Let’s just say having eight dogs can be a handful, but spending time with these pups makes it all worth it.
I breed purebred labrador retrievers. At my kennel my dogs range from four months to three years old, and a lot of them are still puppies or young dogs.
In raising puppies, they become like your children. They think of you as mom, and it creates this bond that is unlike anything else.
The thing about labs is that they will do anything to be by your side. And that’s really all they want, is your company and love. It’s no wonder dogs have been man’s (and woman’s) best friend for as long as we can remember.
When I'm not cooking up a storm, I spend most of my time at the kennel with these dogs, so I wanted to share some of it with you guys. Between taking them all out for walks, training them, feeding them and cleaning up, I don’t have much time for anything else, haha.
Here’ s my first vlog about the puppies:
I mentioned their eye colour in the vlog and then forgot to explain what Finn's eyes will look like when he's older, haha. So his eyes are blue now but when he matures they will turn to an amber colour similar to Dakota's eyes.
What to expect when you get a labrador puppy
You can see two of my older dogs in this video. They’re black female labs. Notice the difference in energy between them and the puppies?
As puppies, they eat, sleep, play and repeat. All day long. And the playing takes up a large portion of that. So be prepared for going for long walks with them every few hours, even every hour at first. And you'll be glad you did, because the more they run around, the more they'll sleep.
Once labs hit about two years old, they become fully mature and they stop growing. At which point their energy level goes down, and they become a bit more calm and relaxed, without the constant need to run around and play.
On the other hand, labradors are called retrievers for a reason, and they have been hunting dogs and working dogs for many generations. Even when fully mature, they'd literally be physically capable of running around all day long if they had reason to. One of my black female labs whose three, will never stop if you throw her a ball or a stick. But the rest of the time she can be pretty relaxed.
This is all common knowledge if you're a labrador owner. But for those of you who don't have labradors, this should give you a sense of what to prepare for if you're thinking about adopting a labrador puppy. It's very rewarding raising labrador puppies. And at the same time it's good to be mentally prepared and know what you're getting yourself into.
It was another beautiful day in the country, ending with this stunning sunset
I'll continue to post about my labs to give you guys a sense of what to expect when getting a labrador puppy, and I'll cover some other topics such as potty training, general training and tricks, and what to feed them. And if you guys have any questions, feel free to let me know in the comments. I hope you enjoyed this vlog and I’ll continue to keep you posted.
Exciting news!
Oh and I’m going to have lots of excitement at the kennel in the coming weeks because I have a litter on the way. And two new additions to the family who will be coming home in less than two weeks. They’re silver labrador puppies, a rare colour of labrador, which I'll be talking about in my upcoming posts. So there's going to be lots happening around here, and I’ll keep you updated.
Much love,
Natasha