Labs Can't Have Just One

New Designs:
Labs Can't Have Just One

If you have ever had a Labrador Retriever you know Just One Isn't Enough....this loving and devoted companion and hunting dog comes in many colors but all of them are the No. 1 dog breed for many. Friskybiz Designs invites you to shop our wide selection of dog breed designs.....great Christmas and birthday gifts.

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

Lures and Labs

When the 2nd Annual Celebration of Pets Day rolled around our area, we couldn't just stay home and ignore all the fun to be had. So, I loaded up the Lab Brats and headed out to the festivities - by myself.

No, no mistake going by myself. I was prepared with prong collars to let the girls know that I was in charge and there was no yanking mommy's arms out of her sockets. Well, at least that is normally what is communicated when I put them on.

That was, well, until I brought them near the lure course. Unfortunately I didn't bring any cash because it was a free event but the lure course cost around $6 a shot. So, I thought I would be nice and just bring them up to the gate and point out the lure.

What a mistake that was!

As the lure passed in front of us, my Labrador Retrievers took off after it and dragged me along behind them... in the grass. Granted, it was only a couple of feet before the prongs told them to stop but it was enough to let me know that if I plan to attend this event again in the future, the Lab Brats will be insisting that I bring loads of cash for the lure course or risk another arm being dislocated at the shoulder and a bunch of humans laughing at me! *embarrassed laugh*

My Dogs Live Here

My dogs live here, they're here to stay.
you don't like pets, be on your way.
they share my home, my food, my space
this is their home, this is their place.

You will find dog hair on the floor,
they will alert you're at the door.
they may request a little pat,
a simple "no" will settle that.

It gripes me when I hear you say
"just how is it you live this way?
they smell, they shed, they're in the way.."
WHO ASKED YOU? is all I can say..

They love me more than anyone,
my voice is like the rising sun,
they merely have to hear me say
"C'mon girls, time to go and play"

then tails wag and faces grin,
they bounce and hop and make a din.
They never say "no time for you",
they're always there, to GO and DO.

and if I'm sad? They're by my side
and if I'm mad? they circle wide
and if I laugh, they laugh with me
they understand, they always see.

so once again, I say to you
come visit me, but know this too..
My dogs live here, they're here to stay.
you don't like pets, be on your way.
they share my home, my food, my space
this is their home, this is their place..

-anonymous

Labrador Puppy Art

New Designs:
Black Lab Puppy Art
Yellow Labrador Retriever Puppy Art
Chocolate Lab Puppy Art

Labrador Retriever Puppy Art
Show off your love of the Labrador Retriever dog breed. These designs features a sweet, little, Lab puppy portrait framed in shades of cool blue or grassy green.

Purchase this design and more in our Labrador Art & Photography section on t-shirts, mugs, oval euro stickers, bumper stickers, bags, magnets, and more 8PawsUp.com today and be sure to use coupon code SPKUPSHIP50 for FREE SHIPPING with your purchase of $50 or more!

Member of the Family

What would I do without you
My precious, furry friend?...
Part mischief, but all blessing,
And faithful to the end!

You look at me with eyes of love:
You never hold a grudge...
You think I'm far too wonderful
To criticize or judge.

It seems your greatest joy in life
Is being close to me...
I think God knew how comforting
Your warm, soft fur would be.

I know you think your human,
But I'm glad it isn't true...
The world would be a nicer place
If folks we're more like you!

A few short years is all we have:
One day we'll have to part...
But you my pet, will always have
A place within my heart.

- Hope Marrington Molb

Looking for Love

New Designs:
Looking for Love (Chocolate Lab)
Looking for Love (Yellow Lab)
Looking for Love (Black Lab)

Looking for Love
Are you looking for love? Don't give up. Start looking in the right direction! With these yellow, chocolate, and black Labrador Retriever designs you'll forgo fickle and stick with faithful fido.

Purchase this design and more in our Chocolate Lab Gifts, Yellow Lab Gifts, and Black Lab Gifts sections on t-shirts, mugs, oval euro stickers, bumper stickers, bags, magnets, and more 8PawsUp.com today and be sure to use coupon code SPKUPSHIP50 for FREE SHIPPING with your purchase of $50 or more!

Houdini Dog

The ball is thrown, it is retrieved, brought back to the human and the cycle is played out once again. When you have two dogs with two different toys thrown, the first few throws go off without a hitch. After a while though, one dog will start craving what the other one has... and... as normal... it is always Cheyenne wanting Dakota's Cuz toy.

The Cuz was thrown again, only to bounce off of Dakota's nose and back behind the recliner. Without missing a beat, Dakota ran around the chair to grab the highly coveted toy. Alas! What is this! Cheyenne has decided to take a shortcut to reach the toy before her sister!

In less time then it takes to blink, Cheyenne dove under the side table next to the chair, making a 90-degree turn under the table and behind the chair to snatch Dakota's beloved toy. The table never moved or even shuttered.

As my husband and I sat there with our eyes wide open and our mouths agape, Cheyenne pranced around the room; triumphant in a defeat! I would have never believed without seeing it with my own two eyes. If we had instant replay, I would have played it over and over again.

Why? Well, I will tell you my friends. Cheyenne is a stocky 74 lbs and she can barely fit under the table when she moves slowly to get something lost under it. To dive head first while making a 90-degree turn in less then a second without even touching the table it is a feat worth watching a thousand times over.

Of course, I can't help but be smug as I say once again: "That's my girl!"

Now where's that agility class sign-up form cause the tunnel has nothing on her. *laugh*

Holiday Lab Cartoon

New Designs:
Chocolate Lab Christmas Cartoon
Holiday Black Lab Cartoon
Christmas Yellow Lab Cartoon

Fun Chocolate, Yellow and Black Labrador Retriever gifts for the holiday season! A cartoon lab has on brown reindeer antlers, a red bell collar, and there is a bright yellow star tied to his tail. The dog breed's pink tongue is hanging out too, as he eagerly waits for Christmas. Fun breed caricature is set against a dark winter sky, with snowflakes gently falling to the ground. Our fun lab products are available on greeting cards, hot cocoa mugs, holiday ornaments, and of course, lab apparel!

Purchase this design and more Labrador Retriever Christmas Gift Designs on t-shirts, mugs, oval euro stickers, bumper stickers, bags, magnets, and more 8PawsUp.com today and be sure to use coupon code SUITEDWHITE for $5 off your purchase of $50 or more now through September 16, 2008!

Rattling Labrador Stomach

There doesn't seem to a day that passes that I don't think about the world of Labrador Retrievers and more specifically, whether or not my Lab Brats are "normal" Labs. Then I come across an article that confirms that not only do I have Labs but that I am a very lucky dog owner.

"Scotland: Chris Morrison's black Labrador retriever will be wearing a muzzle during any future walks on the golf course after undergoing surgery to remove 13 golf balls.

Morrison noticed his dog was rattling when he walked and took him to Bob Hesketh, a local veterinarian. Hesketh was of the opinion that the dog might have swallowed a 'couple' of golf balls and decided to operate.

"It was like a magic trick. I opened him up and felt what I thought was two or three golf balls. But they just kept coming until we had a bagful," said Hesketh, adding that the balls were swallowed months ago."

I am not sure if that is considered "normal" Lab behavior but I can honestly say that is one magic trick I never want my girls to learn!

Bad, Bad Lab Mommy!

I feel like such a bad Labbie mommy.

Every few weeks, we bring the Lab Brats into the veterinarian's office to get their nails professionally trimmed. Not to worry, they don't go that long without a nail trimming since I do their nails once a week to keep them maintained while saving money. The vet is more like an overhaul of the nails to get them as short as possible since this mommy is still hesitant in cutting too close to the quick.

Well, that isn't why I am a bad mommy. You see, we always weigh our girls when we go even for the smallest of things. This time Dakota came in at a little over 82 lbs while Cheyenne was a little over 74 lbs. So, what's the big deal? They are supposed to be 80 lbs and 70 lbs respectively. (More weight on their body means a greater chance of hip and joint problems.)

My mind automatically went to their dog food - nope, that's not it - can't feed them any less. Then my mind wandered to our little tastes of human food here and there - again, doubtful since they mostly get fruit or a single lick of the baking pan. Then it hit me - my girls aren't getting enough exercise!

Sure, they get a long morning walk with their daddy and I will play ball with them for 20 minutes in the afternoon and at night. However, Cheyenne runs for the ball and Dakota waits until Cheyenne is tired of it and then steals it. That is not nearly enough exercise for Labrador Retrievers - especially when they are the English (Show) breed to begin with (stockier of this dog breed).

Alas! I have only been bringing them to the dog park once a month. Sure, I can make excuses like my schedule is full, it is too hot/cold, or I have to wash my hair... but I believe that when you take on responsibility for such a high-energy dog, you need to make time to keep them in shape... no matter how dirty one's hair is!

Bad, bad mommy! Now off to re-tune my schedule and give the Lab Brats at least one day a week at the park!

Training Trick: Staying in Yard

Do you ever wonder how some people's dogs can roam around free in a non-gated yard and yet you can't keep your dog from bolting out the front door and down the block?

It takes training of course but it can be done... the Lab Brats are proof of that. I can work on my front yard and the they will walk the perimeter or the yard and then lay down to watch everything unfold around them. No running, no bolting.

Although I started the pups on this training from the first time they started wearing leashes, it will work with almost any dog - as long as you have consistent and persistent training. Here's how:

Teaching your dog to stay in the yard
You can easily teach your dog to not run and stay in a yard that is not fenced. It takes work but both of my girls never run out the door nor step a foot off the property.

1) What you have to do is train him to stay in the yard while on a lead. Hang around your front yard and then walk the perimeter. Every time his foot goes outside your yard boundary, give him a quick tug (don't pull him in but just a quick snap on the leash) in the direction you want him to go in and say "Yard". When he steps back in the yard, give him a small treat or praise him softly with a pat on the head.

Keep doing this 15 minutes a day and then when you feel comfortable, you can leave him on the lead but out of hand and work on giving the command that way. Soon enough, you can have your dog in the yard and not wander when you are around.

Of course, never let your dog outside without you present as this will give him too much freedom to be bad.

2) When in the house, never let him push you at the door. Always get him to sit and stay before opening any door to the outside and walk in front of him when going through the doorway (telling him "ok" to follow when you want). This shows your alpha status and lets him know to follow your command when a door is open to the outside world.

This is just the beginning steps to training your Labrador Retriever to stay by your side no matter where you are. All training goes hand-in-hand so remember to maintain a positive training attitude in your house and remind your pup who is in charge.

It is a great comfort to be able to bring my pups outside with me and not worry about them crossing the street or darting in front of a car. This training is so well worth the time that you will wonder why you didn't try it sooner.

Peanut the Yellow Labrador Christmas

New Design:
Peanut the Yellow Labrador Christmas

This eager Yellow Labrador Retriever would be a great Christmas gift for the Lab lover on your Christmas list. We have ornaments, greeting cards and apparel.

Purchase this design and more Labrador Retriever Christmas T-Shirts and Gifts on t-shirts, mugs, oval euro stickers, bumper stickers, bags, magnets, and more 8PawsUp.com today and be sure to use coupon code SUITEDNICKEL for $5 off your purchase of $50 or more no through September 11th, 2008!

Other New Labrador Retriever Christmas Designs:

Don't Eat The Bug

Do dogs really mean to eat a bug when they find it? Do they think to themselves "Oh! A Snack!" or is it more like "Cool! A new toy!"?

A nasty spider was crawling over my hallway wall when I called out to my husband that he was needed to get rid of the vial thing. Now, mind you, I am in no way afraid of bugs but it is kind of one of those non-spoken guidelines in my house - he gets rid of bugs and I do everything else. *laugh*

But I digress...

No sooner do I call out to him does Cheyenne notice it on the wall. A sniff here and a sniff there as it scurries along to find some refuge from the giant nose. (Hey! I would be afraid of a dog's nose too if I were a small spider! That thing must must be a huge vortex to a spider!)

I knew it was coming - Cheyenne would next move onto tasting the spider to see if it should become a staple of her diet. No sooner do I push her out of the way does the Lab Brats Daddy call back from the other room (without seeing us): "Just let the dogs eat it!"

What?!? They are dogs, not cats. We did not get them to eat rodents and sacrifice bugs to their feline Gods!

Plus the last time a spider bit Dakota in the middle of the night, she woke with half of her face melting off due to an allergic reaction. No way am I letting them near another one and risking my babies. Let's risk the husband instead!

*smiles innocently and scratches her puppies behind their ears*

With a smile and a sigh he picked the spider up with a tissue and flushed it down the toilet with Cheyenne in tow. Let's see her get her mouth on it now! *wink*