Monday, January 27, 2014

Charcoal Labs Are Lovable Pets

By Nelda Powers


It is almost impossible to get the same level of loyalty and love that a dog gives, from any other pet. Like humans, canines come in all shapes and sizes, temperaments and colors. A lot of people, especially those with children, find that one of the gentlest and most loyal choices for family pet are charcoal Labs or their colored brethren.

This breed is reliable and has been a favorite choice for family pet, hunting assistant, special needs companion and rescue services. Only the prevalent colors of yellow, chocolate and black are acknowledged by the AKC, but Labradors can also be variations of red, champagne, grey, silver and charcoal. The different hues are generally considered blends, or muted hues of the original three.

The main characteristics and personality qualities are basically the same in all Labradors regardless of their coat color. A strong body, intelligent mind, gentle spirit and eagerness for praise are some of the attributes of these dogs. Because of their affinity for retrieving and the ease with which they are trained, this breed is perfect for hunting trips, being a companion, employment as a seeing eye dog or other special needs assistant and especially as part of Search and Rescue missions.

Labradors not only crave human companionship and attention, they thrive on it. Then enjoy active play, especially running, retrieving and fetching whatever is thrown for them. They will spend all day on those games, have a tendency to bring their people gifts of whatever they happen to find laying unattended and have been known to be very effective at preventing children from wandering off.

Not only do they love to run and play, Labradors have a natural affinity for the water, are natural swimmers and will jump in without a second thought. Like people, the do have to learn this feat so puppies may be hesitant at first, but once they get their feet wet, so to speak, they are very enthusiastic. Pool owners need to make sure that there are steps to help the dog out of the water since their bodies are not capable of lifting them over a ledge without assistance of some sort.

Although this breed is sturdily built and extremely obedient, they make horrible guard dogs. They will bark threateningly to protect their family but aggression and violence are generally not part of their personality. A Labrador's loving nature makes them better suited as babysitters, unless licking an intruder into submission is acceptable.

As size goes, these dogs are in the medium range, having a maximum shoulder height of about twenty-five inches and high end weight of approximately seventy-five pounds. Their bodies are solid and sleek, topped with a broad block shaped head and ending with a thick, extremely strong tapering tail. They have a downy undercoat for insulation and a hard outer layer for waterproofing.

Charcoal Labs and all their various colored brethren, this breed makes a wonderful family pet. They are obedient, gentle, intelligent, very lovable and kid friendly and do well with individuals with special health needs. It is important to keep in mind that they do need a lot of exercise and attention and as perfect as they are for companionship, they should never be intended to be guard dogs.




About the Author:



No comments: