The Labrador is generally a strong and energetic dog that although shows a social and friendly character, requires certain care so that it remains balanced and feels fulfilled and happy.
From Dogsis we want to show you what care of the Labrador dog you should do, as you will see they are very simple so it will not take much effort to put them into practice.
Index of contents
- 1 Healthcare for a Labrador Puppy
- 2 Recommended feeding for a Labrador puppy
- 3 Puppy exercise and education
- 4 Basic care for an adult Labrador
- 5 The best diet for an adult Labrador
- 5.1 Care for a Labrador’s hair
- 6 Recommended habits for our Labrador dog
- 7 How to Care for an Elderly Labrador Dog
Healthcare for a Labrador Puppy
If we have just bought or adopted a Labrador puppy, we must take into account two important things: its vaccines and its diet.
We can not take our Labrador puppy for a walk on the street or in the park until he has his compulsory vaccines on, something that will be done from the age of one month to three months of life: Dangers of walking a puppy without vaccines.
So until he is fully vaccinated, we should have him indoors. That supposes that he will pee and poop at home, so we must arm ourselves with patience and if we can, put some soaking so that with luck he always does it there.
We should also prepare a bed for him, that is comfortable and that is in a warm place inside the house since the puppies are very delicate and should not be cold. It is even recommended to put two beds, one in the living room where we used to be and make life and the other in our room, so that it sleeps near us.
Our veterinaryn will provide us with products against special parasites for puppies, in this way our little labrador will not have fleas or ticks and therefore will not infect them either.
Recommended feeding for a Labrador puppy
Puppies need a special diet since they are in full physical development and also their delicate teeth do not allow them to eat everything. Ideally, they should be suckling from their mother until they are two months old: When to wean a puppy.
From weaning we can start to give them special feed for puppies of large breeds. But be careful, they are still very small to chew the croquettes so dry, we must mix them with a little warm water so that they soften and form a kind of puree.
From the age of three or four months they will be able to eat feed without the need to have softened it previously. Since your baby teeth will be fully formed and will even gradually begin to move them through your final teeth.
Always try to choose high quality feed brands, specific for puppies, such as Orijen or Nfnatcane for example. You can also opt for wet food like Naku, which is not as hard as the classic kibble for dogs.
Never exceed the manufacturer’s recommended daily ration, or your puppy will become soggy and have diarrhea and vomiting. Think that your food, when hydrated inside the stomach, will expand acquiring a greater volume.
Puppy exercise and education
Puppies as such do not require long walks or forced exercise, moreover, it is totally counterproductive since we could generate health problems.
A puppy Labrador will only need to take short walks to relieve himself outside the home (provided he has his vaccinations already in place) and have free time to play with other dogs as he pleases. You can get in-depth information from: How to Educate a Puppy Dog.
Should we let him play until he gets tired? Yes, but without forcing it. It should always be he who decides when to play and when to stop to rest, we should not be forcing him to play (constantly throwing the ball for example).
From the age of six months we can begin to take longer walks, but without forcing him to exercise excessively and that he is still a puppy and is developing.
Basic care for an adult Labrador
Although the greatest number of vaccines are given to dogs when they are puppies, we must put the vaccines of memory when they are adults so that they do not lose their effect and therefore continue to protect our dog.
The Labrador dog adult if it requires some exercise every day (unlike the puppy), to release excess energy, feel fulfilled and therefore be a healthy and balanced dog.
We can take long walks in the mountains or simply take it with us when we go on skates or bike, so that it runs a little while it follows us. However, you have to be aware that a little exercise is not exercising it until it collapses, that is not healthy.
To take care of it in prevention of parasites, there are some chewable tablets that will protect it against fleas and ticks, so it will not be necessary to apply pipettes with poison on its back or use antiparasitic collars.
The best diet for an adult Labrador
We should look for a quality feed for large breed adult dogs that contains a large amount of high quality protein, avoiding feed full of cereals.
The Labrador is a dog that gets fat very easily because he loves to eat, he is a real glutton. But if you get too fat, your joints will suffer a lot, that’s why we must always watch your diet.
A good feed, with lots of meat and few cereals, low fat and trustworthy, is the best option we can use. Even if you feel like it, we can use natural products based food known as BARF.
Remember that a dog always gets bored with its food if we constantly give it the same, so if you opt for the classic dog kibbles, try to change the type of meat or fish (composition) every three or four months.
Care for a Labrador’s hair
If you want your Labrador to have shiny and healthy hair, you can add a little fish oil in their meals. Containing Omega acids, your hair will shine like never before.
Brush your dog two or three times a week and when you bathe him, use a specific soap for dogs since they have the pH adapted to their skin. In this way you will avoid the appearance of dandruff.
Recommended habits for our Labrador dog
Labradors are family dogs and very affectionate, so we always recommend that they live with us, that is, inside the home. Or if they live outside, that at least they always have free access to the interior of the home.
It is highly rec
ommended to play with them daily, in this way we will strengthen our affectionate ties at the same time that they will feel useful and loved. Stroll with them and educate them using training techniques Based on positive reinforcement it is also an excellent option.
During the warmer months we must avoid long walks in the hottest hours of the day, being totally forbidden to force them to exercise or they may suffer from heat stroke (something that can even kill them).
To keep your hair clean and healthy, free of parasites, just brush them with a special comb for short-haired dogs a few times a week.
How to Care for an Elderly Labrador Dog
The old Labrador will continue to be the friendly and affectionate dog that you have always had, but with the difference that when we are older, we must have some special care with him.
At the feeding level, we should look for a low-fat and specific feed for “senior” dogs, since they contain a greater amount of chondroprotectors that will help their joints.
At the level of care, we must completely forget about exercise and long walks. We simply have to go for a walk, always keeping the dog’s rhythm and taking as many breaks as he requests.
To put it in some way, we should simply take him out for air, to do his things and enjoy the outdoors by waving to other puppies and people. We can play with him, but without forcing him, remember that he is an old man.