We Love Our Labrador Retrievers

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As you probably know a great choice for a gun dog is a Labrador retriever especially if you want a good all rounder for shooting and hunting. I find these are probably the easiest to train especially for a beginner.

Like all breeds of gun dogs Lab’s have good and bad points, Here are some of the Pro’s and Con’s of training and owning a Labrador Retriever.

The Pro’s

•Of all the hunting dog breeds the Labrador is the strongest swimmer, which makes him excellent at duck hunting. The breed was originally bred and trained to jump off fishing boats to bring the fishing nets to shore. Most Labs have webbed feet that aid in swimming

•They are affectionate and patient dogs. They are known for being good natured, loyal, intelligent, and friendly. They are also great as a family pet as they are great with children.

•Talents include tracking, retrieving, hunting, police work, They also do excellent work as guide dogs for the blind and the disabled. Other activities they are used for are sledding, competitive obedience, and search and rescue.

The Con’s

•There is not much not to love about Labradors, maybe the only problem is their love of food. You need to moderate food intake, Labs are big eaters, and may Quickly Become Overweight if given the wrong diet.

•Another problem is they need regular exercise. They love long walks and also like to swim whatever the weather, so if you have a lake in your local park it will love a swim a few times a week. Plus plenty of exercise.

•The Labrador Retriever may become nervous and destructive if their human owner does not act as “pack leader” or if they do not receive enough exercise, it is best if you at least have a large yard to own one of these great hunting dogs.

There may seem a lot to worry about here but most Lab’s turn into wonderful gundogs and/or family pets. More things you may want to know about the Labrador are below:

Height and Weight

Adult males are usually between 22-24 inches tall and weigh around 60-75 pounds.

Adult females are usually between 21-23 inches tall and weigh around 55-70 pounds.

Life Expectancy

The average life of a Labrador retriever is about 12 years.

Grooming

Their smooth double coat is easy to groom with a brush with firm bristles. Pay attention to the undercoat, and bathe only when necessary. Even when they swim their skin stays dry due to the undercoat. They are also moderate shredders of hair.

History

As I mentioned earlier the Labrador Retriever was breed by fishermen in the 1700′s, originally from Newfoundland and known as St. John’s Dogs, They are now one of the most popular breeds in the U.S. and throughout the world.

Grouping

Gun Dog, AKC Sporting

Recognition

CKC, AKC, KCGB, ANKC, NZKC, CCR, ACR, UKC, CKC, NKC, APRI, FCI

Training:

The great thing about a Labrador Retriever is the ease with how you can train him as a gun dog. We find the best way to train is to train your Labrador is by doing it in short bursts maybe only 10 minutes twice a day. The only thing to beer in mind is not to many treats if you use treat training as your dog may put on to much weight.

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1.Dogs do not feel – One of the myths which is very far from the truth. In fact it has been stated many a times that the pain response in humans and dogs is neurologically the same. Though it has difficult to determine the existence of the extent of feelings like love and guilt, they certainly are not emotionless.

2.Training an older dog is impossible – Of course older dogs undergo behavioral and physiological and neurological changes as they grow older but don’t we? You cannot feed your older dog the same way as they were fed when young. Those who ignore owner’s commands may even do so because of hearing loss. But it possible to train them through hand signals.

So the methodology of training must be different but it definitely not fair to say they cannot be trained.

3.Whole family should be training masters for the dog – Training the dog is a family job but the person teaching and training the dog with commands should be only one. The others in the family should reinforce the training with the same commands expecting the same behavior output.

4.Punish the guilty dog – Punishment is never the answer. Firstly, it is simply not humane and secondly, it is useless because dogs cannot associate the bad behavior with the punishment as a consequence. Yelling and turning away from your dog only bewilders it.

5.Training can strip the dog of their spirit – Training just gives a direction to the dogs energy. It is an opportunity for them to spend time with their owners. Most training is also a fun session for them. Channeling their time from bad behavior can hardly strip them of their spirit.

6.Dogs do not like being trained – Dogs are pack animals. It is in their instinct to look up to someone for instructions. When no one leads them they only tend to get aggressive and cause trouble. Training establishes the pack feeling with the owner/trainer being alpha and they also get to have treats and activity.

7.Household dogs do not need training – A dog existing in a leaderless realm is not a happy dog. A dog needs to be balanced, trained of allowed activities and leadership over the dog must be established. Dog energy which is not channelized can only lead to chaos. Dog ownership is a responsibility to a dog and to the society. It is upto the owner to train the dog to keep him and the society safe from harm. Whatever be the breed or age of dog training is mandatory. Would I not say training itself is mandatory when I feel it is not enough to just train your dog but consistently practice your training?

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Puppies are so cute and adorable that sometimes it can be hard to walk past them in the pet store.  You do need to realise though that as cute as they are they are a long time commitment and unless you are ready to make that commitment for the next 10 to 15 years then you better think twice about walking through that pet store door.

You should never rush the decision to buy a puppy or buy one on the spur of the moment as there are a number of considerations that you need to make before buying a puppy.

Different dog breeds have different personalities and different needs so you really need to research the dog breeds that you are considering to make sure that the breed will be suitable for you and your family.

How do you decide then on what type of breed is suitable for you?

If you have children in your family then you really need to choose your breed carefully.  Some dog breeds can be quite aggressive and are not at all suitable for children so please stay well away from these breeds if children are in the home. 

The next thing to consider when choosing the right dog breed is the maintenance of certain breeds.  Some breeds are much higher in maintenance than others and you will need to consider how much expense you are willing to have with dog grooming and clipping and how much time you have for dog grooming.  If you are a person that has no time for regular brushing and clipping then you should choose a short haired breed that need less maintenance.

Some dog breeds will need more exercise than other so also consider how much time you have to exercise your dog.  If you are not able to walk your dog each day then you will want to choose a breed that doesn’t require as much exercise.

Lastly, you need to consider the size of the dog and the size of your home. Even though that cute little puppy in the pet store window is little, depending on the breed that little puppy may grow up into a large dog.  If you have a small home then you may be better suited to a smaller dog breed.

A puppy can be the perfect addition to any family as long as you are prepared for what lies ahead.  Choose your puppy carefully and you will have a loyal companion for many years ahead.

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Dog training is never an easy task, however, it can very well be much easier, with the proper and most accurate knowledge regarding the best ways to properly train your dog. While surfing the internet you will more than likely run across several different websites that will provide free information to you about how to properly train your dog and how to get the most out of it as well. These websites can be so very helpful and some of them will probably even have more information posted concerning hiring a professional that could properly train your dog if you just do not have the time or the patience to give it a go. Many people have to rely on someone else to have the responsibility to train their pets the appropriate way and that is ok, different things work for all different people. It does make you a horrible pet owner, it makes you simply human. Not all of us are meant to be good at things like this, so paying for a professional is sometimes some of ours only hope for having a good behaved and very well trained dog.

It is good idea for anyone wanting a good dog to make sure that they make all proper preparations for training their dog in the near future. You could visit your local library to check out some books on more information regarding this type of thing, as well as doing all the research you want, right from your home computer system. You will find when doing some of this research that your dog will not listen to you if you do not remain patient and always be consistent when telling them what to do. Communicating with your dog is very important, yes, I know, they can not talk but they do understand your tone that you use each time you speak of a command. This works as long as you are using that same tone each time that you are wanting them to do that specific thing. They can be quite brilliant if they are trained properly and if it is done in the correct way.

Your dog will be so very happy with you once you begin your dog training skills and they start to figure all of your commands out and you will also be one very happy owner. It is very important for you to give plenty of love and affection to your dog throughout all of this so that they can feel how pleased you are with them and they will definitely respond accordingly. Who knows, with the right amount of training and enough time to instill all of the training in them, you could end up having yourself a really cool dog that could even win in big dog shows one day, if you choose to get involved with that type of thing. Remember to stay patient throughout this entire process because it sure can get frustrating at times but in the end you will be totally happy with the results.

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Bringing a new puppy into your home is one of the most exciting moments in you and your families life. There are several important things you should consider before bringing the little guy home, or even before making a decision to buy a puppy dog in the first place. Here are a couple of things to think about.

The dog belongs to who? Dogs are pack animals, and will behave and learn best, if they understand who is the overall leader for responsibility for the dog. That’s not to say that others won’t or shouldn’t have roles when it comes to the new puppy. It’s just better for everyone involved, including the puppy, that there is one leader of the pack.

Is your puppy knowledge up to par? This is an especially important consideration for first time dog owners. You old dogs that have had pets before can skip this piece. While feeding, exercise, and grooming are important things for your dog, there are several other important points to consider as well. Health care for the life of the dog is important, and even more so as it gets older. Younger dogs will require much more of your attention in its training. Good training at an early age, is something you and your puppy will benefit all the years of your pets life.

Who’s got time for a new pet these days? While in the earliest years of a dogs life, the training and attention a new dog requires is huge, the later years can be just as time consuming as well. Even for a less active and demanding older dog, companionship is important for the physical and emotional well being of your dog. You will be investing thousands of hours over the life of your dog, so make sure yourcommitted to this important relationship.

Is your level of commitment strong? Commitment to someone or something else requires a certain amount of sacrifice, and some loss of freedom on your part. While we’ve all made commitments in the past, most dogs live ten to fifteen years. That’s a pretty long term commitment to be making. Longer than some marriages these days. So be sure your ready.

While it’s important to consider all these questions and more, don’t let them scare you away from your new puppy purchase. Many have done it in the past, and the rewards, companionship, and good times will more than pay you back for the time and love you give to you puppy. Careful consideration to all these questions, will only enhance your puppy experience and bring a lifetime of joy.

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It is just as important for us, the humans, to learn more about efficient and appropriate dog training techniques, as it is for our dogs to learn how to behave properly. Now, in this article I am hoping to really shed some light on this subject, to educate you a little bit more on what you, the owner of the dog, should be doing, that your dog could really benefit from in the long run. Without appropriate dog training, you are asking for some serious trouble out of your pet and if you could just learn how to be more patient, your dog could really turn out to be one of the best pooches around, seriously. It is in your hands to know what to do that can teach your dog how to behave and how to listen to all of your commands, or atleast most of them. Your dog will respond to you appropriately, if you are training them in an appropriate manner. If you are screaming at them and spanking them every single day then chances are, they will just end up very unhappy and not too thrilled with having an owner like you.

Dog training does not have to be that complicated but so many of us are guilty about not being consistent when it comes to training our pets. This is why there are so many ill mannered, untrained dogs running around out there, when it does not really have to be this way. It will not take that long at all, if you go about it the correct way. So, how do you train your dog in an appropriate manner? Well, in this article I really want to inform you about some of the many techniques that you can apply when training your dog. It is time for you and everyone else that owns a dog to really understand more, right now, about appropriate and more efficient dog training skills, they can truly pay off in the end. Finding the best and most helpful information on how to properly train your dog will really save you so many days of stressing out and not really knowing what to do, in order to get your dog to listen to what you say to them.

Another very important thing for all dog owners to remember is the fact that you should never, under any circumstances, take this too seriously and end up wearing your dog out or making them feel bad. Appropriate dog training will take time but you do not need to overdo it by any means. Only work with them for just about twenty minutes out of your day, otherwise they will not respond the way that you are hoping that they will. They do much better when it comes to them in very small doses, so please remember that the next time that you find yourself trying to “train” your dog every few minutes throughout the day. Let them have some down time to just play and be fun loving animals, as they are.

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