Labradors

[slw10]

Herseypup,

a great game to keep Hersey occupied and thinking may be to get him to retrieve spedific toys( ball, rope, kong, stuffed animal). Since he's a natural retriever, the tough part isn;t going be bringing it back but to recognize what he needs to bring back. Teach him one at a time, and use praise. If he brings the right toy back, lot of praise. If he brings the wrong toy, dont discipline, just take it away until he gets the right one. It realy works the mind and after a while (when he gets good at it) you will be able to throw a couple toys out there, make hime run, and think!!! Good luck!!

[Sandy, Cheyenne's mom2]

My labs loved to swim. I got a flourescent orange boat bumper and used that as a retrieval toy for the lake - that way they didn't get it mixed up with random sticks or anything. When my boys were young and just learning to slalom ski, they would start on two skis, then the boat would pull them in a circle so they could drop off one ski at (or near) our dock. One of my labs learned to retrieve the ski - so gently, she never bit or even marred the surface. They sure did get their exercise at the lake!

Allergies? Nothing to speak of with the labs or samXlab. My husky had the zinc deficiency, but I've mentioned that before.

[NikkiOwner]

I have a labrador puppy Nikki, she is a lab or lab mix, but so far she hasn't had any problems with skin, but she does have a fairly sensitive stomach- she throws up sometimes because she might by accidently eat a blade of grass, but last night she ate a frog!

[lucky&babesmom]

I'm not sure about full blooded labs but my part lab had problems with yeast ear infections. He has since passed at 11years old but it was a constent problem drying his ears and meds since he loved to swim. My other dog has allergies, Taste of the wild seems to be helping, it's grain free.

[AlphaParents415]

i wish there were more information on this lab thread. my wife and i just got a 2month old black lab/aus. shepp. mix, Jax

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

Alphaparents, since mixed breed dogs tend to obtain certain characteristics from their contributing breeds, none of which is predictable, it would be best to read up on both breeds. This Section is intended as an overall, broad view of specific breeds.

Since your puppy came home prior to 8 weeks, there is a lot of learning that you will need to teach Jax that he did not obtain the benefit of learning from his siblings and Mother. Jax could have more Lab qualities than Aussie qualities, or vice versa. You can't possibly know that at this early stage.

I would suggest you visit our Behaviour Section as just about every issue known to puppyhood is covered in there. There are commonalities amongst all puppies, regardless of their breed.

You will find that most of us on The Daily Puppy believe in positive training methods. We have a few members who are behaviourists. We also have many members with a lifetime of experience with many different breeds who can offer support and advice. I suspect Nipping/Biting may be of interest to you, especially at this stage, along with concrete steps to housetraining, although you mentioned that was going well. There are also tips on crate training which could be helpful to you.

You are new to the site today, so please take a moment and have a look around. If in doubt about starting a thread, or asking a question, you can always PM one of the Mods (in blue) and we'll be happy to help.

Best wishes to you.

[LucyBee]

I've had two Labs and neither ever had any allergy or skin problems.As for exercise,my Lab adores the swimming pool and will dive into it and fetch tennis balls for hours if she can.She'll also run herself ragged chasing a Frisbee and if it's not in the air she will guard it obsessively until someone does throw it for her.It's been my experience that labs are very easily entertained and always eager to go after balls or Frisbees.

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

That's great LucyBee.

I don't think "AlphaParents415" are dealing with allergy issues at this point. I too never had any trouble with my Lab in terms of allergies, but I certainly did with my Golden.

[Lward]

My yellow lab has allergies when the weather changes. He get's itchy and licks and chews his feet. I use a special shampoo when it gets bad. Otherwise it usually passes..like allergies do.

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

Lward, you are very fortunate as there are some dogs who suffer terribly from allergies, that just a bath in special shampoo will not cure. Yes, allergies are seasonal, but are often related to nutrition as much as environment. Fortunately, we cover that topic quite widely in the our "Health Section" for those that are interested.

Some breeds seem more prone to allergies than others, but every Breed is susceptible.

[swanruadha]

No allergies, but callus formation on elbows on all, The current one developed one on his sternum (that connects the ribs over the heart). I think this is common in other big dogs, it comes about just like in people--if you lean on your elblows often (and I do!), you get the same. Nothing to be done, but you need to keep an eye on them for scrapes and they can get infected.

If they are in water frequently (like all summer with the kids!), treat them like the kids. Dry out those ears EVERY time--ear infections are a pain. If it is a frequent problem, (ask your own vet before you do this) you can get this stuff to prevent swimmer's ear. Ask at a pharmacy. It makes the ears dry out faster, but you have to put in before they get wet.

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

Swanruadha - I think you inadvertently replied to the last post on the first page and missed the second page.

It's all good information though, so thank you for your post.

[Susie-Q]

I've had two Labs; One "licorice" and one "chocolate". Both lived to be near 15 and close to 16. Neither of them had skin allergies, but my chocolate Lab would occasionally rub his nose "raw" from "sticking it in places he shouldn't have" like hard dirt, gravel around fruit trees. My vet told me that by adding a teaspoon (I think it was a teaspoon and not a tablespoon) of flaxseed oil to his food (which was dry) that it would help out. It did work, but I don't know if it was as a food additive, or because I rubbed a tiny bit of the oil on his nose and the side of his muzzle. It went away within days. But you never know with some of these things---many times they'll go away with time! (But I always checked with the vet first---she knew best!)

[swanruadha]

You are right, Oliver snd Henry's mum, I do seem to have missed the second page. Sorry.

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

You are right, Oliver snd Henry's mum, I do seem to have missed the second page. Sorry.

No worries at all!

Your post is still relevant and informative. Everyone does that at one time or another, including me.