Labs are VERY social dogs and will NOT appreciate being left at home that long without company.

The black markings on the tongue are like a birthmark on a human I have a AKC Labrador retriever that has a big black marking on his tongue and I did a little research and that is normal in a lot of breeds not just labs

My lab has black markings on her tongue also. She is full blood and can be registered, but I have always wondered about her tongue markings. Can anyone answer this?

My sweet 8 month old lab refuses to fetch.

Usually they do because they like it.

Beneful Playful Life is one of the worst dog foods available. The first ingredient is corn.

They live 12-15 years and the best food is beniful playfull life trust me mine lives it and he got a better coat and stronger musles after he had is for 1 month now he loves to hunt!

you might check your facts... the breed standard from the american kennel club even permits a small white patch on the chest

a white patch on the chest is acceptable in a pure bred lab. the original chocolates all had a white spot on their chest.

there like babys thats all they do is eat sleep n poo lol make sure when the pup wakes up make sure u play with the pup n then off to sleep it goes til it gets bigger/older

Hello, I have the same exact problem with my three month old yellow lab, Cobee. The vet gave me ear drops and I have to fight with him to get them in but it cleared it up within a week. I definetly recommend you use the ear drops. -shy

He won't want to exercise too much until he is about a year, but moderate exercise beforehand is good for training. Socialization is a good idea, it will get him used to people and dogs. However, make sure they will be doing active things. When I took my lab puppy (about 8 or 9 months old) to obedience training he became bored and disruptive.

I have a year old yellow lab that has a chocolate father and a yellow mother, so it does happen although it does seem rare. She is stunning though with hazel eyes and all lighter brown features that would normally be black (nose and area around the eyes) but her light brown chocolatey nose is my favorite.

my puppy has yellow and chocolate parents. He's a chocolate

My lab is 9 months and puppy food wasnt satisfying her enough so our vet told ous to slowly and gradually change her to adult food....we started at 7 months and she is now only eating adult food. Talk to your vet. They know whats best for your dog.

I had a lab and a Maltese for years. The Maltese would go over and lay right next to my lab up against her belly. They even played a lot and the maltese kept my lab young. The funny thing was the Maltese could get the lab to fall down on her back! If you know how to be a good pack leader then both dogs will be fine. Also my mom's dog which is a Silky Terrier (yorkie/australian shepherd cross) they were best buds with my lab.

yes they are still growing

yes

Has your dog been put on any new medications, especially thyroid? This is an allergic reaction and you should stop the meds immediately and go see the doctor. My chocolate died from this.

YES. My 3 month old forces me up at 4am and many other times of the day to play with her.

Are you sure all the pups were black? It is possible that the one pup you are referring to was born dark chocolate which gives more of a black appearance as opposed to the light chocolate that looks like a candy bar.

I have a purebred yellow lab and he farts all the time and it stinks so bad. He is 3 months old and eats purina puppy chow and he has never had human food. Its just a lab thing.

Yes, but don't over do it. Fruits do have natural sugars and dogs can become diabetic.

do not, do not, do not give a dog grapes grapes and raisins are toxic to dogs

yeah! i aiso have a dog n he really like banana and grapes..

Newfoundland Canada

I have the same problem. I close the curtains at night and it seems to be working for us.

No, do not give your dog milk. it is not safe for them at this age. Basically it'll make the pup have a stomach ache and will also make him have the runs.

A prong collar is a bad idea, just try putting it around your neck and it will hurt. In my opinion i would try a head collar or buy the illusion collar made by Cesar Millan's wife.

Labs do calm down in around 3-4 years. I've had two labs and they both calmed down at three. It also depends on your lab, each dog is different.

A prong collar is useful to prevent pulling on the leash. This is not the same as a choke collar, which is not a good idea, since it can damage the windpipe. Remember to remove the collar when off-leash.

Start play training as soon as the puppy comes into the household. When they respond to their name you can start with sit - stay training. Housebreaking should start right away. They will make mistakes at first but they learn fast. For the first 18 months they chew anything they can get in their mouths, then one day, as if a light got turned on, they stop chewing. Labs are hardheaded. You have to get their attention before you can train them, anyway you can. But once you get the idea accross to them, they are very reliable.

Yes, start training right away. Otherwise, they will get out of hand.

this is not a correct time for training.in this age he cant understand anything.if you want to give training then start it between 2 to 3 months this is the best age to train your dog.

Your dog needs to get used to being around more people and being in an open space. Play with him often. Introduce him to only a few people at a time, preferibly one. He just needs to loosen up and he'll become more friendly.

He needs to get used to everyone. play with him a lot and he should loosen up.

Not likely...puppies still have a lot of growing to do. They are born with the skin they have as an adult and it stretches as they grow. This causes them to look overweight. She is still growing and just like baby fat...it will even out. Make sure she is on the right kind of food. If it's Puppy Chow or Pedigree or Beneful...or anything else you find in a grocery store, get her on something better. The grocery store brands don't have the nutritional value that the pricier brands have. As a result the dog eats more to compensate for the lack of nutrition.

I would talk to the breeder that you are buying your lab from. When we brought ours home at 7 weeks she was not on any sort of milk and we also made sure to use the same type of food for at least a good month after bringing her home. This will stabablize her digestion. We were giving them purina puppy chow and then upgraded to purina proplan. They love it but it is a little pricier. What ever you do buy though make sure that nothing with corn is in the first three indgedients

We feed our dog tux... it's cheap, healthy and our lab loves it. It's all she has had since she was about 1.. But i live in New Zealand, so depending where you live you might not be able to get or not.

We bought our yellow lab 10 weeks after buying a golden retriever, and although they are a handful for the first few months it has been easier in terms of spending their energy. Not to mention the entertainment the we have gotten from both of them together, but watch for jealousy issues. They could arise, and feed them seperately.

Yes they would probably be happier if there was 2, but i have just one and as long as we give her lots of cuddles she is great. But i still think it would be better to have two if you can afford it (they eat TONS!!)..

they can be either color and yes it is normal

my chocolate has the same.. its somewhat common

This is not uncommon and somewhere in the bloodline there must have been a yellow. Does either of your blacks have a white mark on their chest? That indicates that are yellow factored. There are no health issues to worry about. That pup will be just fine. In a week or so the pigmentation will begin to appear and the puppy will probably develop black pads on its feet and its nose will begin to turn black. If not, the puppies nose will turn a liver color as it gets older and will be a very beautiful pup. Eyes will more than likely be very yellow.

Male Labs can mate from the age of 10 months to 1 year. But for Health reasons they should be allowed to mate not before 14 months. Cases are there where male labs, especially show dogs, are allowed to mate before 1 year to control their height. It is most common with Labs of larger size.

Labs are not 100% fully grown until they are about 2 yrs old. Yes,they will get most of their growth in by 1 yr old, then they start to fill out and add the weight slowly until about 2 yrs old.

9 months

i would think about your dog's temperment. any of the "water" dogs would be a good companion as long as the dog has the same energy level. i have had issued with female dogs not getting along with other female dogs. (worst dog fight i ever saw was between two females who were trying to kill each other) another lab or maybe a golden would be a good mix. but only if your current dog wants to share her family with another dog. try her out at a dog park to see how she responds when you fuss over another dog.

The complete cycle when she's in heat is 21 days. They can come in heat as early as 6 mns old & sometimes not until about 1 yr old, normally around 8-9 months old.

yes it is best to breed after 20 months

correct time to breed your bog is after its above 20 months

I have had a couple of labs that were never cut and they never grew out of it. Its just a male thing. I have seen cut ones do the same thing so dont tell them they are doing wrong they are just dogs.

You shouldve taken it back to the person you got it from unless you bred it yourself. No one would give away a puppy until it was 7 weeks old or higher. Feed it formula until 6 weeks of age. Its not even at weaning age.

You should feed a 3 week old puppy, puppy formula in a bottle from a pet store them ween him off in I think when he is eight weeks old.

The white spot if on chest is not a big deal and neither is the white if it's on the bottom of your labs feet. The spot on chest may not go away but be less noticable, and on feet will not be very noticable and will sometimes go away. White on the bottom of feet are called "Bolo Marks". It is named after CH Banchory Bolo an lab from earlier years said to pass this on to his generations. Very strange that the breeder gave you the puppy so young, I never let one leave before 8wks. old.

At 3 weeks old, your puppy should still be feeding from their mother. Take your pup to your own or nearest vet as your pup's immune system is not fully developed at this early stage in their young lives. The person who sold you this pup should be ashamed of themselves. The vet should be able to advise of the liquid feed they will be needing. Normally pup's can leave their mums from 6wks onwards. In Great Britain they normally will then need to be vaccinated at 8 and 10 wks, different countries may vary slightly, and require further vaccs and then future boosters. Regarding colour, both yellow Labs, chocolate and black can have small patches of white included in their coat. It stays the same colour throughout their lives.

Ask the breeder what it was feeding the puppy, and if you are happy to carry on with this diet, you can but if not, and you want to give it a different food then you should gradually change it. Such as putting a bit more of the new food into the old food each day. Soon it will live on the new food.

as i understand it, it is common for labs to have a patch of white on the chest. Ive not heard of white feet tho, but i wouldnt be worried. The white patches will prob become less pronounced as it grows into adulthood but will most likely remain to some degree. I have a yellow female lab and she has a little white and is 5yrs old. For the best feeding advice you should ask your vet, or if you find a good pet store, at least one of the clerks should have good advice for you and be able to answer all your questions. Really tho, any name brand puppy chow should be fine, i have always bought eagle brand.

My yellow lab was once severly overweight, he got diabetes, he was old and slow. It was the death of him.NO TABLE SCRAPS AND LOTS OF EXERCIZE. DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN!

Yeah I had two chocolates. I filled the bin with a brand new 50lb bag of food. They radied it while I was gone and ate almost half of it! These are very smart problem solving dogs. Mine even taught themselves how to open the gate. As far as weight goes, my vet said that you should be able to see the outline of their hips but you shoulder never see any ribs.

Labs are hearty eaters. You should try measuring your labs food feeding him around two-three cups of his dog food a day. And not offer as many treat during the day. Eukanuba now has a great dog food for labs that is made to help them burn fat instead of keeping it. Labs tend to get overweight more easily if they have been spayed/neutered also.

When you leave the house, make sure you take the bin out with you and dispose of all remains of food lying around. I have had a Labrador that a caught raiding the bin when I came home early from work.

labs will eat any thing left lying around someones i know once ate a slug farm so just check it's not as simple as he is eating out of the bin!

I would put him outside so he will learn to not chew anything up and i know it is hard to do that because he might run away but chain him up ps:if he does run away it is not my fault. but just do it

I have a 5 month old chocolate lab and I think I used the crate 3 times. We emtied a room and put her in but she managed to chew some of the base boards. We found a kind of mussel that she can drink out of. It is netted. So in the mornig we put her mussel on and leave her loose in the house. she is housebroken already so it makes it much easier. But since we started the mussel trick at night she sleeps in our bedroom andnever once did I wake up to find something chewed. I guess it depends on each dog but I lov the mussel. She can drink, break, and she doesn't sweat considering it is a kind of netting. You should try that!

Ditt on the crate or confinement. I don't have a crate, but I block my 5 month old lab in my bathroom with a baby gate--she's big enough now that I need two baby gates, one on top of the other...but I also have to pick everything up off of the floor (i.e. the garbage can) because if it's there for her, she's going to chew it or get into it. No need to create a situation where she'll mess up when I'm not there to correct her. I even remove the toilet paper from the roll because she had a field day with that once...the best thing to do is confine to a space where there are no opportunities for chewing anything that should not be chewed. I leave a few of her toys with her and leave her with a Kong filled with peanut butter when I leave so she is quite content to see me go because she's busy with that. And when I get home she's usually snoozing away and happy to see me but not stressed at all.

I could not agree more. Crate training is the best way to protect your belongings when you are not home. I have been raising Labs for more then 15 years and the first year you need a lot of patience. I also leave the radio or TV on when I am not home. That way the pup does not feel like it has been abandoned without human contact for long periods of time.

you should not have gotten that puppy at 3 weeks at age. Usually puppies cannot leave their mom untill they are 8 weeks, because they still have to learn to interact and play with their litter mates, and learn social skills. Taking a puppy away so young will make it nervous around other dogs and humans. They also do not have control over bowel movement so dont be surprised if you can't potty train it!

Yeah, I agree with the crate idea. You could allso try and get some of that furniture spray stuff that you spray onto furniture and it usually stops the dog from chewing it. My yellow and chocolate lab used to chew furniture when they were puppys,but they dont chew it anymore. I keep my dogs in a crate too. Just get someone to let the dog out of the crate about every 3 or 4 hours and he should be fine.

You could get a crate where he will feel safe but don't worry he will stop chewing when he gets older he is probably still teething.

i think that you should get a crate, that will stop him from chewing the furniture and you could get him some chews as well.

Try a crate, they give the puppy a lovely 'den' and makes it feel secure.

Puppies can really try your patience, but with training and some maturing on the dogs part, this behavior will pass. My yellow caused alot of trouble when she was a pup. Try some new toys, and be sure to let the dog know its done bad when you come home to damages, and then even tho you are home try giving the dog a timeout, instead of any normal greeting activities. Timeout being inside, no toys, and away from people. Sounds corny i know, but has been effective for me. Labs crave love, attention, and approval, the two things that hit home with mine the most are the words bad dog, and being seperated from the family. I know right away when mine has been up to no good while i was out, because she will not come to greet me at the door, instead she will hide and also avoid the "crime scene". She is very very good these days tho so its sticks out like a sore thumb when she acts that way. When she was in her phase of destructiveness, i got into the habit of coming home and not acknowledging her at all until i had checked the house over for damage. Then we could either have a nice reunion or a punishment session, but i did it this way to avoid mixed msgs. The dog eventually got it that one way was alot more fun than the other. Lucky for you Labs are some of the smartest dogs around, yours will certainly get the hang of it if you are training him correctly.

The other consideration, along with upping the exercise is to consider containing him in a crate or kennel when your daughter is gone. In a dog safe kennel or crate he would me much safer. Labs have long puppyhoods and need exercise and proper containment. If it makes her feel better she can have a good neighbor perhaps come over mid day and let him out for some fetch and a potty break. We have 3 labs right now and have had them all our lives, we love them! But you do have to work hard on prevention, rather then clean up.

Mischievious behavior disapates when a labrador is given things to accomplish, like fetch and catch and the usual commands. The dog wants companionship and interaction and the behavior shows it.

Labs are people dogs, they want to be where the people are!!. She wants you to join her outside. At 8 months old, supervising her while outside is a good idea..This will prevent the development of bad habits like digging, barking, also prevent accidents like eating poisinous plants, chewing inappropiate things, or her playing and forgetting to go to the bathroom and having an accident in doors; This is also a good time for training fetch, come, sit, and your term for doing her duty. Wishing you the best, lab puppies are wonderful!!

All you have to do is put her on a leash and go out with her. Untill she finds the outside world ineresting enough to explore by herself. Keep going out with her every time for 10 min or so, and then start doing it with out the leash. After a couple of weeks, you should be able to be outside but be by your door, and she will go do her thing. It will take time, put out some stuff for her to play with, but only use a bark coller as a very last result, she sound just like she wants to be with you!