Dog Breed Basics 101 – Labrador Retriever

The Labrador Retriever. The all American poster puppy. This breed has held it’s title as #1 most popular breed in the US for years, 18 to be exact! And rightly so! With the goofy fun loving Lab you will always have entertainment, companionship and best of all a life time of his love.

This breed is considered a large breed. They range from 55 to 75 pounds! They come in 3 colors. Chocolate, Yellow and Black. Their hair does shed, which can be an annoyance and a danger for some people with allergies. With a good de-shedding shampoo and a thorough brushing out daily, the shedding can be managed.

As puppies, the lab is much like a human toddler. They are into everything and are everywhere! Nothing is safe from the curious eyes and teeth of this little monster! They have high energy needs, so multiple daily walks is necessary. They get bored easily especially as puppies! Keep all shoes and valuables out of reach, otherwise your new pup will take it as a toy just for them!

As the Labrador matures it also calms down a bit. While still a hunting breed at heart the Labrador at this point in its life is more then willing to please his people. The need for a job becomes apparent as he will try and find things to do. Sometimes when a Labrador gets bored, it will find places in your yard or garden to dig giant sized holes. Some may even start to climb fences in search of fun and excitement.

Unless your dog is for show, it’s recommended to have them altered. Spaying or neutering your family pet is not only important for his/her health, but it will save you a lot of frustrations! The realities of raising a dog that is unaltered are males will start to mark their “space”, meaning your home! It is known that sometimes even altered males will still lift their leg, in any breed! But the chances are cut down very low when altering your male dog. They may also take off in search of females in heat. As for your female Labrador, at approximately six months of age she will experience her first heat cycle. Sometimes in larger breeds it takes longer to mature, so you might not notice this until 8 months old! A cycle causes bleeding and if not properly contained she could escape your yard in search of love, or make a mess of your home.

The health risks of unaltered dogs, among other things is cancer. We want our dogs around for a long time, so if you adopt or buy a dog be sure to get them fixed, preferably between 5-6 months old! It’s never to late to do the right thing!

The Labrador was first recognized by the AKC (American Kennel Club) in 1917. Labradors who were originally from Newfoundland were mostly used as helpers for fisherman, pulling in stray fish that would escape the nets. Still to this day, they remain excellent hunters and retrievers as well as beloved family pets.

Labradors are great with people big and small. If you are looking for a active, friendly, goofy and totally amusing dog, then a Labrador retriever is for you!