Labrador Guide
Information about the dog breed Labrador
Weight: male 29 - 36 kg, female 25 - 31 kg (hunting Labradors are often smaller) Height at the withers: Male 58 cm, female 55 cm Energy level: Average Life expectancy: 10 - 12 years Tendency to drool: Small Tendency to snore: Slight Tendency to bark: Slight Tendency to dig: Slight Social needs: Medium Designed for: Water retrieval Colours: Black, yellow or liver brown Health problems: Obesity, hips, elbows, eyes
The Labrador is a friendly, active and cooperative dog. It is very loyal to its family and will happily join in with anything you come up with. It's important to remember that Labradors require lots of exercise and activation every day to feel good and they love both food and water!
Fur care of a Labrador
The Labrador has a relatively easy-care and dirt-repellent short-haired coat. They can be light, brown or black. At certain times of the year they shed more than at other times, in which case you will need to brush it more regularly. The Labrador needs to be washed and shampooed about once a month, or more often if necessary. They have an oil in their fur that acts as a protection against cold water and the sun's rays, for example.
Claw clipping
Labradors' claws also need to be cared for, of course! The claws need to be clipped when needed, but a recommendation is not to wait too long, once a month may be just about right. It's better to clip a little and often than a lot and rarely. You need to get your dog used to having its claws clipped from an early age, in the claw clipping course in the Lassie app we give you our best tips on how to clip your dog's claws!
Weight control
Because Labradors are hungry dogs who often want to eat a little more than they actually need, this means that as a dog owner you need to help your dog maintain the right weight. You can do this partly by learning about weight control in our app, but also by learning about how to determine if your dog's coat is good, which you can also learn about in our app.
Lameness
As the Labrador is a large breed, it is a little more common for them to suffer from problems with lameness. You can learn more about the different types of lameness and what to do if your dog is lame in the general lameness app course.
Stomach problems
Food-loving Labradors sometimes also eat things that are not good for dogs to eat, which can lead to vomiting and/or diarrhea. Vomiting and diarrhoea are a common reason why dogs take their dogs to the vet, but in fact in many cases you can treat vomiting and/or diarrhoea at home. Learn more about when you can and can't treat your dog yourself at home in the Lassie app.
