My Labrador Retriever Girls Get a Thank You

Dakota and Meeko get a big thank you for the help they provided to The Bloggy Doggy, in regards to the animal crisis at Lied Animal Foundation.

For those who don't know what has occurred, or how they can help, please read Nevada SPCA No-Kill Animal Sanctuary needs your help.

There are many things you can do to help out and all will be greatly appreciated.

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My Labrador Retriever Likes To Paw

Readers E-mail: Mike Writes

I have two wonderful family members Courtney and Bentley. They are both Chocolate Labradors. When I am petting Bentley he likes to put his paw on my arm. What does this mean?

Answer:

Pawing with your Labrador Retriever is a behavior that is used to signify different things. Labradors will usually paw another as a form of a display of dominance, an attention seeking behavior, or as a play solicitation.

In you case with Bentley, I believe this is an attention seeking behavior. He is just looking for love from you, looking for you to pay more attention to them. It's funny, I have two Labradors myself and my oldest one (Dakota), and the one I had first, also pawed as we pet both dogs. It was her way of trying to further getting more attention to her.

If the pawing doesn't bother you (there is nothing really wrong with this behavior as long as it stays within limits) , I think you can indulge Bentley at times, but remember that Bentley will quickly learn what works and what doesn't in relation to how you respond. If you always respond when he does this, you will continue to get more of this behavior down the road.

What I did for Dakota was to ignore her when she did place her paw on me. Every time she would raise her paw when she was being pet, she would be ignored. Over time, Dakota performed the action less frequently, with her attention seeking behavior eventually fading away.
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You are also establishing yourself as the top dog in the pack. You are the boss; you dictate when things happen, not the other way around. He is an interesting article you might want to take a look at Establishing Alpha Position; number 15 on that list applies to your situation.
I hope that this helps you, and if you decide to train Bentley to stop this behavior remember to be consistent. If you give in to Bentley after you start your training, you will reinforce the behavior more.

Reply From Mike:

Thank you very much for such a detailed response. We found it very interesting. We always thought it was just cute, but after reading your response we realized it might not be as cute as we first thought. We are going to take your advice and give it a try. I will keep you updated on our results. I have also attached a few photos of our family members for the web site. Again, we thank you very much for your explanation and great links.

To see the beautiful pictures of Mike's Labrador Retrievers:

Courtney

Bentley

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Nevada SPCA No-Kill Animal Sanctuary needs your help

Over the course of last week, I was saddened by the recent events at the Lied Animal Shelter located in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"An outbreak of contagious diseases at a shelter where officials admit they kept animals for too long without destroying them has forced the killing of about 1,000 dogs and cats, officials said." You can read more about this here .

What is happening now is the Southern Nevada SPCA, a no-kill animal sanctuary, is trying desperately to help all the animals in regards to to the crisis at Lied Animal Shelter.

How can you help...

First thing you can do is visit The Bloggy Doggy . This is where I first read of the situation, and they will keep you up to date on what is happening. Joe and Stephanie are the caring and compassionate individuals who publish The Bloggy Doggy, along with help from their doggies, Ollie, Bennie (an adoptee from Lied) and Ernie.

Secondly, ANY little amount that you can donate to the Southern Nevada SPCA would be very appreciated and go a long way in helping all the animals. Donations of supplies and/or services are also greatly appreciated.

Many thanks go out to all who are helping with this!!


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New Eukanuba Customized Pet Nutrition

Hello everyone. Just wanted to let everyone know that Eukanuba has relaunched its premium dog food line. They will now be offering a line of pet nutrition customized by type of breed, and size.

The new Eukanuba Breed-Specific formulas will be available at pet specialty stores in March 2007.

Read more on the new Eukanuba food:

New Eukanuba Customized Pet Nutrition Helps Bring Out the Magnificence in Your Dog

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Things a Labrador should remember

If you want to look like you are a well-raised Labrador, you have to know the rules. For those Labradors, that don't know yet, here some golden tips...


1. The garbage men are not stealing our things.

2. Don't stand up suddenly, when you're under the coffee table.

3. Shake your coat, before going into the house.

4. Don't lick a cup, when there is hot tea in it.

5. Don't eat the cat's food. Not before they had a chance to eat it, not after they had a chance to eat it, and especially not when they have thrown up their food.

6. Do not chew on tooth brushes.

7. Don't vomit in the car.

8. No rolling over dead animals, just because they smell so good.

9. These crispy things in the cat's box are no food.

10. Don't eat paper handkerchiefs or diapers.

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11. The trashcan contains no cookies.

12. Do not search for the last piece of clean carpet, when you feel sick.

13. Don't chew on pencils. Especially not the red ones, they might think you are bleeding.

14. In the car, all windows have to be closed, when it is raining.

15. When you hear a doorbell: don't bark. It's on TV.

16. No stealing of underwear and running with it in the backyard.

17. The couch is not a towel. Nor are trousers.

18. Your head doesn't belong in the refrigerator.

19. Do not bite in the hand of a policeman, when he is handed over a drivers license.

20. Don't play tugging-games with the underwear of your family, when they are on the toilet.

21. Do not eat dental floss, you don't want to know how difficult you get rid of that stuff.

22. Do not roll in the dirt after bathing.

23. Pushing your nose in someone's crotch, is not an acceptable welcome greeting.

24. The cat is no squeaking toy. When you play with him and he squeaks, it is not a good sign.

25. Do not lick your crotch in the middle of the living room, if there are visitors.

I would like to give a big thank you to Cor who wrote this and let me post it to this blog. Very funny stuff Cor, much appreciated.

Cor owns a beautiful Labrador Retriever named Cracker, who you can see more of by visiting his site The page of Cracker . You can also see pictures of Cracker on the new Labrador Retriever Pictures blog.


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My Labrador Retriever Licks Everything

Readers E-mail: Jerry writes

Licorice 3 (yes she is the third black lab we've had) is a 3 year old who licks everything. After a treat, she will lick her legs, then the sofa, then you, If you are near. Even when she has not eaten something, she will come up and lick your leg, hand, the sofa, floor, etc. This is not just a couple of licks, but it goes on for a couple of minutes. Anybody have an idea of why? Our first two labs would lick a little, but not as long as this one.

Answer:

Thanks for writing. There could be a couple of different reasons Licorice 3 is licking everything.

She could be lacking something in her diet (vitamins/nutrients). Make sure that you feed her a good, nutritious dog food (your vet should recommend one to you) and that she is having normal stool production. If you do decide to change her food, make sure you do it gradually so it doesn't upset her digestive system (mix some of the new food into some of the old couple of weeks).

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Licorice 3 could also have some sort of anxiety problems - phobias, separation anxiety, and obsessive compulsive behaviors. Possibly a cry for more attention, pent-up energy and/or boredom.

Labrador Retrievers need plenty of exercise and play time. Long walks, runs and plenty of play time everyday, may help to cut down some of the problem. When you do catch her licking continually you can try to provide a distraction (play toys, balls, etc.). The Kong chew toy (make sure you get the appropriately sized for her, and supervise the use of it) filled with treats can provide her with plenty of challenge, and distraction.

I would consult with your veterinarian to make sure that no medical condition exists. You might also want to ask for a recommendation for animal behaviorist in your area or you can find one by visiting Animal Behavior Society website at www.animalbehavior.org.


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Another Labrador Retriever freebie

Want to thank Peter for this e-mail:

Hi Fay,

Love your blog, always filled with great information, keep up the good work.

I see you occasionally post free items you find for our Labradors and I thought this might help you.

If you visit NoWorms.com and answer some questions about intestinal parasites to humans and how you can be at risk, they will send you a free Drontal Plus cleanup bags dispenser that goes on your belt.

Hope this helps for you and your readers.

Thank you Peter, much appreciated. Some good info on their website and the CAPC website as well.


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