Labrador Retriever Questions

farwyn

Well-Known Member
Hello you guys , i have a few questions to ask regarding a lab i'll be getting mid-June . First of all i would like to know some things about their nutrition such as portion sizes etc... Also i'd like to ask you about the necessary "injections" i dont know how it's called i need to perform on her ... Lastly i'd like to know if they're 100% food motivated because as i see from my friends lab hes like hungry all the time and always eager to please for a treat ....

Thank you for your time partners ;)
 

southerngirl

Honored Member
Labradors love to eat and I mean Love. My dog Chase is Half Lab and before he got old he at a lot and always wanted more. Some Labs may not be food motivated yes it is likely, but it's possible that they prefer a toy or praise, and some may be too food motivated as in they are so focused on the food they block you out. It really depends on the individual dog.
What age will the dog be that your getting? (so we can help you with portion size and shots that she might need)
 

sara

Moderator
Staff member
Yes, labs are, more often than not, VERY food motivated... sometimes controlling that is a challenge in and of itself! LOL Labs are very prone to obesity, so you will have to control everything going into his mouth. It's best to feed a food high in protein, low in carbs, as labs are sensitive to sugars (grains and starches turn into sugars) And some low-end foods (pretty much anything you can find in a grocery store) is high in sugar and very low in meat content If you need a food on a budget, Costco sells a grain-free food that's decent and for a really good price.

Portion wise, start with the reccomendations on the bag, and watch your dogs waistline. if he seems to be gaining weight, feed a little less, and vice-versa.

As far as vaccinations, it depends on where you are, the age of the dog, what vaccinations he's already received, and what laws your city/province/state/country require. I give puppy shots and no more. I also do not give rabies shots (we don't have much for rabies here, and it's not law) A vet would probably tell you they need to give a cocktail of shots once a year, but that's overkill. It's not really necessary to vaccinate more than once every 3 years, and there are many who believe that's too much. but follow the laws where you live, as you could get in serious trouble if you don't
 

sara

Moderator
Staff member
Yes, labs are, more often than not, VERY food motivated... sometimes controlling that is a challenge in and of itself! LOL Labs are very prone to obesity, so you will have to control everything going into his mouth. It's best to feed a food high in protein, low in carbs, as labs are sensitive to sugars (grains and starches turn into sugars) And some low-end foods (pretty much anything you can find in a grocery store) is high in sugar and very low in meat content If you need a food on a budget, Costco sells a grain-free food that's decent and for a really good price.

Portion wise, start with the reccomendations on the bag, and watch your dogs waistline. if he seems to be gaining weight, feed a little less, and vice-versa.

As far as vaccinations, it depends on where you are, the age of the dog, what vaccinations he's already received, and what laws your city/province/state/country require. I give puppy shots and no more. I also do not give rabies shots (we don't have much for rabies here, and it's not law) A vet would probably tell you they need to give a cocktail of shots once a year, but that's overkill. It's not really necessary to vaccinate more than once every 3 years, and there are many who believe that's too much. but follow the laws where you live, as you could get in serious trouble if you don't
 

farwyn

Well-Known Member
Well first of all , thank you for your swift replies people ! And ill be getting a pup because as im a little newbie in the training department (i had dogs but most were small and didnt require any training at all apart from the basics) i wanna forge her character properly and not have to deal with any phobias that a stray adult might have . Also since im Greek and in Greece the goverment doesn't even care about animal vaccinations etc ( theyre mostly intrested in draining our pockets) i am confident enough that as for the laws there's absolutely no problem ,that doesn't mean im not checking either . And one more thing i forgot to mention in the beginning of the topic . We're gonna get the dog from a friend that lives almost 550km away from us and.... im not really sure if a pup can actually handle such a distance with 2 or 3 breaks and most importantly how am i going to contribute so that this trip can actually help the dog love being in the car and not to cause any phobia , (probably stack up tons of treats i guess... xD) but apart from that is there anything i can do to make travelling a pleasuer for my pup ?
 

farwyn

Well-Known Member
Saw both sites and i have to say that im amazed that i could find kong products in GR xD Anyway just a couple more questions am i allowed to feed the dog while im eating or give it some of my food while i eat ? And is it controllable to allow my dog to jump on the bed or sofa ? And by controllable i mean if it's a habit that can be fixed if i want so .
 

southerngirl

Honored Member
Saw both sites and i have to say that im amazed that i could find kong products in GR xD Anyway just a couple more questions am i allowed to feed the dog while im eating or give it some of my food while i eat ? And is it controllable to allow my dog to jump on the bed or sofa ? And by controllable i mean if it's a habit that can be fixed if i want so .
You can feed your dog his dinner while your eating, but I would not feed him your food while your eating cause it'll teach the dog to beg. Teach your dog that he/she is only allowed on sofa or bed when you invite him/her so that way if you decide you no longer want him/her on the bed or couch you won't have to teach him/her to stay off.
 

648117

Honored Member
As far as vaccinations, it depends on where you are, the age of the dog, what vaccinations he's already received, and what laws your city/province/state/country require. I give puppy shots and no more. I also do not give rabies shots (we don't have much for rabies here, and it's not law) A vet would probably tell you they need to give a cocktail of shots once a year, but that's overkill. It's not really necessary to vaccinate more than once every 3 years, and there are many who believe that's too much. but follow the laws where you live, as you could get in serious trouble if you don't
Do you have a link to a site or scientific article discussing dogs being vaccinated every year? I would really like to know more about it.

We have always vaccinated our dogs every year (there is no rabies in NZ so they don't get vaccinated for that though), I espcially thought it was important for Holly since she is going to compete in agility and obedience so could come into contact with dogs with an unknown vaccination status and health when at competitions (although I will try to limit the number of unknown dogs she comes into physical contact with at competitions, she will still potentially be exposed).

Do you think I should consider not vaccinating every year? or just vaccinating for kennel cough? do you think there are some circumstances (other than if a dog needs to stay at a kennel where it is required) when dogs should be vaccinated every year?

Maybe we should start a new thread about this rather than de-railing this one if you think there will be a bit of discussion needed around this?
 

648117

Honored Member
Ok, do you want to start it so you can put all the basic information on the first post and link to it here (incase someone see's this thread first)?
 
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