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Breed guide · Dogs
My Labrador meets me at the door with my shoe. I've started leaving a toy there instead.
Last updated 14 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
Dinner is gone in under a minute, followed by a look that says it never arrived.
What's going onAbout a quarter of Labradors carry a gene that makes them hungrier between meals. The answer is kitchen scales, not a bigger bowl.
At home
You come home to a shoe, a cushion or a tea towel, delivered with great ceremony.
What's going onLabradors were bred to carry a bird back without a mark on it. Leave a toy by the door and that is what you will get instead.
At home
Any pool, fountain or puddle, with or without permission.
What's going onTheir ancestors worked in the North Atlantic. Swimming is the exercise their joints like best, as long as you dry their ears after.
At home
Room to room all day, then stretched across the bathroom doorway.
What's going onA Labrador was bred to spend the whole working day beside one person. A midday walk or a visit breaks up a long day alone.
At home
One more throw, in any heat, for as long as you keep throwing.
What's going onRetrievers were chosen for not stopping. You decide when the game ends, because their hips and elbows are already a risk.
At home
Every guest is an old friend, and gets greeted by jumping up.
What's going onThe friendliness was bred in. The jumping is learned, so teach four feet on the floor while they are still small.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their day
Built for: The whole day outdoors, next to a person.
In Dubai: Often the day in a flat, while their people are at work.
Their water
Built for: Going into cold water, again and again.
In Dubai: A pool they may not be allowed near.
Their food
Built for: Bringing things back in their mouth, and being fed for the effort.
In Dubai: Food that arrives without any work attached.
The stealing, the chewing, the weight and the teenage chaos mostly come from that gap.
A flat will never be a marsh and a boat. What you can give them is a job, and the ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the risks on a Labrador's record at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
The food they find on the pavement counts as much as the food in their bowl.
Every age
Why
The food they find on the pavement counts as much as the food in their bowl.
What to do
Practise "leave it" every day, at home first and then outside. If someone else does the walking, give the walker the rules: the treats you hand over and nothing else, and no picking things up off the ground.
Their coat was made for the North Atlantic, and they will keep playing long after they should stop.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
Their coat was made for the North Atlantic, and they will keep playing long after they should stop.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds. If you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it. Keep games in the heat short and take water. If their back legs go wobbly in hard play, stop straight away and call your vet.
They were bred to work beside a person from first light. A long, empty day is where the chewed door frame comes from.
Every age, hardest from 6 months to 2 years
Why
They were bred to work beside a person from first light. A long, empty day is where the chewed door frame comes from.
What to do
If you are out for more than a few hours, arrange a midday walk, a visit or daycare. Leave a stuffed chew when you go. Keep leaving and coming home low-key. If they are distressed when you leave, contact your vet rather than trying to fix it at home.
Jumping up is funny in a puppy. At full size a Labrador can knock someone over.
6 months to 2 years
Why
Jumping up is funny in a puppy. At full size a Labrador can knock someone over.
What to do
From six months to two years, expect pulling, jumping and selective hearing. Reward four feet on the floor every single time someone says hello. Two short training sessions a day, paid with part of their dinner.
A Labrador's tail rarely stops, so small changes are easy to miss.
Every age
Why
A Labrador's tail rarely stops, so small changes are easy to miss.
What to do
Once a week, run your hands over their ribs, spine, hips and paws. You should feel their ribs easily. Smell their ears, look between their toes, and note any new lump. Weigh them once a month.
They were bred to carry things. If you do not give them something, they will choose it themselves.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They were bred to carry things. If you do not give them something, they will choose it themselves.
What to do
Keep a soft toy or a canvas dummy that is theirs, and hand it over when guests arrive or you come home. If they take a sock, swap it for a treat. Do not chase them, because that makes it a game they win.
Retrieving is the job they were bred for, and they will not stop by themselves.
Every age, gentler from 7 years
Why
Retrieving is the job they were bred for, and they will not stop by themselves.
What to do
Five to ten throws, then stop. Ask for a sit and wait before you send them, and throw along the ground or into water rather than high in the air. Skip the ball launcher.
About a quarter of Labradors carry a gene change that makes them hungrier between meals, and weight gain makes every joint problem worse.
Every age
Why
About a quarter of Labradors carry a gene change that makes them hungrier between meals, and weight gain makes every joint problem worse.
What to do
Weigh their daily food on kitchen scales. Take treats out of that amount, not on top of it. Feed part of each meal by hand while you train, or from a slow feeder, so eating takes more than a minute. Your plan scores their body condition at every visit, with a weight-management diet if they need one.
Swimming is the exercise their joints like best, and moisture left in their ears makes infections more likely.
Every age
Why
Swimming is the exercise their joints like best, and moisture left in their ears makes infections more likely.
What to do
Use any water they are allowed into. Show them the steps out of the pool every time, and never leave them near one alone. After every swim, dry inside their ear flaps and use the ear cleaner your vet gives you. Monthly ear cleaning is in your plan from six months to four years.
Hip and elbow problems are among the first health risks on a young Labrador's record, and marble floors do not help.
Every age, evaluation before 2 years
Why
Hip and elbow problems are among the first health risks on a young Labrador's record, and marble floors do not help.
What to do
Put rugs or runners where they turn and run. Lift them in and out of the car, or use a ramp. Keep stairs to a minimum while they are growing, and book their hip and elbow evaluation before they turn two.
Three of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Working or show line
Working lines come from Labradors bred to work in the field: lighter and busier. Show lines are bred for the show ring: heavier, calmer, and quicker to put on weight.
Colours
Labradors come in black, yellow and chocolate. Yellow runs from the palest cream to a deep fox red, which is what most people mean by a golden Labrador.
The first six months
Their full vaccination course, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first. Keep their growth slow and steady, because fast growth and early weight gain are already on their record.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the flat ready
Put rugs or runners where they turn and run, and lift them in and out of the car, or use a ramp. Marble floors are hard on young hips and elbows.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Ask the breeder for both parents' hip and elbow scores, the x-ray grades of how well the joints fit. Hip and elbow problems are among the first risks on a young Labrador's record.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll keep bringing you shoes. If they stop meeting you at the door, tell your vet.
Before they were yours.
Until c. 1900
The Labrador comes from Newfoundland, where their ancestors, the St John's water dogs, swam out into the cold Atlantic for fish that slipped off the hooks, and for lines and ropes.
What they still carryA dog that expects to spend the day in the water, working next to their people.
Early to mid 1800s
In the 1800s, ships trading with Poole in Dorset brought some of those dogs to England, where shooting estates bred them to retrieve ducks and game. A good one sat quietly all day and brought each bird back without a tooth mark.
What they still carryThe soft mouth, and a dog that is easy to train.
1885 to the 1980s
The fishing dogs in Newfoundland died out.
What they still carryA breed with its roots cut off, carried on by the shooting estates alone.
1903 to 1917
The Kennel Club recognised the breed in 1903.
What they still carryTwo kinds of Labrador. In the UAE you will meet both, and crosses of both.
The 20th century
The Labrador found other work, guiding people who cannot see, and later on the family sofa.
What they still carryA dog that still wants a job, and an appetite that food rewards made worse.
Today
In the UAE a Labrador lives in a flat or a villa, with no birds to fetch and very little water they are allowed into.
What they still carryA dog built to spend all day in cold water with a person, now alone in a flat for much of the day, in 45°C heat, with food that arrives without any work.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Labrador Retriever suits you, so might these.
Golden RetrieverThe same kind of dog: a family retriever, calmer and quieter, in a longer golden coat.
Flat-Coated RetrieverAnother friendly, high-energy retriever, with a coat that sheds a little less.
Portuguese Water DogThe same boundless energy and love of water and people, in a curly coat that sheds less but needs regular grooming.
DalmatianA similar size and the same short coat that sheds a lot, in a spotted dog that can be more reserved with strangers.
