How Much Water Should a Labrador Retriever Puppy Drink?

There are few things on the earth now that are as adorable, friendly, fun, and cuddly as a Labrador Retriever puppy. While raising a puppy of any kind can be pretty hard sometimes, many have found that all that effort is worth it in the end if you get to have a furry companion by your side for twelve years or more! One part of caring for a lab puppy is making sure it gets enough water every day, but the question is, how much water is enough water?

Labrador puppies require 1-2 cups of water per day, although it varies depending on the puppy’s age and weight. This amount could increase depending on how active the puppy has been that day. As a general rule, a Labrador puppy should be given one ounce of water per pound of body weight.

Again, taking care of a puppy is a pretty big undertaking and is going to take quite a bit of effort and time on your part. Puppies may need a lot more water every day than you think, primarily to help them to continue growing at a healthy pace.

If you have any questions about how much water to give your pup or how else you should care for it, you have come to the right place!

Caring for a Labrador Puppy

As mentioned above, if you are thinking about getting a lab puppy or have gotten one already, you’d better be prepared for all the work and sleepless nights you are likely to experience! Here, you can read about a few care tips that every dog owner should know to be prepared. Hopefully, it will make your puppy-raising experience a bit easier!

First of all, food and water. You must establish an eating and drinking routine for your puppy as soon as possible because it will help them catch on to their training a bit better. For instance, you’ll want to put out and take away their water bowl at the same time every morning and every night.

You don’t want them to be drinking all night because that will result in more accidents that you’ll have to clean up. It will make potty training ten times harder!

Speaking of potty training, that’s something you will want to get on right away. This can be one of the longest and least fun processes you’ll have to go through with a puppy, but it’ll be worth it if you can completely house train your lab. Generally, you can expect the house training process to take somewhere around two months, but it might take a bit longer if you are new at this.

Potty training is a process that will take patience. You will need to get a crate to train the puppy not to pee or poop in it. Dogs will not usually mess up their living space so starting this early on will be a good thing. Send your pup right back to its crate after potty breaks, and they won’t take long to get the memo.

You should also keep bathroom breaks on a tight schedule. Usually, you’ll want to take your pup out right after he eats or drinks. You’ll want to make sure your puppy goes, and if he doesn’t, put him back in his crate for fifteen or so minutes and then try again. You can learn more about the potty-training process here!

Pros and Cons of a Labrador

Now that you understand what caring for a puppy entails, you undoubtedly want to know whether a lab is indeed the dog for you or not. Labs are great dogs in general and most owners are pretty satisfied with theirs. However, labs have imperfections just like all other dogs and you’ll want to take those into account before you invest. Here are some pros and cons.

Pros

First of all, Labradors are stable and friendly. These dogs make great family dogs because they are willing to put up with a great deal. Your little kids can yell, scream, and yank on their ears, but most labs will put up with it and be very patient with kids. For this reason, a lot of larger families have labs.

Labs are generally very healthy dogs that don’t have to deal with a lot of health issues at any point in life. They will, of course, likely suffer from something unpleasant at some time in their lives, but those times are few and far between. You’ll have your canine by your side for quite a few years. Plus, that’s fewer vet bills you’ll have to pay!

Additionally, labs are smart and easy to train. This not only means you won’t have a hard time teaching them good manners, but it also means they’re capable of trying new things.

Labs enjoy training and even brain games or similar activities. You can take your lab swimming, running, frisbeeing, and just about anything else. They’re smart enough to handle it.

Cons

Unfortunately, lab puppies can also be expensive. Just buying the puppy can cost up to $1,500 (though many owners will pay less than this). The thing is, initial purchase costs aren’t the only things to take into account. You’ll have to buy top-quality food for your lab as well as finance vet visits, grooming, and all the other things.

If you are an active, athletic person, then a lab is probably a great dog choice for you. As mentioned before, you can take your dog swimming, running, and whatever else you might do in a day.

However, if you have a fairly busy schedule, you may want to think twice before getting a lab. You’ll have to dedicate an hour and a half to just exercising your dog every single day. If you aren’t prepared to deal with that, you’ll probably want to choose a different breed.

You can read more about the pros and cons of Labrador Retrievers here.

Overall, Labrador puppies will drink when they are thirsty, so make sure there is cold or lukewarm water in their water bowl.