Labrador Retrievers for Dummies (Paperback)

by Joel Walton (Author), Eve Adamson (Author) "We love dogs in general and Labrador Retrievers in particular, and we're guessing that you do, too!..." (more)
Key Phrases: canine behavior consultant, doggy den, pet dog trainers, United States, American Kennel Club, Canine Good Citizen (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
You have a picture in your head. A picture of yourself with your practically perfect dog. You’ve always preferred big dogs, and your ideal dog is sturdy, strong, and energetic. At the same time, you envision a dog who is gentle and completely in tune to your needs, your whims, and your every move. That perfect dog is likely a Labrador Retriever. After all, the Labrador Retriever is the most popular dog in the United States, according to American Kennel Club registrations. Labs are beautiful, friendly, adaptable, easygoing, brave, loyal, dependable, and intelligent. What could be better?

Labrador Retrievers For Dummies is a useful guide to have if you're thinking of getting a Lab or even if you already own one. Perhaps you're just curious about this popular breed. This handy reference is for you if you want to

Find out if a Lab suits your lifestyle

Know what to look for in Lab pups

Determine if a breeder meets high standards

Understand health and nutrition needs

Handle emergencies with a cool head

Train your dog with the lure-and-reward technique

Show off your Lab in competitions

You can live a fulfilling life with your Lab by making sure she is socialized, healthy, and well trained. What better task for humans and dogs than to be great companions for each other? However, you may need some help in knowing how to get the most out of your relationship with your Lab. This friendly guide offers that help with the following topics and more:

Exercising your pup and older Lab

Choosing the right veterinarian

Exploring spaying/neutering

Keeping your Lab beautiful with good grooming

Helping your dog deal with divorce, a new baby, moving

Managing barking and whining

Housetraining your new puppy

Traveling to dog-friendly vacation destinations

Choosing a pet sitter or boarding kennel

Volunteering your lab as a therapy dog

Labrador Retrievers are big, energetic, and sometimes boisterous (especially as puppies), and they don't take care of themselves. They need you. Don't let them need you unless you're ready to be needed.

From the Back Cover
"Buying this book is the smartest thing you can do." Ian Dunbar, Ph.D., author of How to Teach a New Dog Old Tricks Praise for Labrador Retrievers For Dummies® "I recommend this book to any dog owner who wants the real scoop, not just Lab enthusiasts." — Jean Donaldson, author of The Culture Clash and Dogs Are from Neptune "I wish [this book] had been available 25 years ago when I bought my first Labrador." — Kate Fulkerson, Ph.D., Labrador breeder and trainer

Find out about your Labrador Retriever's special needs

Get the lowdown on keeping your dog healthy and content Labrador Retrievers are versatile, serving as family companions, hunting buddies, guides for the blind, service dogs for the physically challenged, and drug-detector dogs. This fun and friendly book gives you expert advice on Lab temperament, shows you how to train your dog to be a well-mannered companion, and much more.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (September 28, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764552813
• ISBN-13: 978-0764552816
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #24,370 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for Labradors...a "bible" for all dog breed owners, April 8, 2002

By	Helen Hollander (Lawrence, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a Certified Dog trainer, I have read and own many training manuals and reference books. Joel Walton's and Eve Adamson's book is one of my favorites. Labrador Retrievers for Dummies is not just for Lab owners. It is a most wonderfully written *soup to nuts* owning, training and management "bible" for any dog breed owner. I suggest many books to my cients, this being one of the top three.

Written so the average dog owner can clearly understand what owning/caring for and training a dog is all about,not only makes Labrador Retrievers for Dummies an enjoyable read, but makes training your dog EASY, POSITIVE AND SO REWARDING. There is no "behaviorese" to decipher and this book thoroughly enables you to understand how to turn you relationship with your pet into "only a good thing!"

60 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, Interesting Philosophy, October 20, 2000

By	"tbtrout" (Richmond, VA USA) - See all my reviews

My wife and I read this book before deciding we wanted a lab. It is well organized, follows a nice progression, and is very well written. Above all, Joel and Eve's love of labs shine through. At first I wasn't sure if I could trust a "Dummies" book, but this one at least is excellent. Joel espouses lure and reward training and he sold me on it via this book. If you believe in punishment training you may not enjoy the book quite as much. If you are considering getting a lab or have a puppy we found this book to be a great foundation. After reading this book, we wanted one of Joel's labs.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book for Labs for Pets, December 30, 2003

By A Customer

This is a well-written book that would be a good starting point for new labrador retriever owners who are getting their dogs as family pets and are not familiar with basic training techniques. I'd recommend it for anyone who has never trained a dog before, or for one who is not familiar with the more gentle training methods that have become popular over the last several years (because they work!). It serves that purpose very well, even though some readers might find that their "warm and fuzzy" approach goes a bit far. Suggesting that you give your dog a body massage, for example, may seem a bit much for some ... or a great idea for others.

In fact, probably the biggest strength of this book is that it is a solid pet training resource for all breeds. It could easily remove any mention of labrador retrievers and still hold up well.

Perhaps because one (both?) of the authors is a professional dog trainer, the authors are quick to advocate hiring a professional trainer for your dog. They also suggest that busy working people obtain the services of "dog sitters" to take care of the pup during the day. While this may end up being very good advice in some cases, perhaps a better approach is to not buy a labrador retriever in the first place--unless you have the time and open space to train and maintain that sort of dog. Unless you are in the financial position of being able to employ a nanny for your puppy, having to hire an obedience trainer and/or daytime dog sitter is usually the desperate outcome of making a bad decision in selecting your pet. These dogs need to spend time outdoors and time with people.

This is not the best book to buy if you have any intention of hunting with your dog or training it for field trials. There are a couple of very good books on the market that focus particularly on that sort of training. Check around for those.

Although it is a relatively small gripe, the biggest fault that I found with this book is that the resource lists are not very robust. They seem to have been tossed in by the authors (perhaps to fulfill the "formula" of the publisher) as an afterthought. It gives the impression that the authors imparted their own expertise freely, but only grudgingly tossed in a few scraps of information from other sources.