Edie MacKenzie

Edie MacKenzie is a published author, traveler, dog lover, and tortoise enthusiast. Passionate about what she does, her books provide peopel a firm grounding in the dog breed and their unique characteristics with a nice touch of humor.

Labrador Retriever – The Beloved Companion and Therapy Dog

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By far the most common use of today’s Labrador Retriever is as a home companion, a role at which he excels. Surprisingly, the Labrador Retriever was rarely kept strictly as a house pet until several decades after the breed’s introduction to the united States. The initial fanciers of the breed became acquainted with him through knowledge of the shooting game.

When the breed was well established as a sporting companion, his docile, brainy nature won his way out of the kennel and into the home.

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The Labrador Retriever’s ability to quickly adapt and respond to instruction made the transition quite easy. Today, puppies raised in the home actually become so entwined in the lives of their owners that they often suffer when relegated to the kennel life. (If you are planning to keep a kennel of Labradors, select puppies that are properly socialized but still familiar with kennel life.)

As a companion, the Labrador Retriever is good-natured and gentle enough to accept the roughhousing of youngsters without returning it. If properly socialized while young, a Labrador will share his “home with another dog, providing there is enough affection for all. It is more common for a Labrador to misbehave out of jealousy than out of dislike for another animal.

Labrador Retrievers are long on self-control and loyalty, but they do not make the most avid watchdogs. As a rule, they are not overly suspicious of strangers or highly protective of loved ones, and when natural instincts are not stimulated they can be inattentive to such a task. Always keen for a scent or sound, a Labrador Retriever would certainly give voice at the approach of an intruder, but he might be won over by a friendly gesture or a luscious piece of sirloin.

If left on duty, a Labrador Retriever may wander off in search of a scent that has caught his attention. In short, he is a people-dog. If you really need a watchdog, get your Labrador a German Shepherd friend!

The value of companionship with this breed should not be underestimated. In recent years, obedience-trained Labradors as well as other breeds are being used as Therapy Dogs to enrich the lives of nursing home residents and even emotionally disturbed children.

The process is simple: a group of experienced dog handlers, such as those trained by Therapy Dogs International, bring their dogs to visit, perhaps put on an obedience performance for the audience, and then let animals and humans mingle, if conditions permit. The dogs are all obedience trained and have proven themselves to be extremely gentle and outgoing.

Their job is to make people feel wanted, and it works wonders for alleviating the loneliness and depression that often burden such lives. The Labrador Retriever loves people and the few hours Therapy Dogs share with others enrich both dog and man.

The Labrador Retriever: An Intelligent Working Dog

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As the breed name clearly points out, the Labrador Retriever was bred originally to assist in the hunt by retrieving downed game. However, as years passed, their roles did not change but rather expanded to include numerous tasks and services.

No service rendered by a dog can surpass the role of Guide Dog. Through the work of these highly skilled animals, a blind individual is able to move in the mainstream of life, guided by the “eyes at the end of the lead.” Such a human-dog bond reaffirms the valued place canines have assumed in our modern world. A Guide Dog and his owner share a special relationship, a dog that lives to serve and an owner who is able to live life to his fullest aided by the service of a life-long companion and friend.

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The Guide Dog program originated in Switzerland in the 1920s under the leadership of Mrs. Dorothy Eustis. The original Guide Dogs were strictly German Shepherd females, bred by Mrs. Eustis at her Fonunate Field Kennels. Over the years, Labradors as well as Golden Retrievers were also recruited into the program. In Great Britain, approximately 70% of the Guide Dogs are the Labrador Retriever, and Australia uses only Labradors for this task.

In the United States, The Seeing Eye was the driving force of the Guide Dog movement. This organization started in 1929 by Mrs. Eustis and is currently headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey.

It has maintained its own breeding kennel since 1941, producing 327 puppies in 1986, 117 of which were Labradors. Of a breeding stock of 40 adults, there are 15 female Labradors and four male Labrador dogs. Only the very finest dogs are selected for this special breeding kennel. They must have successfully completed the rigorous training program designed by The Seeing Eye and exhibited stellar qualities in temperament and conformation. Labradors are commended as easy breeders producing large litters.

The Labrador Retriever excels as a Guide Dog primarily because of his size, working ability, well-rounded temperament, and ability to get along so well with people. The Labrador also has a small streak of stubbornness that the people at The Seeing Eye find useful.

While this makes the Labrador Retriever slightly tougher to train, this quality sets the breed apart from most in that a Labrador can take charge and refuse a command when confronted with an emergency situation—such as when a blind owner commands the Labrador Retriever to move forward and a hazard apparent only to the dog lies in the way.

A History Recording Of The Labrador Retriever

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In the 1920’s the Labrador Retriever began gaining popularity with American sportsmen. Although a few “English retrievers,” as Labradors were called in 19th century America, had made their way to our shores, few could be located in American shooting kennels prior to the 1920s, as setters and pointers were the dogs of choice in those days. In 1917, the first Labrador Retriever registered by the American Kennel Club was imported from Scotland. Her name was Brocklehirst Floss.

The style of shooting in United States at that time was different from that practiced abroad. A group of wealthy enthusiasts on the East coast with ties to Britain began developing the Labrador Retriever among themselves in order to carry on the style of pass shooting to which they were most accustomed and partial. To aid in this, they not only imported fine dogs but also lured noted Scottish trainers to America.

In 1931 the Labrador Retriever Club of America was founded and sponsored its first field trial in December of that year. The competition was held in Chester, New York, with a total of 16 entries – all but one of which were imports. The winner was Carl of Boghurst, a yellow owned by Mrs. Marshall Field. This annual event would spur popularity in the sport to the point where today there are more than 150 trials a year held for Labrador retrievers!

It was not until May 18, 1933, that the first specialty show for bench competition was held by the Labrador Club of America. From an entry of 34, Boli of Black was chosen as best. Boli, owned by Franklin P. Lord and purchased from the British breeder, Lady Howe, was the first American bench-champion Labrador retriever.

The Arden kennels of W. A. Harriman became the driving force in the field, claiming the first American field champion in Blind of Arden and the first female American field champion in Decoy of Arden who were litter mates. Mr. Harriman’s talent for breeding top-quality Labradors from his stock earned him the recognition of having developed the finest American kennel to date.

His credits include four dual champions, five field champions, eight bench champions, and scores of champions that descend from this line. The shining star among the Arden Labradors was Shed of Arden, owned by Paul Bakewell. He embodied all that a Labrador should: talent in the field, beauty and intelligence, and the ability to produce quality offspring.

A mating of Mr. Harriman’s Decoy with Dr. Milbank’s Ch. Kaffles of Earlsmoor produced a litter from which Earlsmoor Moor of Arden emerged. Moor went on to win the Labrador Club of America Annual Specialty in 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, and 1943.

Winning a national specialty five times for a Labrador Retriever is an astounding accomplishment that may never be repeated again by any dog of any breed.

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Dog Training Tips To Get Your Labrador Retriever To Obey!

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Chew Toys for Your Dalmatian Puppy

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Chewing is normal for all Dalmatian puppies.  It is their hereditary way of communicating within the litter.  You should have some chew toys for the puppy to use in order to replace undesirable chewing tendencies. If your Dalmatian puppy goes for the TV knobs, give him a 1/4in diameter composite chewing log.  Any Dalmatian is incredibly efficient at destroying chew toys.  The only one that is apparently indestructible is the beehive-shaped rubber toy, which lasts for years around both pups and adults, and they enjoy chewing them.  An inexpensive thing that puppies will play with for days before they start to wear it out is a plastic pop bottle.  If you keep the cap on, the container is too large to get a good grip on and the puppies will use it as a giant hockey puck whenever they see it.

Another caution with regard to chewing has to do with house, yard, and garden plants.  Identify the vegetation you have and call your vet, a plant expert, or maybe even do your own research and find out whether your plants are toxic to dogs.  They will chew on rocks, too, especially ones about as big as your thumb that are fun to toss around in their mouths.  If you catch them doing this, take the rock from them and get rid of it, telling them “No!”  Some Dalmatians will get carried away with sloshing them around in their mouths and before they know it, they swallow them.

There are also foods that are toxic to dogs. Teaching a Dalmatian what is and is not permissible to chew is generally a process that lasts the lifetime of the dog. They are constantly discovering new things to chew. As a final note on chewing, though it is cute to have the puppy untie your shoelaces or clamp surprisingly sharp puppy teeth on your fingers, it is not cute for a sixty-pound adult to do the same things.

If you want a well-behaved adult Dalmatian, do not allow your puppy to continue his “chewing communication” with you.  When he comes up and puts his mouth on anything that you would not allow an adult to bite or chew, catch him in the act of starting to bite the object and snap him on the end of the nose with your index finger, and tell him clearly out yelling “No!”  This  kind of correction will startle the puppy  more than anything  else, and you will find  that he will direct his attention somewhere else almost immediately.  Be generous with your praise  when he changes his focus of activity.  If you are consistent with this form of correction at an early age, you will wind up with a very well-mannered Dalmatian.

The Right Food For Your Dalmatian: Part 2

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Compared to other types of breeds, the Dalmatian possesses a very unique metabolism.  They handles purines, the parent substance for the uric acid compounds found in certain meat and vegetable proteins, more like humans and apes than like other dogs.  Dalmatians will not thrive on diets high in purines, and some will develop serious, life-threatening health problems or die prematurely as a result of such diets.  Dalmatians are not capable of breaking down purines beyond the level of uric acid, whereas other breeds go a step further, converting uric acid to allantoin before excretion.

This trait creates the potential for Dalmatians to form uratic kidney or bladder stones and other diet-related health problems under certain circumstances.  However, this breed- specific potential for trouble is not a disease; after all, humans have the same potential.  Dalmatians simply have an unusual characteristic that must be taken into account by owners who want their pets to live a long and healthy life.

Few people knew which foods were high in purines, and many Dalmatian owners thought overall protein levels were the problem, rather than the levels of specific proteins that are high in purines.  Professionals of all categories, including well-respected breeders, veterinarians, and pet food representatives, routinely recommended (and some still do!) products that are very harmful to a Dalmatian’s health. It is no wonder that Dalmatians were not regarded highly by veterinarians.  Many dogs had health and temperament problems because they were being systematically and innocently poisoned by their well-meaning but misguided owners.

Over the years, studies have been done with all kinds of dog foods, supplements and combinations of ingredients.  Researchers have found that several commercially manufactured dry dog foods work well for Dalmatians.  For the last several years they have successfully fed dry foods with no supplements.  Although it may be hard to find a food that meets the requirements appropriate for a Dalmatian, it can be done as long as you know what you are looking for.

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Dog Food Secrets You Need To Know!

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Dog Food Secrets

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Researchers have concluded that they get excellent results with their adult Dalmatians from a dry kibble which is 19% protein, corn-based and contains a meat component provided by chicken.  They offer it twice per day, preparing it by soaking it in warm water for fifteen minutes before feeding.  Their dogs have not had diet-related problems of any kind.  Also keep in mind that in addition to feeding an appropriate food, they made sure that their Dalmatian always has fresh water available and get plenty of exercise daily.

The Right Food For Your Dalmatian: Part 1

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Having the proper nutrition is one of the most important aspects of raising a healthy Dalmatian and yet it is often the source of controversy among breeders, veterinarians, pet owners and dog food manufacturers.

All Dalmatians are susceptible to forming life-threatening urinary tract “stones”  though these can be effectively managed with diet.  Although susceptibility to forming these “stones” is present in almost all Dalmatians, keep in mind that not all Dalmatians will necessarily form “stones” in their lifetime.

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Dog Food Secrets You Need To Know!

“In This Shocking FREE Video Report You Discover Why 87% of Dogs Die Too Early & 3 Easy Things You Can Do Today To Stop It Happening to Your Dog”

Dog Food Secrets

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Most dog foods are sold based on how to make a product appealing to owners instead of what would meet the needs of dogs, like a Dalmatian.  Some foods are marketed on the basis of their protein content, others based on a “special” ingredient and some are sold because they do not contain certain ingredients such as preservatives.  We want a dog food that specifically meets our dog’s needs, economical and causes few, if any, problems.

Most foods come in dry, semi-moist and canned forms, and some can now be purchased frozen.  The dry food is the most economical, contain the least fat and the most preservatives. The canned food is the most expensive, contain 75% water, usually contain the most fat, and have the least preservatives. Semi-moist foods are also expensive and high in sugar content.  In feeding the Dalmatian, the critical part of the diet is not the amount of protein but rather the type of protein.

Purines are a form of protein known to promote urinary “stones” in Dalmatians.  We need to provide our Dalmatian with a diet that is low in purine, not necessarily a low-protein diet.  Vegetable-based diets are not always satisfactory. While broccoli, kale, tomatoes, and carrots  are low in purines, asparagus, cauliflower, beans, peas, mushrooms, spinach and whole grains are high in purines. The same is true for meats and dairy. Cheese, milk and eggs are low in purines, but most fish such as herring, mackerel, or sardines, organ meats such as  liver, kidney, sweetbreads, poultry such as chicken, duck, or turkey,  and meats such as beef, lamb, pork, and veal, are high in purines.  The worst offenders are organ meats, and fish. In most commercial diets suitable for Dalmatians, poultry, lamb and eggs are usually the preferred sources for protein while rice is considered as the main source for carbohydrate.

There are commercial low purine diets available from veterinarians.  You can also select other diets by paying close attention to their ingredients.  In addition, it is also important to pay attention to treats that you give to your Dalmatian. The best treats for this breed includes fruits and cottage cheese.  Last but not least, Dalmatians should be encouraged to drink large amounts of fresh, clean water. This not only keeps a Dalmatian hydrated, but it helps flush out their urinary tracts to keep large “stones” from forming.

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