Labrador Retriever as a Pet

The labrador retriever makes a wonderful pet.No wonder it has been the most popular breed in the United States for several years including 2008. Labs are big, friendly dogs that are full of life. Labs originated in Newfoundland but, there was already a breed named Newfoundland. This breed loved to swim, and still does, so it was named after the Labrador Sea. This dog is very versatile and the only breed with webbed paws. They can swim at 3 miles an hour. That is twice the speed that a duck swims! Labs have great stamina.

Labs come in three different colors and they can all be born from the same litter. Black is the most common color. There is also yellow and the rarest color is chocolate. There have been silver labs showing up in litters but, they are not recognized by the AKC yet.

This is a wonderful breed for adults, young and old or children, as they are very gentle and are a very low bite risk. However they are protective of their families and tend to be very intuned to them as well. Labs bond very, very strongly with humans and vise versa! They are intelligent creatures, who can remember an astonishing three hundred human phrases.This makes them easy dogs to train. When they are puppies they must be taught to be careful with their teeth.

The labrador retriever is prone to eye defects as well as hip, knee, and elbow problems. Twelve to thirteen years is the expected life span for this breed. They love and thrive in cold weather but are very adaptable. The lab is a prominent dog in the horror novels of Dean Koontz. It is clear he is a lover of the breed. He definitely is not alone in that love. Many people feel that this is a super special, almost human breed. If you decide on a lab as a pet, you will need to see that he or she has plenty of room to run and sprint and plenty of love.