Are you planning to get a Labrador Retriever as a pet? Before you do, you have to educate yourself first on the nature of this great dog. She may have qualities that can either make you think twice or make you want her more. Here are 3 things you need to know about this breed.
First, you must know that Labrador Retrievers are innate hunters. They are said to be more aware of their surroundings than other hunting breeds. You don’t have to tell them to retrieve fallen fowl -- they instinctively do it on their own. Other breeds in the sporting group, on the other hand, wait for their owners to command them to go and won’t even bother retrieving the prey if not told to do so.
At home, you may find your Labrador Retriever following you around or sitting attentively beside you most of the time. She is actually waiting for you to tell or command her to do her next task -- it could either be to sit, eat, walk, anything really. She usually doesn’t like to have nothing to do at all. That’s why some owners may think that Labs are sometimes very bothersome and needy.
Second, you have to give your Lab the proper training. Although she has all the good qualities of a service dog, it doesn’t mean that she becomes a good service dog instantaneously. She likes to challenge herself and her retrieving skills, but you don’t want to see her wear herself out from trying and trying. That’s why you need to train her to enhance her natural abilities.
Training your Labrador Retriever will definitely be a lot of work. You need to invest your time and effort to see your dog succeed in what she was born to do. You may have seen a well-trained service dog walking around the park with her handler and said to yourself, “It can’t be that hard to do [the training].” But it actually is. So don’t be frustrated if your Lab isn’t doing very well. You just have to help her get into shape and be a well-trained dog herself.
And third, Labrador Retrievers are distinct from each other. They are like boxes of chocolate -- you just never know what you’ll get. Although they have the same genetic make-up, they will grow up to be who you molded them to be.
In general, [all] Labs love to do the same things, like hunting, swimming, and running. But oftentimes, you may get one that just hates getting in the water. Also, most Labrador Retrievers love chewing on almost anything they get their paws into. Count yourself lucky if you get one that’s not orally fixated.
No matter how different or how conventional your Labrador Retriever is, you can surely depend on her to be faithful and devoted to you for the rest of her life. Just give her the love, care, attention and training she needs, and you’ll find a very good friend and companion in your dog.
Copyright (c) 4loveofdogs.com, 2009-2010