All About Labrador Retrievers

Considering getting a Labrador Retriever? Speaking from personal experience, I can tell you all about Labrador Retrievers. Labrador Retrievers make fabulous family pets. Maya is my Labrador Retriever which I rescued from a woman who adopted her from a shelter but couldn't handle all the responsibilities of a puppy. Besides the costs and care involved in raising a puppy, Labrador Retrievers require daily physical and mental exercise. They are generally very playful dogs and have a high energy level.

All About Labrador Retrievers Behavior
Labrador Retrievers are also very sociable. Socializing this breed is rather easy due to their natural love for people and other dogs. Maya is one of the most loving dogs I have ever owned. She gets especially affectionate and excited when she meets other people or dogs. She's very friendly, great with children, and always joyous and playful.

Like most Labrador Retrievers, Maya has been relatively easy to train with one exception. Due to her excitability, I have had a difficult time training her to heel. With her amiable and eager to please temperament, and with more training, she will no doubt learn to express her merriment in a calmer way. Due to the agreeable nature of Labrador Retrievers, positive reinforcement is the best way to train these dogs. They can be hardheaded on rare occasions, but you will get much more success in training if positive methods are used.

Like all Labrador Retrievers, Maya naturally loves the water. The first time she saw a body of water, she jumped right in and swam. The Labrador Retriever's love of water is one of the many things which makes them such great gundogs. They will gladly retrieve game from land or even from freezing water.

Physical Traits of Labrador Retrievers
Maya is not just a typical Labrador Retrievers in character. She is also similar in her physical features. She stands at the average height of Labrador Retrievers which is between 21.5 to 24.5 inches. And she weighs between 55 and 80 pounds. Also, like other Labrador Retrievers, she has a harsh short outer coat and a wooly water resistant undercoat which needs regular brushing. The coat of Labrador Retrievers is also adapted to keeping burrs and other outdoor brush from getting tangled in its coat. The tail of Labrador Retrievers, which has been described by early breeders as being "like an otter", is thick at the base and gradually narrows to a point. A Labrador Retriever's head is broad with slightly defined brows and flat-lying ears. Their eyes are warm and expressive, just like their character.

All About the Colors of Labrador Retrievers
Maya is a yellow Labrador Retriever, but Labrador Retrievers also come in black and chocolate. Black Labrador Retrievers were the first to be bred as they were bred from the Newfoundland dog which is black. However, a yellow Labrador Retriever was once found amongst a litter of black and yellow Labrador Retrievers have descended from that one pup ever since. Chocolate Labrador Retrievers came even later still. They were bred from cross-breeding the black and yellow. Each of these colors is generally solid but some may have a bit of white on their chest.

Yellow and chocolate Labrador Retrievers sometimes get a brown nose, especially in the winter and as they get older. This is because the enzyme which creates the black pigment doesn't produce as well in cold weather or as the dog ages. This brown nose, however, is not a health concern.

Health Issues in Labrador Retrievers
Health concerns for Labrador Retrievers include hip or elbow dysplasia and Progressive Retinal Atrophy. Progressive Retinal Atrophy, also called PRA, is a disease in which the retina gradually deteriorates and may eventually lead to blindness. If you are planning on buying a Labrador Retriever, both hip dysplasia and PRA should be tested for in the parents. Be sure to ask the breeder for certification of these tests.

Historical Information About Labrador Retrievers
Labrador Retrievers have an interesting history. It is a dog bred in North American from early colonial times. They were used by fisherman to help them pull in nets and catch fish. Labrador Retrievers were bred from a smaller version of the Newfoundland dog. They eventually died out in America, but luckily had been imported to England before this happened. They were extremely popular in England and were soon brought back to the Americas where they are now an exceedingly popular dog. Today, Labrador Retrievers are used as gundogs, therapy dogs, service dogs, seeing eye dogs, search-and-rescue dogs, and narcotic dogs. They were also been used in World War I and World War II as mine detectors and are still used in the armed forces today.