How to Look After a Labrador Dog

While Labradors make excellent companions, are super popular among pet owners and they are truly one of the best family dogs, they do have very specific needs and demands.

Whether you have a pet Labrador or are planning to bring one home, you should know how to look after a Labrador dog and care for them.

Most pet owners take a while to adjust to this breed’s needs and requirements, but once you do, you will have an absolute ball with your furry buddy!

To help you make your pet feel at home and get comfortable, here’s a short guide on how to look after a Labrador dog.

1. Feed Them Appropriately

Labradors or Labs are known to have a huge appetite and they totally love to eat! So much so that they often carry their food bowl around wherever they go, and might even beg you for food.

This is completely normal and the only thing you need to do here is feed them appropriately according to their appetite.

If your Lab is over 6 months old, feed it twice per day and if younger than that, you should feed it three to four times a day.

It is best to read the instructions on the box to find out how much you should feed your pet on the basis of its weight

2. Plenty of Exercise

Labradors are known to be highly spirited dogs and they have great energy levels. They need daily exercise, about 30-60 minutes each day in order to stay in shape and in the best of health.

At the same time, they also love to eat a lot which is also why they need proper exercise to stay fit. If they don’t indulge in enough physical activity, they will end up gaining weight and becoming obese, which, simply put, is likely to lead to many health issues over time.

So, if you want your pet to stay healthy and fit at all times, make sure that it receives plenty of exercise on a daily basis.

3. Give Them Enough Attention

You know how there are some pets that just can’t go on without attention?

Labradors are one of those dogs that require their owners’ utmost attention because in simple words, they are highly attention seeking dogs. If you ignore them, that will probably one of your life’s biggest mistakes.

Another reason for this is that Labradors are super loving and caring dogs that love to shower their owners with a lot of attention, care and love. So, they expect the same from their owners and want their feelings to be reciprocated in the same manner.

4. Grooming Needs

Labs typically have a tendency to shed a lot so when you have a pet Labrador in the house, prepare yourself to do a lot of vacuuming to remove pet hair from the floors, sofas and carpets.

But, most importantly, you need to cater to their grooming needs and trimming their hair as need in order to reduce or control the shedding.

Brush your pet once a week at least to remove all the loose hair strands from its coat as well as to get rid of all the dirt and debris that might be stuck in its fur.

5. Provide Enough Clean Water

Alongside proper, quality and nutritional food, Labradors need an adequate amount of water to stay hydrated. Since they exercise daily and are likely to get very thirsty and exhausted, they need enough clean and fresh water to quench their thirst.

Dehydration can be an absolute nightmare not just for labs, but also any dog, so don’t ever limit their water consumption. Make sure your pet has access to clean water at all times, and they will drink on their own according to how much it needs.

6. Walk Your Dog

Given the fact that Labradors are highly energetic dogs, it is best if you walk your dog every day not only to keep their weight in check, but also to stay healthy and fit.

It is ideally recommended to walk a Labrador dog up to three times a day or more if they like. Labs also prefer walking or running in large spaces so make sure that your backyard, or the park where you take it for walk is big enough.

7.  Provide It With a Space of Its Own

Labradors prefer having a space that they can call their own inside or outside the house, wherever they live, so make sure to provide your pet with a space of its own.

A large, quality and comfortable dog bed is ideal in this case. Labs tend to paw at their beds to become comfortable which increases the chances of ripping. So, you must invest in a nice, durable and sturdy dog bed for your furry buddy.

8. Give It Toys to Play With

Knowing how to look after a Labrador dog isn’t just about catering to their food and grooming needs, but also ensuring that they are able to have fun.

Provide your pet without enough toys to play with and a Lab’s best toy in most cases is a tennis ball.

After all, toys are one of the best ways for dogs to enjoy, burn off extra energy and calories, and simply have some fun time.

Labradors Make Wonderful Pets!

There’s no denying the fact that Labradors make excellent pets, but you should know how to look after a Labrador dog in the best way possible.

They do have a lot of specific needs and requirements, and if you wish to establish a great pet-owner bond between you and your Lab, you must fulfill all its needs and take care of its demands.

From grooming to food to water to socialization, Labradors will probably surprise you with the amount of extra attention they need in all these matters, but even so, they make the best pets and even better companions!