Pippa Mattinson - The Labrador Handbook: The definitive guide to training and caring for your Labrador

Contents

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Epub ISBN: 9781473527980
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Ebury Press, an imprint of Ebury Publishing,
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Ebury Press is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com

Text copyright Pippa Mattinson 2015

Design copyright Ebury Press 2015

Picture credits:

Heidrun Humphries:

Pippa Mattinson has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this Work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

First published by Ebury Press in 2015

www.eburypublishing.co.uk

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 9781785030918

THE LABRADOR HANDBOOK is the only Labrador training manual youll ever need.

From help with choosing your new best friend, to training, playing with and caring for the worlds most popular dog, this complete handbook includes problem-solving tips and essential healthcare information for puppies, adolescents and senior dogs alike.

Pippa Mattinson is in touch with over 300,000 dog owners every month through her website www.thelabradorsite.com and knows exactly what Labrador owners want. She is the author of the bestselling Happy Puppy Handbook.

Pippa Mattinson is a zoologist and the founder of The Gundog Trust the UKs first gundog training and welfare charity. She is a keen supporter of modern, science-based dog training methods, and is passionate about helping people to enjoy their dogs. Visit her website for more information: www.pippamattinson.com

THE LABRADOR RETRIEVER is surely one of the most loved and respected pedigree dog breeds in the world. In the United Kingdom, and in the USA, it is certainly the most numerous. There are over two hundred different breeds of dog to choose from in Britain, yet in 2014, around 16 per cent of all the pedigree puppies registered with the Kennel Club, were Labradors. Thats one in every six puppies. No other breed comes close.

While a well-trained adult Labrador is the ultimate human companion, getting to the well-trained and adult part can be difficult at times. Young Labradors can be boisterous and destructive, and they need consistent guidance and handling in order to fulfil their potential. In 2011, I set up a website, the Labrador Site, to help people overcome some of the challenges involved in raising a Labrador puppy, training their companion and coping with owning a large, bouncy dog. Over twelve thousand visitors currently browse the hundreds of articles in the Labrador Site archives each day, and one of the objectives of this book is to bring together the wealth of information accumulated on the site, so that you can have it on your bedside table, to read and refer to at your leisure.

This book is very much my personal approach to a breed of dog that I have shared my life with for over thirty years. I wont be giving you long lists of Labrador diseases, labelled diagrams of the workings of your Labradors reproductive organs, or lengthy descriptions of breed history or characteristics. These are covered adequately elsewhere. My aim is to take you on a journey through the life of the Labrador from puppyhood to old age, pausing here and there to cover specific age-related issues in more detail. I want to help you with the common problems that thousands of people have posted up on our website, so that you and your dog can resolve them quickly or even avoid them altogether.

With the right support and encouragement, raising a Labrador should be fun for your entire family. With that in mind, almost everything in this book is aimed at dealing with the realities of raising and training a large, intelligent and powerful dog so that he is a credit to you and a joy to all who know him. Well be examining some of the challenges that will face us along the way, from the perils of potty training, through the agonies of adolescence, to the relative calm of maturity and onwards to the twilight years, addressing all the decisions and responsibilities that each stage brings.

Ill be showing you how to use the best and most up-to-date training methods, and including exercises that help build your skill and develop your dogs potential as well as providing entertainment and amusement for you both. Since a book can only do so much, Ill also be showing you how and where to find help if you get stuck at any point.

Raising a Labrador is one of lifes very best experiences. Like every adventure, there will be challenges and surprises, but with a little help and support this will be a journey that you will thoroughly enjoy.

FOR MANY OF us, the Labrador has come to represent the perfect canine partner. No other breed of dog inspires such admiration and devotion in so many human beings, and no other breed of dog has come to serve our needs in such a multitude of roles. The characteristics of this ordinary yet very extraordinary dog are so widely recognised and accepted that even those who have never owned a Labrador are able to describe his personality and are happy to acknowledge his value to society.

It is fascinating to consider what makes the Labrador so special and admired. He is not without his flaws, and can be challenging to manage in his boisterous adolescence. So why do we love this bouncy, messy, food-obsessed creature with such a passion? Could the clue to the success of the worlds most popular dog lie somewhere in his past?

The St Johns dog

The origins of the Labrador as a unique breed are well known and documented. The history of the Labrador goes back over two hundred years, when our modern dogs ancestors were living and working in Newfoundland. Todays Labrador Retriever is descended from the St Johns dog of North America. These fishermens assistants, probably descended from the larger Newfoundland dogs, were noted for their love of water and of retrieving, and for their excellent temperament. As a result, they soon became popular hunting and sporting dogs, too. The first St Johns dogs were imported into England in the early 1800s, and it was in Britain that the breed as we know it today was established.