LIVING WITH A LABRADOR
The Labrador retriever is famous for its sociable and affectionate character and for its intelligence. In fact, to educate him, all you need is a little patience.
The Labrador Retriever is definitely not a lazy dog. A lover of swimming and playing, but also of long walks with his human friends, he is a dog suitable for everything and everyone. Thanks to its intelligence, the learning process can also be relatively simple and the results are usually very satisfactory. Balanced and playful, once educated, the Labrador is truly fantastic with children. Often used in pet therapy, he boasts character traits that also make him an excellent guide dog.
It is a fairly robust and muscular dog, with powerful jaws and an excellent sense of smell. His eyes, usually brown or hazel, convey sweetness, intelligence and devotion. When a Labrador Retriever looks at its owner, their bond becomes evident to all!!!
The arrival of a Labrador puppy at home is always a unique and exciting experience, but you need to know how to manage its presence correctly, given that in a new home the spaces are different or reduced and it is not easy to keep its large size at bay. liveliness. When the puppy arrives in its new home environment, it will have to get used to many new things, therefore, it is preferable to leave it alone for a couple of days. At this point, we will need to start establishing very precise rules of coexistence, teaching the puppy how to live correctly in the various spaces of our home. It is very important to start with the right education right away, just like you do with children, trying as soon as possible to make them understand what is wrong and what is not. The educational program for a Labrador puppy must, however, be correctly balanced, we must be careful to measure both the concessions and rewards and the reproaches. During the educational phase you need to have a minimum of tolerance, so as not to stress the puppy too much, but in any case it is necessary to teach him to behave appropriately at home, preventing him from taking over, creating confusion and discomfort in the family. If there are also children at home, it is essential to get them and the puppy used to living well together. In this regard, in fact, it is very important to teach our children respect for animals, while the puppy must be given the opportunity to approach children with delicacy and attention. The worst thing that can be done is to keep the Labrador puppy away from our children, perhaps out of fear that it might hurt him, this gesture will end up agitating him disproportionately. Originally, the Labrador is a docile and very intelligent dog, who loves to be in contact with people and other dogs, so it will not be difficult to introduce him into a new family, training him to respect some fundamental rules and to pleasantly coexist with everyone .
THE DYSPLASIA
Hip dysplasia in LABRADORS is a frequent pathology that can be disabling and lead to significant physical consequences. This disease results in an anomaly in the development of the coxofemoral joint, and affects subjects who do not have correct growth and conformation of the hips. Depending on the degree to which it manifests itself, the disease can cause discomfort, pain, lameness, and even immobilization of the joint. Dysplasia is a genetic pathology, which is why it is important that parents/grandparents/great grandparents are exempt, even if it has been found that external factors such as diet (too fat/obese dog) and environmental and health factors can contribute. incorrect growth of the puppy, it is especially in this first phase of the dog's life that the foundations can be laid to prevent or avoid an early appearance of the problem, keeping its effects under control. To reduce the risks related to so-called environmental factors, the puppy will have to take small daily walks or better, if possible, small swims in order to strengthen his muscles which have the very important task of lending a hand to the joints in supporting the body . Above all, you should avoid making sudden or unbalanced movements. The concept that should never be forgotten is that, when it walks, all the puppy's weight is distributed correctly on the 4 limbs but when it moves uphill all its weight is distributed exclusively on the hips and when it goes down the same happens exclusively on the elbows. In that case, hips and elbows therefore support double the weight for which they are sized! When the puppy runs, it is as if its weight doubled, and in certain conditions, depending on the speed and slope of the terrain, it can even triple! When you bring your puppy home, we will provide you with a small handbook on the exact behaviors to follow, we will remain in contact to provide you with all the assistance necessary for the well-being of your puppy, advice based on experience gained: WE ARE NOT VETERINARIANS.
Due to the high hereditary component, hip and elbow dysplasias are subject to official control. It is necessary for dogs belonging to predisposed breeds to be verified as exempt before they enter breeding age. The protocol for the diagnosis of these pathologies adopted by the ENCI establishes that the official check is carried out when the dog reaches skeletal maturity, i.e. 12 months for subjects belonging to medium sizes (ie the LABRADOR) and large and 15-18 months for subjects belonging to giant sizes. The certification of exemption from dysplasia and its grade (A, B, C, D or E for hip dysplasia and 0, 1, 2 or 3 for elbow dysplasia) can only be carried out at the established age and not before! !! Also remember that the official x-rays can only be certified by veterinarians authorized by one of the two centers recognized in Italy: CE.LE.MA.SCHE, FSA, a stamp on the pedigree will attest and report the official reading carried out on the hips and elbows.