The appearance of a labrador retriever in the house means an indescribable joy for its owners, but we must not forget about the responsibility that has arisen. Before you buy a puppy, you should at least check your puppy’s vaccinations and current diet.
If this is your first time dealing with a dog, it’s best to take a fully vaccinated, quarantined labrador. As far as the food is concerned, it’s very important to feed your puppy the same food as before he was bought.
You can change your puppy’s food over time (after 1 month), but it’s not recommended to do so in the first days or even weeks. Now for more information on the content of the labrador…
Labrador’s puppy is the first days in a new place
Many owners have made classic mistakes from the very first hours of the puppy’s stay in the new house, such as: making a party, constantly squeezing the animal, indulging it with delicacies, etc. All this is unacceptable!
The puppy needs to get used to the new place (1-4 days) and almost everyone has a painful time. If you don’t make a fuss, everything will go as it should, otherwise the pet can take a long time to get used to it, especially if it’s older than 4 months.
Owners of a newly appeared Labrador puppy need to help him get used to the new atmosphere, and to do this you just need to let him learn everything on his own, showing his delight only in the form of an unobtrusive affection.
Labrador power
As already noted, immediately after the purchase of the labrador, we continue to feed him what he ate. Usually breeders use dry food from the Ukrainian manufacturer Club 4 paws – a good enough option, which combines the average price tag and good quality.
After the puppy fully adapts to the new place, he will be vaccinated, learn the “laws of the pack”, etc. (about 1 month) you can change your meal if you wish.
The question of whether to feed your puppy a labrador food or a straight one is immediately a question of keeping to the chosen food for the rest of his life, and it is important to know that a mixed diet for this breed, like any other breed of dog, is unacceptable.
Labrador is perfect for any type of food, so the choice should be made based on the advantages of each of them. Straighteners are cheaper, but take a lot of time to prepare. Feed is the opposite.
Feeding the labrador straight:
Labrador diet should consist of products such as:
- Meat (50% of the total diet) is lean veal, beef. Meat should be well frozen; just before a meal it should be cut in small pieces (minced meat is not recommended) and given steep boiling water (it is possible to weld no more than 5 minutes);
- Meat by-products – rumen, udder, heart, lungs, kidneys, liver. All this should be in boiled form only (give the puppy after 6 months).
- Vegetables, fruits and herbs (20% of the total diet) – raw zucchini, carrots, cabbage, salad, parsley, apples, pears (potatoes are strictly prohibited);
- Kashi (10% of the total diet) – boiled rice, wheat, buckwheat, wheat;
- Fish – any sea and only in boiled form;
- Dairy products – kefir (better with bifidobacteria), sour milk, cottage cheese (no milk);
- Eggs are raw and bundled with dairy products (omelette is also suitable);
- Vegetable oils – sunflower, linseed, olive (no more than 2 tablespoons a day);
- Vitamins – straight feeding will require additional vitamins for wool, as well as for joints and ligaments (glucosamine with chondroitin).
You can mix products as follows:
- meat + meat by-products + porridges + vegetables + greens + oils,
- fish and porridge,
- Dairy products + eggs,
- to give fruit separately.
No table feeding (bones, sausage skins and other leftovers).
Labrador feeding dry food:
- Only premium and super-premium quality feed can be used (no “Chappy”, “Pedigree”, “Woof” and other nonsense from the economy version). The Royal Kanin for Labradors and 1-st Choice is the right choice; the cheaper version is Pro Plan, Club 4 paws and Josera.
- Labrador dry food should be fed strictly from one manufacturer.
- When selecting food, check the composition to ensure that it is free of starch (badly split in the stomach of the labrador).
- There is no need to use additional vitamins, as they are already fully available in good quality feed.
Labrador’s toilet training
It’s important to teach your pet to use the bathroom from the very first day. When puppy wants to relieve himself, he’ll start spinning around, sniffing around, sitting down – if he finds out about these symptoms, he should either be placed in a special place in the apartment or go outside with him (if he’s not in quarantine after vaccination).
After 2-4 weeks of strict toilet rules, the Labrador puppy will begin to walk on his own or ask to go outside. It’s important to keep your puppy in full view when he’s accustomed to it, as you can miss the emptying moment and the training period will stretch out.