Poppy’s first litter 6 month meet: L to R are Nicole with Charlie, Louise with Astrid, Jenny with Luna, Karla & Ivan with Dalí , Alison with Poppy, Lyn with Abby and Kristen with Kirby at the puppies’ 6 month meet at Brighton Dog Beach, 12 August 2017.
The links below are to websites that I have found useful for understanding and raising labradors. Topics include raising a puppy, training tips, diet and coat colour genetics.
The Labrador Site – my favourite website for common sense advice and discussion on a variety of topics. The founder of the site, Pippa Mattinson, has also written a number of books which I can highly recommend:
- Total Recall
- The Happy Puppy Handbook
- The Labrador Handbook
- Choosing the Perfect Puppy
Labrador Training HQ – a site I recently came across which has a similar range of topics, including reviews of products and training tips and techniques.
Alexandra Horowitz – is a professor of psychology and canine cognition at Columbia University and author of several best selling books on how dogs think and generally see the world. They are interesting and easy to read and she has also published several young readers versions of her books.
While there are many articles and books on raising and caring for your new family member, some of the best advice can be found at your local dog club or from members of the Labrador Retriever Club of Victoria. Their Facebook page is a great place to ask questions and benefit from the enormous depth of experience from labrador owners and breeders.
If you are interested in participating in the many dog sports on offer in Victoria, you can either contact Dogs Victoria (the trading name of the Victorian Canine Association) or your local dog club. Dogs Victoria is the body your purebred puppy will be registered with.
Lastly I am always seeking to inform myself of the most recent evidence-based data in the areas of health and behaviour of dogs. I will add articles below as I come across them. I am wary of fad training methods, especially if they are trying to sell books or videos, although do not discount all commercially promoted training techniques. Diet is another huge area of controversy with diverse and strongly held views. I do not adopt a rigid approach and am open to your feedback about what works for you and your dogs.
Articles
An update on hip dysplasia in dogs
Crate training your dog. There are many articles on this topic, but this is from the RSPCA Victoria and simple to follow.
Do Puppy Personality Tests Predict Adult Dog Behaviors?
Dogs Tell Time With Their Noses An idea proposed by author of ‘Being a Dog’ Alexandra Horowitz.
Diet-associated dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs: what do we know? (A little academic but worth a read if you have been advised that ‘grain-free’ is best for dogs)
Early Neurological Stimulation – a technique practised by a number of breeders with the aim to produce confident puppies with low anxiety, making them excellent companion and family dogs.
Grain-free, exotic dog food linked to heart disease (An article from a reputable media source related to the topic of grain free diets and an easier read, but note that the headline may be misleading. It is not the absence of grains that is the issue, but the absence of the amino acid taurine)
Let me sniff! Nosework induces positive judgment bias in pet dogs – an interesting article on dog psychology.
Third-party social evaluations of humans by monkeys and dogs – the scientific basis behind the idea that dogs seem to know who is a threat or is being unkind to ‘their’ humans.
Papoulab 