Amerikennels


Labrador Retriever Characteristics

LABRADOR RETRIEVERS ~ AVAILABLE 12.5.09

Loyal, loving, affectionate and patient, the Labrador Retriever is one of the most popular breeds in the United States. They are intelligent, good natured, lively and sociable ~ a fabulous family pet, great hunter as well as an excellent service dog.   Versatility is their middle name!  Loving to to play and please, if water is around, they will find it.  They are equipped for this by nature as their webbed feet allow for some superb swimming.  Amazing with children as well as other dogs, their highly intelligent nature and eagerness to please makes them exceedingly trainable ~ best done when they are a puppy.

Height:

  • Males 22-24 inches.  (Some males can grow to 100 pounds or more)
  • Females 21-23 inches

Weight:

  • Male 60-75 pounds
  • Females 55-70 pounds

Life Expectancy:

  • 10 to 12 years

Grooming:

  • Average shedders
  • Smooth short-haired double coat is easily groomed by brushing regularly with a firm bristle brush.  Pay special attention to the undercoat. 
  • Shampoo only when necessary.

Exercise:

  • Eergetic dogs. 
  • Love to work and play hard. 
  • Take them on a daily, brisk walk, jog or allow them to run alongside you when you bike. 
  • Train them to heel so that they see you as dominate ~ the leader or alpha dog. 

Feeding:

  • Labradors tend to gain weight. 
  • Do not over feed.  Check with your breeder or vet for specific instructions. 
  • Best NOT to feed them table scraps. 
  • Proper care and feeding will be rewarded by a long and healthy family member.


DOG-DAY THANKSGIVING
November 26, 2009, 11:34 AM
Filed under: Amerikennels, Labrador Retriever, Pet Care, Renee Badall, Renee Rienas Badall, holiday

On this HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY, we naturally want to embrace all our family members, including the dog . . .

While cooked turkey meat is safe for dogs to eat, but be extremely cautious when discarding items used to cook the turkey:

Skewers used to secure the turkey are the #1 trouble-causing item. 

Also be careful with the string, pop-up timers, and roasting bags. Swallowing such things can cause an intestinal blockage or perforation.

Turkey bones should never be fed to dogs. All poultry bones splinter easily, and, whether splintered or whole, they can lodge inside or perforate a dog’s intestines.

Turkey skin is something dogs love to eat, but consuming fatty food like poultry skin can lead to gastric distress and Pancreatitis, a serious inflammatory condition of the pancreas that causes vomiting and dehydration.

Caution your family and friends who may be tempted to share food with the dog, especially the small children who may find it hard to resist feeding the dog anyway; and, the dog who finds it too easy to steal food from little hands!

If you feel you must share with your dog on Thanksgiving Day:

A sudden change in diet, like a big bowl of full of turkey and all the trimmings could cause an upset stomach and diarrhea.

Add a few pieces of boneless, skinless turkey meat to their regular food.

Make something special ahead of time to give your dog on Thanksgiving Day – like Turkey Dinner Loaf or Turkey Gobbler Treats.

Give your dog a special new chewy, an irresistible new toy, or a treat filled Kong Toy or Buster Cube to keep him occupied during the meal.



PUPPY DEVELOPMENT

11.9.09 Tri-colors on the grass 2

    BEHAVIOR UP TO 3 WEEKS OLD

-A puppy is born blind, deaf and toothless

- During its first week 90% of a puppys time is spent sleeping and 10% eating. They are only able to crawl

- The puppy’s eyes, which are closed at birth, open when it is between one and two weeks old. It then begins to see

- The pups ears should open when it is two to three weeks old

- Puppies whimper when they are cold, hungry or uncomfortable

- Puppys grow while they sleep

- A puppy is reliant on its mother for the first few weeks for food, comfort and to learn basic dog requirements

    BEHAVIOR BETWEEN 3 – 7 WEEKS OLD

- A puppy will be weaned between the ages of 3 and 7 weeks

- During the ages of 3 to 7 weeks its first teeth, or milk teeth will appear

- A puppy is taught basic behaviour disciplines from its mother

- A puppy will continue to develop by socializing with other dogs and animals and people

- Puppies will stand up and start walking

- At the age of 3 weeks a puppy will develop its sense of smell

- At 3 weeks the puppy will begin to bark and show social development such as wagging its tail, growling and baring its teeth

- Up to the age of 4 weeks the mother will be with the puppy almost constantly

- The puppy has good use of its legs and is able to chase

    BETWEEN 4 and 5 WEEKS, THE MOTHER WILL GRADUALLY SPEND TIME AWAY FROM HER PUPPIES

-Rapid growth and development rate at this stage

-Interaction with litter mates leading to Order of Dominance

-After weaning puppies need to receive a series of vaccines in order to develop immunity on their own. Vaccinations for puppies generally include distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parainfluenza, parvovirus, rabies, and sometimes bordetella



Summer Safety Tips for our 4-legged Friends
September 6, 2009, 9:00 AM
Filed under: Amerikennels, Pet Care, Renee Badall, Renee Rienas Badall, Training

5.19.09 146 As we enjoy the last summer holiday with our pets — Labor Day — it is important that we keep in mind (as always), the safety of our pets. Here is a link that will take you directly to the ASPCA’s pet safety tips: http://bit.ly/PetSafetyTips



DOGS and THE ANN ARBOR ART FAIRS

small dog in crowd

I’m a dog lover.

There’s absolutely no doubt about it. I own more dogs than I will admit to my business associates and sane friends; however, the Ann Arbor Art Fairs — or any art fair — is no place for a dog.

~ It’s hot, and when it’s hot, it’s cruel to your 4-legged friend.

~ It’s crowded. When your leash goes one way, your dog the other, it’s irritating to the crowd & harmful to the dog.

~ They need regular water and when they drink, they need a place to go to the bathroom — in private, where other fair goers won’t have to walk in it or smell it.

~ They poop! Yes, poop . . . and nobody wants to see you carrying around a bag of the hot stuff, either!

So, leave your dog at home this year — in the air conditioning, in front of a fan, with plenty of water and treats — and enjoy the Ann Arbor Art Fairs — all of them. You can buy them something . . . and they’ll be oh so happy upon your return!

Oh, and speaking of owning more dogs than I know what to do with . . .

    we still have 3 Vizsla puppies for sale

at a GREAT price to a GOOD home. call me em comp



VIZSLITORS & VSLOBBER!
  • jewell in yellow chair closeVIZSLITORS are people that my Vizsla thinks come to our house
    solely to see her.

    VSLOBBER is the greeting bestowed by my Vizsla on said Vizslitor.



  • VIZSOSITY INDEX

    Vizsla puppies in a rowA not arbitrary number agreed on by the family as the maximum number of Vizslas per household.

    We are WAY OVER our Vizsosity Index . . . call or email me [please]. ReneeBadall@gmail.com. 734-754-0456.



    Won’t You Be My Parent?
    June 21, 2009, 9:33 PM
    Filed under: AKC, Breeding, Hunting, Pet Care, Puppies, Training, Vizsla


    Training your Vizsla Pup
    June 21, 2009, 3:39 PM
    Filed under: AKC, Breeding, Hunting, Pet Care, Puppies, Training, Vizsla
    Striving to be a member of the family he serves, the Vizsla is not content to be "put in the kennel with the dogs."

    Vizslas are very smart and trainable, and eager to please. In fact, they need training to be good companions so all that mischievous energy gets properly channeled. Tired puppies are much less trouble than puppies who are full of the devil! Regular daily exercise, off the lead so your pup can tear around, will help a great deal in keeping your house and your life more puppy-proofed. BEWARE! Vizsla pups NEED this exercise-without it they will use your house as a race track and actively look for trouble! Find a park or fields where you can SAFELY run your pup in completely fenced areas with lots of space and no vehicles. First rule of training: the COME command.

    Remember, Vizslas are sensitive dogs who do not respond well to harsh training methods, and since they mature slowly, they often have short attention spans and get bored easily during training sessions when young. Intersperse fun and reward with serious training and know when to quit keeping the training sessions fun and anticipated by the pup. The #1 rule of thumb is not to let a puppy do anything you wouldn’t want a 45-65 lb. adult dog to do.



    Make an Appointment to Socialize Your Puppy Today!
    May 9, 2009, 9:10 PM
    Filed under: AKC, Breeding, Hunting, Pet Care, Puppies, Training

    Andrea and puppy WCJacob & puppy 3 WCJacob & puppy WC