Labradors!

Nature 4 Minutes

You may already know the Labrador Retriever as a high-energy, water-loving family dog. You might also feel like you see them everywhere. That’s no coincidence because the Labrador Retriever is one of the most popular dogs in the United States (and in much of the world). Read on to learn more about this easy-going dog breed, from their hunting dog history to how to care for your very own lab best friend, and decide whether a Labrador Retriever dog is right for you.

Labrador Retriever Breed Appearance

A Labrador Retriever dog has a dense, short-to medium-length coat, with a wide head. As a consummate water dog, a lab’s webbed toes help them move through the wet stuff, and their rudder-like otter tail is great for swimming (and knocking things off your coffee table). Their foot webbing also helps them stay comfortable in colder climates, forming a “snowshoe” that keeps snow and ice from getting stuck between their toes.

Labrador Retrievers are born with a variety of colorings, such as the yellow Lab, chocolate Lab, and black Lab. The silver Labrador Retriever has a rarer grayish coloring with striking blue eyes. Although it sounds like it, a “golden Lab” is not a coloring of Labrador Retriever and is instead a crossbreeding of the Golden Retriever and a true Lab.

Within the Lab breed, there are two distinct body types. The field or working variety (also referred to as the “American” type) tends to have lighter bones, a longer and less dense coat, a narrower head, and a longer muzzle. They also tend to have more energy and be higher strung. This is no accident, as these Labs are built to work.

The “English” or show variety of Labrador Retriever tends to have shorter legs, a denser coat, and a broad head. This variety is better suited to be a family pet.

As far as grooming goes, a Labrador Retriever dog will usually shed twice a year, or year-round in temperate climates. Much like other dogs with a double coat, weekly brushing (or daily during shedding months) should be enough to prevent that dreaded blowout of the undercoat.

Labrador Retriever Personality

The Labrador Retriever was bred to be friendly, both toward humans and other dogs. To complement that gentle nature, their working history gives them a high-energy, fearless, enthusiastic personality.

Labs are curious and intelligent, which means they do well as service dogs, but this can mean that your single-minded lab is more likely to escape or suddenly disappear, most likely having followed something interesting (squirrel?). This is why many owners of Labrador Retriever dogs choose to microchip their pets.

Ideal Environment for a Labrador Retriever

A Labrador Retriever dog will need plenty of exercise and outdoor time. And, as their name implies, they love to retrieve. The best home for a lab will be one with a big backyard or space nearby for a long game of fetch. With their sweet personalities and love of play, these dogs are a popular breed for an active family.

Ideal Human for a Labrador Retriever

The ideal human companion for a Labrador Retriever likes to play just as much as their dog. This can mean long walks and runs, swimming, or tossing a ball around.

However, the Lab’s history as a working dog also means that daily walks for exercise aren’t enough. Trick training, puzzle toys, and other mentally challenging games like hide and seek will help keep your Lab happy.

Lab Obedience Training

With consistent positive reinforcement, a lab will excel with basic obedience training and soon be ready to move on to more complicated skills. You may still consider a professional dog training for the early days though. Labs are known to be a little distractible. This can also be managed with plenty of mental and physical exercise, including teaching your lab new tricks in quiet environments where they can focus.

With their talent for learning and easygoing nature, Labrador Retrievers make excellent service dogs. Labs serve as companions to people with illnesses or vulnerabilities and are able to do complex tasks like rolling a person into the recovery position or activating an emergency communication device.

According to Guide Dogs for the Blind, Labs are the most successful guide dogs. This champion smeller can even work in search and rescue and is especially suited to more challenging work, such as water rescue. Labrador Retrievers are true heroes of the dog world.

Labrador Retriever Grooming

Most Labrador Retriever parents will find grooming relatively easy. Labs have a thick double coat, and shed their undercoat during spring and fall (or year-round in temperate climates). During the seasonal shedding periods, you can brush them daily to help remove fur. The rest of the year, brushing once a week as maintenance should be enough. Occasional baths may be necessary to keep your Labrador Retriever clean, especially if your Labrador likes to find smelly things to roll in. Like most dogs, Labrador Retrievers’ nails should be trimmed regularly, and their teeth brushed to maintain dental health. 

Labrador Retriever Health

Labrador Retriever dogs tend to be a healthy breed with very few health problems. Some Labs may develop elbow dysplasia and hip dysplasia, but less so than other dog breeds. Labrador Retrievers can also tend toward knee problems and eye problems, such as progressive retinal atrophy. Ask your vet for more information on prevention or treatment of potential health issues. Many pet owners opt for pet health insurance, just in case.

A note on that endless game of fetch: some labs will work until they collapse. Be sure to take regular rest and water breaks when you’re getting your play on.

Labrador Retriever History

According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), the first Labrador retrievers were bred in England, from a unique and water-loving ancestor, the St. John’s water dog. St. John’s water dogs originally came from Newfoundland, where they assisted fishermen with retrieving nets and other equipment, and even diving for dropped fish.

Working mainly as gun dogs specializing in retrieving waterfowl, Labrador Retrievers later became accomplished sporting dogs, joined the show ring, and eventually stepped into the role of the fun-loving family companion we know today. Across the world, but especially in the United States, England, and Canada, the Labrador Retriever remains one of the most popular dog breeds to date.

SOURCE: ROVER.COM

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  1. “Devon Archer’s Biden Bombshells Start Dropping So We Need to Start Educating–Just because you know this stuff doesn’t mean your friends and family do. It’s time to tell them.”
    JD RUCKER
    JUL 31, 2023

    EXCERPT: “We’re just getting started and they’re already blockbusters. Granted, most of it is stuff we already knew but hearing from a first-hand source will make it harder for corporate media to ignore. They’ll still try, but this has an opportunity to spread to “normies” through other means.

    Then again, it may be wishful thinking on my part. But since I don’t believe in hope without action, I figure the best thing we can do is to get the word out to everyone we know whether they’re skeptical of the Biden Crime Family or not. In short, it’s time to start educating the “normies” ourselves, so here are a couple of resources to help.

    Let’s start with Miranda Devine’s Tweets since she’s been on top of the story from the beginning:

    According to reports generated from corporate news:

    “Former business partner of Hunter Biden, Devon Archer, appeared before the House Oversight Committee on Monday to provide testimony regarding President Biden’s involvement in his son’s foreign business dealings. Archer disclosed multiple encounters involving the Bidens and testified that Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma Holdings brought Hunter onto its board in 2014 because of the Biden name and his father’s role in US policy towards Ukraine.

    According to Archer’s testimony, in late 2015, Burisma’s owner Mykola Zlochevsky and company executive Vadym Pozharski pressured Hunter to seek assistance from the US government in removing Ukrainian prosecutor-general Viktor Shokin, who was investigating Burisma for corruption. During these discussions, Hunter, Zlochevsky, and Pozharski would contact Washington, DC to address the matter.

    Archer also revealed that Hunter Biden frequently put his father on speakerphone during business meetings to leverage “the brand.” This occurred during various events, including a dinner in Paris with a French energy company and in China with Jonathan Li of BHR Partners, a state-backed investment fund co-founded by Hunter in 2013 after introducing his father to Li during an official trip to China.

    Moreover, Archer confirmed that then-Vice President Biden attended a dinner at Cafe Milano in April 2015 with Pozharski and Yelena Baturina, the former first lady of Moscow, as previously reported.

    Archer’s testimony came amidst speculation that federal prosecutors had attempted to intimidate him with a request to imprison him on an unrelated fraud conviction. Republicans were hopeful that Archer’s testimony would reveal damaging information about President Biden’s role in his son’s business dealings in Ukraine and Russia, while Democrats sought to understand any possible connections between the President and these dealings.

    Archer’s involvement in Hunter Biden’s dealings with Burisma and his connections with Russian billionaires, including Baturina and Vladimir Yevtushenkov, was also discussed during the testimony. Documents from Hunter’s laptop revealed his interactions with these figures, leading to questions about potential overseas bank accounts held by the Biden family.

    The White House and President Biden had consistently denied any involvement in or knowledge of his son’s overseas business activities. The House Oversight Committee, consisting of both Republicans and Democrats, was granted alternating one-hour blocks of time to conduct Archer’s deposition.

    As Archer’s testimony unfolded, the Justice Department and Archer’s own lawyer denied any link between the deposition and the request for imprisonment related to his fraud conviction. Archer’s lawyer stated that he would honestly answer all questions put forth by Congressional investigators. The Justice Department clarified that it did not seek Archer’s surrender before his Congressional testimony and that any imprisonment would occur after the completion of the testimony.

    Overall, Archer’s testimony raised significant questions about the involvement of the Biden family in foreign business dealings, particularly in Ukraine and Russia. Both Democrats and Republicans are closely scrutinizing the revelations as they navigate the implications for the President’s role and the integrity of his administration.”

    Here are some Tweets that can help. I know many of you do not have access to Twitter so I apologize ahead of time if you can’t see these:

    https://jdrucker.substack.com/p/devon-archers-biden-bombshells-start

    Liked by 1 person

  17. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

    Like

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