The Labrador is a special breed of dog that is distinguished by kindness, intelligence and understanding. It is better to keep it in your own home, although if you organize proper care and care in the apartment, these conditions will be no worse. The main thing is that a caring owner is there and gives warmth.
What a pet needs
If we talk about keeping a Labrador in an apartment, it should be noted that there are pros and cons. These dogs have a friendly disposition, so they get along very well with other pets. The owner’s task is to walk for a long time and often and organize games. If you comply with all these requirements, then harmony and mutual understanding will appear. Care, love and care – this is what a pet who will live in an apartment needs. Dogs of the Labrador breed are strongly attached to their owner, so they never leave him. You can always count on the fact that a person has a faithful companion who will always save him from any danger.
It is not difficult to keep a dog in an apartment, it usually sleeps next to the owner’s bed. It cannot be kept in an aviary or on a chain. Otherwise, she will run wild and lose her individuality.
The Master’s Code
With improper maintenance of the animal and in the absence of education, even the best puppy, who was born to pedigreed parents with a high title, can be spoiled.
To do this, you need to familiarize yourself with the rules of the owner’s code:
- a dog is not a toy, you need to be responsible for it, take care of health and behavior; the animal will grow up the way it will be brought up;
- punishment should be shown in moderation and in essence;
- for successful upbringing, you should show affection, consistency and patience; you need to train starting with simple tasks and gradually approaching more complex ones;
- full nutrition with good-quality and fresh products; walks;
- periodic vet check-ups;
- vaccinations.
If you follow all these rules, you can only talk about the advantages of keeping a Labrador at home. Before you get a puppy, you need to prepare for this properly. You need to understand that it is necessary to remove all the things that he can chew or spoil. First of all, it concerns household appliances and wires.
How to accustom to a home environment
Kids initially may not be clean, which is a clear disadvantage of their content. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the carpets for a while. Initially, you can use the playpen.
But it is impossible to allow the dog to spend all his time there. There will be no cruelty in such a restriction – these are quite acceptable measures of education. But if possible, kids should run, play and frolic. Everything that carries danger must be removed from reach.
To keep a Labrador at home, you need to be patient. After all, we are talking about the animal’s energy and its constant tricks. Sometimes this behavior is even tiring, but the task of the owner is to make his character more acceptable.
The puppy can be taken home only after he can already eat on his own.
Initially, it needs to be fed 5-6 times a day, then the number of feedings is gradually reduced. Therefore, you need to count on someone to do it. Otherwise, there will be certain problems with the pet’s health.
Pros and cons
It should be noted that the maintenance of such a large dog in the apartment has certain disadvantages:
- the organization of walks and training, which takes a lot of time;
- the dog is a source of infection;
- hygienic reasons, since the dog has a long coat;
- a lot of time will have to be devoted to education.
If the owner loves pets and is ready for all difficulties, this will not be a big hindrance.
In addition, having such a friend is also a lot of advantages:
- walking a dog, a person himself has a good opportunity to breathe fresh air;
- positive emotions;
- the presence of a loyal friend who is always ready to help;
- kindness and responsiveness of the animal;
- friendliness;
- activity;
- devotion;
- ideal companion;
- labrador does not bark without a reason.
Training
In order to evaluate only the positive aspects of keeping this breed at home, it is necessary to train it constantly and pay a lot of attention to it.
The dog must get used to the conditions of society, then its behavior will not become a problem.
A professional instructor will always give good recommendations on keeping a Labrador in any conditions. There is nothing complicated in this, since this breed is well trained, and is happy to learn new commands.
These dogs grow up for a long time, so you need to be patient. The psychological age of maturation falls to three years. Before that, they can be naughty and disorderly. They need quite a lot of physical activity, otherwise they will get bored and look for another kind of activity for the purpose of entertainment.
They can gnaw furniture, rip off wallpaper or tear things, to avoid this, you need to devote at least two hours a day to walking.
This breed strives to communicate with everyone, but our world is not always ready to reciprocate. Therefore, it is necessary to cultivate moderation in the character of your friend so that he does not impose himself on outsiders.
Consciously, the dog will not harm the child, but during the game it may be careless. Therefore, it is better not to leave young children unattended, because the dog is quite large.
Possible diseases
If the owner decided to have this animal at home, he should be prepared for the fact that it may be sick.
Most often they have the following health problems:
- food allergies;
- osteochondrosis;
- dysplasia;
- eye diseases;
- paraproctitis.
Self-medication is not recommended, you should always contact a qualified specialist.
Caring for a puppy, you should feed it in time, always caress, walk and teach it to commands. General care for dog lovers does not cause difficulties. Periodically, the ears and eyes should be examined, combed, bathed.
Where to start
The first days of the appearance of a puppy in the house can be tolerable. This is due to the fact that puppies miss their mothers, brothers and sisters. During this period, you can not leave them alone, you need to be prepared for sleepless nights. This applies not only to the Labrador breed.
You need to play with a dog, offer toys, delicious bones or tree branches. You should hold the animal in your hands confidently and firmly enough, but without having to lift it.
If the floors in the apartment are slippery, the animal may suffer from incorrect pawing.
Therefore, after eight months, the floor should be covered with a pile coating. It is impossible to lock puppies in a dark place, for this reason their psyche is upset, rickets may appear, bones and muscle tissue develop incorrectly. At two months old, puppies like to bite, they need to be weaned from this, but know the measure in everything. Otherwise, the dog will grow cowardly.
A Labrador should be accustomed to his place from childhood. It shouldn’t be on the aisle. It is best if it is away from drafts and heating appliances. This breed likes to sleep on a raised platform, so you can use a chair or something similar. If the dog does not like it, you need to find a reason for this. Sometimes they choose a cozy place for themselves. So the animal will feel safe and will be able to rest there. There is no need to feed, treat and punish at this place.
How to get used to cleanliness
The cleanliness of the Labrador should be taught from the very first days. It will take a lot of strength and patience, but in general, the animal is understanding and loves praise. You need to choose a suitable place for the toilet, a low-edged tray is suitable for this. Puppies usually go to the toilet after changing their occupation. It can be a dream, a game or a meal.
You can only walk outside with a vaccinated puppy. Therefore, it is necessary to take care of comprehensive vaccination. The first walk can be stressful, but this is not a reason to keep your dog at home all the time. Be sure to use a leash and a collar, then the animal will not run away. Using the elevator, you should be careful that the puppy does not end up on the other side of the doors. Initially, the walks will be just an excursion, acquaintance with the unknown world.
At first, you need to walk on the street for no more than twenty minutes, then the time can be gradually increased.
By the age of six months, the puppy can be subjected to prolonged walking and jumping over obstacles. It is not necessary to keep him on a leash all the time, but then you should choose a suitable place for the game. It is not necessary to allow long descents from the stairs. Then all the limbs will be correctly placed, and the spine will be smooth, which is very important for dogs of this breed.
Vigilance of the owner
For your pet, you need to find friends who will be his peers. Swimming and playing with the ball will be useful. But you don’t need to force him to do what he doesn’t like. You can come up with a lot of other, no less interesting options.
In order for the nails to be worn off, the dog should be led along the asphalt. In those places where transport goes, the animal must remain on a leash.
To prevent ticks or insects from clinging to the pet, its fur can be treated with special means. This is especially important in the warm season. Today, aerosols, collars, drops are provided for this. Puppies of this breed need to be treated with affection and care, then they will grow into good helpers and loyal friends.
They should be praised or scolded only at the moment when the act was committed.
Otherwise, he will not understand why he is being punished. One of the most important commands is “can’t”, “place” and “sit”.
It is necessary to train young dogs for no more than ten minutes twice a day. It is always necessary to achieve the execution of the command and not stop halfway. They should not be allowed to growl at themselves and other family members. The puppy should understand that next to the owner it will always be good, satisfying, it will be petted and fed.
If you give your heart to dogs, they will definitely reciprocate. They only need a warm voice, hearty food and kind eyes.