How do black labs go with heat (and other lab questions)

[Fouette]

Dh and I are thinking of getting a puppy. Dh won't get a rescue dog after a bad experience when his ex w got one. I'd love to but he won't budge on this.

We live in Aus where it obviously will get very hot in Summer (now). Looking at black labs and dh is worried that a black lab will get too hot in the summer and that a black lab is 'cruel'. He thinks chocolate labs will stay cooler.

We have both owned dogs before, have two young children at home (2 and 4) and I'm a sahm. I can commit to the walks and training and all of that. Am I letting myself in for a huge amount of walking though? I'm hoping it will be two walks of about 45 mins plus play time. Is this unrealistic?

We have a good sized house in south sydney with a large enclosed garden. The downstairs is MUCH cooler than up and I'd like to encourage the dog to sleep there. Would a lab be happy there? I'm quite happy for any dog to be up with us but it really is degrees cooler down there.

I'm happy to look at other breeds but nothing long haired. My mum has a Cav king Charles and the hairs send me potty! I'd love a. Hungarian vizsla but I'm worried they are very high maintenance

We really want to make sure we end up with a dog that is the right fit for us so not rushing in to anything.

Finally, any suggested books before getting a pup?

Thanks!

I can't see there'd be a vast difference in heat retention for a choc lab and a black lab - they're both dark colours after all ... one thing to bear in mind is that choc labs are usually much chunkier and being slightly chubby and hot would be worse than being lean and lanky and hot ..

your dog will sleep whereever you teach him/her to sleep - if you want it to be downstairs for whatever reason they'll be fine - it's easiest for the pup if someone stays with them for the first few nights - one of us slept on the sofa for the first 5 days our puppy was with us - he was sleeping through by that time and now is perfectly happy going to sleep in his crate in the kitchen (he's usually still sparko when I come down in the morning)

you do realise that labs shed (a lot) so if you're thinking of a lab rather than a longer-haired dog because you think you won't have a problem with hair everywhere then I'm afraid you're mistaken!

A lab puppy won't need that much exercise per day to start off with - it's easy to over-exercise them which can lead to problems later - but may well need more than that when adult. Labs are big, strong dogs and need to be well-trained if they're to be a pleasure to live with.

re books - Life Skills for Puppies is great

I have a yellow lab. She sleeps downstairs in a crate. She really loves her crate and even when i come down and open it she looks at me with only one eye as if to say "nah, i think i will just stay here thanks".

I walk her twice a day for around 45 minutes at a time and in between play with her or do training but to be honest she often slopes back to her crate to snooze.

I don't find the hair too much of an issue as downstairs is all tiled and is a sort of golden lab colour anyway.

My girl is so lovely and although she is just 19 mths she is calm and well behaved. She doesn't chew things and just plods around the house. I think labs are the perfect family dog. However this was all achieved through many obedience classes and continual training.

Hello thank you for the replies. We're in the country at the moment and reception isn't great.

I'm ok with daily cleaning for a lab. Just not lots of very fine hairs.

I'm a bit concerned with exercise amounts too. I can commit to one daily walk of an hour plus play in the garden/visits to the park with the dc. I couldn't do two walks every day though as dh isn't always home at night and I can't leave the dc.

Maybe a lab isn't the right dog for us??

Labs can cope with the heat - we took our two blacks with us when we lived in Brisbane for a couple of years - but be under no illusion that the hairs don't get everywhere. Mine loved the pool - think there is a photo on my profile.

The joke used to be you have to choose - pale hairs meaning you can never wear black ever again, or black hairs in the butter!

Couldn't you take the dc for a walk with the dog? That's what I always do - means the dc get some exercise on a regular basis too and it connects them so well to the seasons - although those are less obvious in Aus - and the wildlife.

I did find the petshops very depressing out there - please don't buy a puppy from there, I had so many friends whose dog turned out to have major health issues.

If Zlabs are under stimulated mentally or physically, they WILL find their own entertainment be that barking, chewing, escaping or others. Contrary to popular belief they are very switched on dogs that need to be occupied.

We have a black lab and live in Adelaide where it is currently very hot, ie 38 degrees! She survives very well. She has a good hour walk everyday and a short evening walk if possible. She spends all day in the garden whether we are there or not and we supplement her with frozen water blocks with treats and stuff. Hair wise its fine. Tiled floor so hoovering. Not allowed on furniture and she sleeps in her bed.
We love her and she is the best thing we ever did. We have two dd's 7 and 6 and they adore her and viceversa.

She does have a dip in the pool regularly!