Do you need a big garden for a Labrador?

[crossedwires]

Just considering breeds and we favour the Retriever breeds for temperament, trainability and to fit with our famiy dynamic but we don't have a large garden. It is a reasonable size, fully fenced in with lawn and decking but it is certainly not large. Would this be alright? Also, is it feasible to look after a dog as a lone parent? My children are both at school so no toddlers to take care of, but is it really do-able on your own? i don't work and have no commitments outside of normal family stuff. I could, in reality, organise my life around a dog's requirements but is it as easy as all that. We would want a puppy (from a rescue or otherwise).

daisydo, your post was very helpful. I wouldn't be opting for a working dog whatever the breed. I had no idea they actually look different though. `i have a lot to learn:-)

Morebeta, it feels a bit like you're posting with the assumption that I would be unable to manage. I appreciate your flip side opinion. What is your experience of labs? Do you have working strain labradors? I would certainly be able to manage an hour long walk once a day plus a shorter walk after school or during the evening. My children are not too young to be left if I needed to walk a dog and they didn't want to come too. I expect that some days the walks would be considerably longer if we were going to the coast or into the country. I do worry about what would happen if I was poorly and so on. But I don't suppose a day without a walk every 6 months is going to be terminal! I think my sister would probably help out with a walk here and there anyway though I haven't told asked her yet. Heer children have all flown the nest so she has freedom to help. Still mulling it all over tbh.

Crossedwires - I am sure you will cope fine. We have a lab collie X and I am practically a single parent (DH works away for 6 months at a time and when he is here averages 2-3 nights away a week). We have only had him 7 weeks (he is 2 and was a rescue) but so far I have managed to walk him for at least an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon, then we play chase and fetch in the garden. I have 4DCs so he does get a lot of play time with them but when they are at school after his walk he just mooches around the house with me. Great company for when DH is away and the best thing we ever decided to do (we did think he would keep me company as DH is about to go away for 6 months again which is why we got him but also works great as a personal fitness trainer)

pimmsgalore - thank you. It sounds like you have your hands full with 4 dc's and your dog. Glad to hear it is working out. do you think you made the right decision in getting an older rescue?

Crossed wires, we have two show bred labs. One is 4.5 the other 9m and two DC- aged 8 and 2. Both gorgeous, wonderful dogs. I wouldn't worry too much about the walks, as standard ours would get an hours offlead, plus a quick onlead mooch in the afternoon. (At teh min they don't as 9m old is too young and older dog is injured). But that did older dog fine.

What is more hard work is the puppy stage which is long- a good two years to be complete, altho they are much much better by 10m or so. Our puppy is very good in the house, we are now decrating her. She is going thru a deaf stage with regard to recall since her season a month ago, but she has only be fiished a week, so i think she is making sure she isn't housebound or just on leadwalks again!

I would contact one of the lab breed clubs to make sure they put you in touch with a reputable breeder of show dogs. You are looking for hips and elbow scored, optigen eye test and anual eye test. Obvioulsy it is just the parents that have these scores, not the puppies, who can't be tested until they are older. Where abouts in the UK are you?

Crossedwires - I'd definitely recommend a 2 yr old rescue, if you can get one, still young and playful but past the chewing stage, and the stroppy teenage phase.
Lab puppies are very hard work and it goes on for a long time. My dog is nearly 2 and is at last the perfect dog I'd hoped for, but its taken a long time. Not sure how much is down to training or just him growing up.
He doesn't try to meet and greet (and jump up at) everyone on walks now, have had some really embarrassing experiences involving mud covered dog and smartly dressed people, and he's stopped scavenging and eating rotting rats, horse and cow poo etc then having copious diarrhoea in the middle of the night. He can at last have the run of the house because he doesn't try to grab and destroy everything in reach. I can even trust him in the kitchen when there's food on the counter which I never thought would happen. I wouldn't be without him now but if I'd known how long the puppy stage would last I'd have gone for a 2+yr old rescue dog.

principality - thank you for your post. I am in Kent (suburban not coastal). I have my name down for a failed guilde dog but not for any breeders yet as I am still weighing it all up. I certainly do think I can do it time and commitment wise. And my garden, which was originally a concern of mine, sounds more than adequate so I am not worried about that any more. Do breeders visit your home for homechecks etc? Or is that just rescues?

You will be working soon, so you need to have a plan in place for then.

Big garden not necessary as long as they get walked.

starwarrior - that is a very long puppyhood! I would definitely consider a rescue but favour the guilde dog route for temperament and reliability plus they would be beautifully trained already!

Akhaiteke, I don't work. Will not be returning to work. I think you may be confusing me with someone else!

I would have a look on Champdogs for breeders with all healthchecks and cross reference it with the breed clubs.

Only thing is, i would just say training is ongoing... you say "plus they would be beautifully trained already!" ... my 4 yo dog is extremely well behaved with me... takes the piddle out of my mum because she is not firm with him and lets him get away with things- eg she will ask him to sit to get a treat. She leans to give it to him, his bum comes up. She doesn't stop and make him sit again... little things like that lead to the fact that he knows he doesn't have to listen to her in the same way that he would listen to me, DH or DC. They need constant gentle reminders and boundries.

Puppyhood is long,.... and bloody hard work. Lab puppies are aligators in disguise! And it bloody hurts.

Take a look at labradorforums. co . uk they have lots of info. I spent months researching before i got dog1. And i still found it a shock and harder than anticipated (bit like having your first baby really, despite all the reading up and advice, it's not quite what you thought it would be!)

Also good breeders will have waiting llists and many will have filled these lists before puppies are even born. So be prepared to do your research and don't rush into things- yes a BYB off one of those websites might have puppies available the weekend you want it, but hopefully dog will be around for the next 10yr+ so worth waiting and getting it right.

oh and most breeders will not housecheck- can be impossible- we live in herts but dog1 is from lancashire and dog2 from north Yorkshire!

Crossedwires yes definitely made the right decision, the rescue home said he had had no training, was a handful and needed a firm hand and that we would HAVE to take him to obedience classes as otherwise he would walk all over us. The first afternoon he was mental, ran round the garden, knocked the children over, pulled on the lead to the point where I couldn't walk him as he was pulling me over. We put him in his crate at night and he whimpered for about 30 mins. Next day we fed him, walked him, played with him and he calmed down a lot. Now 7 weeks on he sits, lies down, has great recall (apart from when horses are involved), will go fetch DC when I ask him and spends most of his day mooching around with me. I think he just needed someone to love him he is not the dog we picked up anymore as he is very settled and so loving. He gets to crying DCs before me most of the time, they cuddle him and its all ok. Think a puppy would have required a lot more training on all sides (the DCS included). Max is still like a puppy in many ways, lots of energy, playful and the occasional puppy look when he has done something wrong but out of the housetraining, chewing, nipping stage.

The rescue we got him from didn't check our garden but did ask for photos of it and then checked our address on google earth to make sure it was our garden we were showing them. We were too far away from them for them to check. They made us wait a week and visit twice with him before they were happy that we all got along and we could have him.

got my app form today from guide dog association for failed guide dog pup. thye are usuaslly 14-18mths. Going to fill it in now! Excited.com

Lots of wonderful Labradors searching for a home here

follyfoot - that's wonderful, thankyou.