Raising dogs, in particular taking care of the flat-coated retriever, is old hat for people. Experts postulate dogs were first domesticated between twelve thousand and 25,000 years ago—and that dogs evolved from the wolf. Since then, we have selectively bred more than 400 different breeds, ranging in size from 4-pound teacup poodles all the way up to Irish wolfhounds, whose three-foot stature earns them the title of tallest pooch. But the most widespread canines are the non-pedigree dogs—the one-of-a-kind dogs known as mixed-breeds. The flat-coated retriever is another popular pick with dog owners. Some owners are misinformed, however, of many common flat-coated retriever care tips.
General health care cost of the flat-coated retriever
The yearly budget for providing for your flat-coated retriever—to include everything from nutrition and treats, to veterinary care, toys and license—could vary between $420 and seven hundred eighty dollars. This figure doesn’t include capital costs for spay/neuter surgery, collar and leash, a dog carrier and a crate. Tip: Be positive you have procured all of your supplies before getting your flat-coated retriever home.
Basic flat-coated retriever Care
flat-coated retriever Feeding Outline
- flat-coated retriever pups between 8 and 12 weeks need 4 meals each day.
- Feed flat-coated retriever puppies three to 6 months old 3 meals in a day.
- Feed pups 6 months old to one year old 2 times in a twenty-four hour period.
- When the flat-coated retriever hits his 1st birthday, one feeding in a twenty-four hour period is sufficient.
- Many times flat-coated retrievers, however, eat 2 smaller helpings. It’s your job to learn your flat-coated retriever’s eating schedule.
High-quality dry dogfood provides balanced nutrition for grown flat-coated retrievers and may be mixed with water, canned food, or broth. Your flat-coated retriever may also be fond of cottage cheese, cooked egg, fruits and vegetables, but these dishes shouldn’t add up to more than 10 percent of her daily allowance. flat-coated retriever pups should be fed premium-quality, brand-name puppy food. Please limit “people food”, however, because it can cause mineral and vitamin deficiencies, tooth and bone problems, and may result in very picky eating habits and obesity. Clean, fresh water should be available exclusively, and make sure to wash food and water bowls regularly.
flat-coated retriever Care Tips: Your flat-coated retriever needs physical activity daily
flat-coated retrievers need daily physical activity so they can stay fit, recharge their brains, and stay healthy. Daily exercise also seems to help flat-coated retrievers fight boredom, which often leads to difficult behavior. Supervised fun and games would curb many of your flat-coated retriever’s desires to herd, dig, chase, retrieve and chew. Activity needs depend on your flat-coated retriever’s age and her level of health—but just a walk down the street every day and ten minutes in the backyard probably isn’t enough. If your flat-coated retriever is a 6 to 18 month adolescent, her requirements will probably be a little higher.
flat-coated retriever Grooming Tips
Frequent brushing will help keep your flat-coated retriever clean and reduce shedding. Check for ticks and fleas every day during warm weather. Most flat-coated retrievers don’t need a bath more than a few times per year. Prior to giving her a bath, comb or cut out any and all mats from the flat-coated retriever’s coat. Carefully rinse all soap from the coat, or the dirt will stick to the soap.
How to Handle Your flat-coated retriever
Pups are obviously the easiest to manage. To carry your flat-coated retriever pup, put one hand beneath the dog’s chest, either with the forearm or your other hand supporting his or her hind legs and rump. Never try to grab or lift your pup by the forelegs, back of the neck or tail. If you must lift a bigger, adult flat-coated retriever, pick it up from underneath, supporting his or her chest with one arm and rump with your other.
How to House the flat-coated retriever
Your flat-coated retriever needs a warm peaceful location to be able to sleep apart from all breezes and away from the ground or floor. You may wish to buy a dog bed, or make one out of a wood box. Place a clean blanket, comforter, sheet, or pillow in the bed. Wash the flat-coated retriever’s bed covering often. If the flat-coated retriever will be outdoors often, make certain he has shade and plenty of cool water in the summer, and a covered, warm, dry shelter when it’s cold.
flat-coated retriever Licensing and Identification
Your community has licensing rules to follow. Make certain you connect the license to your flat-coated retriever’s collar. The license, together with an ID tag, can help you recover your flat-coated retriever should he go missing.
Facts on flat-coated retriever Behavior
Thoughts on flat-coated retriever Training
A well-mannered, companion flat-coated retriever can be a a joy. But untrained, your flat-coated retriever can be trouble. Teaching your flat-coated retriever the minimums—”Stay”, “Come”, “Down”, “Heel”, “Off”, “Sit”, and “Leave it”—bolsters your relationship with both the dog as well as your neighbors. If you’re the owner of a pup, start teaching him manners immediately! Use doggie treats as an incentive and a reward. Puppies should join obedience courses when they are adequately immunized. Call your local humane society or SPCA for information on training courses. You should always walk your flat-coated retriever leashed in public, even as a pup. Just be certain your flat-coated retriever will come to you every time you tell him. A disobedient or aggressive flat-coated retriever should not play with kids.
The Health of Your flat-coated retriever
Your flat-coated retriever should see the veterinarian for a full assessment, immunizations and a heartworm blood examination each and every year, and immediately when he is hurt or sick.
The Dental Health of Your flat-coated retriever
While many of us might object to our flat-coated retriever’s bad breath, we must be aware of what it may mean. Bad breath usually means that your flat-coated retriever should get a dental examination. Plaque due to unhealthy bacteria brings a bad smell that can only be eliminated by treatment by a professional. After a professional cleaning, her mouth can be maintained by brushing regularly, feeding a special diet focused on dental health, and eliminating table food. The vet can supply you with other data on reducing dental diseases as well as stinky breath. You can clean the flat-coated retriever’s teeth with a doggie toothpaste or a homemade baking soda and water paste once or twice per week. Use a child’s soft toothbrush, a gauze pad or a piece of nylon pantyhose stretched over your finger. Some flat-coated retrievers develop periodontal disease, another term for gum disease. Sometimes, teeth loss occurs as a result of periodontal infection. Infection can sometimes also propagate to other areas of your flat-coated retriever’s body. The vet can clean his teeth as a regular part of your flat-coated retriever’s health screening.
flat-coated retriever Halitosis
While halitosis caused by oral disease may not be serious if found early enough, sometimes odors may be indicative of more serious, chronic causes for concern. Liver or intestinal diseases sometimes also cause smelly breath, and a fruity, sweet smell can sometimes be a sign of diabetes. When your flat-coated retriever’s breath smells like urine or ammonia, kidney disease might be the reason. Set an appointment with a veterinarian whenever your flat-coated retriever has halitosis along with other signs of disease like excessive urinating or drinking, depression or lethargy, weight loss, nausea, or decreased appetite.
Dealing with Ticks and Fleas in flat-coated retrievers
During the warm seasons, it’s important for you to perform daily, regular inspections of your flat-coated retriever for ticks and fleas. Use a flea comb to remove and find fleas. There are numerous new methods of tick and flea control. Get advice from your flat-coated retriever’s doctor about her options.
flat-coated retrievers With Heartworm Issues
The heartworm is a parasite that lives in the heart and passes from an infested dog to your flat-coated retriever by way of mosquitoes. Several flat-coated retrievers die yearly due to heartworm infestations. Your flat-coated retriever should have a blood test for heartworms each and every spring—this is important for detecting infections from the past year. A monthly tablet taken during mosquito season can protect your flat-coated retriever. If ever you vacation south with your flat-coated retriever during the winter, he should be on the preventive medicine during the trip. There are some regions, usually the places with warmer temperatures, where the veterinarians advise heartworm medication be given throughout the year.
Poisons and Medications
Remember to never give your flat-coated retriever medication that hasn’t been prescribed by a veterinarian. Are you aware that 1 regular-strength ibuprofen tablet can cause stomach ulcers in some dogs Keep rat poison and other rodenticides away from your flat-coated retriever. Be sure you call your dog’s veterinarian when you have cause to think your flat-coated retriever has ingested poison. You may also notify the ASPCA Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 for 24 hr. help.
flat-coated retriever Reproductive Surgery
Female flat-coated retrievers should be spayed—which is the extraction of the uterus and ovaries—and males neutered—removal of the testes—by six months old. You can significantly diminish your female’s chance of breast cancer by spaying prior to maturity. Spaying also eradicates the possibility of a sick uterus, a very serious issue in older females that can only be treated with surgery and intensive medical care. Neutering male flat-coated retrievers helps prevent testicular and prostate diseases, certain aggressive behavior and some hernias.
Vaccinating your flat-coated retriever
- The combo vaccine (also called the “five-in-1 shot”) ought to be given to your flat-coated retriever at two, 3, and 4 months of age and then once annually. This innoculation immunizes your puppy from distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus, and parainfluenza. The flat-coated retriever must be vaccinated for at least the first four months of her life.
- If you have an unvaccinated flat-coated retriever older than four or five months, he must get a set of two vaccinations two to 3 weeks apart, followed by an annual immunization.
- flat-coated retriever puppy socialization and vaccination should go together. You may bring your flat-coated retriever puppy to socialization courses by eight to nine weeks old, according to many vets. At this age, they should have received at least their first immunizations.
Since regulations vary around the country, contact a local doctor to get information about rabies immunization. For instance, New York City laws declare that pets older than three months be immunized for rabies. The initial rabies immunization must be followed by a subsequent shot the next year, and then every 3 years. There are several vaccines, many of which are appropriate for your flat-coated retriever. Others, however, are not. Ask your flat-coated retriever’s vet for her opinion. Take note, if your flat-coated retriever gets ill because she is not vaccinated, the immunization must be given once your companion animal is back to health.
Intestinal Worms in flat-coated retrievers
flat-coated retrievers are commonly exposed to worms—even in urban areas. Tiny eggs created by hookworms and roundworms are passed in an infected flat-coated retriever’s feces. Most pups, from all environments, even those with healthy mothers, carry roundworms or hookworms. Getting an accurate, early detection is the secret to effective treatment. Early, accurate diagnosis maximizes the possibility that prescribed medication will be successful against your flat-coated retriever’s worms. A dewormer that eliminates hookworms, for example, will not kill tapeworms. Your vet can best identify the culprit—and prescribe the appropriate treatment.
flat-coated retriever: Miscellaneous Care Tips
flat-coated retriever Supply Checklist
- Excellent-quality dog food and snacks specifically designed for flat-coated retrievers and similarly-sized dogs
- Food bowl
- Water dish
- Toys, toys and more toys, including safe chew toys
- Brush and comb for grooming, including a flea comb
- Collar with identification tag and license
- Quality leash
- Dog carrier (for pups)
- Crate for training
- Dog box or bed with warm quilt or towel
- Doggie or child’s toothbrush
Warnings to be Heeded
Never, ever feed your flat-coated retriever the following:
- Alcohol, beer, wine or liquor
- Chocolate, coffee, or tea
- Grapes and raisins
- Moldy or spoiled food of any kind
- Onions, chives and garlic
- Chicken, turkey, or any other poultry bones
- Salt and salty foods
- Tomato leaves, stems & unripe fruit
- Dough
Final Thoughts
Unless you are at home, or in a fenced-in, secured spot, keep your flat-coated retriever on a leash at all times. When your flat-coated retriever goes number 2 on a neighbor’s yard, her sidewalk or any other public place, please remove it! Don’t forget to check out these other articles about flat-coated retrievers
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