat of that formula. 



I had this conversation with Connie and she feels that Goldens aren't large breed dogs. She said to me they don't get 100 pounds (which actually is giant breed). Large breed dogs are classified as dogs that get 50lbs or more at adult.You can feed her the regular puppy pro plan as it's cal-phos is OK for large breed puppies and at least it is a puppy vitamin package as well. I like the foods that are more tailor made for the dog. To me it's important as you're setting up the dog for life skeletal wise. It's the same thing as an all life stage food. By definition it is a small breed puppy food as that is the type of dog with the greatest nutritional needs. All you do is feed more or less of it as puppies and adults but then you are just feeding more or less of the same mix of vitamins. Adults don't need the excess that puppies need for growth.


Again if you feel comfortable feeding the regular puppy food then that is fine, I just wouldn't feed the adult food to an 8 week old puppy. to me that is insane.


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## Lincgold (May 11, 2018)

I agree with Maggie’sVoice. I feed my pup with ProPlan for puppies chicken etc. I love the probiotic in the food. He’s never had any problems with it. Enjoy your pup.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Maggie'sVoice said:


> I don't know the reason the other lady feeds her puppies the adult large breed but they should be on the puppy large breed till 8-10 months of age. correct calc-phos ratio and a vitamin and mineral package meant for a growing puppy and not for an established, grown dog. The calories don't mean anything because the bag of food has a general feeding chart based on what the average puppy needs to eat of that formula.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Okay thanks. I will see if I can find a small bag of the Proplan large breed puppy. She seems to want to eat more than I am giving her and I'm feeding according to what Connie was feeding and whats on the bag. Basically, I am feeding 1/2 cup 3 times a day. SHe's funny bc she lays down and falls asleep next to the pantry door where her food is. She is becoming a handful. Everyone is getting frustrated bc she bites all the time and having many accidents. Even though she goes potty outside, she comes in and 30 min later goes again on the floor. I always have kibble in hand when I take her out and she goes on command. She holds it over night in her crate with no accidents ever in her crate and that is for 7 hours at bedtime and 5.5 hours when I'm at work. I don't understand if she is able to hold it, why the accidents on the floor. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. I keep reminding my husband and daughter that she has only been with us for a week and she's a baby. Ugh!


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## benelatuit (Jul 22, 2018)

That puppy is adorable!! 

Enjoying your updates - we bring our puppy home in a few weeks and "Coco's Chronicles" are good prep!


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## Lincgold (May 11, 2018)

When we got our Bear, now 9 mos, our older golden, Lincoln, was 10 yrs old. So, I had forgotten how often pups can pee. I almost brought him to the vet because I was sure he had a bladder infection or something wrong with his kidneys. They can go outside and within a few minutes later once inside, go again. So frustrating but so normal. It does get better. I watched him closely and was able to learn his body language and over time it got better. So, hang in there.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Thanks, it helps to know I am not the only one going through this. I keep reminding myself this will pass. Today was better. No accidents! we've taken her out every 20 to 30 minutes when we've been home.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Lincgold said:


> I agree with Maggie’sVoice. I feed my pup with ProPlan for puppies chicken etc. I love the probiotic in the food. He’s never had any problems with it. Enjoy your pup.


OMG, hes adorable! Are you feeding him proplan large breed puppy or just puppy? I am having a hard time finding the large breed puppy in a small bag. None of my pet stores carry it.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

benelatuit said:


> That puppy is adorable!!
> 
> Enjoying your updates - we bring our puppy home in a few weeks and "Coco's Chronicles" are good prep!


Oh thats awesome. Where are you getting your puppy from and is it your first golden? Our first golden was mouthy but not as bad as Coco. Coco seems kind of aggressive but I don't think its truly aggression, just hyper puppy behv. The trick that works is keeping them busy. No problems today but we walked her twice and took her out every 20 to 30 min. I need to figure out how to keep her busy on her own, what kind of chew toy to give her. She has an elk antler. I was going to fill a kong bone with peanut butter or my vet suggested mashing up her food and freezing it in the kong. Looking forward to hearing about your new pup when she/he comes home. Girl or boy??


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

Check Tractor Supply if you have one, they usually have the smaller bags out here.. but Chewy.com is always a good choice. It might be wise to purchase at least the medium size bag (25 lb?) as it's more cost effective. A large bag stays fresh for several months.
If you are concerned about freshness just store 1 gal zip lock bags in the freezer, start a new bag when needed.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

puddles everywhere said:


> Check Tractor Supply if you have one, they usually have the smaller bags out here.. but Chewy.com is always a good choice. It might be wise to purchase at least the medium size bag (25 lb?) as it's more cost effective. A large bag stays fresh for several months.
> If you are concerned about freshness just store 1 gal zip lock bags in the freezer, start a new bag when needed.



Thanks. I want a small bag bc I may not keep her on this food. I haven't really figured it out yet. I am thinking of feeding Farmina at some point but I have to call them so see if they do food trials and have a nutritionist on staff. Ill check out chewy.com.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

Not sure they make a small bag in large breed puppy as you'd only be using it for a bad or 2 then moving on to the next side bag (15lbs) 

All the food companies have a 100% guarantee in there food. Dog doesn't like it just return at least half the bag to where you bought it. No risk


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Updates on baby Coco. She is still pretty much attacking us with biting at times, bit my daughter in the face yesterday. Its pretty frustrating. My breeder sent us home with a training manual and it suggests to lay puppy on her back and crouch over her holding her scruff until she settles down. We started this today, I think she thinks its funny bc will then bite again. When it gets out of hand, we put her in her crate to calm down and this seems to help. Yesterday while I was holding her, she turned around and tried to bite me and poked herself in the eye with my nail and I panicked, worried she hurt herself. I assume she is ok bc no redness, swelling, or any changes developed. Has this happened to anyone here? We are working on the "come" command which she seems to understand. And continues to potty outside on command but still having frequent potty accidents in the house.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

New pics of Coco. My favorite pics are of her sleeping.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

LOL Debbie. My pup was a massive land shark. I hd to pic her up at 7 weeks so she lost a week of learning bite inhibition from her litter mates. She was a land shark for about 6 weeks before it really went away with CONSTANT redirection. I eventually had to start curling her lip a bit just under her k9 teeth and apply increasing pressure until it was uncomfortable. she started to get the hint pretty quickly.


I would warn about using the crate for correction like that as they can start to associate that with when shes being bad and not such a fun place. The most I tell people to do with the crate is when they aren't behaving put them in the crate but stay with them until they are calm then let them out. Don't put them in it like that and leave for 15 or 20 min. 

No worries with her eye. I have poked Maggie plenty of times when she comes in at me to play If no visible sings she will be fine!

I also feel you with the fav pics are when sleeping. You will actually miss this time later on so enjoy all the times of puppy hood. It's only been a coupe weeks right? It's going to get way better. The pic you linked is adorable. It reminded me of Maggie sleeping near her food bowl the first week or so. I used a toy to help keep the little bowl in place near the water bowl....


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## jdavisryan (Jan 28, 2018)

debbie624 said:


> Updates on baby Coco. She is still pretty much attacking us with biting at times, bit my daughter in the face yesterday. Its pretty frustrating. My breeder sent us home with a training manual and it suggests to lay puppy on her back and crouch over her holding her scruff until she settles down. We started this today, I think she thinks its funny bc will then bite again. When it gets out of hand, we put her in her crate to calm down and this seems to help. Yesterday while I was holding her, she turned around and tried to bite me and poked herself in the eye with my nail and I panicked, worried she hurt herself. I assume she is ok bc no redness, swelling, or any changes developed. Has this happened to anyone here? We are working on the "come" command which she seems to understand. And continues to potty outside on command but still having frequent potty accidents in the house.


Such a cutie! You'll be through this phase sooner than you know. We've just recently emerged from the puppy stage, so I thought I'd share our experiences and how we survived. Woody was our mouthiest puppy by far, and none of the typcal corrections such as yiping or "ah-ah, no!" seemed to deter him from biting. We survived by stuffing a variety of chew toys in his mouth to redirect, over and over and over again. Rope toys worked really well, and tug is a good way to wear a puppy out. I also kept a supply of wet dish cloths torn in strips, tied in knots, and frozen to ease his teething pain. I used the crate for time out when he was really out of control which was usually a sign of an over-stimulated or overly-tired boy. Woody has no negative association with his crate as a result, and I still ocassionally give a time out when his adolescent antics become an issue. At ten months old, he still sometimes uses his mouth to get my attention, although he's very gentle with his teeth now. 

As for the house-breaking, we approached this as our full-time number one job. I keep his day crate by the door to the backyard for a quick exit after nap time, he had constant supervision when he wasn't crated, we took him out for potty breaks every 20 minutes, and we closed off parts of the house to keep him from exploring if we were momentarily distracted. My husband and I were a tag team, and if I needed to throw dinner together, hubby tagged in to make sure Woody got outside. I kept Woody tethered to me with a leash when Jim wasn't around to help monitor. We kept our reaction to accidents pretty neutral, but threw a big party every time he went to the door and had a successful trip outside. He was an easy puppy to train, and was pretty much accident free by 12 weeks.

You'll get through the trials of puppyhood, and might even miss some of the silly puppy antics. Best wishes to you.


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## Lincgold (May 11, 2018)

To Debbie624: thank you. I feed Bear ProPlan Savor for puppies. As I said, the probiotic is great for his digestive system. I asked our vet if I should switch to the large breed formula. He said “no” that the nutrients in Savor was good especially the probiotic. He said Bear can go on the large breed formula when he turned one. He’s 75 lbs of pure muscle! Enjoy your pup and please keep updating us.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Maggie'sVoice said:


> LOL Debbie. My pup was a massive land shark. I hd to pic her up at 7 weeks so she lost a week of learning bite inhibition from her litter mates. She was a land shark for about 6 weeks before it really went away with CONSTANT redirection. I eventually had to start curling her lip a bit just under her k9 teeth and apply increasing pressure until it was uncomfortable. she started to get the hint pretty quickly.
> 
> 
> I would warn about using the crate for correction like that as they can start to associate that with when shes being bad and not such a fun place. The most I tell people to do with the crate is when they aren't behaving put them in the crate but stay with them until they are calm then let them out. Don't put them in it like that and leave for 15 or 20 min.
> ...


Omg, Maggie is so cute! yes, we have only had her for 2 weeks. Coco actually doesn't mind her crate. I did think though that at first I didn't want to associate punishment with the crate so we don't scold her when we put her there. We mainly are saying its just cool off time when shes overly hyper. Sometimes we just need to separate from her to get a break from the biting. I have wondered too if she is more bitey like this bc she was sent home with us at 7 weeks. Callie was mouthy too but not as bad and we got her at 10 weeks. I also have been using the manual that Connie sent home and a technique called "drop and rollover" when she is in attack mode. I am going to reach out to my co breeder to see if she has any tips too since she has Coco's sister. Thanks


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

jdavisryan said:


> Such a cutie! You'll be through this phase sooner than you know. We've just recently emerged from the puppy stage, so I thought I'd share our experiences and how we survived. Woody was our mouthiest puppy by far, and none of the typcal corrections such as yiping or "ah-ah, no!" seemed to deter him from biting. We survived by stuffing a variety of chew toys in his mouth to redirect, over and over and over again. Rope toys worked really well, and tug is a good way to wear a puppy out. I also kept a supply of wet dish cloths torn in strips, tied in knots, and frozen to ease his teething pain. I used the crate for time out when he was really out of control which was usually a sign of an over-stimulated or overly-tired boy. Woody has no negative association with his crate as a result, and I still ocassionally give a time out when his adolescent antics become an issue. At ten months old, he still sometimes uses his mouth to get my attention, although he's very gentle with his teeth now.
> 
> As for the house-breaking, we approached this as our full-time number one job. I keep his day crate by the door to the backyard for a quick exit after nap time, he had constant supervision when he wasn't crated, we took him out for potty breaks every 20 minutes, and we closed off parts of the house to keep him from exploring if we were momentarily distracted. My husband and I were a tag team, and if I needed to throw dinner together, hubby tagged in to make sure Woody got outside. I kept Woody tethered to me with a leash when Jim wasn't around to help monitor. We kept our reaction to accidents pretty neutral, but threw a big party every time he went to the door and had a successful trip outside. He was an easy puppy to train, and was pretty much accident free by 12 weeks.
> 
> You'll get through the trials of puppyhood, and might even miss some of the silly puppy antics. Best wishes to you.


Thanks! Yes, I definitely am savoring these puppy weeks bc before we know it, she will be full grown. I LOVE holding her like a baby when she is sleeping. She is so cuddly and affectionate. I wasn't able to hold Callie like this bc she was 10 weeks old when we got her and was bigger than Coco. We have baby gates up in the kitchen to keep her confined for the most part. She occasionally goes into the family room with us to play or work on training. Unfortunately, we have carpet in the small hallway where her crate is off of the kitchen and she often has an accident on that carpet. A friend suggested to put down potty pads for accidents in the house but I fear she would make the association to then go in the house and she has done a great job on going outside when we take her out. She has accidents though still even though she knows to go outside.


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## Lincgold (May 11, 2018)

She will have occasional accidents as she learns but I don’t think you should place pads down as it will confuse her. I would suggest you spray the area where she peed or pooped with a spray that will remove the scent so she won’t go back to that spot. They grow up so fast. Enjoy your cuddling time in your arms.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

Agree with Lincgold. The pads are scented to draw the puppy to WANT to use them. A crate is to teach them bladder control and it's ALWAYS directly outside the instant you open the crate door. Using pee pads with greatly extend the housebreaking time and sometimes makes you have to break the indoor behavior and retrain for outdoor only. Just make sure you get a pet odor eliminator like Nature's Miracle or Urine off (which I use) like Lincgold said.. Don't worry about buying to much either, I get the gallon because it's great for washing their beds and anything else dog related with.


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

debbie624 said:


> Unfortunately, we have carpet in the small hallway where her crate is off of the kitchen and she often has an accident on that carpet. A friend suggested to put down potty pads for accidents in the house but I fear she would make the association to then go in the house and she has done a great job on going outside when we take her out. She has accidents though still even though she knows to go outside.



Your puppy is very cute - congratulations!


She's also very young. Pups don't really have much control over the muscles that regulate elimination until they are older. So she may "know" she has to go outside, but there's not a lot she can do about it: at her age, when she's got to go, she's got to go. Expecting her to hold it now would be a bit like expecting a 6-month-old human baby to manage without diapers.


Most dogs won't be reliably clean in the house until they're between 5 and 6 months old. If you manage them well, as you seem to be doing, you can probably start avoiding accidents at between 3 and 4 months of age. I'm self-employed working from home, and my current Golden didn't really have accidents in the house after 3 months because I was able to manage his schedule. However, he wasn't what I would call reliably clean until about 5 months of age. My last Golden was about 6 months when she stopped having accidents. My Labrador was about 6 months old too. Our toy poodle took longer (small dogs are often more difficult).



As others have said, don't use the pads - they will make the process much more difficult. If you're able to remove rugs and carpets in the meantime, it helps. There are sadly no shortcuts to housetraining. It's mainly a question of time.


Best of luck!


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

debbie624 said:


> Updates on baby Coco. She is still pretty much attacking us with biting at times, bit my daughter in the face yesterday. Its pretty frustrating. My breeder sent us home with a training manual and it suggests to lay puppy on her back and crouch over her holding her scruff until she settles down. We started this today, I think she thinks its funny bc will then bite again. When it gets out of hand, we put her in her crate to calm down and this seems to help.



This is a bit concerning, and if it were me I would not do it. There's quite a bit of evidence to suggest that this technique can actually trigger aggression in some dogs. In your case I would stop because your puppy is biting you again afterwards. This article has some useful information: https://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/...og_training_techniques_can_cause_more_harm_t/


The way I deal with biting is to hold the pup on my lap and let him mouth my arm, talking to him quietly. As soon as he bites too hard, I say "ouch" in a loud voice and put him on the floor for a short time, and then repeat the exercise. They soon learn how hard is too hard. All my dogs have had very soft mouths. My Labrador was a bit more difficult, and with her I used the technique of curling her lip gently over her teeth, so that she bit herself instead of me. Crate time-outs are also useful.


As for your daughter, I'm not sure how old she is, but small pups and small children are a difficult mix. You'll need to supervise very carefully for a while, to avoid injury, and not let them engage in rough play. My daughter was 5 years old when we got our first Golden puppy and I involved her in the training. She would get out the treat bag and teach the puppy to sit and lie down. It was very cute and created a relationship where the puppy was doing what the child wanted, instead of the other way round. Retrieving games are also good, although your pup is still a bit young for that. 



Training in general will usually help with the biting problem, so you can redirect her behaviour (e.g. order her to "sit" instead of biting).


Best of luck.


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## Lincgold (May 11, 2018)

I agree completely with CEGEE. It may backfire and make her more aggressive. She’s still so young. It can be exhausting but it will pass.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

That technique is a submission technique and will not work on a puppy of that age. It's meant for an adult or subadult dog. Your puppy will only think you're playing. To stop the land shark phase there are no shortcuts to this either. It's time, correction and redirection. 

Not to mention you can ruin your relationship with your dog and teach it to fear you trying to use submission techniques to a 10 week old puppy.

I'm curious, did committee send this home with you or the owner of the dam? Cause I've never had this type of information/training packet sent home to me from Connie.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Eric, yes it is a manual given to me by Connie. The technique is called Drop and Rollover. I'll attach a pic of manual.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

debbie624 said:


> Eric, yes it is a manual given to me by Connie. The technique is called Drop and Rollover. I'll attach a pic of manual.


Hmm, must be new or maybe given to new owners. Connie knows me and knows I can handle and train even the more stubborn pups. Maybe she felt I didn't need it? My first golden with her back in 2005 and this one I have now I never seen that from her.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Maggie'sVoice said:


> Hmm, must be new or maybe given to new owners. Connie knows me and knows I can handle and train even the more stubborn pups. Maybe she felt I didn't need it? My first golden with her back in 2005 and this one I have now I never seen that from her.


I am rethinking using this technique bc I certainly don't want to create aggression. I reached out to my cobreeder and explained what was going on and this technique. I will plan to stick with correcting and redirecting which is what we have been doing as well and stop doing this technique in the manual. We put her in crate too when she gets out of control. Thanks.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Coco updates. Still struggling with the biting. We are correcting and redirecting with not much improvement. I think it is just a matter of time before this stops. I give her a bone often to help ease her teething which seems to help and she then isn't biting so much. I discovered No Hide bones from our health food pet store which she loves. The potty accidents are happening less often. Coco does not like to walk away from the house but will walk fine back home. So we end up carrying her for the first part of the walk. This concerns me bc I don't want to reinforce this behavior but I am not sure what else to do to give her exercise as we don't have a fenced yard. Any ideas on this would be great on how to get her to go for walks. She has about doubled her weight in the 4 weeks that we have had her. She's quite the stinker but is a real love bug too.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Heres some recent pics of Coco


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Pics of Coco


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## ColoradoCub (May 14, 2019)

Coco is adorable. It really does get better with time. Our Teddy was the worst biter for his first month or so. My last 3 dogs have been Rottweilers, this is my first Golden Retriever and I will say with no hesitation that Teddy took a lot of work and patience in his first two months with us. My rotties were way easier to handle as puppies. He’s 5 1/2 months old now and he knows he’s not supposed to bite and verbal correction is enough. The worst part is our female rottie is the most passive thing in the planet and she wouldn’t help us out in correcting his behavior like you’d expect her too, we had to do it all. Had to teach him that both food bowls were not his, that he can’t bite his big sister, that he can’t just take her toys from her while they are in her mouth! His nickname is terrible ted, but he really is so sweet and loving, he’s just naughty as heck. Hang in there, it will get better. Just gotta stay the course with correction and redirection.

Terrible teddy as a puff ball


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

ColoradoCub said:


> Coco is adorable. It really does get better with time. Our Teddy was the worst biter for his first month or so. My last 3 dogs have been Rottweilers, this is my first Golden Retriever and I will say with no hesitation that Teddy took a lot of work and patience in his first two months with us. My rotties were way easier to handle as puppies. He’s 5 1/2 months old now and he knows he’s not supposed to bite and verbal correction is enough. The worst part is our female rottie is the most passive thing in the planet and she wouldn’t help us out in correcting his behavior like you’d expect her too, we had to do it all. Had to teach him that both food bowls were not his, that he can’t bite his big sister, that he can’t just take her toys from her while they are in her mouth! His nickname is terrible ted, but he really is so sweet and loving, he’s just naughty as heck. Hang in there, it will get better. Just gotta stay the course with correction and redirection.
> 
> Terrible teddy as a puff ball


Thanks! Your pup is adorable. I do keep reminding myself that the biting will pass. It just is so frustrating that you can't walk into a room without getting attacked. And When I play with her, she bites me. And I don't want to wish her puppyhood away bc I know I will miss her being a puppy as the time just flies by. I have also looked for challenging games to play with her. I'm trying to teach her hide and seek. Any ideas for games to play? Thanks for the words of encouragement.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Question for the group. Coco has hiccups frequently. I assume bc she eats fast. I am looking to get a slow feeder bowl, preferable one that is elevated or can be placed in an elevated feeder to slow her down. Is this normal? Does anyone here use a slow feeder , if so which one do you like? Thanks


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## ColoradoCub (May 14, 2019)

Teddy always has hiccups. The wife puts a ball in his food bowl to help slow down his attempt to inhale his entire bowl of food. I wouldn’t be too concerned, pretty normal for puppies to have hiccups.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Coco updates. Potty training is going great with no accidents anymore. She has learned basic commands and following them well. SHe is now 12 weeks old. She has gone on field trips to Home Depot where she is the star of the store. Everyone stopped to pet her, take pics of her with their kids, etc. Goes to the beach regularly with her daddy, parks. Its been hard to socialize her with many dogs bc there aren't a lot to choose from in my neighborhood that would be a good match. My neighbor has a very hyper boxer and I worry if he would hurt her by accident and my friend's dogs are 12 and may not be up for a hyper puppy. She plays very well with my mom's daschund but other than her, hasn't played much with other dogs. And I suspect this is part of the reason why she is so bitey with me bc she needs someone to wrestle with. I have been walking away and separating from her without responding when she gets crazy. I section her off in the kitchen. It somewhat works, a little. I am trying to get in touch with a trainer to come into my house for 1 to 2 lessons while we wait for puppy class to start in early July. I worry that starting classes at 4 1/2 months is kind of late. But it's not like we aren't' already training her bc we do work on training ourselves. Maybe the personal trainer to my house isn't necessary bc the biting is typical with golden puppies. Anyone have any ideas for puppy socialization? I don't want to take her to a dog park bc she is still in process of vaccines and I don't want to give her the bortedella vaccine just for a dog park. I wish there were "safe" meet up groups even for a small fee.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Coco pics.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Coco update. Her land shark phase is slowing down, thankfully. I discovered by accident that making a yelp noise in a loud high pitched voice when she bites me stops her. I was playing with her and cuddling her on the floor a few days ago and she bit me and I yelped and much to my surprise, she stopped, walked away and returned to kiss me! I was amazed. I yelped, covered my face and stopped moving. I think she actually gets it that it hurts. Thanks to everyone here with suggestions. Will keep posting about my little stinker. She's growing up fast. Way too fast. I love her puppyhood minus the shark attacks


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

She's a cutie. I think the yelp is how puppies let each other know a bite was too hard. I was so happy to see those needle teeth fell out of Rukie's mouth. Enjoy the puppy days.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

Haha I tried the yelping and the first couple times, Maggie looked at like WTH? But by the second day she would go harder thinking it was play time. I had to current the loop under the k9 tooth and add more Anna more pressure until I could tell it want a good feeling. Biting stored after about 3 days off this for Maggie.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

I did the yelp early on and she thought I was playing too. It is only recently that she is FINALLY getting it. She also likes to take and eat things that aren't food. I made a frozen sock pacifier and she ate a small part of it when it defrosted. She has been passing it in her stool for past 4 days. I will be calling my vet Monday but I think she is ok bc it is coming out. Was a worry for sure. She will try to eat anything from paper, to garbage, to the cap on my patio swing today. She is quite the stinker. Callie did not eat anything but food. Puppyhood...........


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## coffenut (Jan 3, 2012)

debbie624 said:


> More pics of puppy


Ohhhhh .... look at that little button nose!


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Puppy update. Coco is doing great now with potty training for past few weeks. Is incredibly smart, responds very well to training and has been easy teaching her basic commands. Is great in her crate. Responding to leave it but still wants to dash for dropped food or paper towel so we really need to work on that. But readily drops things from her mouth on walks so isnt trying to eat pebbles anymore. We have her second visit with private trainer coming today. She was impressed with her calmness , eye contact, and allowing her to pet her all over in her first visit. Will be starting puppy classes in July although I'm not sure we really need them at this point. But will still do bc I think will be good for her to be in a class with other dogs esp since I want her to train for therapy. Ive been taking her on field trips. Went to Hobby Lobby this week. I'm impressed by how many stores allow dogs. Heres some recent pics.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

More pics. Last vet visit 1 week ago she weighed in at 19.3 lbs. Lean but big feet. Hoping she'll be petite like her mom.


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## debbie624 (Aug 10, 2018)

Coco update. Heres some recent pics. Took her to Hobby Lobby for a fieldtrip. She kept picking up stuff from the floor so had to place her in the shopping cart. She loves rides in the car and exploring new places. Training is going well at puppy school. Is very calm there. Loves the people and the dogs. She is doing a bit better with grabbing things but she somehow got a sock and threw it up. We have her under lock and key and constantly supervising her and we crate her when shes alone. It scares me that she somehow got a sock. Hoping this will phase out and she grows up. Other than this , shes a great girl. Very very affectionate. Sassy at times. But responds well to training. I'm looking for puzzle type toys to challenge her and keep her busy. Would love some ideas....


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Coco's so cute, she's going to be a pretty girl. 
Sounds like she's doing great with the exception of the sock........ amazing how they can find things they shouldn't have.


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