The differentiation between a good and disastrous Labrador retriever owner is dependent on the type of lifestyle they lead and also their level of activity. If the owners of the Labradors are hunters they may have to be very active throughout the day. They have to run, swim and retrieve the prey for a period of 16 hrs or more and the Labs have to be very active during this period.

The energy levels of Labrador retrievers are very high and hence they have to be kept highly active throughout the day in order to spend their pent up energy even if they are not taken for hunting. People who like to keep themselves active by swimming, jogging and playing fetch games would love to have such animals.

If a person owns a Labrador retriever but dislikes going out or leading an active life he can be considered as a “disastrous dog owner”. Many people spend their life sitting at home doing nothing except watching TV throughout the day and such people expect the Labrador dog to lie down quietly at their feet without leading an active life by running, playing etc.

Such disastrous owners are in the habit of complaining that their Lab pets are overactive and cause a lot of problems in the house. They do not understand that these dogs are quite healthy because of which they are eager to run around the place. Genetically they are made for leading such a life. They have to be bred for leading this type of lifestyle. In this situation the owner is the problem and not the Lab retriever.

Think Long & Hard Before Buying A Lab Puppy

Many people go and buy a puppy in a hurry without understanding the extent of play time that they can spare for that puppy; this is all the more true in the case of a Lab puppy that is going to be extremely active and you may have to spare a lot of time for it. Over a period of time the dog owner gets bored with playing with the dog leaving these highly energetic puppies to entertain themselves.

An adult Lab has to be subjected to strenuous interactive physical activities every day for a minimum period of one hour in the morning as well as in the night. It is not sufficient to leave your dog in the yard while you spend your time cooking your dinner. This will not be considered as “playtime”. Lab retriever requires a partner who will play interactively with it by running and fetching. If they are left alone to play they will not indulge in physical activity because by nature Labs do not exercise in a constructive manner on their own.

When Labs Become Destructive

You cannot make your Lab retriever to go and play by simply opening up your house door and letting him out in the yard. Certain breeds of dogs are quite independent and they run around on their own and play by themselves; however this is not the case with Labrador retrievers because they need somebody to play with otherwise they turn destructive. Under such circumstances they resort to chewing, non-stop barking, digging up the yard etc.

If you find that your dog indulges in such types of negative activities you should not get yourself frustrated and term your dog as aggressive. In fact he is entertaining himself in the way he likes since you wanted him to play on his own.

It is necessary for you to act as a leader and direct the way you want him to behave by taking him on fun trips such as hiking, jogging, retrieving from water etc.; otherwise you will become totally responsible for your dog’s misbehavior because you had failed to fulfill the physical needs of your dog.



By: Chang Seward

About the Author:
Chang has developed a variety of information web sites. You can visit her latest website over at http://thehomesauna.com/ which helps people find the best information sauna kits when they are looking to build a sauna.



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