Care & Health - Kodalihart Labradors

Puppy Guarantee

At Kodalihart, our puppies come with a health guarantee. Our puppies go to their new homes in good health, with a Certificate of Health from our veterinarian. Our health guarantee is part of our contract which applies to purchasing one of our puppies. We believe its the professional thing to ...

Housing Your Puppy

Bringing your puppy to its forever home is a wonderful feeling! Allow the puppy to quietly explore and become familiar with the new surroundings when you arrive home. Don’t crowd or corner the puppy, nor go to him – let him come to you when he has finished looking around. ...

Diet, Nutrition, and Weight

There is no question about it – labradors love food and are greedy! The most important thing is to provide a balanced diet. Labradors are not finished growing until 18-24 months old. During this time, their bone structure and joints are still developing and ossifying (forming and hardening), and the ...

Training and Behaviour

It’s an absolute joy to have an obedient pup, and we want our puppy owners set up for success! Puppies are not naughty, they are learning. It’s usually us who are the ‘naughty’ ones, unknowingly making the mistakes. Puppies are complete babies and it’s up to us to shape their ...

Crate Training and Toilet Training

Done right, crate training is possibly the best thing you will ever do for your dog. Crate training is a very popular way of keeping puppies safe and is a highly effective tool to fast track toilet training. The dog comes to see the crate as his own space, his ...

Exercise, Growth, and Joints

Labradors not only love exercise, they need exercise. We all look forward to taking our puppy for a walk, however it is important not to over-exercise your puppy. In natural play, puppies will romp until they are tired and then stop to lay down for rest. When walking a puppy ...

Socialisation

Once your puppy has completed his vaccinations and is fully immunised (after his second vaccination at 10 – 12 weeks old), he can start going out and about with you. Socialisation is the process by which puppies learn to relate appropriately to people, other animals and situations around them. It ...

Desexing or Sterilisation

A condition of sale of your puppy is that you will sterilise (otherwise known as desex, spay, or neuter) your puppy. Sterilisation should occur between 12-24 months old. Desexing too young can have detrimental effect on your dog’s life including the following diseases: Hip and elbow dysplasia Cruciate ligament injury ...

Grooming, Bathing, Nails, Ears, and Teeth

Labradors have a short, dense, weather-resistant ‘double’ coat, with natural oils for skin protection. Their ‘double’ coat means they have a glossy waterproof outer coat and a dense warm undercoat designed to keep them warm in cold weather and water. Most dogs shed or moult their coat twice per year: ...

Vaccinations, Worming, Flea, Tick

Responsible pet ownership includes vaccinating, worming, and treating for fleas and ticks. There can be serious consequences to the dog’s health if this is neglected. Vaccination aims to prevent infectious diseases such as Parvovirus, Parainfluenza, Distemper, Hepatitis, and Canine Cough (also known as Kennel Cough). Puppies have an initial ...