What to Expect With a Labrador: Many Positive and Some Negative Aspects

Becoming the owner of a Labrador is the beginning of a wonderful experience since the Labrador is a very sociable animal that is fun loving and a devoted pet. The Labrador will expect to be part of a loving family and it is very appreciative of its master, more than any other breed. One should expect an adjustment period with the Labrador, where both the owner and the pet get to know each others likes and dislikes and it also needs to get a lot of exercise to keep it occupied and they should not be left idle as a bored dog is not a happy dog.

Train, Socialize and Adjust to the Labrador

The Labrador may also need to be trained and for this one may expect to spare some time while being firm as well as consistent in teaching it simple commands (to begin with) such as sit, stay, go, come and heel. If one does not have the inclination or time to train the Labrador then it should be sent to an obedience school which is recommended in order to establish a good relationship between the owner and the dog. Also, the Labrador is a smart animal and is always ready to please its master and is sure to do very well in any obedience training effort.

The Labrador will take a job that is entrusted to it and will assiduously perform it to perfection. This is a working dog that loves to perform any task it is entrusted with and hunters and sportsmen would find its retrieval powers very appealing. The Labrador needs socializing and when it is properly socialized will feel comfortable with others, even if they are strangers.

Training

There are other concerns, a lot of them negative that the owner would have to expect with when bringing home a Labrador and messing up is one of them. The Labrador, and most dogs for that matter, thinks of the bathroom as a place to eliminate. The Labrador should be taught to eliminate outside the house and this may require vigilance as well as crate-training the new addition so that it learns to keep the home clean and become housetrained. If there is a garden in the house, the owner may expect that his Labrador would dig up the ground, if only because it has become bored or frustrated; so the owner would need to exercise the Labrador as it would help in mentally stimulating the dog. Another inconvenience one will have to put up with is its teeth which the Labrador uses to bite things as well as people.

The owner would certainly expect some amount of noise caused by the barking of the Labrador and like digging, a lot of the barking is caused by boredom and frustration. Exercise should help contain this phenomenon and it should be taught to refrain from barking too much. Another aspect to keeping the Labrador is that it may be a chronic jumper and there are certain methods that one can employ to control this behavior.

Chewing is another habit that Labradors may find hard to control and may be one of the most irritating aspects of the dog and to control this bad habit, one may need to provide it with chew toys and one should ensure that the chew toys are to the liking of the Labrador. Once one gets used to such things, the Labrador will become a welcome addition to the house and one may find out a bit more about this breed from Labrador breeders.

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