Exploring Your Pet’s Lineage: How To Find Out About Your Labrador’s History
One of the amazing aspects of having a pet is discovering more and more about them every day and enjoying their own unique personalities. While your Labrador may have a mind of its own, there are certain accepted personality traits that come with the Labrador breed as a whole. Finding out about your pet’s lineage is just one way of discovering more about your best friend and more about Labradors in general.
A Labrador is a very popular pedigree breed of dog, which means it’s naturally going to have an extensive history. Many people would choose either a golden, chocolate or black Labrador as their number one dog choice. Not only that, but the popularity of the breed also means that lots of people have a mixed breed of Labrador, with this being crossed with another type of breed.
With this in mind, there is much you can discover about your own Labrador’s lineage, whether it’s a pedigree Lab or a mixed breed.
What are the Benefits of Discovering Your Labrador’s Genealogy?
In the same way that you would be interested and excited to discover more about your own family history and tree, discovering more of your best furry friend’s history can allow you to feel closer to them and learn more about them. Not only that but there may be health benefits to understanding more about your Labrador’s family tree, too.
Any dog breed comes with health risks and considerations to make, so knowing where your Labrador has come from and how it’s been bred can also help you to understand any health risks or complications that may run in its family tree or with the specific Labrador type you have.
It may also be that you have adopted your dog, whether as a puppy or adult, and don’t actually know who its parents were. You may even have a Labrador cross breed but don’t know which breed it is crossed with. If this is the case, learning more about your adopted Labrador can better help you to understand precisely the bloodline it has and all the considerations to make.
Alongside all of this, learning about your Labrador’s family tree can simply make you feel a lot closer to your furry friend. Learning as much as possible about who they are and where they came from will only serve to increase the bond and understanding you have with your pet.
Can You Speak to a Vet Regarding Pet Lineage?
Your vet will be able to identify a lot of things regarding your Labrador, but knowing their lineage based on sight or examination is not really possible. Your vet won’t be any the wiser regarding where your pet has come from if you don’t have the information yourself. They will be able to determine pedigree or mix-breed based on observation and will be able to carry out health tests such as blood tests, but this won’t bring you any closer to discovering your faithful Labrador’s lineage.
However, your vet will always be able to provide information regarding possible health risks and concerns relating to your specific dog breed, even without a family history. This will help you to get a more thorough understanding of healthcare concerns for your Labrador or Labrador cross, and it’s important to have an emergency veterinary center close by, such as one that specializes in all breeds, with a dog, cat, and exotic pets vet, too.
How to Find Out About Your Labrador’s History
There are a couple of options if you want to discover more about your Labrador or Labrador cross’s family tree. You may want to explore the following options:
- Contact the Person or Place You Got Your Dog From
If you have a pedigree pup, then it’s likely you got your Labrador from a professional breeder. Or, you may have got your Labrador in another way, such as from a private seller, from an adoption shelter, or other animal charity. If you have the details of the place or person you originally got your dog from, then you can contact them to find out more information. They may be able to tell you where your dog came from, how it was bred, and who its parents are.
This may be more difficult if your Labrador is a rescue pup and adopted, as the shelter may have no information on file regarding the parents of your animal, but it’s always worth checking the information they have on file.
- Identify Any Cross-Breed Features
If you have a Labrador mix and you’re not sure the breed your Lab is mixed with, taking a good look at your dog to identify any features can bring you one step closer to understanding its mixed breed and finding out more about its history. There may be tell-tale signs, such as leg length, size, color, or tail features, which can indicate the other dog breed, but as mentioned above, you can always ask your vet for help with identification, too.
- Give a DNA Test a Go
Just like with humans, a DNA test is a great way to find out more about your lineage, and that applies to your faithful Lab, too. You can obtain pet DNA kits from trusted retailers, whereby you can provide a sample — such as a saliva swab — for your pet’s lineage to be determined and for you to find out the results of the DNA test.
- Contact Official Organizations with Registration Papers
If you have your pet’s registration papers to hand, or if you’re able to obtain them from the original breeder, then you can use the registration number to find out more information. If your pet has been registered with official organizations, they may be able to tell you more about where your Labrador originally came from using the registration number. Organizations like the American Kennel Club may have information on file for you.
Explore Your Labrador’s Lineage Today
It’s always fun learning something new about your pet, and exploring family trees is exciting, whether it’s your own family or your Labrador’s.