Tell me about your Labrador

[mrssunshinexxx]

Just as the title says really getting s lab in the next 12m not sure on bitch or dog yet we definitely wouldn't breed from it
Would love to hear all the good and not so good stories

Oh our Labrador ... where do I start. Got her at 8 weeks old. An absolute joy of a companion and we lost her at 15 years old. Up til then in excellent health. My kids grew up with her. The most loving soppy darling ever and still sorely missed by us all 3 years on. Didn't breed from her either.

We got a choc lab rescued from a rspca raided puppy farm, 10 weeks old, now 5.5 and still bonkers. Sadly she's got elbow dysplasia in both front legs and has had cruciate surgery on both knees. Apart from that she's the most loving, loyal, happy dog ever, was easily trained, brilliant recall, walks great on lead, loves all adult people and other dogs.

Only issue is she's not great with little kids, she's snapped at our nephew (4) when he got in her face. If we meet a random kid and they ask to stroke her, we say no as we don't know how she'll react, yet she'll be all over the adult. She's not had much interaction with kids as we don't have any in the family so she's not used to being approached at eye level!

Labs are heaven. My parents always had them so I grew up around labs, and DH has promised me that as soon as we move out of the city we can get our own. I even walked up the aisle accompanied by one.

Every breed will have exceptions, but 9 times out of 10 labradors are wonderfully friendly, easy to train and good with both adults and children. Just be prepared for insane energy levels - young labs need a LOT of exercise so they are not good dogs if you don't have a garden or cannot dedicate a couple of hours a day to walking them.

Also make sure you buy from a reputable breeder as hip dysplasia is very common and good breeders shouldn't have puppies from a dog/bitch with a history of it.

Also if you haven't had one before then I'd recommend getting a bitch. They tend to be a bit easier and don't have the same instinct to escape roam when puberty kicks in!

Irrepressible bundle of curiousity, friendliness and Bounce, even past 10.
Make sure you don’t overfeed (they specialise in I am SO HUNGRY! eyes.
Expose to as many new situations as possible while they are young. A failure to do this enough has led to our dog being very wary of Men In Hats, Men In Hi Vis, traffic cones and small screechy children. Only does a warning bark for them to declare their intentions but it’s quite a loud bark.

Oh, and get a really good vacuum cleaner.

We have a lab cross (but mostly lab, I think) and he is delightful. So affectionate, brilliant with kids and very playful. He's a rescue and we've had him since he was about 6 months and is a year now and he's truly part of the family.

A few things - he's intelligent and responds well to training; at 1yo he's still very excitable and the biggest risk he poses to small children is that he'll knock them over by bounding carelessly past them; he will eat anything (if we let him); he will pinch toys, shoes, sunglasses - anything at knee height or below to be his chew toys. Usually we manage to rescue things before serious damage is sustained, but DH sacrificed an expensive pair or sunglasses and DD a new pair of sandals.

I'm not a dog person. We got him because DD is allergic to cats, but I love him dearly now - he's a gorgeous soppy giant puppy.

Got our first at 6mths old, we were his third home already.
He had separation anxiety, would destroy his beds, the skirting boards while I was at work. Would follow me everywhere. Once the DC came along he was VERY protective of us all. DH walked dogs one evening on a dark pathway after I’d given birth to DC2, some bloke was being lairy and showing off to his friends. DH didn’t actually give a shit, he would have told the bloke to fuck off anyway but he didn’t need to- as he walked past the group with the dogs and the bloke was still giving it, our lab leapt at him (he was on lead so didn’t reach him) and he absolutely shat himself and shut right up. He was fiercely loyal and we lost him far, far too early from a tumour.

Lab we have now- nightmare puppy, always looking for something naughty to do, endless energy, needed tons of mental stimulation.
He’s grown up to be the nicest, friendliest dog. Great with kids and other dogs, recall can be sketchy if there’s something more interesting than me going on. Absolutely is ruled by his stomach and not his brain.

Couldn’t recommend labs enough! Would get another tomorrow if I could.

Mine is an absolute dream. He's my first dog and I can't imagine ever getting one so special ever again!

He's calm, but loves fun, amazing with my kids, amazing with all visitors, no aggression with other dogs, he's sensitive and gentle and just flippin' brilliant!

The only stage I found hard was the "teenage" stage when he wouldn't listen and it was a little stressful to walk him off the lead, but he's matured past all that now

His one downside is that he does shed hair all day every day, but it's worth it!

We have a male black lab. We got him at 8 weeks. He’s a big daft lovable fool who is now 5 years old. Such a soppy boy. Always hungry! About 18 months ago he developed epilepsy so he is on daily medication and is now under control with that. It’s a random thing - no family history of epilepsy. Best dog in the world.

Oh, and get a really good vacuum cleaner.

Yes, yes, yes to this! Every time I go over the living room carpet with a rubber brush I pull out an entire new dog.

Our boy is a rescue: we got him when he was 2y. Apparently the previous owners didn’t know that labs got so big so they never walked him. He is the clingy-ist, daft and loving soul. Answers to Dude (his name, ‘move out of the way’ and ‘get out of the bath’ seems to think his mission in life is to destroy slippers that don’t look like shoes. Thinks he’s a lap dog even though he weighs a hefty 40kg. He can be very protective though but he loves cats. We don’t have a door bell; We have a dog bell. And he is incredibly handsome.

We have a whippador - lab X whippet - sweetest hound ever and great with the cats . Very greedy , loves muddy puddles and water much to the amusement of other owners . Use a reputable breeder or see if there's a rescue dog available - enjoy

I have an eight year old bitch. We all adore her. She has brought much joy to our family.
Positives:
Greets everyone with unbounded enthusiasm and love.
Gentle and relaxed in all situations (we have zero problems on bonfire night for example, and I have no concerns with her around small children).
Perfect to take on long walks. Sticks with us and doesn’t bugger off even when off lead.
Retrieves things (well duh but there’s is a certain simple pleasure to throwing a ball in a river and have a dog joyfully leap in and bring it back).
Not fussy with food.
No health problems
Piss easy to train (likes food and retrieving things so you have two great motivators right there from the get go).
Settles easily and is quiet and peaceful. Oh my god a dog that constantly barks and is always “on” would do my head in.
Looks beautiful (subjective).

Negatives:
Extremely greedy. Dd2 keeps leaving the kibble bin lid up and yes, they just keep eating and eating and eating until... well...
Hair. Hair everywhere, in everything, even though she is not allowed upstairs. Hairhairhairhair
Smells a bit.
Smells more when wet.
Almost always wet after a walk.
Has to get wet when going on a walk. Compulsive need to submerge self in every ditch, bog, pond, river etc (see photos)

Positives far outweigh the negatives.

Mine - 2.5 yo dog from working lines. Had him since 8 weeks. The most gentle, friendly, devoted dog you can imagine. More energy than a tornado though and needs bucket loads of both physical and mental exercise. He gets at least 2 hours proper exercise a day and i worked out that he must run/sprint 15-20 km during the course of that. Too many people underestimate how much exercise the breed needs and end up with flabradors - please don't be one of them.

4 year old Lab Bitch here.
Utterly adorable, totally bonkers, still slightly naughty. Will counter surf if food not put away properly.
Loves other people and dogs.
Very biddable was quite easy to train.

Stinks when wet, loves the sea and rivers.
Only thing I don't like is she eats her own poo if given the chance.

I just lost my boy, he was 14. I had only had him since he was 10 and he brought so much joy to our lives in that short space of time. They have such a zest for life, mine didn't stop until the day I had to have him PTS. Be prepared for lots of licks, lots of swimming, eating everything and anything... oh and lots of vacuuming if you get a black one!!

I actually found my boy from a lovely local breeder after a recommendation on here. She had a waiting list but we were the first definite yes so we got first pick. She recommended that we have the boy out of the litter and he has turned out to be a simply fantastic dog.

Because he came along after the kids he adores them like he does us. He’s been a dream to train, he’s very clever and so keen to please. He’s gentle and quiet around the home. It’s only outside that he’s a typical bouncy Lab, who thinks that everybody is a new friend and there for him to play with. Fortunately he has excellent recall. In fact at home he can be a touch nervy, if someone shouts or there’s a loud noise he’ll give you this hurt look and slink off out of the room.

And yes to the hair. Oh my god. I groom him most days and hoover most days and there will still be drifts of black fur all over the floor. Never known a dog shed like it. He doesn’t tend to smell much though. This could be because he doesn’t really like water. He never rolls in anything stinky or eats his own poo. In fact he’s quite fussy with food and quickly gets bored of his very expensive nibble and I have to keep finding nice wet food to mix in with it. I often say I’m sure he’s not a proper Lab.

He is a fabulous dog though. Wouldn’t be without him.

We've had 3. Alm rescued. All have been highly energetic, extremely loving, adored water, shed hair like you can't believe, got fat easily, rolled in smelly things.

Downsides- they don't live a long time. They take up a lot of room. They eat anything (just had a scare yesterday as one ate some of my horse's medicine). They are heavy and strong when they want to be. They throw themselves into any water around!

They sometimes don't mature until they're five, and often show signs of aging at 8. Not always as easy as people think.

Generally adorable dogs.

Forgot to put the photos

Golden lab bitch here - my second. Had her since she was 12 weeks old - she will be 7 in November. My absolute best friend and has got me through some seriously bad times.

Good things
Loyal
Empathic
Protective
Funny
Smiles (a lot)

Bad things
Doesn't have a 'full' switch
Hair. And more hair. And even more hair
Likes rolling in fox poo and drinking from muddy puddles
Doesn't really like - small girls, people in hoodies, people in caps, anybody walking past the house

The best dog ever. I'm already feeling tearful at the thought of ever being without her

Ours is 3/4 lab 1/4 Springer but looks lab and is lab sized.
Positives.
Friendly with people & other animals
Stunningly beautiful 😍
Quiet around the house
Big soppy soft sod.
Extremely good company.

Negatives.
Nightmare bitey git as a puppy.
His sheer size - especially as he thinks he is a lot smaller than he is.
Cannot be trusted around food . EVER.
The fur, my god the fur .

Love him to bits, but he is a full on 2 hours a day at least walking plus time off lead and training to stop him getting bored.

Ours is a golden lab aged 2 and a half; we’ve had her since she was 12 weeks old. She’s the most loving, gentle, fabulous girl but is often a bit whiffy and will eat absolute anything. As a puppy she destroyed one of our sofas and a 12ft trampoline!

Our elder DS is autistic and we got her in the first place to be a friend to both of the boys. Although she isn’t disability trained she’s incredibly instinctive, and can calm and support DS1 during a meltdown and anxieties. She’s amazing and we wouldn’t be without her.

I love my 8 yr old lab but wouldn't get another.
He was a nightmare puppy, bouncy, bitey and seemingly intent on self destruction. I took him to training classes every week but it was over 2 years before he calmed down.
He sheds constantly and the hair floats about and gets everywhere, sticks to clothes, I even find it in the dishwasher filter.
He's always looking for food when on walks and manages to snaffle banana skins, dropped sandwiches, dead pigeons etc even when on the lead. Also partial to eating fox poo.
My rescue GSD who I got at 10 months is an incredibly easy dog despite having had a bad start in life

We had a black lab boy. We got him when he was 8 weeks old and absolutely loved him for 12 good years. He sadly passed away a month ago. I love labs, they become like a family member - very clever, sensitive and protective. It did take a good 2 years for him to calm down (with training) and he was very bitey as a puppy and yes, the shedding is intense. But my goodness, how much we loved him.

We’ve got a 14 year old golden boy, he was 4 when we rescued him-he’d been very badly neglected and we needed to put him through 3 lots of surgery to fix his legs. He’s been the most loyal, loving boy! He’s slowed down a lot now and enjoys snoozing most of the time but still constantly has a big doggy smile and a waggy tail.

We lost our 5 year old chocolate boy a month ago to a very, very rare form of doggy cancer. We had him from 9 weeks old. He was a nightmare for the first 2 years but grew into a wonderful, loving companion. I can’t believe he’s gone-devastated is an understatement. My older boy misses him very much and will still look for him.

We’ve just adopted a 10 month old chocolate lab-3rd owners for him! He’s boisterous and mischievous but seems to be settling well with us. Fingers crossed!! He’s very gentle with our older boy and loves to go for walks and enjoys snuggles whenever he can get them. Labradors are amazing. ☺️