Why does my Labrador's coat look lighter?

I have puppy owners ask about why their chocolate lab's coat looks lighter in the summer. 

A lot of people assume its from sun lightening and there can be a bit of that but the truth is that Labrador retrievers "blow" their undercoat twice a year (aka shedding).  This will give the lightening or reddening affect. 

Don't worry, as long as you don't wash labs with soap, (and I believe, feed Life's Abundance which can be purchased at godivalabradors.com) your furry friend's coat will go back to their beautiful and shiny coats soon enough.

A Day In The Life of a Training Puppy

I got this information from Labradors.com and I'm so impressed I had to share it with all of you!

If you have a puppy and need help, if you are going to get a puppy, if it's been a long time since you've had a puppy, or if you're like me and you love to learn new information, this is the BEST visual I've seen on training and caring for puppy! 

This is also specific to Labrador puppies which love love love to chew.

Washing Cement for Puppies

It's super important to NOT have your puppy on any public property (think cement, grass or anywhere) until they have their last Parvo Vaccine at around 16 weeks or 4 months old.  Could be a bit longer depending upon if you are consistent with vet visits.  

If you have a shared cement space (living in apartments or condos), you can use this video tip to clean the cement.

In a large bucket squirt 3-4 squirts of dish soap and 1/3 cup of bleach and add hot water.  It will foam up.  Then pour small amounts on the cement and brush with a broom.  When finished with area, rinse several times to wash all bleach/soap solution off.

Click the link below to watch the video!

Washing Cement Video

What do you need for your new puppy?

What do you need for your new puppy?

www.godivalabradors.com

Supplies you MUST have

• Water Bowl
• Food Bowl
• Leash
• Collar (purchase an adjustable one as they grow quickly)
• Food - Life's Abundance Large Breed Puppy Food <-- Order before you get puppy)
• Local Veterinarian (Visit ASAP to keeps shots current and get advice)
• Dog bed or blanket and pick a location where they will sleep.
• Puppy Pee Pads (you will use these to show your potty trained puppy where to go)

Optional Supplies

• Dog toys and chews
• Treats (no colors/additive/perservatives)  <-- click to order
• Dog clippers for nails (unless you will pay someone to do it)
• Dog Carrier for car rides
• Dog Crate (if you are crate training)

It is important to take your new dog to the Vet ASAP as they will make recommendations on shots, flea, tick and parasite control and give general advice about your puppy.  Also ask about a Puppy Package.  This is usually the least expensive way to pay for the 1st year of appointments.

DO NOT buy shampoo, as even sensitive types will strip your labs essentials oils on his coat. They can develop sensitive skins and allergies as well as lose their beautiful shiny coat.  Warm water works fantastic and I recommend you bringing your pooch in the shower with you every once in a while when they start to smell like a dog.

You can spend a fortune on your puppy but remember that their favorite toy is you!  I don't recommend that you purchase puppy toys because labs grow so quickly and they will end up breaking off pieces of a toy and either choking or damage their digestive systems and require surgery or worse!

Recommended Toys

• Stuffing free toys
• Ropes and braids
• Bumpers (these are used to throw into water for retrieving
• Nylabone brand toys - these are specifically designed for powerful chewers.
• Tuffy products - these are quilted and highly rated as extremely durable and difficult to destroy.  They have soft edges that won't hurt gums, float, and are machine washable for longstanding use.  They come in all kinds of shapes and are my favorite toys for labs!

Day 28 Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YijlVyHc_18&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Chocolate lab puppies day 21

Here is day 21 of our sweet babies on day 21.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq2VlQ94LP0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Puppy Food

Everyone always asks me what I feed my dogs and the puppies or what food do I recommend. The answer is Royal Canin http://www.royalcanin.us/

PUPPIES 8 WEEKS-15 MONTHS

LABRADOR RETRIEVER PUPPY 33™ is designed exclusively for pure breed Labrador Retriever puppies from 8 weeks to 15 months

Did you know? 

If a Labrador Retriever Puppy grows too quickly, his weight can outpace his skeletal development, even leading to deformities. And, Labrador Retrievers (even puppies) are prone to gain extra weight, which can cause problems as they grow.

SAFE GROWTH

LABRADOR RETRIEVER PUPPY 33™ provides balanced energy levels to maintain a steady, healthy growth curve. 

HEALTHY WEIGHT

Just like adults, Labrador Retriever puppies are prone to extra weight, causing problems as they grow.LABRADOR RETRIEVER PUPPY 33™ is formulated with L-carnitine which may help to burn fat. 

ULTRA DIGESTIBLE

The digestive tract of a puppy is not fully developed until he matures.  LABRADOR RETRIEVER PUPPY 33™ is formulated with a special blend of fibers that gently support the puppy's healthy digestion.

Read more including ingredients at
http://www.royalcanin.us/products/products/dog-products/breed-health-nutrition/labrador-retriever-puppy-33

DOGS OLDER THAN 15 MONTHS

LABRADOR RETRIEVER 30™ is designed exclusively for pure breed Labrador Retrievers over 15 months.

Did you know? 

Labrador Retrievers typically eat very quickly and gulp their food. They also tend to gain weight, which puts more stress on their joints. The Labrador Retriever also has a waterproof coat—their skin secretes an oil that protects it against cold and water.  

HEALTHY WEIGHT

Increased weight can lead to serious health problems.LABRADOR RETRIEVER 30™ is formulated with precise energy levels and L-carnitine to improve fat metabolization.

JOINT HEALTH

More bodyweight increases the level of stress on the skeleton. LABRADOR RETRIEVER 30™ contains supplemental levels of glucosamine and chondroitin to support healthy joints. 

WATERPROOF COAT

The Labrador Retriever's skin secretes an oil which protects them from cold and water. LABRADOR RETRIEVER 30™ is formulated with Omega 6 fatty acids to help support a healthy coat.

TAILOR-MADE KIBBLE

Labradors tend to eat too much too fast.The LABRADOR RETRIEVER 30™'s kibble is specifically designed to prevent gulping, help your dog to feel fuller more quickly and reduce the amount of calories consumed.

http://www.royalcanin.us/products/products/dog-products/breed-health-nutrition/labrador-retriever-30

Most owners use the Royal Canin but a few didn't and ended up going back to it for the shiny coat and calm personality.

*Always make sure to check with your vet and make sure to slowly switch over to new food to avoid stomach upset.

Puppies are 17 days old

Puppies are more than two weeks old already. Time sure flies by! 

We still have females left if you or anyone you know would be interested. Puppy visitations will start in a couple weeks on Saturdays. You need to be a puppy owner to visit. 

These puppies are simply darling. They are starting to play with eachother and  bark and growl. So cute. I'm in Heaven

Check out this video from today 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-V6TjkQvJs&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Also here are some pictures

Chocolate lab puppies Day 9

Here is a video from day 9 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UZTn8AfFpU 

Happy 4th of July!

For this 4th of July we are living on our dogs and decided to take photos with the American flag. 

Coco eating a bone and taking a break from the puppies and Rolo standing proud (and with his tongue hanging out as always). 

Rolo

Resses Pieces 

Have a safe 4th of July and watch yours dogs. This is the number one time of year when dogs run away! 

Puppies Day 7

Our AKC Chocolate Lab puppies are already one week old. It seems so hard to believe. It feels like yesterday they were born. 

The puppies are growing rapidly, and chocolate labs tend to do. The two largest are Green and Black at 1.6 lbs. 

The smallest is Pink at 1 lb. 

All the rest of the puppies are 1.2 - 1.4 lbs and all are growing on target. 

To see our daily videos including the puppies' birth, make sure to check out our www.youtube.com/godivalabs channel. 

Also daily pictures and info are posted on our www.facebook.com/godivalabradors page. 

Puppies puppies everywhere

Puppies were born on 6/26/13 and we've been a little sleep deprived making sure all the pups are eating, weighing them, charting the progress, speaking and interviewing potential buyers, and don't get me started on the washing of blanket and towels. Lol!!

Even after all of that its been a miracle of a time. I love how sweet and attentive Coco is with her babies. She is eating three times a day and drinking a lot of water to make all the milk needed to feed 8 puppies. 

Coco had 6 girls and three boys. She lost one little boy "blue" and we were devastated but the Vet said that its unusual we haven't had a death before now with this being our 5th litter. Coco is not phased thank God and the other puppies are doing very well. 

We have daily puppy videos posted on our YouTube channel Godivalabs and you can follow these babies from their births forward. Enjoy!! 

Coco is in labor

So Coco started panting and exhibiting  labor behavior at around 10:30 this morning getting in her birthing box and making a nest out of the blankets. 

It's a long process. Its 7pm right now and she goes from sleeping to restlessly walking around to getting in the birth bed to getting out 

She's just sort of all over the place and not sure what to do with yourself. 

I'm excited to see the puppies but I want her to also have a really easy time of it so we're just letting her do her thing and making sure she's eating and drinking along the way and getting herb out walking around. Just letting thelabor happen  naturally. She's really restless and just herself. her temperature is 99 and anything below hundred degrees means she will have puppies in the next 24 to 48 hours so hopefully by this time tomorrow she'll have all her puppies out and be resting comfortably. 

The next blog will be about the birth. 

How to make a whelping box

Following is a video on how to make a whelping box. Our AKC chocolate Labrador Coco Pebbles is 85lbs and having at least 9 puppies. 

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO  http://youtu.be/dGQAbJw8E-M 

We will use this as a dog bed for our three labs after the puppies go home. 

Enjoy!!

Yummy dog treats!

This is a great article with fantastic and easy dog treats. Enjoy! 

Two Great Homemade Dog Treat Recipes to Make

By  Lisa Williams   Jun 3, 2013

http://www.infobarrel.com/Two_Great_Homemade_Dog_Treat_Recipes_to_Make

How to make dog toys out of old tshirts

We created a video on how to create dog toys out of old Tshirts. Help the environment by reusing and help your wallet on all the toys you buy.  Here is the video. Enjoy!! http://youtu.be/KXbS-XIa-CQ

Chocolate labs on the way!

Well, here we go again!! Coco is having her last litter around June 30th!!  We have 1st and 2nd pick of males and females already taken so if you know of anyone who would be interested, have them contact us right away. www.godivalabradors.com

Making a dog bed

I found this great site that reuses old pillows and an old curtain. It has such easy to follow instructions that I had to share it with you. ENJOY!

http://www.joyfulabode.com/2010/06/06/how-to-make-a-dog-bed-step-by-step-with-photos/

Peanut Butter Rice Balls (No Cook)

So Rolo and his brothers and sisters from the 3rd litter are turning 1 tomorrow!!

In honor of his birthday the family always makes a little yummy thing to eat for the birthday dog and the other two get to eat also.  I found so many yummy recipes that I posted on our facebook site  www.facebook.com/godivalabs and Pinterest site http://pinterest.com/jenvazquezcom/godiva-labradors-chocolate-love/ and Instagram site http://instagram.com/godivalabradors 

I decided, while in the kitchen and surveying what I had and didn't by way of ingredients, to create my own recipe.  I was interested in making a No Cook recipe but included rice as I usually have some on already cooked rice on hand.  If you don't, you can leave the rice out.

Ingredients:
3 Cup oats
1 Cup (already cooked) rice
1/2 Cup peanut butter (the natural low/no sugar is best)
1/4 Cup parmasean cheese
1/4 Cup warm water

Start with a glass bowl (this mixture will stick too much to plastic bowls). Add oats and peanut butter and mix with fork by pushing oats into peanut butter.

 Once it's mostly combined, add parmesan cheese and 1/2 of the water.  Use warm to hot water so that it mixes well with the oats. Mix with your hand squeezing mixture together. After a few minutes add the rest of the water and once again squeeze mixture together.

  Add already cooked rice to mixture and again squeeze and mix together. Put a dinner plate out and sprinkle a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese on plate.

Take a tablespoon and scoop out and squeeze and roll into a ball.  And roll in cheeses onto dinner plate. Once done put plate into freezer for 1-3 hours to harden.

This way the dogs (if they are anything like mine) won't inhale the balls they will actually chew them.
Makes 16-20 balls and they will keep well in a ziplock bag in fridge for 2 weeks or freezer up to 2 months.

 

 

ENJOY and please let me know of how you enjoyed the recipe and feel free to share it!