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Caring for the coat of a Labrador retriever is not much of a problem. The short , dense hair is easily groomed with a daily application of a hound glove or bristle clash. The coat is essentially dirt and water repellent , and seldom becomes offensive. There is little shedding , plane though the Labrador loses its undercoat once or twice yearly. Coat trimming is unnecessary (although on occasion resorted to by display competitors who feel tidying is necessary to highlight this or downplay that aspect of conformation). Bathing should not be a routine matter , but should only be undertaken when absolutely necessary (such as that unforeseen meeting with a local skunk , a inventory in the mud , or the presence of an accumulated "doggy odor"
from the oils in the coat). Washing a Labrador too often eliminates too much of the natural oils that confer the outer coat its desired harshness. Soap residue can similarly arid out the pelt and be irritating to the dog.

Yellows can want to be bathed a little supplementary often than blacks or chocolates , as their coat can cull up a lot of discolouration from grass and dirt. This can often be taken solicitude of by spot washing only the main contact points - the leer legs and thighs.

When bathing is needed , be sure to employ a very gentle soap designed especially for the dog's coat - not mercantile products for humans , which are much too drying for a dog. When bathing the dog , drudgery the water down through the dense outer coat to the pelt. Afterward , be very cautious to arid the dog thoroughly. It can sound silly to worry about a Labrador retriever becoming a chill from a bath , when a hunting Labrador often spends a lot of hours diving in and out of icy waters without conveniently much as a shiver. However , the bathing procedure temporarily removes a lot of of the dog's natural water-repellent oils and gets the dog saturate at the pelt. At this point , plane a water dog is vulnerable to temperature extremes , conveniently be cautious.

A word of caution: Should you notice a alter in coat aspect , such as a dulling of the normal sheen , inspect the pelt almost for signs of parasite infestation or other pelt disorders. If the dog begins to scrawl incessantly or nibble its coat and pelt , there is an irritation confer that need to be diagnosed by a able veterinarian. Recent nutritional studies have shown that a lot of such pelt difficultnesses can be 'traced to allergic reactions to food additives or other substances. A alter in the natural oils of the coat' can point to metabolic difficultnesses involving the liver , kidneys , or the digestive tract. The loss of hair can be tied to hormonal imbalances , or could be due to infectious mange. The point is that the coat is often an indicator of popular health and should not be overlooked only because the Labrador is lucky sufficient not to want much attention paid to it.