Golden Retrievers are among the more active breeds and require a lot of exercise to stay fit and happy. Originally bred for game fetching, these energetic dogs can run much of the day, even late into life. Training and exercise should start young, at around 8-10 weeks. At first the level of activity should be…
Apart from hip dysplasia, there are half a dozen common conditions or diseases that Golden Retrievers tend to suffer from. That’s not to say most Golden’s are unhealthy. They suffer no more than any other breed. But there are a group of afflictions that are more typically found among them than some others. Skin diseases…
The Field Spaniel is one dog breed that actually shares much of its early history with a similar breed called the English Cocker Spaniel. Initially, the only difference between these two dogs was their size. The Field Spaniel was a bit larger due to its blood connection with Land Spaniels that weighed as much as…
Long before shotguns were used to kill birds when hunting, nets were used to catch the foul, which were helped by dogs that were trained to crouch whenever they pointed game. “Setters” as these dogs were called, were the foundation of today’s English Setter. The English Setter is the oldest dog known from these groups.…
The roots of the Chesapeake Bay Retriever’s is an amazing history that stems from two little Newfoundland puppies which were rescued from a shipwrecked brig, right off the coast of Maryland in the United States. This incident happened in 1807 and is quite an inspiring story. Along with much of the ship’s cargo, these two…
Labrador Retrievers are extraordinarily people-oriented. This means that they have to be in tune with their owners in order to follow specific instructions. The key to understanding this is to look deeper at what Labs were bred to do, and that is to hunt and retrieve. Look at it this way, these dogs must be…
The difference between a good Labrador Retriever owner and a disastrous one depends on whether or not that person leads an active lifestyle. To put it in simple terms, labs were bred to be extremely active when in the company of hunters, from dawn to dusk. They used to run, swim, and retrieve foul for…
Many new Lab owners are not familiar with the fact that these puppies have a natural tendency to nip and bite at human hands and arms. In fact, these little guys will put anything in their mouths that can fit. Unfortunately, some dog owners mistake this behavior as pure biting and unfairly scold and punish…
Labrador Retriever dogs were bred to be excellent hunting dogs with the power, stamina, and motivation to chase down fallen game and swim as far needed to bring back the prey to its hunter. Even today, these dogs have an innate inner drive to retrieve. With utmost focus and determination, Labs take their retrieving jobs…
Labrador Retrievers are many things to many people. Because of their loving nature and obedient temperament, these dogs have not only made great companions and helpers, but they are most often used as service dogs for the blind and handicapped. How many dogs are adaptive enough to live with all of those different roles, yet…