Imagine seeing this entry at an online dating site: “Avid swimmer, EBLD seeking lifetime relationship. Must haves: long runs in the park; exciting games of ball or Frisbee; constant attention. Must not haves: someone who’s too busy for me; someone who’ll put me in the doghouse.”
Who is EBLD? An Energetic Black Lab Dog! If you’re thinking of getting one, you’re going to want to know how to take care of a black Lab dog. And if you think you can take care of a black lab dog with little time, think again. This dog belongs with owners that are willing to spend time with and for it.
Attention
The most important factor in the care of a black Lab is attention. A black Lab will do without a lot of things, but it will not do without attention. A black Lab simply will not be ignored.
The Labrador Retriever is one of the most lovable, even-tempered dogs there is. He wants to share his immense supply of love with his owners, and can’t imagine they won’t take time to reciprocate.
Labrador Retrievers are also highly intelligent dogs. They can quickly sense reluctance on their owners’ part to spend time with them. They are eager to please, and use their intelligence to please you. In return, your care of a black Lab must include plenty of energetic play, and intelligent interaction.
Microchip
It is not essential to the care of a black Lab to have a microchip inserted, but it does provide a level of protection if your retriever strays.
Exercise
To provide good care of a black Lab, you will need to give it regular, daily exercise in large doses. Plan on 30 to 60 minutes daily as a minimum. Your black Lab will love to have 30 minutes morning and evening if possible.
Exercise should be varied. Include walks, on or off leash. Work in games of fetch (to allow you to breathe while he races!). Incorporate obedience or hunting training into your care of a black Lab and he will be able to exercise his intelligence, too.
Be sure the exercise is regular, as your black Lab’s boundless energy must find an outlet. If the outlet is not exercise, it may be destructive behavior.
Preventative Care
You should not limit your care of a black Lab to its present needs. You can forestall certain medical concerns, such as hip dysphasia, by giving the Labrador preventative care. Begin preventative care of a black Labrador when you first get the dog. First, check with the breeder to be sure the puppy’s parents are free of genetic problems. The puppy should have had its first shots and worming. Take it to a veterinarian for a check-up, and continue to take it for “wellness” visits.
Maintain preventative health care of a black lab by having your vet include, minimally: checks for external and internal parasites, inoculations, and heart worm preventative.
Food
The cook involved in the care of a black Lab must consider several things.
1. Black Labrador Retrievers will eat almost anything – think goat! To take care of a Black Lab, you need to guard against it eating junk.
2. The best food to give when taking care of a black Lab is real food. Give it real meat, raw or cooked: beef, chicken, and turkey. Give it fresh raw fruits and vegetables. Mix in brown rice and oatmeal for fiber, eggs and yogurt. Commercial dog foods, unknown before 1930, seem to exist as an outlet for rejected grains and meats that could not be sold to humans.
3. Watch your Labrador’s intake. If you really want to take proper care of a black Lab, you will not let it become overweight, risking heart disease, arthritis, and other health problems.
Grooming
You won’t need a professional groomer to take care of a Black Lab’s coat, but you should not assume the dog needs no grooming. Black Labradors shed a lot in spring and autumn, but they need to be groomed year-round.
To take proper care of a black Lab’s coat, you will need a narrow-toothed comb, short-haired rake, toenail clippers, wide-toothed comb, and a wire slicker brush. A bristle brush is nice for distributing oils when your Lab is not shedding.
Proper care of a black Lab will require daily grooming during seasonal blowing of the coat. The job is not nearly as large if done daily, and the sooner you remove dead hair, the sooner new hair can grow. Use the short-haired rake first, to rake out dead hairs. Use the wire slicker brush to get what the rake missed. Use the wide-toothed comb lightly to loosen matted hairs. The next step proves how intent you are on proper care of a black Lab. Go over the entire dog carefully with your narrow-toothed comb! Finish the job with your bristle brush to catch loose hairs.
Aside from spring and autumn’s major shedding periods, your Retriever will need to be brushed twice a week. Cut its toenails once every month to avoid foot problems.
By: Anna Hart
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Filed under Lab Puppy Training by on Feb 4th, 2012. Comment. 
Since you have decided to get a Labrador as an additional member of the family, the next thing you must consider is the Labrador training. Labrador training specifically aims to teach your Labrador to perform certain actions or behaviors acceptable by his human pack. You definitely don’t want your dog messing your bedroom, do you? That being said, the responsibility of having a trained Labrador falls on you and your family as well, being the owner.
As a dog owner, you are probably aware that there are a lot of things you can do to achieve your goal of having a well trained Lab. You can hire a professional trainer or send your dog to a training school if you like. But sometimes, professional trainers and training schools cost more than what you allocated for Labrador training. This scenario gives you no other option but to train your dog yourself. Of course Labrador training at home is not a problem provided you are prepared for it. You must know what leash is appropriate for your dog, what training method works best and what diet is most appropriate.
Usually taken for granted, proper diet is one of the most important things to consider during Labrador training. Today, commercially prepared dog foods are preferred by most owners because of convenience. Commercially prepared dog foods come in various types, brands and packaging, that often times create confusions as to what is the best choice. Some claim that dry is the best and others prefer canned foods for Fido. Others would not feed commercial foods at all and would rather settle for homemade dog foods.
Whatever type of dog food you choose, be it homemade or commercially prepared, you have to make sure that it contains the right combination of fats, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals and water. These provide sufficient calories to meet your dog’s daily needs for growth, activity and even repair. Feeding the right diet will help your Lab learn what is taught to him during Labrador training.
Chicken, lamb, turkey or venison-based foods are good for dogs for they are easier to digest and won’t cause stomach problems. Beef should be avoided as much as possible because it is harder to digest and can cause gastrointestinal problems in some dogs.
By: Richard Cussons
About the Author:
Richard Cussons has written articles of various breeds including Labrador Retriever. Discover tips on Labrador dog training at labradorsavvy.com.
Filed under Lab Puppy Training by on Feb 3rd, 2012. Comment.
Chocolate Labradors are very popular. Labradors in general are a popular breed of dogs, but people love chocolate labradors because of their rich color. The Labrador breed has gained its popularity because they are seen in many family movies and television shows. Dog shows often feature chocolate Labradors that win awards and prizes. To those looking for a distinguished pet it is quite appealing. Though chocolate Labradors do well in shows they are best suited as both the family guard dog and children’s play companion. These dogs are good-natured which makes them ideal for children. However, like all puppies, they need to be trained not to jump up on small children, chew things, and to become house-trained.
Training A Chocolate Labrador Puppy
If puppies are not trained well they can be dangerous for children mostly because they simply do not have an understanding yet of what is harmful and what is not. Since they are playful and loving animals they like jump up on you to get your attention and affection. This can frighten young children and possibly injure them. This is even more true of chocolate Labrador puppies and other large breed puppies because they grow so rapidly. They get big and heavy quite quickly and look like they are full grown, but they are still just puppies especially if they are under a year old. This means that they have a lot of extra energy and playfulness that could cause a problem if the puppy is not trained properly. A professional training class is the best recommendation for a chocolate Labrador puppy or for any large breed dog.
As The Puppy Grows
As the chocolate Labrador puppy becomes a full grown dog it will settle down a bit. However, chocolate Labradors, all labradors really, are still high energy dogs. They will remain playful and full of life until they reach their senior years. You want to take this into consideration if you are thinking of getting a chocolate Labrador for yourself or your family. Large breed dogs often live 10 to 12 years or more. Chocolate Labradors will remain high energy for approximately the first 7 to 8 years at least. This could be a long time for someone to work with and live with a high energy animal. Though many people will not mind this at all, this should be a consideration when thinking about whether or not to get a chocolate Labrador as a pet.
By: Denise Duncan
About the Author:
Go to Diet and Labrador Training from Chocolate Labradors Make Great Family Pets
Filed under Lab Puppy Training by on Feb 2nd, 2012. Comment.
“How To Train A Labrador Retriever Puppy In 2 Days…”
A short demo video of what happened when my cousins Mike and Robin
left their 5 1/2 month-old Lab puppy with me, for a two day dog
training vacation.
This dog is developmentally slow. I was limited in what I could do
with her, because both her body and her social maturity were equal
to a puppy of 12-14 weeks, instead of the 5 1/2 months of age that
her papers suggest.
Watch It Now
The techniques used in this video are from Adam Katz
To find out how this training is done Click Here to Find the Secrets to this Lab Puppy Training
Go To Chocolate Labradors Make Great Family Pets from How To Train A Lab Puppy In 2 Days
Filed under Lab Puppy Training by on Feb 2nd, 2012. Comment.
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