Are you planning to bring a Labrador retriever to your home? Well, there are certain things to consider before doing so.
You must learn all the pros and cons of Labrador before getting one.
If you are planning to bring a Lab at your home, you may be wondering about the cost, health and other things to consider for having a labrador.
You need to pay a price for a life with a lab and that is surely not only money.
In this article, I am going to cover some important information on the Labrador.
These are the information that all the new owners or the one wanting to be the owners need to know.
1. Space for the Labrador
Every dog needs some space whether they are small or big. For, the active and playful dog like a labrador, you will certainly need a good space in your home.
If your Labrador is untrained or in its adolescence then they may break or chew your belongings. You need to keep fragile things on the upper shelves where the dog cannot reach.
You need to keep your decorative items like paintings, sculptures, ornaments, trophies, etc out of the reach of your dog.
Labrador needs to go out frequently for bathroom breaks. You can also make use of puppy pads or newspaper if you live in a flat or don’t have a garden.
You can also train your dog to do toilet on the dog crate. However, this can take a lot of time for a dog to be trained. This also requires some space in your house.
So, it can be a lot better to have space in your garden where you can clean it up and make your dog hygienic again.
2. Time for the dog
You cannot leave your puppy alone on your home for hours when you go to work. An old dog may cope with the habit of being alone for around 4 hours daily. But, a puppy or a growing dog cannot be left alone. They will develop a habit of barking a lot and destroy things. A puppy requires much of your attention.
Labrador also needs plenty of exercises to stay healthy. You also need to get your dog trained to mold it into a well-behaved dog. You cannot postpone exercise and training routine for the weekend. Your dog might forget things he has learned over a long gap.
If you go to work daily then arrange someone who can take care of your dog at that time. You can ask help from your relative or friends. But, this thing goes for a long term so it may be a lot more to ask.
Hire a day caretaker for your dog when you are at work. This will be your best option if you can afford a caretaker.
3. Can you afford a Labrador?
A Labrador can be quite expensive to run. You need to consider the day to day expense rather than it’s initial cost while buying.
The cost of a Lab puppy differs from breeder to breeder. You can get a healthy Lab puppy at a price of $800 – $1200 in the USA. however, the purchase of a dog is very small. The cost of keeping a Labrador is much more compared to it’s buying price.
It will be more beneficial to do veterinary insurance for a dog. The price offered by modern veterinary treatment is very high. However, the price is reasonable because of the advanced technology and medical practice.
You can treat in a dog pretty much anything you can treat in a human being. You can do heart surgery or even treat cancer with radiotherapy or chemotherapy of a dog.
You need to vaccine your dog against some common illness every year. If you plan to leave them in a boarding kennel, they require an up-to-date certificate of a vaccine.
If you stay out of your house often, you need to consider the expenses of the boarding kennel.
4. Does your lifestyle fit for owning a dog?
More than anything else, you need to think about your lifestyle before having a dog. Do you work away from your home and need to take a business trip often? Do you take months of vacation every year? If yes, you shouldn’t think about having a dog unless you have someone dedicated to taking care of your dog in your absence.
Your lifestyle needs to adapt with your Labrador. You can travel with your labrador where dogs are allowed. You need to be happy with the dog in your life and change of your lifestyle.
