Life-long Buying Guide for the Labrador Retriever

One of Canada’s four national breeders, the Labrador Retriever was developed to help the Newfoundland fishermen bring in their nets around the 15th century. The dogs would grab the cork floats and drag the net to shore thus developing the natural instinct to retrieve. In the 18th century, dogs were brought to the Poole area in the UK to perform the same function and once there, the local hunters found their affable nature and strong retrieving instinct perfect for hunting waterfowl and small game. Thus two distinct styles of Labrador Retriever developed – the North American version is taller, slighter and more agile whereas the UK version tends to be shorter, stockier and more heavily muscled.

Today Labs are the most popular registered breed in the world. They are used as assistance dogs, drug sniffing dogs, search and rescue, and See Eye Dogs - just a few of this versatile breed’s ‘jobs’. Labs are gregarious, friendly, loyal, eager to please and good-natured. Although their size can be intimidating to children, their loving nature makes them wonderful pets. The one draw back is they can be highly exuberant and easily excited so thorough training is necessary to keep their manners in check. Health wise, Labs are on average with many large breeds so check breeding stock for hip or elbow dsyplasia before buying a puppy. They are highly prone to obesity so careful monitoring of their weight is extremely important throughout their entire life.

The Lab Puppy to Adulthood

Even as young pups, Labs tend to be enthusiastic eaters so when picking out food dishes for them, keep this in mind. We suggest either a heavy dish with rubber feet to keep it in place like thespectacular Regal Dog Bowl. Or, another option is to use an elevated feeder such asthe Baron Double Bowl Dog Feeder. The large size of this heavy duty feeder is perfect for a Lab and with the removable 3 quart stainless steel dishes, he can start using them without the stand at eight weeks old (within a month he will be tall enough for the 10” feeder).

The Everlast and Chomper Dog Beds are made with a Lab in mind! A young Lab is an energetic dog that appreciates being outside with a few creature comforts. These durable beds are waterproof on the bottom and sides – perfect for on the deck or in their doghouse. They are also made out of 100% ballistic nylon – one of the strongest materials on the market. Nothing is ‘chew proof’ but these beds are as tough and ‘chew resistant’ as you any willfind on the market.