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GENERAL PUPPY QUESTIONS
| What is the best age to take a puppy home? |
The best age is said to be between 7 - 12 weeks, but I think it really depends on how the puppy is being reared by the breeder. You may
want to also visit our Available page as we have detailed information there on this subject. |
| Should I get a male or a female?
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I think that most often people tend to stay with what they have had good luck with before. I think that personallity
of the puppy is much more important than the sex of the puppy though. Both can be just as loyal, loving and easily trained.
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| Is there an advantage of getting two puppies at once?
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There are positive and negative aspects of getting two puppies at once of the same age. They will keep each other busy and
content due to a partnership but it means more outside trips in general. Also when you have more than one puppy together it can make them more
outgoing and they tend to get into things they shouldn't more often. If you have the time and patience for two it can be a very rewarding
experience, especially if you have a large family to care from the, but I think that having two of the same age at once is quite a handful
for the average family.
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| Should my two dogs be the same sex or different?
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Again, this all depends on the personality of the puppies. No matter the sex, one is going to be more dominant
than the other. The key is to find a good match with the two. I have personally found that the best combinations are male and
female or male and male. We have tend to have a higher chance of competition between two females. This is based on both of the dogs
being neutered/spay before they reach 9 months. You can still have two females that work very well together if that is what you have
your heart set on though. You just have to find the right two puppies.
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| Should my two puppies be from the same litter?
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If you can get two puppies from the same litter we think you have an advantage as they already have an established
relationship and pecking order and so you can already see how they interact. If you are unable to get two pups from the same litter
you just have to make sure that the personalities compliment each other.
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| We already have a dog. How old should he be before we ad another puppy?
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It all depends on the dog you already have. If your current dog is laid back and gentle then chances are
that he or she will be with a younger puppy also. If they are excitable and bouncy then they may injure a puppy during any
type of play and so you may want to wait until your older dog calms down or make sure that they are always supervised. Some
dogs are aggressive towards younger puppies. This is rare, but it does happen. Normally it is an older dog that is up in years,
set in their ways and possibly with some health issues. This isn’t always the case though as some older dogs make outstanding
mentors for younger puppies and are wonderfully gentle and tolerant.
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| What do I have to do to get our house ready for a puppy?
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At night your puppy will need a quiet place to sleep. I feel that crate training is the best way to go, but
if you decide not to use a crate, a small room with newspaper on the floor is also a good choice. Also you may want to look
into purchasing an exercise pen that can keep them in one spot and is a little penned enclosure. The crate or puppy should
be put in a room with easy access to the door they use to go outside and go potty. It should be quiet and dimly lit but close
enough where you can hear the puppy if it wakes in the middle of the night asking to go outside. If you must put the puppy
in a bedroom, you can always cover the crate with a towel or blanket but be sure they can not pull it through the openings.
During the day the puppy will be playful and so I would suggest that you remove objects on or close to the floor that a puppy
could chew on or that could cause injury, such as plants. Shoes are always a nice target and so you either have to put them in
a closet or just make sure you can always replace the shoe with a toy if they are attracted to them. Make sure you have plenty
of toys, chewies and other play items for your new baby to keep them happy and entertained. If you have young children that
distribute toys around the house it can be a challenge to make sure the puppy knows that those are off limits.
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| What do we put in the crate or with the pup at night?
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If you are using a crate we always put a few sheets of newspaper on the bottom of the crate and then rip the paper
into strips length wise and put them on top. This provides a good “litter” to cover up their accident if they happen to have one
during the night and makes cleaning up much easier. We do not recommend putting any toys or chewies in their crate at first. The
first concern is that they will chew on them and choke on small pieces. The other concern is that they will learn that going into
the crate is not time for sleeping, but a time for continued play and they may stay awake by keeping busy with their toys. If you
are putting your puppy in a small room or designated area, sheets of newspaper on the floor are the best choice. The “WeeWee” pads
or house training pads really do not do very well. The pups are small and become full easily. The pups some times drag them around,
chew them up and make quite the mess.
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| What about crates? What size, type and where do I get one?
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There are plastic airline crates and wire collapsible crates that are available as well as crates that are tables and
pieces of furniture, wicker crates and ones made of bamboo and fabric. We recommend the plastic crates
over the wire ones for a couple of reasons. Dogs are denning animals and feel more comfortable in a smaller enclosed area
versus an open area. Also the plastic crates are much easier to clean as there are no bars to be wiped down and trays to be
pulled out. Wire crates are still a very good choice though if that is what you decide on. Bedding should only be newspaper
as listed above. I would suggest purchasing a large (35.5”x 25”x 27”) or extra large (40”x 27”x30”) crate and if the space
is too big you can take up the majority of the room with a folded cardboard box which can be replaced with a smaller box or
removed as the puppy grows. Crates can be found in all of the pet shops and Walmart (not the best quality) but you can also
find them online at http://www.petedge.com , http://www.petstreemall.com , http://www.petcratesdirect.com and many other online
pet supply stores. If you do a search for crates you can also compare prices. The airline crates that are the best are the Sky
Kennel and Petmate type crates with the wire windows. The Pet Porters are also good but have the plastic holes for windows.
Stay away from any of the crates that have the plastic clips or turn pins to attach the top and the bottom together. The doors
on the lower grade crates are not very sturdy and often break fairly easily.
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| What toys should I buy for my puppy?
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| How do I get ready for our first vet visit?
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| What type of collar should I purchase for my puppy?
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| When do puppies start teething?
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| How long do I have to be outside with my puppy to make sure it has time to potty?
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| Are there any advantages to getting an older puppy or adult instead of a young puppy?
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| Will my older puppy or adult bond with me as well as a younger puppy?
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PROPER NUTRITION AND FEEDING
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| Should we feed our dog raw diet?
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| Can we give our dog human food?
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| what human foods are bad for dogs?
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| How do I know how much to feed my puppy as it grows?
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| How do I stop my dog from eating it's food too fast?
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| What treats are OK for my dog?
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| When should I put my puppy on adult food?
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| How often should I feed my puppy each day?
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| Should I feed dry or canned food?
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| What should I look for in a quality food?
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| Should I give my dog vitamins or supplements?
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| Should I ad a bit of water to the dogs dry food?
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| Where is the best place to feed my dog?
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| How do I know if my dog is allergic to it's food?
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| If I think my dog is allergic to it's food what should I do?
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| How do I know if my dog is too fat?
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| If my dog needs to lose weight what should I feed him?
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| How do I properly switch to another food?
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| Can I give my dog bones?
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| Is it OK to feed my dog cat food?
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| I am a vegetarian, can my dog be one also?
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| What is dog food made of?
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| What chewies do I give my dog to help with dental health?
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| Won't my dog get bored eating the same thing every day?
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| Will my dog's nutritional needs change as it gets older?
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| How do I make my dogs coat more shiny?
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| How much water do dogs actually require?
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| Why does my dog eat grass?
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| Can I give my dog milk or dairy products?
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| Why is my dog gassy?
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TRAINING INFORMATION
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| How do I get my puppy to go in the crate?
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Puppies of course will not want to be in a crate and away from you initially, but if you make entering the
crate a pleasant experience it will make it much more enjoyable for them and easier for you. They will quickly learn that
the crate is a comfortable place where they are able to relax and also be rewarded for entering. We recommend always feeding
and watering your puppy in his or her crate. When your puppy is young you start by picking them up and placing them in the
crate. Always give them a small treat and say “Kennel”. After doing that a few times show them the treat and toss it in the
crate, say “Kennel” and then pick them up and place them in it. Soon they will follow the treat into the crate when you toss
it in and say “Kennel”. You have just taught your puppy to enter the crate on their own and they will do this for their food
and water also.
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| How do I stop my puppy from nipping?
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| How do I stop my dog from jumping?
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| How do you leash train a puppy?
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| How do you teach the command "come"?
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| How do you teach the command "sit"?
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| How do you teach the command "stay"?
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| How do you teach the command "lay down"?
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| How do I stop my puppy from going potty in the house?
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| How do I stop my puppy from having accidents in the crate?
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| How do I stop my puppy from barking or whining in the crate?
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| How long can my puppy remain in the crate during the day or at night?
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| How do we teach our dog to retrieve?
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| How do we teach our dog to swim?
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| How do I get my dog to bark when someone is at the door?
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| When will my puppy start telling me when it has to go potty?
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| Our puppy is a bit shy with new people. How do we correct this?
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| My older dog is being too rough with the puppy. How do I stop this?
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| Our puppy is chewing on shoes and other household items. How do we stop this?
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| How do we make sure that our puppy sees us as the pack leader?
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| How do I make sure my puppy won't run away when I take it off the leash?
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| How do I stop my dog from pulling on the leash when we walk it?
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| My dog is really strong and pulls me all over the place. Should I get a pinch collar for him?
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| What are the good and bad points of going to a public obedience class?
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| How do you find a good obedience or field trainer?
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| Our puppy urinates when approached or intimidated. How do we stop this?
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| Why does our puppy want to lick us all of the time and how do we stop this?
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| How do I make sure my puppy is properly socialized?
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| How do I stop my dog from jumping up and taking things off of the counter?
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| How do I stop my dog from getting into the trash?
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GROOMING AND HEALTH INFORMATION
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| Why is my dog is urinating more often than normal?
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| How much exercise will my dog need as it grows?
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| When should I have my dog spay or neutered?
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| How do I stop my dog from eating stool?
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| My dog has runny stool. What should I do?
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| My dog is digging at it's ears. What should I do?
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| Why does my dog have thick hairless spots on his elbows?
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| How can I tell if my dog has fleas?
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| We found a tick on our dog. What should we do?
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| What can I do to keep the fleas and ticks off of my dog?
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| How do I find out if we have fleas in our house?
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| Why is my dog scooting their bottom on the carpet?
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| Why don't you removed dew claws?
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| How do I clip my dogs nails?
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| What type of nail clipper is best?
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| How often should I clip my dogs nails?
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| How often should I give my dog a bath?
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| How often and how much will my dog shed?
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| Should I brush my dogs teeth?
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| Why should I have dental cleanings done and how often?
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| Why are my dogs eyes tearing?
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| Is it true if my dog's nose is warm they don't feel well?
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| Do dogs get colds like humans do?
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| My dog is making a weird snorting sound while sucking in air. What is wrong?
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| My dog has a cough. What should I do?
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| My dog has thrown up and it is thick and yellowish. What is wrong?
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| How can I tell if my dog has worms?
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| Can humans catch worms from dogs?
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| Is it safe to give my dog human medication?
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NEUTERING AND REPRODUCTION
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| When do females have their first heat cycle?
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| When is the best age to get my female dog spay?
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| When are male dogs able to reproduce?
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| Will spaying and neutering reduce the chance of cancer?
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| Will neutering my dog too early make him smaller?
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| Is it true that it is better for the female to have a heat cycle before having her spay?
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| Is it true that having my dog neutered/spay will make him/her more calm?
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| Is it true that if you let a female have a litter it will settle her down?
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| Will neutering keep my male dog from marking his territory?
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| Will neutering my dog stop my dog from running away?
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| Will having my dog spay/neutered cause them to gain weight?
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| How long does a spay surgery take?
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| How long does a neuter surgery take?
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| Can there be surgery complications?
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| How do I care for my dog after surgery?
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| How much does surgery cost?
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| Where should I go to get my dog spay/neutered?
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| What is spaying through laser surgery?
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| How long will it take my dog to recover?
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| Will having them spay/neutered change thier personality?
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| Will having them spay/neutered make them lazy?
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| How long does a heat cycle last?
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| When is the female able to become pregnant?
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| How often do females come into heat?
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| Do male dogs have a "heat" also?
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| How do I know when my female is coming into season?
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| My male "protrudes" a bit when excited. Is this normal?
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| My male has a discharge there. Is this normal?
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| What do I do if my female was accidentally bred?
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| Is there anything I can give my female to stop her from coming into season?
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| My female has a discharge there. Is this normal?
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UNDERSTANDING THE LABRADOR AND AKC STANDARD
If you would like to read the actual Labrador Retriever standard, please click
HERE
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| where did the Labrador breed come from?
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Labrador Retrievers, originally from Newfoundland, were initially used
in work alongside fisherman, helping to pull in nets and catch fish that escaped from fishing lines.
After being crossed with Setters, Spaniels and other Retrievers, the Labrador Retriever honed its
skills as a true retriever. From this point in the breed’s history, "Labs," as they are affectionately
called, were bred primarily to perform as an efficient retriever of game, with a stable temperament
suitable for a variety of activities beyond hunting.
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| How popular is the Labrador Retriever?
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According to AKC statistics, the Labrador Retriever has been the most popular breed since 1999.
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REGISTRIES AND COMPETITION
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| What is a limited registration?
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OTHER QUESTIONS NOT COVERED
| What plants and trees are poisonous?
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| My puppy is itching at it's neck after we put the collar on. Is this normal?
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| Is it OK to leave my puppy outside in a fenced in yard during the day while I am at work?
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| Will puppies remember their litter mates and mother later?
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| Why does our puppy take our hand or wrist in his mouth and want to lead you and should we discourage this?
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