Unique Grays

There are also a few rare gray and silver colored Labradors that actually get their unique coloring as a result of having been cross bred, though this fact is hotly disputed by those who know dog breeds very well. One thing that sets the Labrador dog apart from other breeds is the fact that he makes an ideal companion and this breed is also well known for its lovable nature and the Labrador is also very affectionate towards children and towards adults. He is also a very intelligent breed as well.

The Labrador dog is also sometimes also called the St. John’s Dog and he has, in bygone eras, helped fishermen out at sea. He could jump overboard and help the fishermen as they laid their nets and this trait makes the Labrador dog easy to train otherwise as well. In fact, he is also used in detecting drugs and is used to help blind people as well as the disabled.

Typically, a Labrador dog grows to about two feet (males) and a few inches less (females) and he will weigh between sixty to seventy-five pounds (males) while females tend to weigh between fifty-five to seventy pounds. It is however not recommended keeping them in small-sized apartments as they need plenty of space to move about freely.

A Labrador dog is also known to be very energetic and this means that he must be given a lot of exercise and though they can exist in small confinements, they tend to thrive when kept in a house with plenty of space. If you are looking for a great family dog, look no further than a Labrador Retriever dog that is famous of his intelligence and friendly nature.

The bottom line is that a Labrador dog is very loveable and possesses a good nature; to get the best out of him, you need to train him when he is young, and he should also not lack for human affection and attention.

Breed Rescue Websites

Pet stores that sell puppies and some irresponsible dog breeders are the worst places to get Labrador puppies information. They will just tell you what you want to hear in order to either get rid of you or to make you buy a certain “Miracle” product. They really don’t care about the welfare of your dog. They just want your money.

When you go to a Labrador Retriever breed rescue website, they will often include long sections about what to expect when living with a Lab, what their needs are and other useful Labrador puppies information to help you decide if a Lab will fit into your life. They have a vested interest in making sure a Lab adopted from them will not come back to them.

Are Pups Available?

It’s rare for puppies to be available, but when they do, they are usually about nine to twelve months old. Many dog people consider “puppyhood” to last until a dog is two years old, so don’t be surprised if you are told about a great “18 month old puppy”. But a puppy takes a lot of time and sleepless nights. You also don’t know how big they will grow.

But, if you do take on a Labrador pup, whether from a rescue, from a friend or from a licensed breeder, a breed rescue will still be willing to help guide you to the Labrador puppies information you need to know to be sure you and your dog get along. This will include anything from helping to find a vet, grooming tips and determining whether you need to go to a professional trainer or not.

Another great source of Labrador puppies information is your puppy. He or she won’t talk to you in human language, but just with careful attention, you will get to know the moods, them moment when the pup is unwell or when your dog understands a new command.

The Perfect Personality?

Both Labrador and Golden Retrievers are dogs that love people and are eager to please. Keep in mind that not every one is alike, and bad training will always make a bad, fearful dog (no matter what breed), but on the whole, a Labrador/Golden Retriever puppy is a born people watcher. They are fascinated by people and seem to identify with them. They also have a lot of strength and energy, which comes in handy for service and search and rescue dogs.

Best Seeing Eye Dogs

According to service dog experts and charities that train seeing eye dogs in England, the best dog for the job is a Labrador/Golden retriever crossbred. There is a strict breeding program run in England by Guide Dogs to raise dogs to be seeing eye dogs. A Labrador/Golden Retriever puppy is first tested at about eight weeks of age to see what his personality is like.

Their training never really stops. Many a Labrador/Golden Retriever puppy fails the program and is put up for adoption as a pet. To take a Labrador/Golden Retriever puppy and turn out a dependable life-saver costs an average of $70,000 (US). They work until old age or illness forces them to retire, and then they are placed in care homes for the rest of their lives.

Other Facts

Although many online Labrador puppies information web sites will say that a Golden Labrador is always yellow, this is not true. Every now and then there is a black or chocolate Labrador/Golden Retriever puppy born. You can register your Labrador/Golden Retriever puppy with the American Canine Hybrid Club.

Every day, ther is a newborn Labrador/Golden Retriever puppy who makes that first step to being a drug sniffing dog, cancer sniffing dog, service dog or a search and rescue dog. They all can rescue us from ourselves and our selfishness and help give our souls back to ourselves.

Make Sure The Pup Is Tired

Best portraits of an all-black Lab puppy are best done outside in natural light, where there are a lot of distractions. You need to get a good play session in with your puppy before you attempt any kind of photography – unless you have high-speed film! Puppies have short attention spans, so also bring noisemakers or squeaky toys to get their attention.

Location, Location, Location

You need to get your black Lab puppy against a lighter colored background such as green grass or clear blue lake water. You definitely don’t want him against anything about as dark as he is. The viewer will have a hard time discerning the puppy from the rest of the picture.

You also don’t want the background to be “busy”, with a lot of objects and colors and things to distract the viewer’s eye from your magnificent black Lab puppy. You want the background to be as uniform as possible. Be careful with really bright white backgrounds, as they can throw light back into your camera and ruin the shot.

In The Studio

It is certainly possible to photograph your black Lab puppy indoors, although this requires very specific lighting so your puppy doesn’t look like a silhouette in a three dimensional world. If worse comes to worse, take your black Lab puppy to a professional photographer. They have the lighting equipment to make the portrait look life like.

If you’d like to give a go, you need to get what’s called a “key light”, sometimes referred to as a “hair light”, so you can see the hairs on your black Lab puppy instead of just one glob of demon-eyed darkness. This would be placed behind and to one side of the puppy. Then, you need to take a lot of pictures to be sure you get that perfect shot that will forever record the magic of when your Lab was still a little black Lab puppy.

The Andrex Puppy

One of the most popular brands of toilet paper in Great Britain is Andrex. And their logo? You guessed it – a cute yellow Lab puppy. This puppy (which obviously changes every few months as the previous one ages) appears on the product label, in print ads and in incredibly adorable television advertisements. His name is always “Softy” and he is a national icon. He even has a wax portrait at Madame Tussauds after the Softy topped the list of a national poll for “Most Beloved Fictional TV Character”. The wax puppy’s tail even wags.

The Cottenelle Puppy

If American readers think that the Andrex puppy sounds familiar, well, you’d be right. A yellow Lab puppy is the emblem of Cottenelle bathroom tissue, which is basically the American version of Andrex. Both are made by the massive company Kimberley-Clarke. It has only been in recent years that the puppy was added. Previous logos were of a baby and of a cotton plant. Perhaps advertisers thought Americans were stupid enough to try and use a yellow Lab puppy as toilet paper?

K-9 Advantix

Perhaps the best television commercial currently on the air (from a dog lover’s point of view) is the one for K-9 Advantix, where a tiny yellow Lab puppy sings, “Ain’t no bugs on me!” K-9 Advantix is a medication just for dogs (and puppies as young as eight weeks old) to get rid of mosquitoes, fleas and ticks. You can stop a room full of arguing politicians by playing that ad.

Gay Web Design

Even a cartoon yellow Lab puppy can work in advertising, especially web-vertising. That is the case with YellowPuppy.com, marketed as a “gay web site design service”. This is a small business doing big things in making businesses make attractive and user-friendly web pages. Although humans do most of the work, quite a lot of the success can be due to the logo of a goofy yellow Lab puppy.