Labrador retrievers were bred to be excellent hunting dogs with the power, stamina, and motivation to chase down downed animals and swim as far as necessary to return prey to their hunter.
These dogs have a natural drive to recover. With the utmost focus and determination, the labs take their recovery jobs seriously. Although most of these dogs are door-to-door pets and do not hunt, they are just as motivated when chasing a ball or running after a stick.
Labradors were made and developed to use the power of their jaws like a stern hand. During almost all waking moments they feel the need to put something in their mouth and, without the presence of an animal, they will grab as much as they can. This is great for people who love to play fetch with their dog, but not so great for dog owners who hate that their dogs always put objects in their mouths.
Labs have an oral obsession
Several families run and buy a puppy without doing one iota of research on what type of dog they are getting into and how it will act based on their genetics. Believe me I know. A relative of mine went out and bought a Labrador Retriever simply because her neighbor had one. He did not realize that this type of dog needs special care. Her hands were busy caring for her new dog. Labrador Retrievers are known to have an oral obsession because due to hundreds of years of breeding specifically to catch fallen birds in their mouths when hunting. This behavior definitely carries over into your everyday life.
The polite laboratory owner recognizes that any object within reach of his dog is considered fair play and it would never occur to him to yell at the dog for such behavior. Untouched lab owners find this behavior useless and will yell or even hit the animal in an attempt to get the dog to stop putting things in its mouth.
There is a fine line between allowing your laboratory to express its internal recovery needs and allowing it to destroy anything inside the house that it can nibble on. This is where specific training and obedience lessons come into play. These dogs are born to chew, so you should take action for their chewing tendency by using a crate and dog shelter in your home.
Regular supervision and developing daily play sessions with your lab is a must for both you and your dog to be healthy. Unfortunately, many people bite off a lot more than they can chew when they get a Labrador Retriever. Many dog owners don’t realize that labs need a lot of love and care. If you decide not to participate in the proper education and training that a laboratory requires, you will be very frustrated and unhappy while your dog will become bored and violent. So before you get that adorable Labrador Retriever, you need to consider whether or not you are capable of handling all that it takes to care for one.
