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Labradors are known to be very friendly dogs that love to be active. To be happy, Labradors need do be around people and other dogs often. Otherwise, they can get bored. When a dog doesn’t get the interaction that it needs, it will find a way to entertain itself. Labs often do this by digging. In this article, you will learn the reason behind why Labs love to dig holes and what you can do about it.

The first thing you must understand is that digging is a natural behavior for a dog. Dogs dig for one of several reasons. In the wild, a dog will dig a hole to hide its food, get away from the elements or just for entertainment. The first step in making sure your dog doesn’t dig up your yard it to determine what the cause for the digging is.

The First Step

Is your dog digging a hole to bury a bone or some type of food? Then stop giving your dog these types of things. If you just can’t stand to keep a good bone from your dog, then give it to her inside the house and do not let it be taken outside.

Want a quicker answer? Click here to read more on stopping labrador digging.

A pup that is in hot or cold weather may have dig a hole to cool off/warm up. If it’s hot, make sure your dog has plenty of water and a cool place to lay, if it’s cold give you do a place to go that is out of the wind. A dog house can go a long ways in proving shelter for your Labrador Retriever.

Watch to see if your dog is digging to escape. This problem can be a little more difficult to deal with. Labradors love to be around other people and animals so they have a tough time being isolated. If you have a digging dog that is left outside for extended periods, this may be the cause.

Here’s a couple of things to try if this is the cause of your labrador digging issue. Begin with plenty of exercise for your dog. Try going for a long walk with your Labrador Retriever. This is great exercise for your dog. If you have to leave the dog alone, give her plenty of toys to play with while you’re out.

If nothing else works, try giving your dog a special place to dig. Give him a special treat then they dig in their special area. As a last resort, bury chicken wire where your Labrador Retriever likes to dig. This works because your dog won’t like the feel of the chicken wire.

Overall, not giving your dog free range while you are away is the best option. Set up a kennel for him to stay in while you are out. At least any damage from digging will be in one area

Digging by your Lab can be stopped. It is as simple as figuring out why your dog is digging removing that cause. Always remember that discliplining your dog for digging won’t help. Negative reinforcement is a poor way to train a dog. The best way is to provide a good alternative. Lots of love and exercise goes a long way to a happy, healthy Labrador. The secret to any dog training is lots of love and positive reinforcement.

Also called Labrador or Lab for short, a Labrador Retriever is the most popular breed in the United States, United Kingdom and also Australia. They are the most popular as family pets, as assistance dogs and as detectives to assist policemen. Their almost insightful intelligence, sociability, keen sense of smell and trainability makes them the best candidate for drug and arms detection at airports and high security areas. The patience that this breed shows also makes them extremely good working dogs with people on wheel chairs or for pet therapy. A trained Labrador is one of the most dependable animals that there can be. They do not have any of the negative traits that some of the other breeds manifest and are free from territorial aggression, destructive nature, insecurity or pampered behavior. They can also be used as a protection dog. Labrador Retriever puppies are simply adorable.

Feeding and Grooming

The Labrador breed is the ‘foodie’ among dog breeds and they enjoy their food to the fullest. They eat almost anything that is placed before them – ice creams, biscuits, meat, cereal, dog treats and even scraps from the table. This tends to make them extremely susceptible to obesity and therefore a regulated diet is what you should limit the intake to. An overweight Labrador can become extremely lazy and slow. To regulate the quantity of food offered to your Labrador, it is important to note that a 60 pound Labrador requires about four and a half cups of food. The meal should have adequate levels of calcium, especially in the growing phase. This is important due to the heavy bone structure of this breed.

With average levels of shedding on normal days that gets heavier twice a year during the season, Labradors are easy to maintain. Brushing twice a week is required and you might need to use a soft bristle brush. This also activates the skin glands allowing for protective secretions. A bath is required only once a fortnight.

Exercise

Since the Labrador is a heavy eater, adequate exercise is a must for this breed. Swimming and retrieving are a Labradors favorite activities and playing fetch in a large park or the yard are good additional ways to exercise your Lab other than walks. This breed also enjoys the training process and therefore training should be base don rewarding more than punishment. It is important to understand that higher levels of exercise are required only once the dog is six months and older. Excessive exercising for young Lab pups can damage their bones.

Special care and health concerns

The life expectancy of a Lab is between 12 to 13 years.

- Hip or elbow dysplasia – Since the Labrador is a large breed, it is prone to hip or elbow joint dislocation and loosening. In this condition the dog feels uncomfortable while moving and can also experience pain and swelling. The severity of the pain depends on the level of movement, weight of the dog and extent of dislocation. Dysplasia can be treated with prescribed medicine and only in serious cases surgery is prescribed. Some Labradors can also suffer from luxating patella.

- Ear infections – All breeds that have floppy ears that are not cropped, ear infections can eb a major cause of trouble. This is because moist air gets trapped in the outer ear causing mites, fungus or bacterial infections. Prevention is better than cure and such instances can be avoided by cleaning the ear regularly with a cotton swab.

- Obesity – Since Labs are prone to overeating, they tend to gain excessive weight if the intake is not regulated. Obesity can increase the chances of dysplasia and also cause diabetes.

- Gastric troubles – Labradors are extremely prone to fall prey to upset stomachs, vomiting and loose stools from time to time. To maintain good gastric health, it is essential that only high quality commercial brands or home food be given to your pet.

- Swim tail – This is an extremely unique condition that Labradors may face, especially if your dog likes water. The tail basically becomes sore due to overuse and swells up and is akin to a ‘tennis elbow’. The tail develops a slight crimp but adequate rest can solve this issue relatively easily.

- Eye conditions – Older Labradors can develop retinal atrophy, cataract, corneal dystrophy and retinal dysplasia.

It has long been known that some crossbreeds seem to do better than their parents of either breed. The trick is finding the best crossable breeds. Some of these crossbreeds even go on to become established breeds in their own right. The Golden Labrador Retriever is one, bred from Labrador and Golden Retrievers. At a young age they begin to show the best traits of their parents breeds.

The Perfect Personality?

Both Labrador and Golden Retrievers are dogs that love to be around people and are looking to please. Note that not every one is alike, and bad training will always make for a rowdy, fearful dog (no matter what breed), but on the whole, a Labrador/Golden Retriever puppy is a born people lover. They are fascinated by people and seem to identify with them. They also have a lot of strength and energy, which comes in good for service and search and rescue dogs.

Great Dogs For Helping the Blind

According to service dog experts and charities that train seeing eye dogs in England, the best dog for the job is a Labrador/Golden retriever crossbred. There is an extensive breeding program run in England by Guide Dogs to raise dogs to be seeing eye dogs. A Labrador/Golden Retriever puppy is first tested at about eight weeks of age to see what his personality is like.

Their training never really stops. Many a Labrador/Golden Retriever puppy fails the program and is put up for adoption as a pet. It costs about $70,000 US Dollars to take a Golden Labrador Retriever puppy and turn it into a specially trained service dog. They work until old age or illness forces them to retire, and then they are placed in care homes for the rest of their days.

Other Facts

Although many online Labrador puppies information web sites will say that a Golden Labrador is always yellow, this is not true. Occasionally there is a black or chocolate Labrador/Golden Retriever puppy born. American Canine Hybrid Club is where you can register your Labrador Golden Retriever puppy.

Every day, there is a newborn Golden / Labrador Retriever puppy who makes that first step to being a specially trained service dog. They all can rescue us from ourselves and our selfishness and help give our souls back to ourselves.