Labrador retriever is popularly known as a lab. Labrador was developed in Newfoundland, Canada around 1800s. The word retriever says that these dogs are helpful for fishermen, hunters, assistance and rescue purpose. Labrador is an intelligent breed. It has a good work capacity. It is an excellent swimmer who is able to be in cold water for a longer duration. So it mainly helps fishermen for retrieving fish. Apart from hunting, Labrador is useful for disability assistance and detection dog for law enforcement. It is a popular breed in many countries which is used as guide dogs. 60 to 70% guide dogs in Canada are Labrador breed. Labrador dogs are mostly obedient, loyal, lovely and playful in nature.
Labrador has a famous crossbreed called labradoodle. Labradoodle is a crossbreed of poodle and Labrador retriever. This crossbreed is known for its intelligent because the parent is Labrador.
Life span Labrador
According to a UK survey, the average life span of these dogs is 12 years and three months approximately. The age span of lab dogs is between 11 to 13years. But some of Labrador may survive up to nineteen years of age. After 8weeks of age, Labrador pup is brought home to adopt in a new environment. The University of Sydney conducted a survey about Labrador. It states that chocolate colour Labradors have 10% lesser life span than other colour Labradors. Chocolate labs may face health problems.
Famous Labrador
There are some notable famous Labrador who is service dogs and detection dogs as follows,
- Endal is a service dog in Britain won PDSA golden medal helped a man in an emergency.
- Zanjeer is a detection dog. It is used in arm detection in 1993 Mumbai serial blast.
- Sully is a service dog of former President George H W Bush during his last six months in life. Read more on Wikipedia.
Appearance and colour of labs
Labrador has a well-built body with strong jaws and broadhead. This heavy body built up, and strong legs help to swim in the water.
Labrador comes in two categories,
- American ancestors based dogs which are tall and lanky.
- English ancestors based dogs which are short and stocky.
According to the American kennel club standard, three breed colours are established, namely black, chocolate brown and yellow. Of these colours, chocolate brown is the rarest colour created out of consumers interest.
Does different colour Lab have a different temperament?
Some owners think that different colour dogs have a different temperament. According to them, yellow dogs are crazy, and black dogs are hyperactive and black dogs are best hunters. But the coat colour is irrelevant to temperament. Usually, Lab dogs are sweet-natured and lovely and smart in nature. Irrespective of the colour, they behave mischievously when they are left alone for a longer time. Finally, temperament does not depend on the colour of your Lab dog.
Is there any difference between Labrador and Labrador retriever.
Speaking the fact that there is no difference between Labrador and Labrador retriever, Both denote the same breed. Labrador retriever is the original dog name. Lab and Labrador are the short vocabularies in use to describe Labrador retriever.
Labrador retriever Vs, Golden retriever
A golden retriever and Labrador retriever have more characters in common. The common features are folded ears, webbed feet, long tails and water-loving. The main difference for both the breed is their appearance in coat type. The golden retriever has a long and wavy coat. Labrador has a short hair coat type. These dogs have a water-resistant coat nature. Lab dog is slightly larger than the golden retriever. Both Labrador and golden retriever are sport animal, loving, loyal to their owners. There’s no much difference if you have an idea to buy a Labrador retriever or a golden retriever.
Grooming is the only aspect which varies in Labrador and a golden retriever. Labrador has a short and soft fur coat which requires lesser grooming work. A golden retriever usually has a medium-length coat type. So a golden retriever always needs regular grooming session including nail trimming and fur trimming. Labrador shed a small amount of hair around a year. So it requires basic grooming of brushing once or twice a week.
Food and nutrition of Labrador
When you imagine about lab dog, you get a picture of healthy and chubby lab dog. So here comes the important role of food in the daily routine. Labs are usually high food dog. They usually eat well. These dogs are more prone to overweight and obesity. You must be very careful about dog’s calorie consumption and weight level. You can feed commercial dog food or homemade food, depending on veterinarian supervision. The normal height of the dog varies from 21.5inches to 24.5inches. The weight of a male dog varies from 65-80 pounds. The weight of a female lab dog varies from 55-70 pounds.
Is Labrador a good family dog and move well with children?
Even after planning to buy a lab, you develop questions like whether it is a friendly dog or not. The answer is definitely ‘yes’. It is a family dog which needs a lot of exercises, including fetching games and swimming. It is one of the best dogs to move with children. They are friendly towards children. So your home will be filled with energy and happiness because of Labrador pet.
Is Labrador good with other pets?
Labs are fine with other pets like rabbit, cat and small pets that we grow in our home. It behaves socially with other pet animals since Labs are healthy and stout dogs so it can damage small pets by simply jumping while playing.
Is Labrador retriever easy to train?
Labs are strong and high energy animals. This breed is established to work, hunt and run all day. So any kind of training is possible for Labrador breed. In fact, they loved to get training. Since they are easily trained often used for rescue, search mission and drug detection, for young puppies about 8 to 12weeks, make the training much easier, friendly and shorter. Instruct your lab pet in a polite way and make it train. Avoid shouting at your lab dog. Finally, give rewards to your lab dog once they finish a task. They feel encouraged and love to get more training.
Whether male or female lab is easy to train, some think that all lab dogs are easy to train. But usually female dogs tend to mature faster than the male dogs at the puppy phase. So female lab puppies are easy to train at the earlier stage.
Is Labrador is dangerous in nature?
Labrador retriever is not dangerous or aggressive dogs. These dogs are always human friendly. But some dogs show aggressive nature at the puppy stage. Later they will calm down after maturation.
Health problems of Labrador
Even though Labrador has a healthy body structure, it may face some health problems. The common health problem in Labrador is obesity, bloating, hip dysplasia. Labrador has a serious food-related issue. It usually has a habit of overeating. This results in obesity. According to research conducted by Canine Genetics and Epidemiology, chocolate brown Labradors has more health problems than other colour Labradors. The common health problems include ear, skin infections and joint problems. Labrador has a 10% shorter life span than black and yellow Labradors. This is because it has a weaker gene at the time of birth.
Exercise for Labrador and their pups
Labradors are highly active dogs requiring daily mental and physical exercise. The duration of exercise is 45 minutes per day. It may include walking, running or playing games. Chewing is an important mental exercise that supports Labrador. It’s better if you can give chew toys to your lab dogs to practice chewing exercise regularly.
Exercise for Labrador puppies varies from an adult. A three-month-old puppy can go for exercise up to 15minutes. After reaching four months, the duration can be extended to 20minutes. Initial stage puppies are like babies. So exercising a puppy will definitely differ from an adult. Don’t start with more exercise for the puppy stage. At an earlier stage, small exercise work is enough for the puppies to grow. Once it reaches adult face, you can give more exercise to lab dog. Lab dog always needs a proper exercise schedule to prevent the overweight and obese condition.
Labrador is a lovely, energetic, kind, obedient and human-friendly dog. It is helpful as well as an enthusiastic dog. It is a biddable dog that listens to the owner’s instruction and follows it properly. So if your pup is Labrador, enjoy your days with your pet. It is the best companion to humans always. Notably, it is also a working dog which performs drug detection and hunting activities perfectly. Hence it can be an assistant to the above activities also. Labrador dogs are a high energy breed which requires proper training. So train your pet in a proper way from the earlier stage itself.
If you would like to ping on more articles related to puppies and pet dogs training, click the following links to read more articles;
- The Complete Guide to Running with German Shepherds
- Is your puppy drinking enough Water?
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