Labrador Retriever Questions and Answers
Temperament, colours, coat, feeding, growth and puppy paperwork: answers to the questions we’re asked most often.
First Things First: How to Avoid Scams
Every day, people thinking about getting a Labrador ask us the same questions. We’ve gathered them here, with the answers we also give over the phone. You don’t need any knowledge of genetics or veterinary science: these are the basics to know before bringing home a puppy that will be with you for many years.
One piece of advice above all: don’t buy sight unseen. Avoid pet shops, fairs and online ads. Contact several breeders and go and see the puppy’s parents – at least the mother – and the place where the puppies are raised.
- Ask for the pedigree and check who the breeder is. A reputable kennel has a kennel name recognised by its national kennel club (in Italy, ENCI-FCI) and a veterinary licence, and will show them to you without hesitation.
- Ask how many breeds they breed. Anyone advertising lots of different breeds is often not a breeder but a dealer.
- Look at the parents and their health tests. Ask for official HD/ED scores, DNA test results and, if available, show results.
- Read the reviews. Families who have already taken home a puppy are the best proof of how a kennel works. Ours are on our reviews page.
- Be wary of very low prices and puppies that are always available. Raising a puppy properly involves real costs: health testing, care, vaccinations and time.
The Breed
What is a Labrador’s temperament like?
A well-bred Labrador is balanced and playful, never aggressive. It’s strong and lively, but also very affectionate and cooperative. It loves being with people and other animals and doesn’t cope well with being alone.
It can live as part of a family, even in a flat and with children, as long as it gets daily outings to burn off energy. It loves to please the people it lives with, so it learns willingly – especially when there’s a reward involved.
No Labrador becomes an easy adult just because it’s a Labrador: it needs consistent training from puppyhood, especially in the first year.
What does “Retriever” mean?
A retriever is a dog bred to fetch and bring back. The Labrador descends from the St. John’s dog, used by fishermen in Newfoundland to retrieve nets and fish from the water.
You can already see this instinct in a puppy: it picks up everything it finds (stones, sticks, grass) and nibbles hands as if they were toys. It’s up to us to teach it what it can and can’t play with.
What colours are there?
How big is an adult Labrador?
The FCI standard gives a height at the withers of 56–57 cm (22–22.5 in) for males and 54–56 cm (21.5–22 in) for females. Weight depends on the dog’s build: a fit adult Labrador weighs roughly 25–36 kg (55–80 lb), with males heavier than females.
It’s an agile dog with an excellent nose and a great love of water: a good swimmer, with a dense undercoat that protects it from cold and water. Precisely because it’s strong and full of energy, training matters: in play it can hurt someone without meaning to.
Does it shed a lot?
Yes, be prepared for it. Labradors usually moult twice a year. If a dog spends a lot of time indoors at a constant temperature, it sheds a little all year round.
Brush it often – ideally every day during moulting – to remove dead hair. A bath a couple of times a year is enough. For everyday cleaning, a microfibre cloth and a spray bottle of half water, half apple cider vinegar works well.
A Labrador will jump into every puddle: if you’re very house-proud, another breed might suit you better. After a swim in a river or the sea, rinse it with fresh water and dry it well at the base of the tail, to avoid limber tail syndrome (“cold tail”).
A glossy coat depends above all on a good diet.
The Puppy
At what age can I take my puppy home?
In Italy a puppy cannot legally be sold before 60 days of age. We wait until 90 days.
The extra weeks with their mother, littermates and adult dogs teach puppies how to behave with other dogs. Separating a puppy too early can lead to behaviour problems.
What documents should come with the puppy?
When you collect your puppy, it should have:
- a microchip already implanted and registered with the national dog registry, which is then transferred to the new owner;
- a health booklet with vaccinations and parasite treatments, signed by the vet;
- a certificate of good health from the vet who examined it;
- registration with the ENCI Stud Book (ROI): the pedigree arrives a few months later, because ENCI headquarters in Milan sends it to the local branch;
- a written sales contract.
Ask the breeder as many questions as you like: anyone who works well is happy to answer. What we provide: how reservations work.
How much should a puppy weigh at 2–3 months?
There’s no single ideal weight: it depends on the parents’ build, the number of puppies in the litter and how the puppy was fed in its first months. In our experience, a healthy puppy between two and three months weighs roughly 6–8 kg (13–18 lb).
Weigh it as soon as it gets home and then every 15 days. Between the second and third month, a puppy that eats well usually gains 500–600 g (about 1–1.3 lb) a week. Growth slows between the fourth and seventh month and almost stops at around eight months. From then on, it’s mainly muscle mass that increases.
A puppy should be compact, with strong bones. If you can see its ribs, take it to the vet.
How much and what should it eat?
Up to 6 months, a puppy eats three times a day: morning, midday and evening. From 6 months, two meals are enough, morning and evening.
We recommend natural feeding, with no additives or preservatives, instead of kibble. At around 8–9 months it’s worth checking the dog’s weight with your breeder and deciding whether to change its diet.
Don’t give one large meal and don’t let it run straight after eating: splitting food into several meals and letting the dog rest reduces the risk of bloat (gastric torsion).
Water should always be clean and available, and bowls should be washed every time. Check its weight by eye too: if it’s too thin, increase the portion a little; if it’s too fat, reduce it.
How much exercise can a puppy do?
In the first year, the joints are still growing. Daily walks are fine, on even ground: a pavement is better than a field full of holes. If you can, let it swim a little, as it strengthens the muscles without putting strain on the joints.
Going uphill, a puppy’s weight shifts onto its hips; going downhill, onto its elbows; and when it runs, the load on its joints increases. So, at least until 5 months:
- no jumping, up or down: sofas, low walls, logs, the car (lift it instead);
- no stairs: carry it; once it’s too heavy, let it go up and down slowly on a short lead;
- no running on slippery floors, especially if the floor or its paws are wet;
- no wild running, especially downhill, and no running in the dark;
- little sand and few stones: unstable ground tires the joints;
- no play with much bigger dogs, which can knock into it or jump on it;
- never pull it by its legs, and support its body well when you pick it up.
Can hip and elbow dysplasia be prevented?
Dysplasia is a multifactorial condition: genetics play a part, because the predisposition is inherited through several genes, and so does the way the puppy grows – its weight, diet and exercise.
Official HD/ED scoring of the parents reduces the risk, but no breeder can guarantee a puppy free from dysplasia. Healthy parents can still pass on the predisposition.
A puppy isn’t born dysplastic, and in the first months its joints are normally a little loose. There’s no need for X-rays too early: official scoring is done after 12 months. In the meantime, the most useful thing is to keep your puppy lean as it grows, and avoid jumping, stairs and wild running.
Travelling
Can a puppy travel by plane?
Yes, but it should be assessed case by case, so as not to stress the puppy. A dog can only travel in the cabin if dog and carrier together stay under the airline’s weight limit, usually 6–10 kg (13–22 lb): a Labrador puppy soon exceeds it. Always check the airline’s rules before booking.
To travel abroad within the EU, a puppy needs an EU pet passport and a rabies vaccination, which can be given from 12 weeks and becomes valid after 21 days. Countries outside the EU may have additional requirements. For our puppies going abroad, we take care of the vaccination and paperwork ourselves.
