English or American Field Labrador
Ok... this is a tough one to answer. Most labradors you will find for sale in California are American Field labradors. We currently raise English labs and love it!!! English are more of the family/show dogs that are often seen at dog shows. Georgous thick coats, shorter noses with a calmer disposition. These Labs are wonderful family dogs. Over the years we have raised American Field labs as well and don't want to take away from them. American Field tend to be the high drive dogs that love to run and play and hunt all day. Often identified by their longer noses, thinner/taller build. They are desirous to please and exteremely loyal. Is one better than the other? It all depends on your desires. We love both styles of dogs but currently breed english labs.
Does colors really matter?
My opinion is yes and no. Let me explain... As with any animal, genes play a huge part as to the quality of the animal. It is my opinion that the color of the lab does not indicate if you have a well rounded labrador. One color is not smarter than the other. Solid color labradors, Black, Yellow and Chocolate with black noses and or dark chocolate ( if she is a chocolate lab) is recommeded by AKC standards. Often breeders will outbreed the colors causing the pigmentation on their noses or around their eyes to change to a liver/reddish color. Does this make for a bad dog? I don't think so, it just should raise some flags as to the breeding history of the dogs. Make sure their pedigrees are sound.
Are Labradors Aggressive?
Over the years we have had calls from dog owners who are concerned about aggression with labradors and other breeds . I have to say upfront our dogs do not have aggression issues so I'm not an authority on this topic
It would be nice if a dog could talk to you and tell you how she feels. Since this is not possible we need to try to answer some questions to determine why she is acting aggressive:
Is if she/he is spayed/nuetered yet? Are there other pets in the house that are of the same sex?
Has anything "socially" changed in your household?
Is she/he in pain?
Have you had the vet examine her?
Is she up to date on her vaccinations/wormings/rabies/lymes vaccine?
Does she feel threatened in anyway?
Has she ever been alone with small children (unattended?) Small children can inadvertantly HURT dogs and make them not like kids if they are left to do this.
Never allow children to pull on, bully, hit, or poke at a dog! It will "sour" them on children for good if this behavior goes on too long. Teach children to respect animals, and punish them in the same way you would if they hit, hurt, or abused another child/person.
Dogs need training and limits but so do their human partners..... Training should be the number one investment in both you and your dog. If training is not a normal part of your day to day activity than you are missing the boat.
Food:
Your puppy is now eating solid food, Science Diet Puppy Large Breed. We have already started your pup on a feeding schedule, morning and evening. This should help with the house training process.
The First Night:
The first night is often the most difficult, I have tried several different methods to help your puppy sleep thru the night. Here are a few suggestions. You may place a hot water bottle filled with warm water, wrapped in a towel, in puppy’s crate to simulate another pup. When you pick up your new pup, bring a stuffed animal with you. By taking the stuffed animal you can obtain some of the litter scents on the stuffed animal then by placing them together in the crate, your pup will feel more at home. A ticking alarm clock (heart rhythm), or a clock radio (voice) by crate can also be soothing. Otherwise, hang in there, it won’t be long before your pup will be sleeping through the night on its own.
Initial health questions:
Sometimes, “the runs” will occur after taking puppy home. This can be due to stress of new surroundings, new food, and new water. If puppy continues to eat and drink normally, don’t worry, your problem should solve itself in a few days. If the diarrhea continues for more than two days, or puppy is not drinking or eating and is lethargic, then poisoning, giardia, or Coccidia (a bacteria picked up by pups) could be the cause...take the pup to your vet! Puppies stool may be soft, but it is when it is WATERY that there is concern.
Chewing:
Your puppy will naturally need to chew while losing baby teeth, A simple solution to save your prized running shoes or high heels (anything that you like qualifies) from your puppy's teeth are old socks. Simply tie your old socks in a few knots and replace your prized possession with the sock. Be consistent with this. It will literally pay off in the end.
House Training:
I could write a book on housebreaking alone...but a few suggestions that we might make are: Take puppy out first thing in morning, after each meal, after nap time, after playing, and last thing before bedtime. Praise him highly when he goes outside, and scold him with a firm “no” when he has an accident in the house. When he eliminates outside, mark the spot, and each time, take him to that same spot, he will soon learn to eliminate whenever taken out and he smells the familiar smell ( you can also train them to go in the same area of your yard this way!) After he has gone outside, let him have the freedom of the house, or a confined area such as a kitchen. A box, dog crate, or kennel will come in handy when you are away or too busy to watch puppy. The puppy will usually be clean and will not want to dirty his box if the box is small enough that he cannot eliminate in one end and sleep in the other. If you can concentrate on the house-training the first two weeks you will not encounter many problems thereafter.