Labrador Retrievers For Dummies
by Joel Walton and Eve Adamson
Labrador Retrievers For Dummies
Published by
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
111 River St.
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com
Copyright 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Website is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Website may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.
For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002.
For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport.
Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book my not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com
Library of Congress Control Number: 2007931551
ISBN: 978-0-7645-5281-6, eISBNs: 9781118053676 and 9781118056066
Manufactured in the United States of America
About the Authors
Joel Walton, his wife, Janet, and their two boys, David and Jimmy, got their first Labrador Retriever, Bart, in September 1969. Bart crossed the Rainbow Bridge in 1981. The Waltons had their first Labrador litter in 1983. Although some Walton Family Labradors have excelled in obedience, drug detection, hunting and hunt tests, and other doggy activities, the Waltons continue to focus on breeding the best possible family pets. Joel has been a member of the Labrador Retriever Club of the Potomac for many years and helped found Lab Rescue of LRCP, Inc., serving as their first secretary.
Karen Pryor opened Joels mind to the science of positive dog training when she passed through the Washington, D.C., area giving her famous Dont Shoot the Dog seminars based on her classic book of the same title. In June of 1987, Joel and Janet took Cocoa and her two pups, Bear and Ginger, to Dr. Ian Dunbars first ever Puppy Training Workshop. Joel immediately adopted lure-and-reward training and stopped using the old-fashioned methods involving punishing dogs by giving them a leash correction with a choke collar when they made a mistake. Joel says it is much more fun to reward dogs when they get it right!
Walton Family Dog Training LLC was founded in 1986. Joel trains families in the Washington, D.C., area to train their puppies and dogs. Joel provides classes for aspiring positive dog trainers and operates five Internet e-mail lists for pet dog trainers and pet dog owners. Joel and Janet continue to breed a few Labrador litters each year. They share their home with over 25 Labradors and one Rottweiler.
Eve Adamson is a freelance writer in Iowa City, Iowa, who specializes in pet and holistic health subjects. She is a frequent contributor to Dog Fancy magazine and many other pet-related publications and a member of the Dog Writers Association of America. She holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Florida and has authored and co-authored many books.
About Howell Book House
Thank you for choosing a book brought to you by the pet experts at Howell Book House, a division of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. And welcome to the family of pet owners whove put their trust in Howell books for nearly 40 years!
Pet ownership is about relationships the bonds people form with their dogs, cats, horses, birds, fish, small mammals, reptiles, and other animals. Howell Book House/Wiley understands that these are some of the most important relationships in life, and that its vital to nurture them through enjoyment and education. The happiest pet owners are those who know theyre taking the best care of their pets and with Howell books owners have this satisfaction. Theyre happy, educated owners, and as a result, they have happy pets, and that enriches the bond they share.
Howell Book House was established in 1961 by Mr. Elsworth S. Howell, an active and proactive dog fancier who showed English Setters and judged at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club show in New York. Mr. Howell based his publishing program on strength of content, and his passion for books written by experienced and knowledgeable owners defined Howell Book House and has remained true over the years. Howells reputation as the premier pet book publisher is supported by the distinction of having won more awards from the Dog Writers Association of America than any other publisher. Howell Book House/Wiley has over 400 titles in publication, including such classics as The American Kennel Clubs Complete Dog Book, the