Ever wonder why most advertisers avoid black furry animals for their billboards and commercials? That's because black dogs, black cats, black guinea pigs, black anything is extremely hard to photograph well. This is one reason why they turn to brighter-colored animals such as a yellow Labrador/Golden Retriever puppy mix. But don’t let this knowledge stop you from adopting a black pet like a black Lab puppy. With patience, an eye for contrasting colors and a decent camera, you can get great snaps of your black Lab puppy.
Make Sure The Pup Is Tired
Best portraits of an all-black Lab puppy are best done outside in natural light, where there are a lot of distractions. You need to get a good play session in with your puppy before you attempt any kind of photography – unless you have high-speed film! Puppies have short attention spans, so also bring noisemakers or squeaky toys to get their attention.
Location, Location, Location
You need to get your black Lab puppy against a lighter colored background such as green grass or clear blue lake water. You definitely don’t want him against anything about as dark as he is. The viewer will have a hard time discerning the puppy from the rest of the picture.
You also don’t want the background to be "busy", with a lot of objects and colors and things to distract the viewer's eye from your magnificent black Lab puppy. You want the background to be as uniform as possible. Be careful with really bright white backgrounds, as they can throw light back into your camera and ruin the shot.
In The Studio
It is certainly possible to photograph your black Lab puppy indoors, although this requires very specific lighting so your puppy doesn’t look like a silhouette in a three dimensional world. If worse comes to worse, take your black Lab puppy to a professional photographer. They have the lighting equipment to make the portrait look life like.
If you'd like to give a go, you need to get what's called a "key light", sometimes referred to as a "hair light", so you can see the hairs on your black Lab puppy instead of just one glob of demon-eyed darkness. This would be placed behind and to one side of the puppy. Then, you need to take a lot of pictures to be sure you get that perfect shot that will forever record the magic of when your Lab was still a little black Lab puppy.
Filed under Black Labrador Retrievers, Labrador Retriever Puppies by 
Regardless of what kind of dog you are looking for you may want to consider a lab mix puppy. The only type of dog that really does not work for a lab mix puppy are dogs from the toy category. In general these dogs are desirable because of their small size, but when you mix them with a Labrador they will no longer retain that tiny size. However, just about every other class of dog will work in for a lab mix puppy.
Breeds To Consider When Getting A Lab Mix Puppy
The first breed that almost every considers to be very desirable in a lab mix puppy is a Golden Retriever. There are several reasons for this. The first reason is that both dogs are of similar sizes and therefore you really do not lose that aspect of the breed or create any other undesirable combinations in their physical structure. In addition to this both of the dogs have a similar temperament so you can expect a dog that is very friendly and a pleasure to be around. In addition, Goldens are very intelligent so for the most part a lab mix puppy between these two breeds will be a very smart dog. The lab mix reviews on this combination make it one of the most popular combinations for a lab mix puppy.
The next breed that you may want to consider mixing with a Labrador is the Rottweiler. Rotts have a bad reputation because they are used as fighting dogs. In fact for the most part they are very good to their owners and their families. They are also incredibly loyal, even for a dog, and have been known to throw themselves into danger without fear or pause when defending those close to them. When they are mixed with lab, their aggressive nature is tempered a bit as is their size. In addition, labs are very intelligent dogs and the mix of these two breeds is usually very smart. This leads to dogs that are very smart and loyal, perfect if you are looking for not only a family pet but perhaps a guard dog as well.
The last breed of lab mix puppy to look at is the Siberian Husky. Huskies are generally not the most social of dogs towards humans, but they are loyal and do make good guard dogs. In addition they are tireless workers and have boundless amounts of energy. Puppies of this breed are very active and require a careful and attentive owner. When bred with Labrador they again have a tendency to pick up the better qualities, those being the labs inquisitive and intelligent nature as well as complete dedication to its human family.
As you can see these three breeds all make for a unique dog when bred with a Labrador. Depending on what you are looking for you may want to seek other combinations as well, but for the most part just about any breed will work with a Labrador.
Filed under Labrador Retriever Mix, Labrador Retriever Puppies by
- Image via Wikipedia
They're cute, they love you, but they use your home as a huge toilet. This happens to any puppy owner, and not just the owner of a Labrador Retriever puppy. Housebreaking any puppy takes persistence and patience, which not a lot of people have. Sadly, many a Labrador Retriever puppy (usually from nine months old on) is abandoned or sent to the pound for housebreaking problems that are not really the fault of the pup, but of the selfish and impatient owners. Housetraining an older dog is just the same as housetraining a Labrador Retriever puppy.
When You Get Your Pup Home
As soon as you get your new Labrador Retriever puppy – or rescue dog – home for the first time, take them right to where you would like them to toilet. Pick them up and plop them there, if you have to. A car ride especially seems to make a dog or puppy have to pee. Be patient and wait until your new Labrador puppy (no matter what his age) squats. Praise lavishly with kind words and affection and then take them inside.
When You Gotta Go…
If you take the time to observe and interact with your rescue dog or Labrador Retriever puppy, you will soon be able to tell when Nature is ringing that little doggie bell. A dog or puppy will often walk in circles, sniffing the floor or the walls when they feel the urge. If you see this behavior, rush them outside and then lavishly praise them when they squat.
Because they are so young, most puppies like a Labrador Retriever puppy will often pee out of excitement or out of fear. They just haven't been able to develop the bladder control yet. You do need to expect this and not be too harsh on them when this happens. Perhaps you could have your puppy spend time in a room with easy to clean floors or with older carpet that needs a few stains in order to improve it's looks.
When Should They Get It?
All dogs and puppies learn housebreaking in their own time. So, it's perfectly normal for your Labrador Retriever puppy to still be having accidents at seven months of age while the neighbor's chocolate Lab puppy is perfectly housebroken as a wee six months of age. Sometimes it can take dogs a year to get the hang of it. Once they do, they are really proud of keeping the house clean.
If your Lab is over a year old and still having housebreaking issues, please see a vet to be sure there isn’t a health problem.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=2a23ca45-82e7-455b-be06-51983ef4c5f9)
Filed under Chocolate Labrador Retrievers, Labrador Retriever Puppies by
Breeding Labradors is a good idea; it will help you promote the breed and you can also earn a tidy sum of money – if you do things right. If you are dog lover you can become a breeder and in the process nurture Labradors and in return you can expect to enjoy the companionship and love of your puppies. There is perhaps no other business that can give you as much joy as dog breeding.
Right Temperament
Of course, you should have access to (or even own) a Labrador stud dog. Once you have located the Labrador stud dog, you can then get started with the serious business of breeding Labradors. However, your job as a potential Labrador breeder will not stop at simply having access to a Labrador stud dog. You will need to ensure that the stud also has the right temperament and will have traits that match with those of the Dam.
Some of the steps that you will need to take before and during Labrador breeding include deciding on why you wish to breed Labradors, choosing the Labrador stud dog and Dam and determining that they have the desired qualities to promote the breed.
You need to check your Labrador stud dog to see that his genetic background is of sufficiently good quality. If you are looking for pure breed dogs, you should check the AKC or other competent registering authorities about bloodlines. However, if it is mixed breed Labradors that you are planning to breed, you need only check who the parents of the Labrador stud dog and Dam were.
It is imperative that you are able to establish that the Labrador stud dog and the Dam have a genetic history that portends to giving birth to pups with certain kinds of qualities that you are desirous the offspring should have. It is however, never a good idea to mate Labrador stud dog with a Dam to whom he is closely related as this could give rise to inbreeding and genetic defects.
You also need to ensure that the Labrador stud dog and Dam have compatible physical characteristics and that they have the right kind of temperament. Other than this, you need to also be sure that your Labrador stud dog is of the right age to breed, and you can also ask an expert in Labradors to evaluate the mating pair and get their opinions (unbiased) about the prospects of giving birth to good quality pups.
Your job of raising Labradors does not stop once puppies have been born because you will need to also ensure providing proper Labrador dog care throughout their lifetime. It is also necessary to gather as much as Labrador dog information as you can including knowing the Labrador breed, and how to look after and care for Labradors.
You may also need to wait till the Dam is in heat before letting the Labrador stud dog mate with her; if you keep the stud close to the Dam you will easily find out when she comes to heat.
Related articles by Zemanta
- American Kennel Club Controversy (mypetkingdom.info)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=14fc21d1-8495-48f6-8e56-601df894f451)
Filed under Labrador Retrievers by
- Image via Wikipedia
If you go leafing through advertisements for dog kennels, you can't help but notice the many that loudly proclaim that they breed golden Labrador Retrievers. And they do not mean a Golden Retriever/Labrador Retriever mix (which are also known as Golden Labrador Retrievers). They mean a golden colored purebred Labrador Retriever. According to the various Labrador Breed Associations and national kennel clubs, Labs come in just three recognized colors – and golden is not one of them.
Suspected Scam
The only three recognized colors of purebred Labrador Retrievers are yellow, black and chocolate (which used to be called liver). There are many shades of yellow in yellow Labrador Retrievers. Some are so pale that they are called "white", even though their papers will call them yellow. The darkest shade of yellow is sometimes called "gold", but even the darkest golden Labrador Retriever will not compare to the luster of a Golden Retriever.
But, like PT Barnum said, "There's a sucker born every minute", and they will believe whatever they are told. If they are told that there is such a thing as a purebred golden Labrador, they will break open their wallets and buy one. Even when they can clearly see that the puppy's color is yellow, they think the "golden" label means "premium" and they will buy the so-called "golden Labrador Retriever" over the identical-looking "yellow Labrador Retriever."
Nothing Wrong With A Yellow Lab
If you do discover that your pricey "golden Labrador Retriever" is simply a yellow Lab, take heart. Your dog will still be loyal and comical and loving. Keep the dog. But by all means, complain to the Better Business Bureau about how the dog was represented. It would help if you had a copy of the original ad that lead you to the kennel and a copy of the contract. You did get a contract with your "golden Labrador Retriever", didn’t you? If not, there's ANOTHER thing to complain about.
If you go to a rescue shelter and see a dog listed as a purebred golden Labrador Retriever, the staff just made a common mistake. Don't rip into them about it – they are doing the best you can. You could write a thank you letter about how well you are getting on with your rescue dog and just casually mention that, officially, there is no such thing as a purebred golden Labrador Retriever. Once that is done, concentrate on building up a great friendship with your new Lab of whatever color.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=b0ba64d9-2b3c-4899-b580-9b46c6592f99)
Filed under Labrador Retrievers, Yellow Labrador Retrievers by
