DogandMaster.com

As your dog grows older, the muscles of the colon and rectum may lose some of their ability to propel and expel feces adequately during a bowel movement. Reduction in stomach and intestinal digestive secretions can produce a bulkier, firmer stool as can diets very high in dry food content if there is insufficient water intake. Your dog will squat and strain to force the fecal mass slowly out. She may cry from the discomfort.

Prostatic disease can mechanically cause constipation as the prostate gland enlarges and presses up against the floor of the rectum. Similarly, tumors in the rectum or on the anus can interfere with the passage of feces. Any dog may have an isolated difficult bowel movement on occasion. This should be no cause for alarm if he is otherwise in good health and there is no bleeding or excessive pain.

Repeated bouts of constipation can slowly stretch the rectal muscles, causing permanent dilatation and resulting in chronic constipation. Once this occurs, your dog will need frequent enemas as well as fecal softeners to help him eliminate. The increased time the stool remains in the colon and rectum will allow bacteria that normally live there to act on the stool, causing putrefaction and excessive gas production.

DogandMaster.com

Labrador Retrievers can become lazy if they are not encouraged to exercise. Compound this problem with over-feeding, which is very common, and extra pounds are easily put on. Taking them off again is harder work, requiring a more appropriate diet and an effort to increase vigorous exercise time (gradually, of course, to prevent possible muscle injury or overexertion).

Swimming and retrieving games are natural outlets for Labrador Retrievers. These activities are ones that the breed excels at and enjoys, and they give a complete, full-muscle workout that tones the entire body. Having access to a swimming area may be a problem for most owners, but retrieving games can be played anywhere.               

Labradors have great stamina, but owners must use common sense. During the summer months, limit strenuous exercise during the hottest part of the day and provide an ample supply of fresh water. In the winter, a Labrador in good trim should be able to withstand the cold very effectively and should not be kept housebound. If the dog is out in the rain or snow for any length of time, he should be dried off when he returns to the heated indoors.

DogandMaster.com

When dogs lie down in their normal position, the major portion of their weight is supported by their elbows, especially when on hard surfaces. With the passage of sufficient time, and as your dog gets older, the hair covering the elbows disappears as the constant pressure destroys the local hair follicles. In response to this same pressure the skin undergoes hyperkeratinization, a thickening and toughening process, and callouses are formed.

A similar process can take place in the skin covering the hock joints, but this is less frequent. The rate at which these callouses form is directly proportional to the size and weight of your dog. They are rarely seen in Chihuahuas or other toy breeds, regardless of age, but occur with great frequency in German shepherds, Dobermans, Newfoundlands, Great Danes, and most other giant breeds as early as five years of age.

As a rule they cause no problems. If they seem inordinately dry or hard, gently rubbing in a small amount of white petrolatum ointment once or twice a week should keep them soft enough to avoid any difficulties. Once in a while they do get so hard that they start to crack, developing raw fistulas which readily become infected. Your dog will lick at them and compound the problem by irritating the skin. When callouses reach this stage, they need prompt veterinary attention.

DogandMaster.com

Give your dog a bone about twice a week as a special treat.  Dogs love large beef bones, raw chicken necks, and the tips off chicken wings.  If you are not sure how long they have been in the supermarket case, douse them with boiling water to kill any bacteria before feeding.

The benefit of feeding bones is that they give your dog beautiful, pearly white teeth that do not need to be cleaned.  However, feeding too many bones will give him constipation and hard, chalky stools.  Also, be careful to give your dog only large bones that cannot splinter.

When you give your dog a bone, leave him alone.  Dogs get possessive about their bones.  They are one of the few items that may cause dogs to growl at you if you try to take one away from them.  It is a very special treat, and he wants to be in a place to relax and enjoy it.  Let your dog go to his crate, which is the perfect place for him to enjoy his bone in peace.  Give him a few hours to indulge himself.  After a few days of chewing a fresh bone, it loses its magic, and most dogs will allow you to pick them up or handle them.

DogandMaster.com