Any tips for a new Labrador Retriever owner?

[aryayush]

Hello!

I bought a 40-day-old Labrador Retriever yesterday.

This is my first pet ever and I'm therefore not very experienced in this department.

If any experienced dog owner has any tips to share, please enlighten me. What sort of things should comprise a vegetarian diet, for example? And any other miscellaneous information that you feel I should know.

Thank you!

[MetalheadGautham]

good luck with your dog.
how much did you pay for it ?



PS: and I thought Macintosh was all about cats

[Hitboxx]

That's cool, a retriever, very nice. In my experience (..I had 2 dogs and 5 cats in my family..), as puppies go,

1) Don't bathe them daily, not even when they're big enough, twice a week is fine.
2) Diet should be ok as you say veg, but you should feed egg and meat, not overtly, but in calculated amounts during the growing days.
3) No sweets please, this is very important, don't let them to cultivate the habit of sweets, a little is fine, maybe once a month, but be sure to keep the feeding dates far apart.
4) Oh yeah, don't forget milk, it is also important for the overall metabolism.

Hmm, don't remember anything else now but here's a link on some diets. But you should understand, you can't practically do everything to the T, rest is upto you.

[aryayush]

Thanks, Hitboxx! I won't be able to follow the second suggestion, but the rest should be just fine.

Originally Posted by MetalheadGautham

good luck with your dog.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by MetalheadGautham

how much did you pay for it ?

Rs. 6,800.

Originally Posted by MetalheadGautham

PS: and I thought Macintosh was all about cats

LOL! Why? I never got that feeling.

[xbonez]

congrats aayush..let me tell you, this is the best 6,800 rupees you have or will spend ever in your life..i have a labrador retreiver myself, and first hand experience says they are THE most affectionate dogs...mine's curled up around my feet at the moment

which one have u got? a golden one or a black...male or female?

anyways here are some of my suggestions...feel free to contact me whenever you want

1. start training your dog early...when its around 6 months old...start training it stuff. i prefer not to teach my dog tricks...i did not get it for a circus. teach it simple useful stuff like sit, stay, bark, and fetch. i request you not to teach it to beg, roll over, play dead etc. its downright demeaning

2. until the age of about 4-5 months, that is till its vaccination shots aren't complete, don't take it out of the house much

3. milk is very gud for your dog during its puppyhood...however don't give it cow's milk, that is more difficult to digest. dilute the milk you give it

4. labradors generally tend to put on weight very fast and easily. keep a careful check on its diet throughout its lifeitme

5. bathe it no more than 2 time a MONTH...ideally once month is gud enough. there are certain oils secreted by its skin to its fur that shud not be washed off too soon

6. play with it a lot...labradors love human company. pet it and stuff...though it may seem very cuddly, avoid hugging it. dogs do not like hugging and find it stressful

7. from an early age of around 4-6months make it meet people and other dogs under supervision of course. that ensures it grows up to be a socialable dog..this is assuming you aren't looking for a guard dog, coz if u were, you got the wrong breed mate

8. NEVER EVER hit you dog. keep scolding to a minimum too. labradors are very sensitive creatures.

9. there's this food supplement available in the market by the name of 'Nutricoat'. i suggest you give it to your dog. you just need to add a tablespoon to its food. not now of course, when its grown up a bit. it does wonders to its fur coat

10. regularly, like every second or third day, groom and brush your dog's fur

11. exercise is as often as you can. dogs can be hyperactive and its best it vents out its energy walking. intitially until an age of around 4-5 years you may jog your dog, but after that you shud limit it to just walks. long walks are gud.

12. in its puppyhood, get it synthetic bones available in the market. they're gud during its teething stage

ummm....thats about all i can think of now. i'll add more when i think of them.

feel free to contact me whenever you want

congratulations once again. also, do tell us what have you named it.

EDIT

since you explicitly asked about the diet, i'll tell you my dog's diet.

in puppyhood it was mainly milk (diluted) with cerelac and after a little while bread etc. bananas are gud too since they're relatively easy to digest

now in her full grown state, her diet consists of two meals - breakfast and dinner

breakfast is a small helping of Pedigree dog food. it is very gud for the dog and shud be served atleast once a day

dinner is a mix of chappatis, dal, sabzis etc...you know all the stuff we eat ourselves. be careful not to overfeed it. its meal shud consist of lots of vegetables and lots of water too.

and an ABSOLUTE NO to any in between snacks. you may give it some dog biscuits or glucose biscuits during the day, but NOT and i repeat NOT when you are eating. while you are eating, it'll beg for food...resist giving in to those big round puppy eyes

[Faun]

for 1st year it will be a curious george, so u will hav some really funny moments too

[shashank_re]

Congrats dude.Please post some pics of it ....if you can.....

[kalpik]

Originally Posted by xbonez

4. labradors generally tend to put on weight very fast and easily. keep a careful check on its diet throughout its lifeitme.

I cannot help but stress that this is VERY VERY important! Being overweight is a silent killer for dogs. Feed it less and he'll be fine, but NEVER feed him more. (im assuming its he )

Originally Posted by xbonez

5. bathe it no more than 2 time a MONTH...ideally once month is gud enough. there are certain oils secreted by its skin to its fur that shud not be washed off too soon

Again, very important, dont bathe him often.

Originally Posted by xbonez

10. regularly, like every second or third day, groom and brush your dog's fur

This helps in keeping his fur and skin healthy, if he's not brushed properly, the skin does not breathe.

Above all advices, you should find a goos vet nearby your place and take the dog for a thorough checkup. The doc will give you more tips. And yes, im a dog owner too with two dogs (once lahsa apso and one pembroke weldge corgi), so lemme know if you need anything else

[Pathik]

Pics please.

[iMav]

i wonder if he eats apples

[PcEnthu]

Congragulations for your new pet Here are some tips from side, as i was a labrador owner myself once,

1. Keep the dog away from your living room and never ever allow the dog to sleep on your bed coz dogs carry some infectious viri in their skin which doesn't possess any danger to them, but are harmfull to the humans

2. Dogs tend to assciate only one person as their master. So decide amongst yourselves and let him alone train the dog

3. As dogs have poor eye sight, they recognise their master with his voice. So instead of visual clues for activities speak out a word. This way they will learn the tricks lot faster

Thats what i remember now. And as the early responders said, dont feed the dog sweets, especially the coco flavoured ones. They are highly hazardous to its health

[MetalheadGautham]

yes one main point: chocolate is poison for dogs.

[kalpik]

^^ True.. Very true..

[xbonez]

avoid or in fact DON'T give the following things

chocolate - bad for heart
grapes, raisins - bad for liver or kidney...can't remember which one

[neocon]

Ya Aryayush, some Hi-resolution pictures of your new pup will brighten up many people's evening today

[saurabh kakkar]

sorry this Q is bit offtopic but someone plz help me :
I wana know where Can i buy a Good pure breed dog in South delhi
and how much will it cost ??

[aryayush]

I've read all the other posts only now, after typing my reply, so I'll reply to them in short order. Pics are coming soon too.

-----------

Originally Posted by xbonez

congrats aayush..let me tell you, this is the best 6,800 rupees you have or will spend ever in your life..i have a labrador retreiver myself, and first hand experience says they are THE most affectionate dogs...

Yeah, so I've heard. Mine is biting me a lot though and I can't honestly say it doesn't hurt. Gotta get it some toys to chew on.

Originally Posted by xbonez

which one have u got? a golden one or a black...male or female?

It's a fawn (golden) coloured male.

Originally Posted by xbonez

feel free to contact me whenever you want

Would you mind PMing me your name and phone number?

Originally Posted by xbonez

1. start training your dog early...when its around 6 months old...

You mean, not right away? I'd been thinking of starting when it was a couple months old.

Originally Posted by xbonez

i prefer not to teach my dog tricks...i did not get it for a circus.

Yeah, me neither. I'd much rather see it performing it's own tricks.

Originally Posted by xbonez

2. until the age of about 4-5 months, that is till its vaccination shots aren't complete, don't take it out of the house much

OK, so how do you propose I teach it to excrete out of the house? And when it does it in the house (and it seems to do so every half an hour), is there any easy way to clean it, without getting down and dirty?

Originally Posted by xbonez

3. milk is very gud for your dog during its puppyhood...however don't give it cow's milk, that is more difficult to digest. dilute the milk you give it

Oh, that's a useful tip. I'd been thinking of giving it pure cow's milk. Should I purchase those Himul packets for it instead?

Originally Posted by xbonez

4. labradors generally tend to put on weight very fast and easily. keep a careful check on its diet throughout its lifeitme

Yeah, this is another oft heard anecdote. I'll keep it in mind (it's difficult to resist when you look at it's cute face though).

Originally Posted by xbonez

5. bathe it no more than 2 time a MONTH...ideally once month is gud enough. there are certain oils secreted by its skin to its fur that shud not be washed off too soon

Right. Noted for future reference.

Originally Posted by xbonez

6. play with it a lot...labradors love human company. pet it and stuff...though it may seem very cuddly, avoid hugging it. dogs do not like hugging and find it stressful

Another very useful tip. I can imagine myself wanting to hug it when it grows to it's full size.

Originally Posted by xbonez

7. from an early age of around 4-6months make it meet people and other dogs under supervision of course. that ensures it grows up to be a socialable dog..

Yeah, I know and have every intention to do so.

Originally Posted by xbonez

this is assuming you aren't looking for a guard dog, coz if u were, you got the wrong breed mate

Yes, I know. I wasn't looking for a guard dog.

Originally Posted by xbonez

8. NEVER EVER hit you dog. keep scolding to a minimum too. labradors are very sensitive creatures.

So, how to teach it not to excrete in the house and all those commands and stuff?

Originally Posted by xbonez

9. there's this food supplement available in the market by the name of 'Nutricoat'. i suggest you give it to your dog. you just need to add a tablespoon to its food. not now of course, when its grown up a bit. it does wonders to its fur coat

10. regularly, like every second or third day, groom and brush your dog's fur

11. exercise is as often as you can. dogs can be hyperactive and its best it vents out its energy walking. intitially until an age of around 4-5 years you may jog your dog, but after that you shud limit it to just walks. long walks are gud.

12. in its puppyhood, get it synthetic bones available in the market. they're gud during its teething stage

Noted.

Originally Posted by xbonez

congratulations once again. also, do tell us what have you named it.

Happy.

Originally Posted by xbonez

since you explicitly asked about the diet, i'll tell you my dog's diet.

in puppyhood it was mainly milk (diluted) with cerelac and after a little while bread etc. bananas are gud too since they're relatively easy to digest

now in her full grown state, her diet consists of two meals - breakfast and dinner

breakfast is a small helping of Pedigree dog food. it is very gud for the dog and shud be served atleast once a day

dinner is a mix of chappatis, dal, sabzis etc...you know all the stuff we eat ourselves. be careful not to overfeed it. its meal shud consist of lots of vegetables and lots of water too.

and an ABSOLUTE NO to any in between snacks. you may give it some dog biscuits or glucose biscuits during the day, but NOT and i repeat NOT when you are eating. while you are eating, it'll beg for food...resist giving in to those big round puppy eyes

So, are you a vegetarian too? Is your dog healthy and playful on a vegetarian diet?

Also, would it mind if I kept it in the shed below and not in our flat itself? We have our own two-storied house so space is not an issue but since my father doesn't want it roaming in the house (and spreading its smell), we want to make it stay in a crate below.

I have a lot more questions but this is it for now.

[iMav]

i see aayush is In Pursuit Of Happypoop

[Ethan_Hunt]

One question to the existing owners who mentioned this point constantly.Why is it not wise to bathe a dog daily? Fur fall issues?

Congrats Aryayush.My friend's lab is now almost a year old now & seems extremely huge.These chums are the cutest when they are in their childhood.

[Faun]

A good puppy has habit of not peeing or shitting on the place where it live.

Make a schedule to take it out for 3-4 times a day after meal, in the morning is a must.

Since the puppy is small and will be fed on milk for most of the days now, dont worry abt solid waste.

Originally Posted by allwyndlima

One question to the existing owners who mentioned this point constantly.Why is it not wise to bathe a dog daily? Fur fall issues?

Congrats Aryayush.My friend's lab is now almost a year old now & seems extremely huge.These chums are the cutest when they are in their childhood.

dogs dont love bathing mine takes bath 2 times a week and he goes all bonker to rub put single drop of water.

And summer days are the worst days for dogs.

[phreak0ut]

Like MetalHead told, chocolates are poisonous, but I don't see my neighbour's dog showing any signs of heart attack Well, it's VERY fat and it's so damn lazy to even bark!! They feed it all kinds of junk. If they don't know how to handle dogs, I don't know why people want to get them. Aayush, make sure you put a place somewhere outside the house with lot of newspapers. Dogs like to pee on 'em. I've heard a lot of people say this, though I personally don't own a pet, I constantly hear stuff from my cousin

Labradors need lot of exercise. Take him for a jog or let him run in the evenings or mornings where there is less traffic. But make sure he doesn't interact with the strays in anyway.

[aryayush]

WOW! This is like information overload.

I can't take it out of the house right now. The vet advised me to keep it inside in its infancy.

For those of you who wanted to see some pictures, here you go:



Click on it to go to my photo gallery. I have nine more pictures there.

I don't have a good camera, so the indoor pictures suck. If I find him sleeping with sunshine falling on him, I'll snap a few decent pictures.

[prasad_den]

^^^ Thats cho chweet....!!

[Faun]

^^cute

[aryayush]

Labrador Retriever puppies are some of the cutest. It's a shame that they grow so fast though.

[iMav]

Originally Posted by aryayush

I don't have a good camera, so the indoor pictures suck.

o btw any plans of having an apple pendant dangling from his collar

[eggman]

It looks cho chweet in the photo..............Congrats Ayush, thats a real sweet dog!!!!I wish i had one....

[kalpik]

Originally Posted by aryayush

Mine is biting me a lot though and I can't honestly say it doesn't hurt. Gotta get it some toys to chew on.

You should discourage it from chewing or biting. Its your hands right now, will be foot accessories in no time

Originally Posted by aryayush

You mean, not right away? I'd been thinking of starting when it was a couple months old.

You can start as soon as the dog starts responding to what you say (you will know when is the "right" time yourself ) The earlier, the better.

Originally Posted by aryayush

OK, so how do you propose I teach it to excrete out of the house? And when it does it in the house (and it seems to do so every half an hour), is there any easy way to clean it, without getting down and dirty?

Scold him.. They understand when you are angry at them, and they also realize their mistake (they will even start apologizing to you in no time ). If you wanna be more stern, use the newspaper trick.. Roll up a newspaper, and hit it on the floor next to the dog. Pretending to hit the dog also works (act like its a HUGE punch, and then just stop close to the dog, and just slightly touch it )

Originally Posted by aryayush

Oh, that's a useful tip. I'd been thinking of giving it pure cow's milk. Should I purchase those Himul packets for it instead?

Make sure the milk is diluted.. Its actually the same kinda milk that is fed to human babies.. Ask your mom, she would know

Originally Posted by aryayush

So, are you a vegetarian too? Is your dog healthy and playful on a vegetarian diet?

Both my dogs are also healthy on a veg diet. They are given chapaties with milk and some sugar (or horlics) and sometimes even some Jaggery. Also they are given one chewstick a day (ask your vet about this). The chewstick is good for fur and their teeth.

Originally Posted by aryayush

Also, would it mind if I kept it in the shed below and not in our flat itself? We have our own two-storied house so space is not an issue but since my father doesn't want it roaming in the house (and spreading its smell), we want to make it stay in a crate below.

Dogs live for affection, it will certainly not like it if he sleeps without company

Once again, congrats on your new pet

One more thing i noticed in the pic in which your sister is holding him. That's not the correct way to hold a puppy. You should ALWAYS keep his feet together (put your hands on his shoulders and sorta push em together while holding him) otherwise his legs would get deformed and it doesn't look good

[Faun]

Originally Posted by kalpik

You should discourage it from chewing or biting. Its your hands right now, will be foot accessories in no time

You should ALWAYS keep his feet together (put your hands on his shoulders and sorta push em together while holding him) otherwise his legs would get deformed and it doesn't look good

let it chew your fingers puppys got suckling habits and nothing satisfies more than that. I guess his teeth are too weak to harm you. Remember its a member of ur family and shares every right that you do.


yeah do care abt the legs.

[aryayush]

Oh, its teeth may be weak but they sure are sharp, man. They'll definitely pierce my skin if I allow it to really sink them into it. So I just let it nip a little and then jerk my hand/foot away when it pricks.

Thanks to everyone for the congratulations and for calling the puppy cute.

Thanks for the words of wisdom, kalpik. Do you think I should employ a dog trainer?