The Great Mud Lab

It was another beautiful day at the dog park and we paid special attention to where the mud puddles were so we can avoid them. It seems Dakota had other plans! *laugh*

I think that every person out there that is thinking about bringing a Lab into their lives should sit down and watch this video first. If you don't like much dirt in your life then you shouldn't get a Lab. You should see the Lab Brats daddy's car!! LOL

Labs & 4th of July Safety

Independence Day and similar holidays are supposed to be a time for celebration, so why is your Lab not celebrating? Fireworks! Sure, they are pretty and give us a warm feeling of independence, but these big boomers are nothing to bark at! Some Labrador Retrievers actually enjoy the festivities and are able to stay next to their owners without flinching. However, most Labs would rather have nothing to do with the elaborate colors and ground-shaking boomers. For them, there is no place too small in which they cannot squeeze into in order to... [Read full article]

Peace Love Labradors

Peace. Love, Labradors. Three dog lover silhouettes in a row, a Peace sign in soft blue, a Love Heart pink, and a Labrador Retriever outline in green with the words The Perfect World. An appealing way to show your love of the Lab dog breed.

Purchase this design on t-shirts, mugs, bumper stickers, bags, magnets, and more in our 8PawsUp.com Labrador Lovers Dog Gifts section today!

July 4th for Lab and Country!

Just in time for the 4th of July! We just added a brand new Independence Day section to our 8PawsUp.com store and they are just too wonderful to pass up! What is more American then apple pie and Labrador Retrievers? Well, we don't have the apple pie but we sure have these Patriotic Labs and Summer Fun Labs! Perfect gifts to show your American Pride, celebrate the 4th of July, or show your love of Summer! Check them out in our Patriotic Labradors Dog Gifts section today and don't forget to use coupon code "MOUNDGARDEN" to get $5 off your order of $50 of more now through June 21st!

Don't Shave Me!

I keep receiving emails and post comments from people asking whether or not they should shave their Labrador Retriever to keep them cool during the summer. The answer is simple: NO!

Labs should not be shaved ever! This is not because I think they would look silly without their fur but rather because the coat of a Labrador Retriever dog is meant not only for body temperature regulation but also helps maintain the overall health of a Lab. I think this website and Labrador Retriever breeder/owner from Woodhaven Labs summed it up very well:

Shaving a Lab

Do you want me to reach through the monitor screen and shake you? You never shave a Lab for maintenance. NO! NO! NO! NO! The ONLY reason to shave anything on a Lab is:

1. For Surgery
2. For a Hot Spot

If you dog is having surgery, let the vet shave the area that needs to be shaved. If you see a hot spot, then yes you need to shave the area where the hot spot is to keep it from spreading. Shaving a Lab for routine maintenance is just WRONG. As you can see, I feel very strongly about this issue.

Some people feel they must shave their Lab because all that hair must make the dog hot. WRONG. The undercoat actually keeps the dog cooler.

Some people feel if they shave their Lab they can keep the dog from shedding. WRONG. The dog will still shed. Shedding is natural for a Lab. What it will do is instead of shedding normal undercoat which is fluffy and soft, the dog will shed short, prickly hairs which will poke your skin if you make contact. Short, prickly hairs hurt.

Please don't shave your Lab. Groom it thoroughly instead. Your dog will thank you. Besides, your dog won't be the laughing stock of the neighborhood either.

So, please, please, please... for the love of Labradors don't shave your Labrador Retrievers! Double-coated dogs are not meant to be shaved and you are actually making things worse for your beloved fur child!

Honestly, read this information on Why you shouldn't shave your long haired or double coated dog for how harmful shaving a Lab truly is.

Stirring Creatures

I never thought I would ever say this but my Labrador Retrievers are slower then a snail today!

The Midwest storms rolled through our area once again and brought horrible lightening, thunder, and rain. The Lab Brats weren't able to sleep a wink. Well, between the storms last night and the cleaning crew gutting our basement from the flood waters all day yesterday, these poor doggies haven't truly slept in more then 24 hours. So when we called them to give out morning hugs and kisses, they walked over slowly to us while yawning continuously. Sure, the tails wagged but it was pathetic, just the small tip of each tail going back and forth slowly. They are exhausted and want their house and schedule back to normal.

Within the next 3 days the cleaning crew should be coming back to pick up their 13 huge fans and 1 monster dehumidifier to that we no longer feel like we are living in Men in Black Entrance Way (Holland Tunnel Ventilator Shaft). Although the dogs will have a long time before they are able to play in their basement again (has to be reconstructed), the noise will be gone and the activity level in the house will lessen.

Until then, Dakota and Cheyenne will continue to walk around with drooping eyes and a lot less Labbie perk in their step. Poor pups... we promise to get it all back to normal as soon as we can... promise!

Itchy Pup

Giving belly rubs and scratch downs to both the Lab Brats is nothing new in our house. Every day, we spend a few minutes scratching their hard to reach places and laughing while they do the back foot in the air dance. However, I have started to notice that Cheyenne has been doing the foot dance more often.

It seems Cheyenne's chest, shoulders, and ears have become more itchy lately and my relieving the itch during one of these "scratch downs" is heaven to her. She can't reach those places and it drives her crazy.

Upon closer inspection, it seems something is drying out her skin more in those areas. Normally I would chalk it up to something she may have rolled in or the weather but we did change their food recently from the fish to the duck food... thinking that since the duck didn't have chicken in it, it would be cheaper and still fine. However, it seems that the oils from the Eagle Pack Holistic Select® Anchovy, Sardine & Salmon Meal Formula really do make a difference for their Lab coats and skin. Sure, it is more expensive then the duck formula but if it makes our Labbies healthier and happier then it is well worth the extra money.

Well, that and the fact that my hand is getting tired from scratching all her hard to reach places so often... *laugh*

Doggy Hell

This weekend was just horrible for us. On Friday mommy left with her suitcases and forgot to take us along. Cheyenne and I were just devastated. How could mommy just up and leave us like that? Doesn't she know we are Labs and crave to have our humans with us at all times?

Yep! Mommy left alright... she went in this huge thing the humans call a "plane" for business on the "west coast". Now I don't know what those things really are but I do know that in the moment mommy left us, our world went upside down.

Sure, daddy returned from work on Friday and gave us loads of love but he just isn't the same as mommy. He did his best but we were quickly forgotten. It wasn't his fault... it was something called a "tornado". Now I have never seen one of these things before but it is fast and moves around in a circle. Cheyenne and I thought it would be some new toy to play with but daddy didn't seem too happy about this thing getting close to our house.

Then the rain came... and came... and came... Cheyenne and I were stuck in the house without even our basement to play in as the rain started to turn out basement into an indoor pool. Daddy was frantic trying to keep out all the water and that confused me and Chey. I mean, who wouldn't like an indoor pool, right? We were so excited that we kept trying to get down there to play in it while daddy was running around faster then a tornado thingy. He kept bringing stuff up from the basement. Woo hoo we thought. More room for the pool! But daddy was dead set on keeping our all that wonderful water from our play area. It was a losing battle but daddy still refused to let us get our paws wet.

All weekend it was like this... until daddy ran out in the middle of the night last night after his phone rang. Not a word to us doggies - just out the door he flew. When he returned, Cheyenne and I were ready to give him an earful but when the door opened... could it be?? Mommy!!

We couldn't keep our tails from wagging so hard they were coming back and hitting us in the head. Cheyenne and I jumped over each other to fight for our mommy's attention and tell her about the awful weekend we all had. She was home and all is now right in the world... well, except for the pool in the basement. We think it should stay but our human parents are set on putting it back to normal. Oh well - a Labrador Retriever can dream, can't she?

Lab smiles,
Dakota

What's New This June

Hot off the press! Our June 2008 issue of "Lab Tails" is now available for you online!

Make Us Proud

It never fails. Every time we go to the dog park, at least one person will compliment our Labs on how well behaved and calm they are. They stare in amazement as the Labs never stray far from our sides or look to us for approval to do something before heading off.

Yes, it is true that the Lab Brats are very well behaved at the dog park. Except for the fact that any mud pools override any commands to stay away from them, they seek to enjoy the time at the dog park with their human parents. That does not mean that they came this way straight from their biological mother. No way!

My feet and hands still have small scars from where they used to use me as a teething toy. Bruises used to line up and down my legs as a road map of Labs running out of control (only to stop once they plowed into me). Bags under my eyes served to remind me of all the nights I would go without much sleep because the pup would be crying in its crate or needing to go potty every couple of hours - no matter if there was a winter blizzard in the middle of the night or not.

Labrador Retrievers need to be trained. Believe it or not, a well trained Lab is a very happy Lab. The dog learns what makes its owner happy (all they want to do is please us) and where it stands in our pack. There is a sense of peace and security as the Lab knows its place in this world and is truly content in life knowing its job and purpose.

So, whenever we hear kind words about the Lab Brats at the dog park, we beam only as a proud parent would for every moment we have spend training has been worth the time 10-fold.