The Labrador Retriever is a well behaved dog that is great for children and elderly companionship. Besides being very playful and having a very athletic body, they provide very good assistance. There are many dogs from this breed that are specially trained to take care of autistic and blind people, to perform detection work for many official agencies or to act as therapy dogs. Therefore, the Retriever is one of the most popular breeds in the U.S.A., New Zeeland, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.
The smell of a Labrador Retriever is so developed that it allows it to sense almost any scent and to trace it back to its origin. This is why many military forces decide to train and use them when they encounter a ‘smelly problem’ such as: drugs, presumed terrorist or thief, smugglers and people who sell counterfeit merchandise. Also, the Labrador retriever can carry any object without breaking or damaging it.
Because they are athletic and fast, they are also good for field work, but you should be careful because there may be moments when a Retriever may get out of control. They reach maturity at the age of three, that is why, until then, they are in a continuous state of play and even though you may think that they can be easily handled, you are wrong. It is recommended that they should be leash-trained from puppyhood, so that you will not have any unpleasant surprises further on.
They are not territorial or nosy dogs, but there may be some times in which they will start to bark or to run without a strong reason. Also, because they are very easy going with almost everyone, even strangers, they are not suitable for being guard dogs.
The Labrador Retriever’s appetite is a very strange one: they can eat almost anything without having any problems – there were some cases in which dogs from this breed ate not only digestible food, but non-food objects also. If you have a Labrador Retriever and you want to avoid having health problems or to become obese, you should be very careful with its food; two or three regular meals a day are enough in order to temper its hunger.
This breed is more intelligent than any others, so, even though they do not climb/jump high fences or dig, they can be trained to do these tasks if the owner wants so. The most important part is to draw their attention and to teach them how to focus and, after some months of patience and training, they will be able to easily do the things you trained them for.
Because of the curiosity that this dog breed has, many Labradors end up separated from their owners: either they get lost in the crowds or they are stolen. To avoid this to happen, their owners should put a collar on them that should contain the dog’s name, the owner’s name, the address where the owner can be found and a telephone number. Also, those who have the necessary budget should take the dog to a veterinary and microchip it; this way, the owner will know how to find his/her Labrador Retriever if it is lost.
