What is the proper way to train, groom, take care of Labrador retriever?
by Administrator
Filed under Labrador Q & A
I have a new lab, 1 month and 1/2 old, this is our first time to have Labrador for a pet. What is the proper way to train, groom, take care of Labrador retriever?
Unless you can monitor your puppy 24 hours a day, don’t expect the house training process to be completed until your puppy is at least 6 months old. It’s normal for a young puppy to be a little ‘input-output’ machine. Since puppies are growing and developing rapidly at this stage, they eat more food, burn up more energy and seem to need to eliminate constantly! They also have not yet developed bowel and bladder control, so they can’t ‘hold it’ as long as adult dogs.
House Training When You Are Not Home
Confine your puppy to a small, ‘puppy-proofed’ room and paper the entire floor. Put his bed, toys and food/water bowls there. At first there will be no rhyme or reason to where your pup eliminates. He will go every where and any where. He will also probably play with the papers, chew on them, and drag them around his little den. Most puppies do this and you just have to live with it. Don’t get upset; just accept it as life with a young puppy. The important thing is that when you get home, clean up the mess and lay down fresh papers.
Passive House Training or Paper Training
While your puppy is confined, he is developing a habit of eliminating on paper because no matter where he goes, it will be on paper. As time goes on, he will start to show a preferred place to do his business. When this place is well established and the rest of the papers remain clean all day, then gradually reduce the area that is papered. Start removing the paper that is furthest away from his chosen location. Eventually you will only need to leave a few sheets down in that area only. If he ever misses the paper, then you’ve reduced the area too soon. Go back to papering a larger area or even the entire room. Once your puppy is reliably going only on the papers you’ve left, then you can slowly and gradually move his papers to a location of your choice. Move the papers only an inch a day. If puppy misses the paper again, then you’re moving too fast. Go back a few steps and start over. Don’t be discouraged if your puppy seems to be making remarkable progress and then suddenly you have to return to papering the entire room. This is normal. There will always be minor set-backs. If you stick with this procedure, your puppy will be paper trained.
House Training When You Are Home
When you are home but can’t attend to your puppy, follow the same procedures described above. However, the more time you spend with your puppy, the quicker he will be house trained. Your objective is to take your puppy to his toilet area every time he needs to eliminate. This should be about once every 45 minutes; just after a play session; just after eating or drinking; and just upon waking. When he does eliminate in his toilet area, praise and reward him profusely and enthusiastically! Don’t use any type of reprimand or punishment for mistakes or accidents. Your puppy is too young to understand and it can set the house training process back drastically. Don’t allow your puppy freedom outside of his room unless you know absolutely for sure that his bladder and bowels are completely empty. When you do let him out, don’t let him out of your sight. It is a good idea to have him on leash when he is exploring your home. He can’t get into trouble if you are attached to the other end of the leash. Every 30 minutes return your pup to his toilet area. As your puppy becomes more reliable about using his toilet area and his bowel and bladder control develops, he can begin to spend more time outside his room with you in the rest of your home. Begin by giving him access to one room at a time. Let him eat, sleep and play in this room but only when he can be supervised. When you cannot supervise him, put him back in his room.
Active House Training
The most important thing you can do to make house training happen as quickly as possible is to reward and praise your puppy every time he goes in the right place. The more times he is rewarded, the quicker he will learn. Therefore it’s important that you spend as much time as possible with your pup and give him regular and frequent access to his toilet area.
Key to Successful House Training
Consistency and Patience. Never scold or punish your puppy for mistakes and accidents. The older your pup gets, the more he will be able to control his bladder and bowels. Eventually your pup will have enough control that he will be able to "hold it" for longer and longer periods of time. Let your puppy do this on his own time. When training is rushed, problems usually develop. Don’t forget, most puppies are not reliably house trained until they are at least 6 months old.
Feeding
Now is the time to get a good start on nutritional patterns that will last through your puppy’s lifetime. Simplicity and consistency are the two keys for the successful transition from the breeder’s home to yours. It may take several days to adjust to your new routine and to learn to eat alone. So be patient as your puppy makes its transition.
Simplicity
On the whole, Labrador Retrievers are not problem eaters. They like to eat! By keeping the feeding process a simple routine, there should be no fuss. Allow your puppy ample time to complete its meal – approximately fifteen to twenty minutes. After this time, pick up and discard whatever food is left in the bowl. If the puppy is still eating when you are ready to pick up her bowl, allow another five minutes.
When your puppy refuses to eat its meal, do not offer it anything else until the next scheduled meal. Don’t worry if your puppy has not eaten much of its food for a particular meal. Puppies grow at different rates and may have more or less need for food at different developmental stages. Your puppy will not starve if it misses a meal or two. However, caution is appropriate. A sudden and persistent refusal to eat may indicate a physical or behavioral problem. It is appropriate to take your puppy in for a checkup.
Obtain beginning feeding instructions from your breeder. As your puppy grows into adulthood, there is no absolute guide to the correct amount to feed – each puppy is unique with respect to size, age, temperament and amount of daily exercise. As a responsible owner, you can monitor your puppy’s overall trim to determine whether it is getting enough or too many calories. A Labrador Retriever should be firm, not plump. It is easy to get out of condition by not exercising enough and by being fed too much by well-meaning owners. Labradors will overeat, if allowed. At the other extreme, if the ribs and hipbones can be easily felt upon running your hand down the dog’s side, your pet may require additional calories. Your veterinarian can also give you some guidance as to your puppy’s weight.
Consistency
Feeding consistency is essential to a successful transition. Drastic changes in diet can cause significant digestive upsets that can be hazardous to your puppy’s health and growth. Once your puppy enters your home, it will be very advantageous to your puppy to set and maintain a very consistent feeding schedule – this will also contribute to advancing your housebreaking agenda. Your puppy, and its digestive system, will do best with a very predictable schedule.
The Labrador Retriever is a large, rapidly growth breed. For good long-term orthopedic health, it is advantageous to feed a puppy food that is formulated for large breeds. Be consistent with the food you provide your puppy. Any abrupt changes in food or eating schedule can disrupt your puppy’s digestive system. When you a changing from one formula or brand to another, make the transition gradually over three to five days. Begin by providing about three quarters of the total food portion from the original feed and about one quarter from the new food. Gradually shift the apportionment of old to new until you are feeding only the new food.
Dysplasia and Osteochontritis Desicans ("OCD") Dysplasia is a crippling orthopedic condition affecting hip and/or elbow joints. It is believed to be influenced by heredity as well as nutritional and environmental (acquired) factors. OCD is a crippling orthopedic disorder that affects the cartilage in a growing puppy’s joints. OCD and related conditions have not been proven at this time to be hereditary, although there seems to be some predisposition for OCD in certain breeds and bloodlines. Therefore, both the breeder and the owner assume significant responsibility for the orthopedic health of the puppy. Excessive nutrition, over-supplementation, and over- or under- feeding your puppy can have a negative impact of the dog’s structure as it grows.
As a caring owner, you must monitor your puppy to make sure it receives proper food (see the Feeding section) and exercise. With respect to exercise, do not allow jumping on and off of furniture or stairs. Also, keep your puppy off slippery or damp flooring. Your puppy will benefit from regular walks. Avoid strenuous exercise and do not jog your dog until it is at least 18 to 24 months old.
· Eye Problems Eye problems can be hereditary, congenital, or acquired conditions resulting from a virus or accident. Some eye diseases have little or no effect on the dog’s vision while others can cause blindness.
The most common eye disorders that affect the Labrador Retriever are: retinal folds, juvenile cataracts and progressive retinal dysplasia. The parents of your puppy should have had eye examinations performed by a veterinarian ophthalmologist and been certified as free of these hereditary eye disorders. Retinal folds and juvenile cataracts typically have a negligible impact on vision. Progressive retinal atrophy is a disorder that results in blindness, typically in older dogs.
A new genetic test has just been finalized by OptiGen (www.optigen.com) for progressive retinal atrophy. Progressive retinal atrophy is a recessive genetic problem – therefore, both the sire and dam must have a carrier or affected status in order to produce a puppy that is affected by the disorder. The Sire and/or Dam of your puppy should have had their genetic status established through OptiGen to assure that your puppy cannot be affected by this blinding eye disease.
· Seizures Seizures can be induced by epilepsy or other causes including trauma, poisoning and infections. Most cases are controllable with medication. No test is available to determine whether a dog that has had seizures, has hereditary epilepsy, or if the dog is a carrier of the disease. Therefore, no certification is available.
· Incorrect Bites and Missing Teeth Incorrect bites include undershot, overshot or wry-mouthed malocclusion. Most incorrect bites cause little or no problem for the dog. Do not play "tug of war" with your young puppy as there is a possibility of damaging their teeth or jaw alignment.
Occasionally, when puppy teeth have been shed, the selected adult teeth will not present. Sometimes, the teeth are present but do not erupt. In other cases, the teeth simply are not present. Missing teeth typically do not present any functional problem for the puppy.
Acquired conditions
Many acquired conditions are preventable by careful management of your puppy’s health. A good relationship with your veterinarian is your best tool for prevention.
· Vaccinations There are many variation for the puppy vaccination schedule. Maternal antibodies provide protection from disease while the puppies are quite young and nursing. As the puppies are weaned, their antibody protection begins to erode. Puppy vaccinations are given in a series over a period of time to ensure that protection is continuous. I vaccinate my puppies at 6, 9, 12 and 16 weeks. Your veterinarian will suggest a schedule for follow up vaccinations through the puppy stage and then will institute an periodic booster program.
· External parasites Fleas and ticks can have a significant effect on your puppy’s health. Discuss flea and tick control with your veterinarian and routinely examine your puppy for evidence of fleas and ticks.
· Internal parasites Puppies may acquire internal parasites from their mother or from the environment. Parasites can be detected through a fecal examination. Your veterinarian will probably suggest a fecal examination on your first visit and at routine health checkups.
· Heartworms The heartworm is the most serious of the common internal parasites. A dog that is bitten by a mosquito infected with the heartworm microfilaria will develop six to twelve inch worms that will take up residence in the dog’s heart. Heartworm prevention can be provided in a daily or monthly medication form. Discuss heartworm prevention and routine screening with your veterinarian.
· Spaying and neutering Spaying and neutering is a good way to ensure that your pet lives a long and healthy life. Females spayed at a young age have almost no risk of developing uterine infection and mammary tumors and neutered dogs have no chance of developing testicular cancer. Your veterinarian will provide information and recommendations regarding spaying or neutering your puppy.
· Grooming Weekly grooming is an effective way to monitor and preserve your puppy’s overall health. The condition of the coat, skin, ears and eyes will tell you a lot about your pet’s ongoing health. Weekly grooming should include ear care, teeth care, coat care and nail care.
More about ears, nails and teeth
· One of the most common health problems for the Labrador Retriever is ear infection. The Labrador has a dropped ear. The ear canal is covered and can serve as a host for bacterial and yeast infections. Ear infections can be painful and irritating to your puppy. The best way to prevent ear infections is to routinely clean the ear. Ear cleaning is simple and takes just a few minutes about once a week. Simply squirt a small amount of ear cleaning solution into the ear, squish it around by massaging the external ear, then wipe the excess solution out using a paper towel and your finger. The size of your finger will preclude putting pressure too far down the ear canal. If you notice a brown and smelly discharge in your puppy’s ear, try cleaning daily for about a week. If the discharge does not clear, it is time to consult your veterinarian for additional support.
· Routine nail trimming should begin immediately when you get your puppy home. Frequently play with and finger your puppy’s feet to get it accustomed to having them touched. Using the nail trimmer that you prefer, begin trimming your puppy’s nail once a week. This may be an unpleasant experience at first for your puppy, but consistent trimming will help your puppy become used to having this part of the grooming routine performed. Gently, but firmly restrain your puppy and grasp one paw at a time. Trim the tips of each nail on each paw. It is possible to nick a blood vessel while trimming. This can be managed quite easily. Keep a blood clotting agent (like a styptic pencil or “Quick Stop” – a pet product for this purpose) available and use it. Apply pressure to the tip of the nail for a minute or two. The bleeding should stop and you can continue the task. Don’t make a big deal out of a nick – you’ll convince your puppy that it is a big deal! Starting right from the beginning, you must establish that this is a procedure to which you puppy must submit. At the beginning, it may be helpful to have one person restrain the puppy and another do the trimming. Failure to keep your puppy’s nails trimmed may adversely affect its paws by making them splay which will impair their comfort in walking and running. Just do it!
· You should monitor the condition of your puppy’s teeth throughout its life. As a puppy, it will shed its puppy teeth. Watch this process to ensure that your puppy is not retaining puppy teeth and be sure that the adult teeth are erupting appropriately. Consult with your veterinarian if you have any concerns or questions. By feeding kibble, you will have begun the process of teeth maintenance. You may routinely brush your puppy’s teeth and/or provide for some or chewing or other teeth maintenance products to help to keep your dog’s teeth free
of plaque build-up.
Hope this helps and good luck with your lovely pup.