Your Labrador Retriever Puppy Month by Month, 2nd Edition: Everything You Need to Know at Each Stage of Development

Your Labrador Retriever Puppy Month by Month, Second Edition, provides new puppy owners with everything you need to know and do at each stage of development to make sure your playful, energetic puppy grows into a happy, healthy, and well-adjusted companion. Expert authors Terry Albert, vet Deb Eldredge, and breeder Joanne Olivier team up to cover all the questions new owners tend to have and may not think to ask, including:

   • What to ask the breeder before bringing your puppy home.
   • Which vaccinations your puppy needs and when to get them.
   • How to make potty training as smooth (and quick) as possible.
   • What do to when your puppy cries at night.
   • Why and how to crate train your puppy.
   • When socialization should happen and how to make sure it does.
   • When your puppy is ready to learn basic commands—like Sit, Stay, and Come—and the best way to teach them.
   • When and how to go about leash training.
   • How much exercise your puppy needs to stay physically and mentally healthy.
   • What, how much, and when to feed your puppy to give him the nutrition he needs without the extra weight he doesn’t.
   • When your puppy is ready for obedience training and how to make sure it works.
   • How and how often to bath your puppy, brush his coat, clip his nails, and brush his teeth.
   • How to know what requires a trip to the vet and what doesn't.
   • What causes problem behaviors, when to expect them, and how to correct them.

Terry Albert has been working with dogs for more than 25 years as a pet sitter, trainer, and foster parent. Her writing credits include several books, including Your Labrador Retriever Puppy Month by Month (coauthored with Debra Eldredge, DVM), as well as articles for numerous websites and newsletters. She has served on the boards of directors for Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue and the Humane Society of Seattle/King County. Many of her boarding clients are Golden Retrievers she has cared for from puppyhood through adulthood and into their senior years.

Debra Eldredge, DVM, graduated from Cornell University, where she was the first recipient of the Gentle Doctor Award, a prize given by the clinical faculty for the best patient care. She is a past president of the Dog Writers Association of America and an award-winning author of more than 20 books on pets, including Your Labrador Retriever Puppy Month by Month, cowritten with Terry Albert.