The Dog Series: Part II - Labrador Retriever

This is the second part of my feature about dogs.  My tribute to my favorite animal of all.  Man's best friend - dogs.

My most favorite dog, another one that I can't afford to buy... the Labrador.  I hope this information will be of use to you dog lovers out there!
                

LABRADOR RETRIEVER

Life Expectancy:  About 10 - 12 years

Litter Size:  Average 7 pups

Black Lab, Yellow Lab, Choco Lab

The Labrador Retriever (also Labrador, or Lab for short) is one of several kinds of retriever, a type of gun dog. There are two types of Labradors, the English Labrador and the American Labrador. The English bred lab comes from English bred stock. Their general appearance is different. The English bred labs are heavier, thicker and blockier. The American bred Lab comes from American bred stock and is tall and lanky. Coat colors come in solid black, yellow, or chocolate. The double coat is smooth and does not have any waves.

Appearance:

Coat colors come in solid black, yellow, or chocolate. There is also said to be a rare silver or gray color that is referred to as a shade of chocolate. The head of the labrador is broad with a moderate stop. The nose is thick, black on black and yellow dogs and brown on chocolate dogs. The nose color often fades and is not considered a fault in the show ring. The teeth should meet in a scissors or level bite. The muzzle is fairly wide. The neck is proportionately wide and powerful. The body is slightly longer than tall. The short, hard coat is easy to care for and water-resistant. The medium sized eyes are set well apart. Eye color should be brown in yellow and black dogs and hazel or brown in chocolate dogs. Some labs can also have green or greenish yellow eyes. In silver dogs the eye color is usually gray. The eye rims are black in yellow and black dogs and brown in chocolate dogs. The ears are medium in size, hanging down and pendant in shape. The otter tail is thick at the base, gradually tapering towards the tip. It is completely covered with short hair, with no feathering. The feet are strong and compact with webbed paws which aid the dog in swimming, useful for the breed's original purpose of retrieving fishing nets. This and their subsequent use as hunting companions, gave them the name retriever.

Characteristics & Temperament:

The dogs of this breed are very loving, kind and compassionate to their master. The Labrador is the most popular breed of dog (by registered ownership) in the world. It is also the most popular breed of assistance dog in Canada, the United States, Australia, United Kingdom and many other countries as well as being widely used by police and other official bodies for their detection and working abilities. Typically, Labradors are athletic, and love to swim, play catch and retrieve games, and are good with young children.

Grooming:

The smooth, short-haired, double coat is easy to groom. Comb and brush regularly with a firm, bristle brush, paying attention to the undercoat. Bathe or dry shampoo only when necessary. These dogs are average shedders.

Photo & information lifted from:  Google, Yahoo

About Man's Best Friend - Dogs..... I Love 'em (part 1)

Hmmn, here's another topic that you can talk to me about and i wouldn't tire of.  I love dogs so much.   It's one thing I didn't forget to teach my kid, to love animals especially dogs..... why? coz they're man's best friend silly!  I really can't count how many I've had since I was a kid but I still remember the names of those who I really shared life with, there was Whitey, Boomer, George, Darna, Wonder (Darna's daughter) & the last was my most loved "Beauty", raised from a pup the size of my palm but then, that's another story.  So watch out for that in my future blogs.  For now, I'll start by giving some information about popular dogs, those I would really love to have but couldn't afford.
Here are the dogs of my dreams:

Let's start with the Golden Retriever:

GOLDEN RETRIEVER

The Golden Retriever   were historically developed as gundogs to retrieve shot waterfowl such as ducks and upland game birds during hunting and shooting parties.   As such they were bred to have a soft mouth to retrieve game undamaged and have an instinctive love of water. The breed's intelligence and versatility suit the dogs well for a variety of roles including guide dog for the blind, hearing dog for deaf people, hunting dog, illegal drug detector, and search and rescue participant. Because of their loyal and gentle temperament, golden retrievers are also popular family pets. 

Life Expectancy:  About 10 – 12 years  

Litter Size:  average 6 – 8 pups

 Appearance:

The Golden Retriever is a sturdy, medium-large sized dog. The skull is broad and the muzzle is straight, tapering slightly with a well defined stop. The nose is black or a brownish black. The teeth meet in a scissors bite. The medium to large eyes are dark brown. The relatively short ears hang down close to the cheeks. When pulled forward the tip of the ear should just cover the eye. The tail is thick at the base with feathering along the underside. Dewclaws may be removed. The golden retriever has a dense inner coat that provides them with adequate warmth. The outer coat is sleek and water repellent, and lays flat against the body. There is an untrimmed feathering on the underbelly, back of the legs, front of the neck and underside of the tail. Coat color comes in cream to a rich golden. The official colour of the breed is the varying shades of gold that are most often seen.

Characteristics & Temperament:

These are lovable, well-mannered, intelligent dogs with a great charm. They are easily trained, and always patient and gentle with children. Golden Retrievers possess a friendly, eager-to-please demeanour Charming, devoted and self-assured, they are a popular family dog. Energetic and loving, Golden Retrievers enjoy pleasing their masters, so obedience training can be very rewarding. They excel in competitions. Friendly with everyone, including other dogs, the Golden Retriever has very little, if any, guarding instincts. While unlikely to attack, Goldens make good watchdogs, loudly signaling a stranger's approach. This breed needs to be around people who display leadership to be happy. The Golden Retriever may become destructive and/or high-strung, over-exuberant and distractible if he is lacking in daily mental and physical exercise. Be sure to remain this dogs firm, but calm, confident, consistent pack leader to avoid behavioral issues. Some of the Golden's talents are hunting, tracking, retrieving, narcotics detection, agility, competitive obedience, and performing tricks. These dogs also love to swim.

Grooming:

The smooth, medium-haired double coat is easy to groom. Comb and brush with a firm bristle brush, paying particular attention to the dense undercoat. Dry shampoo regularly, but bathe only when necessary. This breed is an average shedder.

Information & pic lifted from Google & Yahoo