Labrador Retriever — The Most Popular Dog in the World
All about the Labrador Retriever — A Calm, Gentle, Easily Socialised dog breed. Let’s look at every aspect of this amazing breed.
About Labrador Retriever:
The breed originated on the island of Newfoundland, off the northeastern Atlantic coast of Canada. Originally called the St. John’s dog, after the capital city of Newfoundland, he was bred to help the local fishermen — hauling nets, fetching ropes, and retrieving fish that had escaped the nets.
The Lab’s sweet nature makes him an excellent therapy dog, visiting homes for the elderly and hospitals, and his intelligence makes him an ideal assistance dog for the handicapped. He also excels as a search and rescue dog or as a retriever for hunters, thanks to his athletic build, strong nose, and courageous nature. And Labs have also become the breed to beat at dog sports such as agility and obedience competitions — especially obedience.
The Lab’s thick, tapering tail — an “otter tail,” it’s called — serves as a powerful rudder, constantly moving back and forth as the dog swims and aids the dog in turn. As for the breed’s characteristic temperament, it is as much a hallmark of the breed as the otter tail.
Labs topped American Kennel Club registrations for the first time in 1991 and have reigned as America’s favorite breed ever since.
Food with nutrition:
Foods and the nutrition for your lab to be healthy.
- The Labrador Retriever should do well on high-quality dog food whether commercially manufactured or home-prepared with your veterinarian’s supervision and approval.
- Labrador Retrievers love, love, love to eat and become obese very quickly if overfed.
- Watch your dog’s calorie consumption and weight level. They get overweight soon.
- Water promotes digestion, helps regulate body temperature, transports material throughout your dog’s body, and gives the body its shape and flexibility. Your Labrador Retriever needs free choice water during the day.
- Carbohydrates provide the energy necessary to keep your Lab healthy and active. Recorded in the form of calories — or energy units — the number of daily calories needed by your dog depends on their age, weight, and the activity level. A young adult, active Labrador needs between 1500 and 1875 calories per day depending on his body weight.
- Proteins and amino acids are the principal structural component of your dog’s body organs and tissues.
- Fats and fatty acids are the most concentrated source of energy in your Labrador’s diet. They comprise more energy value than carbohydrates by 10- to 15 percent.
- Vitamins are present in minute amounts in most natural foods. They are essential to your dog’s normal canine metabolism.
Foodstuffs that you must avoid in your Labrador Retriever diet include are
- grapes and raisins
- onions and chives
- significant amounts of garlic
- chocolate
- coffee
- caffeine
- alcohol
- macadamia nuts
- avocado
- eggplant
- milk and milk products
- xylitol
Grooming your Lab:
The Lab has a thick, water-repellent double coat that sheds. Give an Occasional bath to keep them clean. As with all breeds, the Lab’s nails should be trimmed regularly and his teeth brushed frequently.
Exercise for your Lab:
The Labrador Retriever is an exuberant, very energetic breed that needs lots of exercises every day. A Lab who doesn’t get enough exercise is likely to engage in hyperactive behavior to release energy. The breed’s favorite activities are retrieving and swimming.
Exercise literally helps your dog to grow more blood vessels and more effectively oxygenate his body.
Exercise helps build muscle and strengthen your dog’s bones, protects him against injury and it probably increases his life span.
Some of the Exercise for your Lab
- Retriever training
- Dog games and toys — such as tug, or with a flirt pole and a toy on the end.
- Going for a really long walk with your dog
- Plays between dogs
- Sprinting
Health details about your Labs:
Labrador is an overall healthy breed. The breeder/ owner should know some of the key problems labrador’s prone to have.
- Joints — Hip dysplasia & Elbow dysplasia
- Inherited diseases & issues
- Obesity
- Cancer
- Ear Problems
Health Screening for your labs are:
- Veterinary Treatment: Vaccines, Costs & Insurance
- Inherited diseases and Illnesses
- Neutering — This has some complex understanding. Plus and minus
- Diet and exercise
- Parasites
- Breeding
- Emotional well-being, happiness & bonding
Some of the recommended tests from AKC for your labs are,
- Hip Evaluation
- Elbow Evaluation
- Ophthalmologist Evaluation
- EIC DNA Test
Did you Know?
Some facts about Labrador Retriever
- They are the world’s favorite breed.
- The Labrador Retriever did not come from Labrador, but from Newfoundland.
- Labs are originally used for fishing.
- The Labrador Retriever is one of the prime breeds selected as guide and rescue dogs.
- The pedigrees of the two most influential Labs, “Peter of Faskally” and “Flapper,” go back as far as 1878.
- They are fast.
- A lab won an honorary Major betting two human competitors.
- The lab is most commonly used as guide dogs as well.
Overall the labs are very gentle, calm, helping breed. They are loved by everyone and by taking good care and training they can do wonders. This blog is dedicated to every labrador fan including me. In memory of my very own labrador and he died a month back. Rest in peace Babu. Love you.
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I am Vishnu, a Self-taught Developer/Designer and love dogs to the core. I created this publication with one mission in mind, helping and telling the amazing things about these dog breeds and educate the owners with information that would help them to understand their dogs better and having a happy life together. Thanks for stopping by and for your valuable time.
