Training The Intelligent Labrador’s Retriever
Labrador retriever owners are blessed with a breed that loves to learn. All training must enforce the idea that learning not only is fun but it will bring positive responses from the owner. Learning is not a game, but it need not be unpleasant either.
The Versatile Dog
The Labrador Retriever is one of the most wonderful and amazing breeds ever developed. A Labrador puppy is a bouncy bundle of black, yellow or chocolate fun and games. A Labrador adult is one of many things. He is an excellent guide dog for those who are sightless or visually impaired: The Labrador Retriever is the breed used most often as guide dogs for the blind. Because they love to fetch for their masters, Labs are very popular as service dogs for those who are wheelchair bound.
The Labrador Retriever: An Early History
The exact beginnings of the Labrador retriever cannot be pinpointed. Stories of coarse, thickly coated, black water dogs trained to work with fishermen date back to the sixteenth century, cited by sailors from Devon, England, who routinely saw them when trading with the fishermen of Newfoundland (then a British colony). Through the centuries more refined specimens emerged. These water dogs were known as Newfoundlands or Labrador Newfoundlands - titles that applied to several breeds of dogs found there. The dogs ranged from a large, heavy-coated variety known as the Large Newfoundland (progenitor of today’s Newfoundland) to a smaller, rough-coated variety called the Lesser Newfoundland or St. John’s Dogs. It is theorized that the modern-day Labrador retriever descends from the St. John’s Dog, which was medium-sized, docile, easily managed, and possessed a very sensitive nose.
The Best Search-And-Rescue Dog
Labrador Retrievers are often found working in airports, on street patrol, and in other public locations, as it has been found that they have the concentration capacity and staying power to maintain scent work in large, populated areas. Labradors are becoming more popular in this job and have been known for their ability to work among civilians without creating anxiety which is often known to occur when the more traditional police dogs such as German Shepherds and Dobermans are used.
Teaching Your Labrador To Retrieve
Mutual trust and understanding are required between the hunter and his dog before a satisfactory retrieving companion is developed. The intelligent Labrador Retriever, brought up as a house pet with the love and understanding of the person who is to take him hunting, requires a minimum of training in order to accomplish the job. Much of this training can be done in the house and a few minutes a day is enough. Such things as blind retrieves and hand signals can become a game in the house with the dog learning to trust his nose as one of the important by-products.
Taking Care Of Your Labrador’s Feet & Paws
A Labrador retriever’s feet are susceptible to various injuries if it spends much time outdoors. The pads of the feet should be inspected after every vigorous run in thick brush for cuts, splinters, burrs, or embedded stones. For minor problems, a cleaning, using sterilized tweezers to remove any objects, and a mild antiseptic should be all that is needed. The dog should not be permitted any hard running until the cut is healed. Undiscovered minor irritations can quickly become infected and painful, causing the dog to favor the leg and limp. A dog that develops a sudden limp may have been stung by an insect. In such a case, an ice compress will usually reduce or prevent swelling and the pain should quickly pass. (Be alert to any difficulty in breathing, as an allergic reaction to stings may also produce dangerous side effects.) If there is no evidence of a cut and the dog continues to favor the leg, consult a veterinarian as there may be an injury to the bones or muscles of the foot, or something may be embedded within the footpad that will need an experienced hand to remove.
