Labradors E-Book

Jane Eastoe

• Herausgeber: Batsford
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 118

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

Dogs are one of the most popular pets in the world, and no breed is as universally loved as the Labrador. A beautifully illustrated guide to Labradors, forming part of a new series and packed with tips and tricks to keep your furry friend happy.There are many things to consider when you become a dog owner. How often do I need to walk them? How much training will they need? What is poisonous to my pet? Am I overfeeding them? This playful and informative book takes a fresh look at the world of Labradors and explains everything you need to know about this lovable breed while celebrating their spirited personalities. Breed character, reasons to own a Labrador and likes and dislikes are covered along with information on training, grooming, diet and health.Illustrated by Meredith Jensen and featuring adorable photographs of pets, dog lovers will adore this playful celebration of Labradors.

Leseprobe

Contents

Introduction

Puppies

Training

Diet

First Aid and Health

Grooming

Tiny Companions

Fascinating Labrador Facts

Labradors

Introduction

Let me introduce myself: I am a labrador retriever, absolutely the best breed you could choose. I am very happy to meet you – do you mind if I give you a good sniff? Mmmm, you smell good. Have you got any food in your pockets? I’m really peckish. May I sniff you again? Sorry, I got distracted, my nose is one of my key senses. Do I smell food? FOOD! Is it time for dinner? I admit it, I have bit of an oral fixation, it’s my thing.

Focus, I can focus. Actually, I am one of the cleverest and most obliging dog breeds you will meet. I can be trained to be a reliable working dog: acting as a guide dog and assistance dog; employed in search and rescue; retrieving for hunters or working in drug and explosives detection. I actively enjoy working and I am eager to please. In short, I am a sweet-tempered dog and only too happy to do anything my owner asks of me. My good nature makes me popular with families. I like children, and because I have a low prey drive (I’m not bred to chase things or to kill them), I can learn to live happily with other pets and to behave beautifully around other animals.

Labradors have been one of the most popular dog breeds in the United Kingdom for the last 30 years; a survey conducted by Pet Plan in 2018 found that 12 per cent of all dogs in the United Kingdom were labradors. In 2022 I topped the American Kennel Club’s poll as the most popular breed in the USA for the thirty-first time. I am beloved and my skills are utilized in many countries all around the world.

My breed was recognized by the British Kennel Club in 1903 and the American Kennel Club in 1917. Our origins are in Newfoundland, Canada, around the 16th century, where we worked tirelessly with fishermen, helping to retrieve nets and lost lines; we also pulled carts loaded with fresh fish. You might not have recognized us then because we were smaller than we are now. Our hardy ancestors were bred with hunting dogs belonging to the English nobility, producing the popular labrador breed of today around the 1830s. I am classified as belonging to the gundog group, along with spaniels, setters and pointers, to name a few.

I am what people politely call ‘sturdy’, and it must be said that if I am overfed, I can become obese. Have I mentioned that I love food? I have no sense of portion control and, left to my own devices, I will eat and eat and eat. I commonly weigh between 25 and 36kg (55–80lb). I have a broad skull, a kindly expression, a deep chest, strong legs, a keen sense of smell, and I can hold something in my mouth without hurting it. I can run for long distances with an easy loping stride. I benefit from plenty of exercise, and I can keep going all day if required, which is why I make a good working dog. Please don’t underestimate my need for exercise.

My topcoat is thick and short, my undercoat is softer. I come in black, yellow and chocolate, though my tones can range from pale to dark within each shade – both Red Fox and white labs are genetically yellow. My thick coat means that I am tough and will happily go out in any weather. This also means that I have a lot of coat to moult. I shed hair with gay abandon! A daily brush will help ensure you don’t find great clumps of my hair around your house, especially when I am moulting.

I am a high-energy dog, especially when I am young, though as a puppy it is important that you do not over-exercise me. As an adult dog I appreciate two one-hour walks, as a minimum, every single day, with lots of opportunity to play. I also really enjoy training. This is important because I am big and strong and when young I can wreak havoc if I’m not trained. I can, and will, drag you along in my wake if you don’t train me to walk to heel.

I will chew anything and everything I can lay my teeth on (that oral fixation again). As a puppy, I will be incredibly boisterous, so start training me from day one. Initially, use food as a regular training aid, though I will learn to do what you want without food because I want to please you.

On the subject of eating, have I told you that I am an absolute gourmet? My idea of what is à la carte may, however, be somewhat different from yours. I will eat anything and everything I can lay my teeth into. A piece of rotten fish by the river – DELICIOUS! A chunk of wood – very tasty! A pile of dog poo or human poo – heavenly! Strangely enough, you don’t seem very keen on this trait.

I LOVE your socks, they smell deliciously of you, and I will consume them with great relish, especially as a puppy. This is very bad for me and can result in an expensive trip to the vet to excavate unsuitable items from my tummy or bowels. It is important that I learn what I am not allowed to eat from you. I will take instruction; however, every walk is an opportunity for me to unearth some other unspeakable titbit! Some of this wide-ranging diet will have an impact on my bowels – I have a tendency for flatulence.

While we are on the subject of scent, I am partial to a good roll in anything that smells particularly bad. Moreover, introduce a labrador into your household and you had also better get used to the smell of wet dog. There is nothing I enjoy more than swimming or wading in water. It is my idea of FUN! My thick coat stops me from feeling the cold and I use my tail like a rudder to steer. A pool of stagnant water, from which I will emerge smothered in pond weed and exuding the pong of rotten eggs, will suit me just fine. I am not picky about the quality of the water.

Please remember that you are in charge of me; I won’t have much sense in the water because it is such fun, so you will need to limit my time and make sure that it is safe for me to swim, just as you would with a child. If you let me play in the water for too long, I can get what is known as ‘limber tail’. Instead of wagging happily my tail will hang down because it is sore and painful for me to move.

Do I have a downside? I have to admit that because I am so devoted to you, I can develop separation anxiety. I can bark when you leave me and indulge in destructive behaviour because I am bored. However, if you give me sufficient exercise and are prepared to train me, I can learn to cope without you for stretches of time. Toys that keep me mentally engaged will help when I am young.

In addition, my breed has developed some unfortunate genetic characteristics, such as hip and elbow dysplasia, which makes it hugely important that you only purchase labrador retrievers from reputable dog breeders. By screening dogs carefully and only breeding from ones that do not appear to carry defective genes, it is hoped that in time these defects can be eliminated. The fact that a puppy is a registered pedigree breed does not confirm that its parents have been screened for abnormalities. A good labrador breeder will be happy to discuss the issues with you and to show a paperwork trail.

It perhaps speaks volumes that despite these issues I remain a hugely popular dog. Why? Because I will love you unconditionally. I will be the best friend you have ever had. I don’t criticize or hold grudges: in my eyes you are practically perfect in every way, which makes me even more lovable. When you sit down, I will sit beside you, lay my head on your lap and gaze deep into your eyes. I worship and adore you with every fibre of my being. You are the centre of my world, and what could be nicer than that?

Holly

Owned by Shelby | Lives in Melbourne, Australia | @_house.of.holly

Holly is a busy girl, working as a medical assistance dog while also enjoying various sports, including dock diving. Her favourite things to do are swim and play fetch.

Puppies

I don’t like to brag, but when it comes to puppies there really is nothing, absolutely nothing, cuter than a labrador puppy! We feature in advertisements for good reason; we are irresistible. We tear around like mad things, tripping over our own feet, tails wagging enthusiastically. We are delighted and excited by everything we see and we love to explore. Our fur is soft and too big for our small bodies, our eyes big and melting, and our soft mouths look exactly like the embroidered muzzle of a beloved cuddly toy. In fact, that’s exactly what we look like!

Only buy a labrador puppy from a reputable breeder. As mentioned earlier, our breed, like many others, can be affected by some inherent genetic weaknesses, such as progressive retinal atrophy, which leads to premature blindness, and hip or elbow dysplasia, which cause lameness and severe pain. Sadly, these are not rare disorders, but there are other issues that breeders can screen for too, including centronuclear myopathy (CNM), a muscle wasting disease, and exercise-induced collapse (EIC). Reputable breeders will have their dogs screened in an effort to eliminate these genetic disorders from their litters. Puppies purchased online from puppy farms will not have received this level of care and attention.

When you come to meet us for the first time you will be questioned carefully by the breeder about what you want from us. Do you want a show dog, a working dog or a pet? What kind of a pet do you want: loving or lively? Depending on your answers you may only be shown a couple of puppies to choose from that best suit your requirements.

You should meet my mother and quite possibly some of my other relatives too. My father might not be around to view as he may live some distance away, but you should see a picture of him at least.

A litter of labrador puppies is adorable but let me give you some words of wisdom: even if you plan to have two dogs, don’t get them from the same litter at the same time, no matter how great the temptation. Labrador puppies are a handful; we are playful, clumsy, strong, boisterous, we chew anything and everything and need masses of exercise and attention. If you take me and one of my siblings, we will become very reliant on one another and pay you little heed. What’s more, as we mature, we may fight to determine which is the dominant labrador in the pack. If you want two labradors (and why wouldn’t you?), start with one and get a second only when the first is well-trained. The first dog will lead the way with all the basic training techniques.

Preparing My Home

Once a sale has been agreed you should make a few preparations.

Arrange to take a good chunk of time off work to help your puppy settle in. The more secure I feel from the start the better your chance of reducing destructive behaviour. If you can’t take much time off work, you will need to arrange for someone else to be with me. It is not fair to leave me alone for long when I am very small, though it is important you leave me for short spaces of time once I have got used to my new environment.

•Security: Please check that your garden has adequate fencing. I am a great escapologist and when small I can, and will, wriggle through very small holes or gaps in the fencing. Repair as required or plug small holes with logs or chicken wire. Once I grow this will become less of an issue.

•Bedding: I will need a lovely soft bed, but at first you’ll probably find that a big adult one may overwhelm me. Initially, it is good to have something with nice soft sides so that I am protected from draughts; this will also stop me slipping off in my sleep. Soft cloth baskets with tall sides and a cushion inside will suit me very well when I am little.

•Crate: You might want to get me a crate, not to keep me in, but to give me a nice safe bolthole. I will appreciate it if you cover this over with a blanket so it stays nice and warm, and a heated pad will simulate the warmth of my siblings. If you put paper, or a puppy pad on the floor of the crate I can relieve myself in the night. I will never usually soil my bed, but accidents happen, and when I am very small I will need to pee during the night. Check my bedding in the morning to make sure it is dry, and please wash it if it is wet – we like to have clean bedding. You can shut the door at night, after I have been out for a pee. Then you can sleep easy in the knowledge that I can’t run around in the night. In the daytime, a crate should not be used as a cage, although you can shut me in for short periods if you are going out.

•Bowls: Buy two food bowls, one for food and one for water, which you’ll leave down for me the whole time. Stainless steel is durable and easy to keep clean.

•Poo bags: You should also purchase a supply of poo bags so you can dispose of my poo; compostable bags are available.

•Toys: