Labrador Care - Complete Guide

The Labrador is, generally speaking, a strong, energetic dog who, despite showing a social and friendly character, needs certain care to stay balanced and feel fulfilled and happy.

At SoyUnPerro we want to show you the care a Labrador needs — as you'll see, it's very simple, so putting it into practice won't take much effort.

Health care for a Labrador puppy

If we've just bought or adopted a Labrador puppy, we should keep two important things in mind: their vaccines and their diet.

We can't take our puppy out for walks on the street or to the park until they've had their required vaccines, which happens between one month and three months of age: Dangers of walking an unvaccinated puppy.

So until they're fully vaccinated, we should keep them indoors. That means they'll pee and poop at home, so we'll need to arm ourselves with patience and, if possible, put down puppy pads so that, hopefully, they'll always go there.

We should also prepare a comfortable bed for them, in a warm spot at home, since puppies are very delicate and shouldn't get cold. It's even a good idea to set up two beds — one in the living room where we usually spend time, and another in our bedroom, so they sleep close to us.

Our vet will provide us with parasite products designed specifically for puppies, so our little Labrador won't have fleas or ticks, and therefore won't pass them on to us either.

Recommended diet for a Labrador puppy

Puppies need a special diet since they're in the middle of physical development, and their delicate teeth don't let them eat just anything. Ideally they should nurse from their mother until they're two months old: When to wean a puppy.

Once weaned, we can start giving them special kibble for large breed puppies. But careful — they're still too small to chew such dry kibble, so we should mix it with a bit of warm water to soften it into a sort of puree.

From around three or four months of age, they'll be able to eat kibble without needing to soften it beforehand, since their baby teeth will be fully formed and they'll even start gradually losing them for their adult teeth.

Always try to choose high-quality kibble brands specifically for puppies, like Orijen or Nfnatcane, for example.

Never exceed the daily amount recommended by the manufacturer, or your puppy will get an upset stomach and have diarrhea and vomiting. Keep in mind that their food expands and increases in volume once it hydrates inside their stomach.

Exercise and training for a puppy

Puppies as such don't need long walks or forced exercise — in fact, it's completely counterproductive, since it could cause them health problems.

A Labrador puppy will only need short walks to relieve themselves outdoors (as long as they've already had their vaccines) and free time to play with other dogs as they please. You can find more information here: How to train a puppy.

Should we let them play until they're tired? Yes, but without forcing it. It should always be them who decides when to play and when to stop and rest — we shouldn't force them to play (by constantly throwing the ball, for example).

From six months of age we can start taking longer walks, but without forcing them to exercise excessively, since they're still a puppy and still developing.

Basic care for an adult Labrador

Although most vaccines are given to dogs as puppies, we need to give booster shots as adults so they don't lose their effect and keep protecting our dog.

An adult Labrador does need some exercise every day (unlike a puppy), to burn off excess energy, feel fulfilled, and be a healthy, balanced dog as a result.

We can take long walks in the mountains, or simply bring them along while we skate or bike, so they run a bit while following us. That said, we need to keep in mind that a bit of exercise doesn't mean exercising them until they collapse from exhaustion — that's not healthy.

For preventive parasite care, there are chewable tablets that will protect against fleas and ticks, so there's no need to apply spot-on treatments with pesticide on their back or use flea collars.

The best diet for an adult Labrador

We should look for quality kibble for adult large breed dogs that contains a good amount of high-quality protein, avoiding kibble packed with grains.

The Labrador is a dog that gains weight very easily since they love eating — they're true gluttons. But if they gain too much weight, their joints will suffer a lot, which is why we should always keep an eye on their diet.

Good kibble, with plenty of meat and few grains, low in fat, from a trustworthy source, is the best option we can use. If you feel up to it, we can even use a diet based on natural products known as BARF.

Remember that a dog will always get bored of their food if we constantly give them the same thing, so if you go with classic dog kibble, try to change the type of meat or fish (composition) every three or four months.

Coat care for a Labrador

If you want your Labrador to have a shiny, healthy coat, you can add a bit of fish oil to their meals. Since it contains Omega acids, their coat will shine like never before.

Brush your dog two or three times a week, and when you bathe them, use a soap made specifically for dogs, since it's suited to their skin pH. This will help prevent dandruff.

Recommended habits for our Labrador

Labradors are family-oriented, very affectionate dogs, so we always recommend they live with us, that is, inside the home. Or if they live outdoors, that they at least always have free access indoors.

It's highly recommended to play with them daily — this will strengthen our bond while they feel useful and loved. Walking them and training them using training techniques based on positive reinforcement is also an excellent option.

During the hottest months we should avoid long walks during the hottest hours of the day, and it's completely off-limits to force them to exercise, or they could suffer heatstroke (which can even kill them).

To keep their coat clean, healthy, and free of parasites, brushing them with a special short-hair comb a couple of times a week will be enough.

How to care for a senior Labrador

A senior Labrador will still be the friendly, affectionate dog you've always had, but with the difference that, being older, we need to take some special care of them.

When it comes to diet, we should look for low-fat kibble specifically made for "senior" dogs, since it contains a higher amount of joint-support supplements that will help their joints.

In terms of care, we should completely forget about exercise and long walks. We should simply go for walks keeping the dog's own pace and taking as many breaks as they ask for.

Put simply, we should just take them out for some fresh air, let them do their business, and enjoy the outdoors greeting other dogs and people. We can play with them, but without forcing it — remember, they're a senior now.