Blog | Hidden Pond Labradors

When is a Good Time to Get a Puppy?

Posted on June 1, 2020

We’re sure that many single people or families have been considering getting a puppy, especially during the quarantine that has been going around in the world due to Coronavirus Pandemic. Every person or family’s situation is different, which you have to keep in mind when considering bringing a puppy into a fam.

There are FOUR Major questions you should be asking yourself:

Do I Have the Time for a Puppy?

This is probably the most important question you have to ask yourself. Time for a puppy is crucial to their development, training, and “initiation” into your family. If you can’t make time to train your puppy and provide them with exercise, then it’s probably not the best time for you. A dog needs to be fed, taken out to the bathroom, and learn commands.

Can I Afford a Puppy?

Another big question is can you afford a puppy? Having a dog is going to add an expense of food, vet bills, vaccinations, and other necessities dogs need to survive in a home. You’re bringing in another family member to your home. You have to consider your budget when bringing a dog home. If you can afford it while paying your bills and living comfortably, then a puppy can be a good move.

Is Everyone I Live with On Board?

You have to be considerate to others you live with. If you have a family, live with roommates, it’s important to get on the same page with them when you’re considering getting a puppy. If one of your roommates or family members is on edge about the idea, you should not test it. If everyone is enthusiastic, then go for it, as long as every other doubt is curbed.

Do I Have the Space for a Puppy?

Last but not least, the space you have is a major factor when bringing a puppy into your home. If you live in a small apartment, consider how the puppy will enjoy living there. Access to a public park or dog park is also very important. Do I have enough room for my puppy to be comfortable, and do I have enough space when they grow to be comfortable? These are major questions to ask yourself. If you have access to parks, a somewhat spacious home, and room for them to play, then you are all set.

At Hidden Pond Labradors, we know Labrador Retrievers are the best puppies to bring into your life. When you go all in with a dog, no doubt should be in your mind because then your care and training may take a hit. Contact Hidden Pond Labradors at 607-857-1461 today if you’re ready to bring a loving Labrador Retriever into your life.

Fun Dog Toys for Your Labrador

Posted on May 19, 2020

Labradors love to play and get outside. They enjoy games and spending time with the family, and that is why giving them the best toys to play with will fill them with happiness, especially during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Here Are Some Toys to Get Your Lab

Whether you get your dog chew toys or interactive toys, there are some fun ones for them to keep busy with.

Westpaw Hurley – This flexible bone will allow your dog to chew without breaking or ripping. The colorful toy is suitable for fetch in the water and on the land. They’re also non-toxic, and the many different colors allow you to spot them in the yard. You won’t have to worry about losing it when playing fetch with your Labrador.

Kong Stuff-A-Ball Dog Toy – This red rubber ball is made to insert treats for your dog, so it gives them something to search for when playing the rubber toy. It’s also designed to help clean your dog’s teeth and gums for improved health. Give your Labrador a tasty treat to look for in their new toy.

Goughnuts Tug Toy – This interactive toy is the perfect dog toy for your Labrador who enjoys tug of war once in a while. This durable tug toy is designed to make sure your dog doesn’t obtain any injuries to their jaw. You won’t have to worry about rope toy ripping apart after some intense tug of war battles with this durable toy.

Hidden Pond Labradors

At Hidden Pond Labradors, we take care of our Labradors with love and care, so when you and your family bring home a loveable Labrador, you get to enjoy their friendly company every single day. We know it can be tough during the quarantine to keep your dog busy, but your Labrador will love new toys.

Contact Hidden Pond Labradors at 607-857-1461 today to find out how you can take a beautiful and loving Labrador home.

How to Get Rid of Fleas on Labradors

Posted on April 28, 2020

Knowing how to get rid of fleas is extremely important, especially during this time when everyone is staying home. Fleas on dogs happen more often than you think, so it’s much better to be prepared just in case. There are ways to get rid of them, and there are also ways to prevent them.

Here are some ways you can prevent and get rid of fleas with your Labrador:

Spotting Fleas with Your Labrador

There are many signs telling you that your dog has fleas. For one, if you spot one on your dog’s fur, it most likely is a sign that there are more hiding under their skin. If they have black dirt on the skin or underneath the fur, or if they have pink or red spots on the skin and/or belly.

Clean Your House Entirely – Cleaning up your entire house including carpets, bedding, blankets, and other surfaces is important to getting rid of fleas. Fleas can live in furniture for 100 days without attaching themselves to someone. Use hot water when washing sheets, blankets and other fabric.
Bravecto for Your Labrador – Providing your Labrador with the best protection against fleas and ticks is extremely important. WE RECOMMEND Bravecto for your Labrador. This treatment is given orally to dogs and lasts for three months. This is the best treatment against fleas and ticks.
Preventing Them from Living – There are plenty of natural ways to prevent fleas from living. Especially during quarantine, it can be tough to find products and get out to the store. You have the ability to make natural flea solutions from your home.

We DO NOT recommend collars or pour-on flea and tick treatment due to the possibility of contaminating you and your family. We believe Bravecto is the best treatment for flea and ticks.

Hidden Pond Labradors

At Hidden Pond Labradors, we want to make sure that your Labrador is healthy and safe during this time. We understand that every dog can get infested with fleas. This is not a new thing. We raise our Labs with care and love, and we want you to do the same.

Contact Hidden Pond Labradors at 607-857-1461 today if you’re looking for a new family member, or if you have any questions about taking care of your pet.

Staying Home Isn’t So Bad When You Have a Labrador

Posted on March 31, 2020

It’s been a tough time for many people around the globe during this crisis of COVID-19. We are hoping everyone is practicing social distancing and healthy habits while the world fights this virus. There are many ways to keep your mind busy and less stressed if you’re working from home during the week and trying to keep active on the weekends.

Here are Some Tips from Hidden Pond Labradors

Hidden Pond Labradors wants you to know that we understand everything that you may be going through this time. It can be stressful working from home, but a Labrador dog by your side will make everything less stressful.

Take Time for Breaks – When working from home, you’ll need to set aside some time for a few breaks. These breaks with your Labrador are critical for your mental health and the health of your dog. If you have a backyard, make sure to go outside with them and play around with them. Make sure they are staying as active as possible by playing fetch or running around. If you don’t have a big enough yard, at least take them for a short walk twice a day making sure you keep your distance from other people.
Don’t Put Your Dog in Another Room – When continuing your work from home, it’s important not to social distance yourself from your Labrador. Stressful situations can be relieved with your Dog in the room. Even if they are sitting there being a good boy or girl, they will give you the peace you need to be productive and up-beat.
Set Daily Routines for Your Lab – Humans and dogs benefit from routines and schedules. Make sure you keep your already scheduled walks, feedings, and playtime. You also might have to adjust the schedule to the circumstances.
Get Creative Indoors – It’s tough to keep active indoors, but there are creative approaches you can take to keep things interesting for you and your Labrador. For one, playtime can be adjusted to homemade puzzles and scavenger hunts with your dog. This could be applied to mealtime as well!
Continue Training – Another way to distract you and your dog from the outside world is to continue with training and developing tricks. In your regular schedule, you may not have the time to teach your Labrador new tricks, but now, you just might. If they don’t know how to roll over, play dead, shake paws, or spin around, set aside time during the day to develop these tricks with your Labrador.

Quarantining with Your Labrador

We know it can be difficult to practice social distancing, but it’s important to keep a positive attitude while this pandemic is going on. With a Labrador Retriever, you’ll not only have the benefit of having a companion by your side, but you’ll also spend time with a loving, loyal, and caring dog. Labradors are incredible family pets, and they always want to share their love with you.

Hidden Pond Labradors provides Labrador Retrievers for individuals and families. We treat these Labradors like our own with care and love. They only want the best family to accept them in their home. Contact Hidden Pond Labradors at 607-857-1461 today for more information and questions on how to stay active with your Labrador during these times.

Old Dogs: Tips for Keeping Older Labradors Healthy & Happy

Posted on February 26, 2020

Labrador Retrievers are amazing family dogs to have. They are warm and friendly with every type of person. When they grow older in your home, it’s important to keep them healthy and happy in their old age. Making sure they have the right amount of exercise and a healthy diet is vital!

Here are some tips on how to keep your Labrador Retriever healthy and happy in their old age:

Healthy Diet for a Labrador Retriever

Some ingredients in dog foods have been known to be unhealthy. What you want to do is give your Labrador Retriever the best quality food for them to live long and healthy lives. Hidden Pond Labradors suggests to feed your dog TLC Pet Foods because of the natural and wholesome ingredients in the food.

The Benefits of TLC Pet Food:

Antioxidants for disease protection
Defense against allergic reactions and inflammation
Smooth Digestion
Stronger and healthier muscles
Helps to prevent obesity

Exercise Level with Older Labs

Just as humans grow older, Labrador Retrievers also have to watch their weight gain. The right amount of exercise when growing old is needed in order to regulate the weight gain. A good tip is to talk to your vet about calorie intake with their food and seeing how you can adjust their diet and exercise habits to prevent health problems.

It’s very important to keep them active in their old age. They may not be able to hike up mountains or go on runs with you anymore, but they will benefit from shorter, yet more frequent exercise activities. Short walks and playdates at dog parks will give them enough exercise and activity to keep them in shape.

Grooming Habits for Labradors

It’s also beneficial to keep up with frequent grooming in a Labrador’s old age. Investing in a soft-bristled brush, flea comb, and a new nail-clipper is necessary with your dog’s health. They need to be groomed more frequently, which means weekly clippings and brushing sessions will be needed.

Labrador Retrievers are incredible dogs to have. At Hidden Pond Labradors, we provide happy and healthy Labrador puppies for families to take home as a new member of their family. If you’re looking for tips on taking care of your Labrador Retriever, or you just want to add a member to the family, contact us at 607-857-1461 today!

How to Get Your Labrador Retriever Off the Leash

Posted on February 8, 2020

Trusting your Labrador Retriever is key if you want them to be off the leash. A strong trusting relationship between you both has to be in place in order for this to happen. Here is how you can get to this point with your Labrador Retriever.

Fenced in Yards and Dog Parks

If you have a good amount of land or a large fenced in yard, it’s good to let your dog roam free in the yard without a leash. This is one of the most important things to do when trying to train your dog to be off the leash. Playing fetch with them at fenced in parks and at home will help them be comfortable being themselves off the leash. Bringing treats for them also helps the progression of the training.

Make Sure They Have Good Behavior

This is important to establish before you take them to any public venue. Make sure they are well behaved around other dogs and people. If not, this is an important training task to take care of before you take them out to parks. An obedient Labrador Retriever will ultimately do much better off the leash at home or out in the public.

Your Personality and Your Dog’s Personality

Every dog is different even if they are of the same breed. They have different personalities that determine their behavior around other people and at home. Your personality plays a major role in the development of your dog’s personality. They often mirror yours, so it’s important that your discipline and behavior is healthy for your dog. Check out how dogs’ personality reflects their owners’ personality.

Hidden Pond Labradors

Here at Hidden Pond Labradors, we breed beautiful and amazing Labrador Retrievers of black, yellow, and chocolate coats using the highest quality grand champions. We create a loving and caring environment for them to live in at our 87-acre property. If you’re interested in a beautiful Labrador Retriever, contact us at 607-857-1461 today!

The Labrador Retriever Resume

Posted on January 17, 2020

Everyone wants to know why Labrador Retrievers have such an extensive resume for a dog. Labrador Retrievers are one of the best dog breeds when it comes to having a pet for the family or yourself. They also are very friendly and welcoming. Their resume consists of family pets, service dogs, search and rescue dogs, PTSD dogs, etc. We want you to know why Labrador Retrievers are the best all-around dogs.

Labrador Retrievers as Family Pets

Labrador Retrievers are rated one of the top dog breeds for family pets. Why is this? It’s obvious when you notice many families owning them. One of the main reasons is because they are playful, loving, patient, protective, and reliable. With every dog, you must train the right way. When Labradors are trained right, they are the best family dogs out there.

They are highly intelligent and learn well when training, so you shouldn’t have any problems in that area. They get along well with other animals and people as well. They love getting attention, which makes them great for kids.

Search and Rescue Dogs

Labrador Retrievers are one of the prime breeds selected for search and rescue dogs. The fact that they are extremely quick and successful learners, training them is very efficient for the search and rescue tasks. It takes a great amount of stamina, endurance, and agility to be a search and rescue dog. Labrador Retrievers are naturally smart and assertive.

Search and rescue tasks consist of tracking, nose work, water search, and persistent searching. Labrador Retrievers are naturally talented at these, which gives them a higher advantage over other dogs that are training for search and rescue.

Service and PTSD

With their loving and comforting personalities, Labrador Retrievers are incredible service dogs for people who may have health and mental issues. Service dogs are trained for comforting people with Epilepsy, PTSD, and depression. A loving Labrador can be a lifesaver for some people.

Hidden Pond Labradors

Hidden Pond Labradors breed beautiful and healthy Labrador retriever puppies from a long line of black, chocolate, and yellow Labs. If you’re looking for a family member who’ll improve your life and theirs, contact Hidden Pond Labradors at 607-857-1461!

We take pride in our ability to provide some of the best family dogs in the world. We love our Labrador Retrievers and so should you. We highly recommend taking one of these amazing puppies home with you. You won’t regret it!

Why is my Labrador Retriever Having Accidents in the House?

Posted on December 27, 2019

Sometimes are dogs have accidents in the house even when they are potty trained to go outside. There can be plenty of reasons why this is happening, which means it’s important to not panic because this can happen from time to time.

Health Problem

It’s important to clear this up right away. If you’re Labrador has been housetrained for several years, and usually goes to the bathroom outside, it’s good to have them checked by a vet for any health issues resulting in them going to the bathroom indoors all of a sudden. They could’ve eaten something that wasn’t good for them without you knowing.

Medical issues including UTI’s, bladder stones, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, Cushing’s disease, etc. can affect their bathroom habits. It’s important to bring your Labrador to the Vet to rule these medical issues out, so you can figure out if there is another problem.

Separation

Sometimes your dog can have accidents while you’re not at home. This can be because your schedule has changed at work. They’re not used to being separated from you for certain amount of time, so separation anxiety might be the cause of accidents in the house.

There could even be a situation where you go on vacation for a week, and you have someone dog sit for you. Even though someone is there to take care of your dog, they could start going to the bathroom inside because of their separation anxiety since you’re not around.

There can be many causes of the accident problems with your Labrador. It’s important that you make sure nothing is medically wrong with your pet first, and then get down to the other behavioral problems.

Hidden Pond Labradors

Get Ready for the Winter with Your Labrador

Posted on November 25, 2019

Labrador Retrievers are very active dogs that love to play and wander around outside. As winter is upon us, it can be difficult to keep your Lab active in the cold temperatures. It’s extremely important to make it a habit to take your dog out at least once a day for some exercise and play time.

Here are Some Things to Do

Hike – it’s winter time, but also a perfect time for a peaceful hike with your Labrador. Getting outside during the winter is great for exercise. After, you’ll both be tired out for the night. One thing to make sure is you bring water for the both of you and keep warm. Don’t stay out all day.
Play Inside – make time to play with your dog inside during the colder months. Since you probably won’t be taking a hike every day, it’s important to spend time with them inside playing tug of war.
Walk – walk your Labrador every day. A good thing to do is take them out in the morning for a short walk and take them at night for another short walk around the block.
Doggy Daycare – since you won’t be taking your Lab to a dog park that often during the winter, it may be a good idea to take them to a doggy daycare for some playtime with some of their furry friends. This gives them a chance to play and sniff during the cold months.

Labrador Retrievers are active dogs, so when winter comes around, it’s vital to keep them busy and active, so they don’t get bored and start misbehaving in the house. If they’re active during the days when you are home, they’ll get tired easily in the evening.

Hidden Pond Labradors

Tips for Training Labrador Puppies

Posted on November 11, 2019

Bringing a Labrador puppy home can be an incredible thing. They make amazing family pets because they become a part of the family as soon as they enter your home. Training them the right way will cause less of a struggle in the future for you and your family.

Here are some tips to help you:

Obedience is Key – Labradors tend to be good learners when you teach them the right way. If you work on basic commands as soon as you take your puppy home, it will help with the training process. Sit, stay, come, drop it, and fetch are all good basic skills to teach at the beginning. Also, when eating, don’t feed them table food. Make it known that their food is in their bowl. If you start with this, they won’t end up taking advantage of begging or stealing any human food.
Exercise Helps – Labradors tend to be high energy dogs, and when they need to go out, they need to have some sort of activity and exercise to keep them active. Make it a priority everyday to take them to a dog park, take them for a walk, or go to a park to play fetch. If you don’t, they’ll end up exercising their energy in the house, which will cause problems with behavior and obedience.
Socialize – Labradors are great socializing dogs, which means it’s important to take them out to meet other dogs and friends and family. This is vital to their training because it will get them comfortable being around other people. When you have visitors, you can train them to not jump or get too excited at the door. Having them around other dogs and people won’t make them so anxious.

Hidden Pond Labradors

Hidden Pond Labradors trains search and rescue dogs for these types of cases. Whether there is a missing person, natural disaster, or you’re looking to track a loved one who is lost, we have those loving and caring dogs for you. Please contact us at 607-857-1461.