5 things I need to know before getting a labrador

[Rockinghorse123]

Hello. I'm new to this board as we don't yet have a dog.

We have said for years that we would like a dog and we now feel the time is right. In our family currently there is me, DH and DS (2) we will be ttc dc2 later this year.

We've done some research and decided that we will start looking for a labrador puppy over the next few months.

My question is what do I need to know/think about before we start looking.

We have thought it out fully and I've looked into training costs/insurance costs/practicalities such as someone to let dog out on the 1 day it would be alone a week and everything else I can think of but I want to be sure I've not missed anything!

Thank you!

[PacificDogwood]

Plans afoot here to adopt a retired greyhound - 4 children aged 4 to 11, no further babies

[basildonbond]

Imo you can't get a better family dog than a Toller. Perfect size - big enough to be a 'proper' dog but I could still carry mine in an emergency, fabulous temperament, very playful and gentle, nowhere near as food-oriented as labs, intelligent and easy to train, gorgeous-looking yet despite the fluffy coat don't shed too much and are 'drip-dry'. I can't imagine having another breed now

[Staffle]

I'm going to say it before someone else does... rescue staffy cross!

Mine loves walking from a 30 min amble to a full 4 hour hike, running (canicross), cuddles, other dogs, people, cats (well, ok, he'd like to eat one ), has been very easy to train as his goal in life is to please (and chase cats), hasn't chewed anything he shouldn't have, hardly sheds any hair, sleeps in in the mornings, hates going out in the rain, hates mud and water (tiptoes around puddles), only ever had one wee in the house (my fault, forgot to let him out) and has been amazingly gentle with my db's kids.

Downsides: He's a dog. He doesn't like being left, he can be over bouncy and he likes to lick faces.

But I have only had that one experience so it's obviously a very biased opinion.

But from a puppy?! Er, they are bonkers. So probably not a Staffy if you really want a puppy....

[SinclairSpectrum]

Have you considered Italian Spinone? Fabulous laid back temperament, great with kids, lazy in house, energetic outside.

They don't shed much, don't slobber but do get water / debris in their beard.
They are a pretty healthy breed, only downside is they aren't that easy to get hold of - plus side being they haven't been over bred like labs.

[Staffle]

Oooo, love the Toller!

[Rockinghorse123]

basildonbond what a gorgeous dog! I haven't ever heard of the breed but will definitely be doing some reading.

We gave thought about a rescue but have decided for various reasons we want a puppy.

Thanks again for all the advice please keep it coming, i knew I could rely on mumsnet!

[LostInMusic]

I think it depends on how you define a perfect family dog...what are your expectations? I do consider my Labs as perfect family pets as they are soooo even-tempered, kind and patient. But, for example, a child would never be able to hold their leads while on a walk as they are just too strong.
I also agree with Staffle - all the Staffies I've known have been amazing family pets.
Would you consider getting a rescue dog? A good rescue would ensure that you were paired with a family-friendly dog and you wouldn't have to go through the puppy stage. You could probably even get a dog that was already quite well trained.

[Buttholelane]

I suggest you think less about the breed and more about the temperament of the pups parents, whether the pups have been raised with kids and focus on getting the dog to associate children with treats and fun games early on and you shouldn't go far wrong.

I think it's dangerous territory to assume that just because a dog is a particular breed it will be child friendly.

A dog's affinity to children will be influenced by its experiences around children and the temperament it inherited from its parents far more than its breed.

To illustrate my point, I have a high drive, working bred border collie.
A breed widely regarded as poor with kids. But she was constantly handled by the farmers grandkids as a puppy and came to a home with a 4 year old.
She is excellent with kids.

My in laws have a jack Russell, again, a breed regarded as poor with kids but theirs has no malice whatsoever, it has had plenty of positive experiences with children.

I have met plenty of dogs including retrievers, spaniels, poodles and a pug who I would not trust around children. And yet these are all 'child friendly' breeds.
Indeed, the most common breeds responsible for bites that needed hospitalisation in the UK were retrievers and spaniels.
Possibly because people just assume they are child friendly and therefore allow kids to torment them, possibly because they are so popular so there are simply more of them around, who knows.

[dwarfrabbit]

my parents babysit a lab when his owners go on holiday.

it eats everything that is not tied down
its poos are the size of a small family car
it is happy all the time, even when asleep.
it will sometimes try to remove the shoes you are wearing to have a cheeky little chew.

[Quitelikely]

Watch out if you're getting a lab

• they take massive poops (you might not care)
  

• they need a lot of exercise
  

- they chew anything in the pup stage. Think vinyl flooring and table corner/shoes/bed

Very, very hairy. Brush past you and you'll know about it.

Beautiful dogs but hard work so not for the faint hearted!

[lavendersun]

I have a lab - now ten years old. Has always been sane and very sensible around children. Not greedy, never chewed anything, never barks, never put a foot wrong. Maybe we are just lucky.

I agree that you need to shop for temperament and health above all. I took months to research breeders.

The only downside is the hair - lots and lots of hair although some look smoother than my dog. The amount of hair really is shocking.

[marne2]

The amount of hair is crazy, I have a lab x and a Staffie, I have too Hoover the floor twice a day because of the lab and I get annoyed when people come over and stroke him after I have hoovered . You do need large poop bags. I would chose a Staff over a lab, my staff is much more laid back, she's quite lazy ( have to drag her out for a walk but once she's out she's full of beans ), she doesn't mind if I'm too busy to walk her but the lab goes crazy if not waked twice a day.

[PacificDogwood]

Yy to choosing the individual dog over the breed.
Personalities and upbringing vary so much.

[Honeydragon]

When I took on my Lab I was told she would be crazy, even by lab puppy standards.

Because I'd had only labs they felt I'd cope

I love her to the ends of the earth I really do. But I did had a Lab puppy and a two year old in the house and was toilet training both at the same time.

[Slongette]

My lab is 6 going on 6 months and is beyond incredibly needy.

Dog hair everywhere.... I fact I'm looking at a clump on the footstool now. They are double coated hence all hair loss.

The have webbed feet and love to use them to swim, swim, swim!

He does 2 handed poos - as in you need 2 hands to pick then up with a poo bag as they are that huge! And he's had real problems with his anal glands needing to be squeezed regularly!

His nose has been massively been put out if joint by the arrival of DS1 and imminent arrival of DC2 and has been on doggie Prozac for 6 months.

He has a tail of mass destruction that cleans the coffee table in 1 sweep

Black trousers all get swiped with drool as soon as put on clean.

No teddy is sacred

Would never get another one

[DustBunnyFarmer]

All of the above. Our late unneutered male lab was puppyish and bonkers until he was about 4. As others have said, he could not bear to pass water and not jump in - including into an ornamental carp pond at a vair posh BBQ where he exploited our momentary lapse of supervision as we were saying our goodbyes to leap in and have a massive splashy dip. Would literally swim several miles in the local canal as we walked on the tow path. Woofy wet dreams onto our naice rugs. Drooled whenever there was food in the vicinity. Occasionally helped himself off the worktop. Massively energetic and pulled like a steam train on the lead. And the hair!!! He was very even tempered, but such hard work. I am sure there are easier breeds with a young family.

[DustBunnyFarmer]

I forget to mention the smell. With their affinity for standing water, mud and fox/badger shit (rolling in obvs) and heavy coats they can get funky pretty quickly. Factor in regular bathing/shampooing if you don't want your house getting a doggy smell.

Seriously, having wrangled a toddler and baby without a dog, I can't help thinking you are either mad or naive about the work involved. Can you borrow a young lab for a weekend or invite friends with one to stay for a weekend to see what's involved?

[dotdotdotmustdash]

I go for rescue collies and collie-crosses and my heart sinks when I come across labs on our walks :-( I can teach my dogs to stay near me, be polite to other dogs and play with their balls quietly. Then a lab will arrive, run at them, steal their ball, bounce on them and generally causes havoc. The friendly, exuberant nature that they're famous for can also make them very difficult to control when you're out and about as they lack common sense.

I am on my 3rd rescue collie, all 3 have come as young adults and they're so smart and trainable. They're very sensitive and need kind and fair training but make lovely family dogs. I wouldn't in a million years suggest a collie from a working background for young families, but a collie-cross from a reputable rescue who assesses their dogs thoroughly can be an excellent family dog.

[Scuttlebutter]

To be blunt, when we are at the park, we do our best to avoid Labs. They are well meaning thugs and hooligans. Just because they mean no harm doesn't mean that other people and dogs enjoy being jumped all over by a cannonball of over 30kg of wildly excited "family pet". I think the "ideal family pet" label is a curse as it allows them to get away with behaviour that if it was exhibited by a Staffy, would have everyone in the park baying for the Dog Warden. And they are nearly always owned by people who think that Lab=Family Pet, therefore no need to train.

Exception - working gun dogs, who are generally beautifully trained and a joy to be around, but they dont' get that way without a hell of a lot of work and patience, much more than most pet owners are willing to put in.

[Honeydragon]

Agree totally, I'm still very much training and at two years off lead she's a liability some times I terms of recall. I yell a warning if the fucker goes off piste and ignores me as any good owner would. I find people are nicer to you as a Lab owner when they see you're actively training your dog. Not ineffectually flapping around making bewildered excuses for bad manners.

One of the hard things about a Lab as a family pet is everyone wants to fuss them. Till they turn into the giant slobbering moult monsters .... But by then they are used to being adored. Then you finally get a well trained, biddable people please once training and maturity are reached and SOME (not all) people then think they can pet your dog without checking, let their dc run up to them and touch them, feed them treats and generally treat them like a cuddly toy. Other breeds this would happen much more infrequently.

[LostInMusic]

I think the problem is that most Labs, because they're so exuberant, are very easily distracted. So, you think you've cracked whatever training you're doing. Then you come across the most exciting dog they've ever seen and the sods forget everything they've learnt and make it look like you've done nothing with them!

[Sillysausage2]

The hair is the worst part, it's just gets everywhere. Mine isn't allowed upstairs yet all the carpets are covered in it, I opened a little pot if eyeliner and there was a hair in it, even my chair at work is covered in dog hair.

She's also terrified of the washing machine, Hoover, tumble dryer, dishwasher and anything else that makes noise or moves unexpectedly.

She just wants to be near you, preferably sitting on your knee

She's brilliant with my 2yr old though, they have great fun playing and LO just loves her.

2nd baby is on it's way but only for that I'd get another to keep her company, they are hard work to start with but I wouldn't change her for the world

[BeggarsCantBeChoosers]

Training is the key, I think.

When I had my last lab puppy I taught her to walk to heel before anything else. That paid me dividends and was more important than the usual 'sit' and 'lie-down' commands that people tend to start training with - which I did cover, but not until much later.

[theaveragebear1983]

I have an 8 month old retriever puppy. He is now bigger than my mum"s adult border collie, and is still growing. He"s like a canine dustbin, will eat anything, destroys my toddlers toys in seconds, has destroyed my back garden digging, and has dug a foot wide hole through the wooden decking. He can knock my quite sturdy 2.5 yo boy over with his tail. He's a big, lively boy. I'm really not trying to be negative op, but I really would consider your timing. Whilst my dog is lovely, such a gentle animal, beautiful, easily trainable ( ie. Obedience and tricks), and as soft as pudding, it's probably the worst decision I've ever made in my life. I'm so cross with myself for allowing it - and we considered this and researched breeds for over a year. I am getting through the puppy phase by telling myself that a) he will grow up and b) he makes the people I love very happy. Don't get me wrong, he's a lovely dog, perfect even, well behaved, etc. He's just a dog. Dogs and toddlers don't mix!

[lavendersun]

I am really surprised at all the negative posts. My dog has never been a problem, trained from the word go at 10 weeks, but such a lovely temperament.

My dog and baby/toddler definitely did mix, very well. We used to walk for hours with the dog and toddler in a bob stroller. Dog never knocked anyone over etc., and they are/always have been very gentle with each other.

The only negative for me is the hair, lots of hair.