Products We Use

• Medium crate (36”), or a large crate (42”) with a divider they can grow into. Usually only the metal ones come with a divider – not the soft crates. 
  • You want to keep it small at first so they don’t poop in their home. 
  • We had a 42” at first and it’s just too big to take dog shows,  so now they each have their own 36” and it’s the right size. They also make matching beds for inside. 
  • They should sleep in it nightly when you bring them home. It should stay open during the day and become their safe place, never a bad time out place. 
    • Add a comfy blanket so you can then use that on the bed, car seat, etc and they’ll be used to it.
  • Soft crates are fine, we’ve never had an issue of them ripping, tearing, or breaking one. They fold flat for when you need to travel, and are very lightweight.

• Soft plush toys. I get them at Home Goods or Marshalls because they’re cheap. Neither dog are chewers, like hard toys, or destroy toys. 
  • Please don’t give them antlers, or anything hard – it can and will chip a tooth. If you can’t scratch the chew with your fingernail it’s too hard for their teeth. 
    • Yes plenty of people feed them, but we personally don’t. 
  • Also, please never feed rawhide toys – rawhide can get stuck in their gut and cause a blockage.

Buying Blues and Yellows will be what your dog sees best!

What colors do dogs see?

What color toys to buy your dog?

Poop bags – amazon is the best – stock up! 

• Human Baby teething rings that go in the freezer
  • At 12 weeks their baby teeth will begin to fall out and they’ll be sharks. Literally! Cut fingers are no fun. Your hands will take the brunt as they play so immediately put a toy in their mouth instead. This is also where you correct them when they chew on anything they shouldn’t – shoes, plants, door frames, etc. This is where you nip the teething in the butt at a very early age and solve the problem from the beginning.

• As puppies – use kibble – when they’re little don’t hop them up on unnecessary junk food – simply use kibble pieces as your training bites. They won’t know the difference and they love it. 
  • Minus the amount you give as treats from their regular portion so they aren’t over eating. 
• The only treats we feed is plain dehydrated beef liver. It’s pure and very very healthy. Don’t get tricked by all the marketing and cute stuff out there!
  • I also just recently saw it at costco. Just make sure it’s one ingredient. 
• Did you know xylitol will kill a dog? It’s the fake sugar in gum and other candies. 
• Know what foods and fruits/veggies are safe for dogs. 
  • Ours love apples and carrots!

• Raw goat’s milk is amazingly healthy for them when they are young. It’s full of probiotics and they love it on their food. We use Souly Raw brand. 
• Salmon oil pills when they’re 6 months old start them on salmon pills. (As adults they both eat 3/day, Fee one pill for every 25lbs.)
  •  Once your puppy’s coat’s healthy shiny sheen is lost – it’s lost. You can never get it back as an adult. You have to keep them healthy and supplemented on a great diet while they’re young and maturing to keep them shiny for life. 
  • Ensure your pill brand offers high EPA and DHA levels of the Omega-3’s as that is what truly matters.
• Origins Pet Supplement – Every feeding they get a ¼ cup scoop on their kibble (6 mo+) and we add water to make a sauce. You have to build up to that amount starting with a teaspoon at time as it’s a  gut clear out and you’ll cause diarrhea due to the probiotics. Start every other day and with just a little and as they age build up. 

• Farmina N&D Lamb and Blueberry (Puppy in medium/maxi kibble size) is what they’ll be eating. We choose to feed a grain free food because Neena prefers it. 
  • She didn’t need a slow feeder and still eats slow, while Cleo did need a slow feeder as a puppy as she’s your typical lab and inhales food.
  • Some vets/facebook posts/propaganda will say grain free diets cause DCM in dogs – and there is zero evidence of that.
    •  They thought grain free may have been the cause but there is zero scientific proof of this. If we felt it was an issue we wouldn’t feed it to our own dogs. 
• I would stick to lamb or fish as the main protein because a lot of labradors are allergic to chicken and we didn’t want to test if they were, we just went to lamb. 
• I will provide nutrition plans from Farmina to all of you with discounts to purchase the food directly from their website and set up an auto ship. 
• Please have a bag of food already on hand when you pick up your puppy. 

• Use stainless steel or ceramic – plastic bowls hold bacteria and dogs can get dog acne. Wash them every feeding to keep germs away.

• Have I already warned you dog hair will be on EVERYTHING!? I was in Germany for work and went to put my shoe on and there was dog hair in my shoe. That is why getting their coat healthy and shiny young will help them shed less. That’s also why we feed the salmon pills. 
• I use a horse curry comb to loosen the hair/massage them once a week, then use a 12 blade double coat comb to pull the loose hair out. Don’t over do this, it’ll keep coming out cause you’re breaking it. Just take the loose dull undercoat stuff. This is once the puppy coat blows and the adult coat starts to shed – again after 6 months. 

Pet Hair Roller – This gizmo works so well getting hair off the couch. We love it!

• As soon as you hear the click clack of nails on the floor they need to be trimmed. 
• I trim the dog’s nails once a week. 
  • It’ll help your dog not slip and have better traction. 
• When we show them they are judged on the length of their nails (general appearance and grooming) so we also keep them very short for that reason. 
• We have already introduced your puppy to a nail dremel so please keep it up. They are not scared of it and that training needs to continue. Nail clippers are a bit more dangerous for newbies cause you can snip a nail too short and cause bleeding.
• Here is a guide to the quick (blood supply) in the nail and where to grind to. If you want to every 3 or 4 days you can trim the nails to keep them very very short if that’s your preferred look. 
• If you do grind too far or hit blood don’t worry. The quick naturally recedes if you trim often, or grows out and is too long if you let the nail grow. That’s why you need to be up on the maintenance and trim often to keep the quick short. 
  • Purchase Kwik Stop to stop the bleeding instantly if you do go too far. 
• I use this dremel and this fancy grinder head cause it’ll never wear out. It’ll pay for itself over your dog’s life.

• Vetricyn gel is magic. I use it on my own cuts. I’ve used it on their belly buttons. It’s safe for a dog to lick and works on anything. It’s probably cheaper in a pet store. The gel is nice cause it doesn’t drip. 
• Kwik Stop above
• Benadryl hard pills (not soft gel they can kill dogs cause of the xylitol) pills. For any allergies they may ever get. Please consult your vet before giving your dog medication. 

• My favorite bumpers are from Gunner because the dogs are not as likely to “cigar” the bumper (hold the end), but rather carry it properly in the center.
  • White is highly visible
  • White/Black is great on versatile backgrounds
  • Orange is blind to a dog (they don’t see orange well) so it’s a more advanced training tool.
• Whistles we love the field trialer whistle from Gun Dog Supply.

• Join a few facebook groups now – people post great questions, you read wonderful ideas and feedback, and you join a community. You’re always welcome to ask me first. 
  • Labrador Retriever Group
  • Labrador training tips and tricks with positive reinforcement techniques
  • California Labradors
  • Labrador Only – geared towards show people if you want to learn more about that. 

• If you have pet insurance first you’ll have your puppy’s initial shots paid for! 
  • We will send the puppies home with TruPanion which gives you a month free with their hopes of renewing the plan. TruPanion does not cover exams like AKC Pet Insurance does so we prefer AKC below since you can add exam plus. Please compare and see what works best for you.
  • When you register your puppy with the AKC you get a month free, but it is basic and covers nothing. You’re better off getting your own AKC Pet Insurance Plan – adding wellness and exam plus – and vet visits are covered up to a certain amount. Depending on your budget you can add dental and other options as well. I have all the add ons and it’s paid for itself every year. 
  • Figo is also offered by Costco and seems like a good option as well.
  • Also check through your work – some big employers offer discounted plans.

• If you want the cost of your puppy back should some freak tragic accident happen you can get a mortality policy (KennelPro) for if your pet dies. I did this because of the cost of Neena as a breeding dog. 
• This is my rep: Linda Castillo, lcastillo@mourerfoster.com