Labrador Retriever

[LisaCC]

As Aussie lover said, yes there are different types of lab but if Ernie is from show lines he will probably be of the stockier type once he matures, he is still young though :)

An entire male will generally be thicker set than a dog desexed young too. My lab from show lines who was desexed at 6 months still continued filling out until around 3 years of age. But he was taller and had less muscle in some areas (like head) than his intact siblings. He was still a big thick boy though, at a lean, active, ideal condition he was 36kgs, whenever he dropped below 34kgs we knew we were in trouble with his IBD.

[Stressmagnet]

Thank you. His dad was a bit of a boofa and his mum looked slimmer and leaner. I don't care how he turns out, though i will not let him get fat. The fat labs I see at the park look to be in pain. He IS still very young (7.5 Months) so I'm sure his true 'adult' appearance is a fair bit away.

[LisaCC]

Thank you. His dad was a bit of a boofa and his mum looked slimmer and leaner. I don't care how he turns out, though i will not let him get fat. The fat labs I see at the park look to be in pain. He IS still very young (7.5 Months) so I'm sure his true 'adult' appearance is a fair bit away.

Might be going through a lanky stage at that age, puppies go through some very funny looks

Edited November 24, 2014 by LisaCC

[Stressmagnet]

He fell over his back legs running down a hill this morning. He looked so hurt when I laughed.

[The Spotted Devil]

And within field bred Labs there are English, American, Irish and Australian lines. The Guide/Assistance lines are different again - you want a dog with stamina but not as much prey drive as a full blown retrieving dog...could be MOST embarrassing!!!

[Stressmagnet]

Ernie's only drive lately is food. You'd think I starved him.

He's starting Rally/Obedience in January because he needs something to do besides EAT.

[aussielover]

Ernie's only drive lately is food. You'd think I starved him.

He's starting Rally/Obedience in January because he needs something to do besides EAT.

Haha I'm pretty sure that applies to most labs.

[suziwong66]

Thank you. His dad was a bit of a boofa and his mum looked slimmer and leaner. I don't care how he turns out, though i will not let him get fat. The fat labs I see at the park look to be in pain. He IS still very young (7.5 Months) so I'm sure his true 'adult' appearance is a fair bit away.

The adult appearance (for my two male labbies) was between the second and third year - I now have a bitch puppy who wont' be neutered until she's about 18 months - 2 years and i'm wondering how she'll physically mature in comparison to the boys (one has passed on).

[Dirtyeyeboy.]

Hello every one.

 

I used to have 2 choccy labs but sadly they have passed.

Hank was a english style lab stocky boy,short nose,thick waggy tail,boof head.

 

I wanna get another one like him,but this time a black one (male).

Either a puppy or young labrador less than 2 years old.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dirtyeyeboy.]

7 hours ago, Papillon Kisses said:

Welcome to the forum.

 

I'm sorry for your losses.

 

The Labrador thread in the Breeds 101 forum will give you an idea of things to look for in breeders and questions to ask. You can also contact the Labrador Retriever Club of Victoria. The club has some great resources on their website too.

Thank you.

[Dirtyeyeboy.]

This forum needs a like function.

[TomsMum]

Hi, I'm Julie and I am Mum to Thomas, who has a Labrador disability/seizure response dog, named Tori.
We are first time dog owners so struggling a bit with so much conflicting info out there about feeding Tori properly. I am embarrassed to say that she weighs a tad over 40 kg. I know I am feeding her incorrectly, I must be!
When Tori came to us (2 years ago) so came with instructions on the (expensive food) to feed her. I kept it up for almost a year but at the expense of other things like bills and food.

I ended up buying bags of supermarket branded kibble and the rolls of Natures (something-or-other) meat rolls. 

She was getting 3 cups of kibble and about 400g of the roll each night. Her poos were terrible! I cut out the meat roll and now feed her 4 cups of kibble a night with a cup of warm water poured over it to make it a bit soupy (I started the water because I once bought a brand she didn't like so was dissolving half a stock cube in water to make it more palatable until I could afford to buy a different brand. Now she expects to have "soup" every night...how smart are these dogs??........and how dumb am I??)

 

Anyway I have rambled one (sorry)... I am really hoping to have a question answered if that's OK?

How much, and what do I feed Tori?
What is best to 'treat' her?

 

Things to consider:

• I am on a pension and pay ridiculous rent and really cannot afford big brands.
• Bones really scare me because she eats so fast and I've read horror stories about bones splintering etc.
• Treats are usually 1 dry cat biscuit at a time. When she is working, she gets rewarded regularly for following commands. she probably gets a small handful of cat bickies 2 times a week in all.)
• She occasionally has a pigs ear to chew.
• She gets no table scraps at all (in fact 'human food' is forbidden for service dogs so they aren't tempted by food bits on the ground when she is working.)
• She appears to be starving to death all.the.damned.time!
• The only food she hates is carrot. She will accept a carrot off me, only to promptly grate a neat little pile for me to clean up! (She loves apple though!) 

Thanks so much for reading this ramble and I hope to hear back.

 

Julie 

[Tilly2000]

I would like to comment on life span.

I've recently bought my last Labrador pup.

I've been very interested in the subject of life span since I had. an argument with a young vet, she insisted 

they lived to 11.  I've had 9 pedigree dogs and bitches (pets) all of them have got to  14 with the exception

of my last, Tilly who lived to17 and 56 days.  Currently I have a rescue lab dog who I got at 7, he turns 15 on

21/10/19 

It is my belief and that of the vet at the RSPCA,  the reason for their longevity is, I don't feed them commercial

dog food. There is no regulation,  or oversight on what goes into pet food in Australia, only a lot of advertising

dollars.

 

On the subject of breed, I understand  Mary Dalgarno (Canberra) and Pat Dunstan (Southern Highlands) were

the two women instrumental in breeding hip dysplasia out of Labradors in Australia in the 60's.

Mary wrote a book on the history of Labradors in Australia and Pats name was on the lab club standard for many years.

the standard says.."Strongly built, short-coupled, very active; broad in skull; broad and deep through

chest and ribs; broad and strong over loins and hindquarters".

 

https://www.labradortraininghq.com

very interesting site with information saying  American labs differ in that they are bred for hunting and field trials

(doubt their temperament would suit guide dogs).  This site reiterates "there is only one Labrador standard"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tilly2000]

Hi Toms mum,

I think it is actually cheaper to feed food for human consumption..

I feed my three Labs variety of these foods

Boiled egg (with shell) every day I cook up in advance

cooked pasta  mix in  1/2 tin chick peas or lentils (both cheap) and high in protein

Aldi 2star mince 1/4 packet or

tin sardines or

tuna or

left overs are what dogs used to eat.

daily -cooked veg  -carrots, cabbage or spinach or any green vegs

or cook up the pasta with frozen veg in the same pot.

You can give them yoghurt no sugar or milk with water for calcium

Find a butcher who sells Brisket bones they are soft and don't

splinter, never give cooked bones. 

Cooked liver is a all time favourite, but make it  small amount 

not daily very high in vit A

cabbage is good for bulking up their food. my dogs drink the

water the veg is cooked in

Don't give treats made in china, no sugar or salt

My dogs think bits of apple carrots or uncooked pasta are treats.

break his food up don't feed him all at once if he is a guts (they all are)

 

should keep him under 40 more like 36

Good luck

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[swazzie]

I think this thread is dormant but I thought I’d pop in anyhow . I’ve not posted here in quite some years. When my two labs passed away it was hard to be in a dog forum. 
The time was finally right and we brought home a new baby lab yesterday, he’s name is Zeus, he’s settling in well, super eager to learn. 

[DogsAndTheMob]

55 minutes ago, swazzie said:

I think this thread is dormant but I thought I’d pop in anyhow . I’ve not posted here in quite some years. When my two labs passed away it was hard to be in a dog forum. 
The time was finally right and we brought home a new baby lab yesterday, he’s name is Zeus, he’s settling in well, super eager to learn. 

What a cutie!

[Kazm]

Welcome Zeus. What a very cute boy.

[Amazetl]

Zeus is adorable. What a cutie. 

[Pet a dog]

On 26/06/2009 at 8:06 AM, Sonic said:

Just querying the height of 22 to 22.5 for dogs and 21.5 to 22 for bitches. I have always thought this was correct but was told by breeders recently that the max height had been increased.

Can anyone confirm this.

Hello Sonic,

Regarding the height specifications for Labrador Retrievers, I understand there might be some confusion. As of my last update, the general height range for Labradors is typically as follows:

Males: 22.5 to 24.5 inches (57 to 62 cm) at the withers.
Females: 21.5 to 23.5 inches (55 to 60 cm) at the withers.
These measurements may vary slightly between different breed standards or kennel clubs. If there have been any recent updates to the breed standards regarding height, I would recommend consulting the most recent information from reputable sources or the relevant kennel club for clarification.

Additionally, if you're interested in learning more about various dog breeds, I've recently published a blog post on my website about the top 20 military dog breeds, In there I published a detailed review of Labrador retriever. I think you will find it interesting. you can check from here https://petadog.xyz/top-15-military-dog-breeds/

Best regards, Pet a Dog