Breed All About It - Labrador

Explore the rich development of Labradors, thought to be the most versatile of breeds.

Purebred Labrador puppies

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How Do I Care For A Pregnant Labrador Retriever?

Us Labrador Retrievers do require a lot of care, even more so if you have the wonderful opportunity to care for a mother-to-be of Labrador Retriever puppies! However, it's very important not to forget that caring for a pregnant Labrador Retriever is a huge responsibility, since you are responsible for the well-being of the unborn puppies as well. A Labrador Retriever will be very appreciative of your care, and we will do much better if you research the best care methods. If you learn about how to care for a pregnant Labrador Retriever, you will be able to dramatically improve the quality of life for her future puppy litter.

Female Labrador Retrievers are very similar to human females, as they will give many key signs that signal they are pregnant. Your Labrador Retriever may seem listless, and she might not show as much enthusiasm at mealtimes. Decreased appetite is a common sign that a female Labrador is experiencing the early stages of her pregnancy. Of course, this will make you worry, so it should be a good opportunity to visit the veterinarian! This is the equivalent of "morning sickness" in a pregnant female Dog, and normally will disappear some time after the first trimester. During this time, it is highly recommended to start giving your pregnant Labrador Retriever some prenatal vitamins.

Swelling of the tummy is another key sign that your female Labrador is pregnant. This seems like a fairly obvious sign, but many people mistake it for their Dog becoming overweight. During this time, some Dog owners even stop feeding their female Labradors their normal food, or begin a weight loss program. This can harm the unborn puppies! Even if your female Labrador Retriever has been spayed, it's still possible for her to become pregnant. The spaying operation is usually very successful, but should not be assumed to protect your Dog 100% against pregnancy. If your female Labrador Retriever is beginning to become a bit chubby around the middle, be sure to take her to the veterinarian first, before making any assumptions of whether or not she is pregnant.

During the second and third trimester of your Labrador's pregnancy, she may begin to engage in a behavior commonly known as "nesting". This is the same type of behavior that some human mothers experience before giving birth. With this behavior, your female Labrador Retriever may begin to constantly rearrange or paw at her bedding. She may also carry some of her favorite toys or treats over to her bed area. It's best to let her alone when she does this, as she is simply preparing her sleeping area for giving birth to her puppies. Most female Labradors will display nesting behavior soon before giving birth.

When you have confirmed your female Labrador Retriever's pregnancy with your veterinarian, there are many important prenatal care steps that should be followed. Since your Labrador is now also supplying nutrients for her unborn puppies, it's highly recommended to start giving her a prenatal vitamin. Try to give her the best prenatal vitamin that you can find, since cheap or poorly formulated prenatal vitamins can actually be deficient in important vitamins needed by your dog and her puppies. A good prenatal vitamin can be purchased online, from a pet supply store, or prescribed by your veterinarian.

After your female Labrador Retriever has gotten over her "morning sickness" of the first trimester, she'll begin to eat... a LOT! The average pregnant female Labrador will consume from two to three times her normal food amount. It's much better to divide her meals throughout the day, to ensure the maximum absorption of the nutrients found in the food. At this time, it is also wise to switch to a premium high-nutrient dog food, of the best quality that you can comfortably afford. Remember, your female Labrador is supplying nutrients for the proper development of her puppies, and it's your job to help her get all of the nutrition she needs.

Since Labrador Retrievers are very affectionate, we will need additional attention when going through a situation such as pregnancy. Try to keep your female Labrador as comfortable as possible, and don't forget to schedule regular check-ups during her pregnancy with your veterinarian.

This article was brought to you by Sean Green, at Pet Care.
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DIY - Tips on Labrador Retriever Training

Labrador Retriever training is not as difficult as some people may think. It is never too late to change your canine into an obedient Dog. The thing you need to know about labs is that they are highly intelligent Dogs. Granted, it may be just a bit more challenging to break your older Labrador Retriever from their habits then it would be to train a puppy but the task is not impossible. There are many tricks you can teach your lab as well as to be obedient. Labrador Retrievers are the most popular breed in the United States today and are an excellent addition to any family household. These animals are very talented and have many natural abilities to do many great things. If you take the right approach you will have your lab trained in no time at all.

Tips on Labrador Retriever Training:

1. You are going to want to start out with the smaller commands like sit, down, heel. Then gradually move on to the more difficult ones.

2. Be consistent with your commands and do not let up. Keep saying it and motion for them to do what you are asking until they follow trough with it. Dogs do not understand our commands until they are taught them.

3. Reward their good behavior right away. I you will reward the good behavior you will indeed see this behavior repeated because they know it is going to be rewarded.

4. Keep a watch on your Labrador Retriever so that you are able to correct bad behavior on the spot. Have a firm voice. This will let them know that what they just done was not a good thing. They will eventually understand this concept.

5. It is very important that you keep your cool and have patience with your dog. Nothing is going to change over night. Though, day to day you will gradually see a difference in your Labrador Retriever's behavior.

There are many places to find tips on labrador retriever training. You can search the internet, there are books out there you can buy, there are even doggy daycares you can take your dog to and receive help with this training process. You can hire professionals to come in and take over. This is usually the approach a person may take when they do not have the time to train their dog. Also, when the dog is just so set in their ways you have to get someone to help.

For more free tips and information about doing your labrador retriever training, I recommend this article. This article not only offers free tips, it also offers a guide that comes complete with plans, professional tips, and more. Dont spend so much on obedience school, when you can do it yourself and save money. More importantly, why let someone else build a bond with your labrador retriever, build it yourself!

For more information, view the article here.

The Pros and Cons of the Labrador Dog

Do a little research and you will see that the Labrador is the most popular breed of Dog on the planet. There are a multitude of reasons why this Dog is so popular and if you know up front what the Dog is like then that makes it easier to assimilate the Dog into your life. The Labrador is popular as a seeing eye dog for the blind or as a family pet. Either way the number of Labradors in the world today suggests that the breed is doing something right.

In order to be trusted as the seeing eyes for the blind a dog must be extremely obedient. The Labrador dog is known the world over for its obedience and as long as the dog learns it can trust you then you will find that this dog is extremely easy to train in all aspects of its everyday life.

In order to be a working dog, or what many people call an assistance dog, the Labrador dog must also be very intelligent. The dog is well known for its intelligence, which also makes it very easy to train. It not only makes the animal easy to train but it assures that the dog will retain much more of the important lessons it needs to learn in order to do the things it is asked to do in its every day life.

The Labrador loves to run and play which helps to make it an ideal family pet. If it has been trained properly then the dog knows when it is playing too rough and this can make the dog an ideal pet for families with children. Its obedience and intelligence help to make it the perfect companion and the perfect playmate for children as long as the children are not too small.

Just like any other breed of dog the Labrador also has its faults. If a Labrador dog is not properly trained then it may not know when playtime is over and can become quite rough while being energetic. It is essential to teach your pet the boundaries of good play activity so that it knows when enough is enough so that you may avoid anyone getting hurt when the dog really doesn't mean to hurt anyone at all.

If you take an overall look at the Labrador dog it is not difficult to see why it is the most popular dog in the world. When you add to it the fact that it can also be extremely loyal you quickly start to see why so many people trust their families, and their very lives, to this wonderful breed of dog. The Labrador has certainly earned the nickname of man's best friend.

Brooke Sunderland has experience dealing with canines and understands how important learning about a breed's history really is. Not only is the Labrador an attractive, statuesque dog but they also have a very long and complex history. The Internet is one of the best available resources when it comes to finding out further Labrador information regarding the history of Labradors.

Questions For Potential Labrador Retriever Breeders

Take a list of questions for a Labrador Retriever breeder written ahead of time when you visit them. This list will also be handy if you are going to be meeting a lot of Labrador retriever breeders at a Dog show. If you meet a breeder online, you are still going to want to ask a lot of questions. You will be overwhelmed by all of the cute furry faces in order to trust your memory to recall the questions you need to ask.

The questions that will tell you the most about any Labrador Retriever breeder will be what kind of contract do you require, when can I visit the kennels and are there any health warranties. If your potential breeder refuses to let you visit the kennel, say goodbye and move on. They may have something to hide. If your breeder doesn't do contracts, also move on, because they definitely have something to hide.

You can tell a lot by what a Labrador Retriever breeder is like when you visit their home and kennel. Are they messy? Did they even remember you were coming? And does the place stink of Dog poop? The place should be reasonably clean, smell okay and the Dogs should appear clean, happy and friendly. It is normal to see some living outside most of the time in covered kennels. If you don't like what you see and smell, move on.

You also need to ask what the breeder considers a good home for one of his or her puppies. If they don't seem to care, then they certainly do not care about dogs. They are just after your money. A good Labrador Retriever breeder will go on and on about they kind of owner he or she wishes all Lab puppies could go to. They will also quiz you about your store of Labrador information to see if you are anywhere close to being their idea of a good Lab owner.

Although there are no certainties in the dog world, you can greatly reduce your chances of getting a raw deal and a sickly puppy by obtaining certain paperwork from the Labrador Retriever breeders. You need to see the health certificates of both of the puppy's parents, especially their hip dysplesia scores. If the breeder doesn't know what you are talking about, say goodbye. Hip dysplesia is the most common ailment among Labs and is carried by genes.

A contract also can help eliminate a lot of future headaches. It should list what the breed is responsible to provide and what they are not. They might even have clauses such as you having to go to them first if you are no longer able to keep the adult dog. You won't get your money back, but at least your dog will have a good home. Assume nothing. Great Labrador Retriever breeders will bring all of this up if you forget to ask.

Brooke Sunderland has experience dealing with canines and understands how important learning about a breed's history really is. Not only is the Labrador an attractive, statuesque dog but they also have a very long and complex history. The Internet is one of the best available resources when it comes to finding out further Labrador information regarding the history of Labradors.

Top Tips For Training A Labrador Puppy

You've made the decision to bring a Labrador puppy into your life - good for you! Your next step is to get some tips for training a Labrador puppy so you don't run into problems later.

A few things you need to bear in mind, particularly about this breed of Dog are:

1. Labradors love people! It's no good getting a Lab then spending all day at the office while your new Dog pines for you at home. If you are going to have a Labrador in your family, then you need to be prepared to spend plenty of time with her.

2. Labs are an active breed, originally bred to retrieve prey from the shoot.  If they do not spend enough time exercising, then you are highly likely to run into problems, both health wise (getting overweight, which will promote the common problem of hip dysplasia) and in terms of behavior as a result of separation anxiety.

If your Labrador is left without physical exercise, she will get overweight and have all the health problems associated with it.  If she is not mentally stimulated, she will have behavioral problems and be difficult to control.

So here are my top tips for successfully training a Labrador puppy:-

#1. Spend as much time as possible with your Labrador and use positive reinforcement (treats and praise) during training sessions.

#2. Exercise your Dog at least twice a day, and incorporate training into the exercise times

#3. If there are times when you will not be home for prolonged periods, make sure you have someone available who can take her for a run to feed her need for both companionship and exercise.

Labradors are a very devoted breed.  If you give your dog the attention she rightly deserves, then the rewards will be many fold. If you do not have the time needed to raise and nurture a Lab, then please think twice before making the decision to bring one into your family. If you do have the time spare, then follow these very simple tips for training a Labrador puppy and you will have a friendship with your dog that lasts for many years.

Darren has spent a lifetime as a dog lover and promotes positive dog training methods both as an Ezinearticles Expert Author and as a Squidoo lensemaster with lenses about Positive Reinforcement Dog Training Methods and House Training Dogs and Puppies