On March 10, 2011 there was a litter of 9 labrador retriever puppies born in Lancaster. The breeder is Etta Eberly in Stevens, PA. Don and I went to see the litter with the intention of picking out a female. However, there was a frisky male with large paws and a big head…he was yellow Lab and just adorable at 6 weeks old. You could actually pick him up and cuddle. We paid a deposit and went back to pick him up on 5/16/2011 at 8 weeks of age.
Charlie cried 2 days and 2 nights, it was heartbreaking. We put him in a crate at night for sleeping….he slept, he cried, he slept, he cried. After the 2 days, he was fine, lots of energy and ravenous appetite. After a week, Charlie slept through the night! He was put in the crate at 10pm and held his urine until I took him out at 7am! AMAZING!!!
Charlie was doing fair at the housebreaking. He had maybe 1 accident a day in the beginning. He quickly progressed and only had 1 accident every few days. I had read that you can train puppies to ring bells to go outside. Don went out and bought wind chimes that he hung on the inside of the front door. Every time we went out, we had Charlie ring the chimes with his nose. Charlie is very intelligent and he quickly learned that hitting the chimes meant going outside. He has NOT had any accidents since the chimes were hung. However, we did in fact take the chimes down. Why? Because Charlie loves to be outside. He likes to sit on the grass and watch the wind blow through the trees, feel the sun on his face, watch the birds fly by. Hence, Charlie rang the chimes every 30 minutes, he would pee a small amount and then sit on the grass and look around. After several days of Charlie ringing the chimes every 30-60 minutes…..we removed the chimes 
We took Charlie for his first vet appointment and everything checked out well. His weight was 24.7 pounds (10 weeks). We also took him to puppy training classes (12 classes). Don did most of his training. Charlie can sit, down, stay (for 5 seconds), give his paw and he was a big hit when he rolled over! Charlie will do anything for food!!!
When we first brought him home, he loved to play in his water dish. Etta had told us that he was the only puppy in the litter that would play and scratch at his water. That continued at home and Don immediately got a dish that he could fill with cement on the bottom which kept Charlie from tipping the dish over.
At 12 weeks of age, we took Charlie to Chambers Lake to let him see the water. Yes, Charlie did more than just see it…..he went in, he swam, he loved it! And then he came home and slept! He now retrieves toys that we take with us and swims in water above his head
So we took Charlie to the vet the other day. He is now 5-1/2 months old, and weighs……..70 pounds, yes, 70, that was not a typo! The vet was shocked, as were we. The vet said, he’s not fat, he’s just muscle and bone. She said he will be well over 100 pounds! He is so strong. He listens most times on the leash and then he sees a squirrel, another dog, rabbit, a leaf blowing down the street…..and there he goes…..off and running…..and dragging me behind him! He almost pulled Don over when he took him to the lake for swimming. Don immediately went out and bought a choker chain. Charlie has been much better. We are feeding him to make him heel and it works better.
We are teaching Charlie ‘leave it’. When he has something in his mouth that he shouldn’t have, such as, tissue paper, cell phones, rocks, etc. we say ‘leave it’ and show him a treat. He quickly drops the item and takes the treat. He will do anything for food, so now he looks around for things he shouldn’t have, like the dish towel from the kitchen, and he brings it into the living room looking at us and waiting for one of us to say ‘leave it’ so that he can get a treat…..he is so smart!
Charlie has adapted very well to our life style. He sleeps or rests at Don’s feet while he works on the computer and I am at work. He greets me at the door when I come home. He knows if he sits, instead of jumping like a Mexican jumping bean, that he gets a treat! Most nights he follows me to the counter and sits waiting for a treat
Charlie loves to retrieve. You could throw a ball, toy, whatever for 30 minutes and he will continue to bring it back. He is even learning to ‘leave it’ so that it can be thrown again, and again, and again!
I would highly recommend Etta as a breeder. She also has golden retrievers. heeberly@dejazzd.com
Charlie is a pleasure and a love. He loves to be petted and hugged. It’s time to teach him new tricks…..I’m thinking, picking up his toys at night and putting them away!
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