Labrador Retriever

Pet Rating System: 1= Lowest 5 = Highest

Retriever	1	2	3	4	5
Activity Level
Temperament
Intelligence
Child Friendly
Size

Overall Rating: 1/2

"Kona" Donoghue

Our Rating: One of our favorite family breeds and our pick as best all around breed. However, because of their large size may not be suitable for small homes and yards.

Marley & Me Movie Note: Our experience with Labs is very unlike "Marley" from the movie. Although all puppies go through a puppy phase which can include chewing, digging and other obnoxious behavior...labs are typically easily trained. We believe any puppy entered into obedience training at a young age (12 weeks) will quickly learn good behavior.

Our information is meant to provide "non-technical" information since breed standards are widely available on the internet. You can find breed standard and additional information at our links provided at the bottom of this page.

Labradors are one of the most popular breed of dogs in the United States. Their popularity is due to their excellent temperament and intelligence. We highly recommend this breed for most types of families, especially families with children of all ages. Since Labradors are sociable dogs, we do not recommend they be in an environment where they do not receive attention. Because of their large size of about 60-80 lbs. it is also not recommended that they be kept in small living conditions. Labradors want to be "lap" dogs, however, at younger ages they are active and require at least one to two walks per day. A yard for exercise is recommended.

A Labrador's intelligence is well known in the dog world...therefore, keeping your Labrador stimulated is important. Labradors are instinctive retrievers. Providing games that utilize their natural instincts such as a simple game of stick throwing will keep your Labrador happy. Labradors are also known to love tennis balls....be sure that you provide a extra large sized tennis ball (not a regular size) to prevent choking.

Obviously Labradors are water dogs...their coat is specifically designed to repel water and insulate them from cold water. Their "otter" tail is shaped such that it is used as a rudder to steer and help balance them in the water. Therefore, we recommend introducing your Labrador to the water at a young age. Your Labrador will love to retrieve objects that your throw into the water! Keep in mind that there are Labradors that do not like water (we have one!).

Labradors do require a regular grooming schedule. This is because of their multi-layer undercoat which sheds regularly. You may notice that your Labrador has minor shedding daily, however, large shedding cycles can be as much as three to six times per year depending on weather in your area. To keep shedding under control, we recommend every two weeks a grooming schedule using a rubber curry comb (round or oval soft rubber hand comb) to first remove any loose undercoat and then a soft bristle wooden comb to make the coat shiny. Adding a teaspoon of olive oil or vegetable oil to hard kibble once per week will also help keep the coat shiny.

Labradors can have some health problems related to poor breeding. Be sure that you have investigated your breeder's history carefully for the following common health problems; hip dysplasia, allergies, and eye problems.

For more info on Labradors see the links below:

http://www.akc.org/breeds/recbreeds/labdoret.cfm

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/labrador.html