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

THANK YOU all so much I have loved reading those and what beautiful dogs.

A few extra bits in case anyone has anything helpful to add
We have a 2 year old boy cat who is my world and spoilt rotten he is the happiest cat alive but in hindsight i wish I had been stricter ( he was dumped in a barn and left for dead and that's my excuse which I know is silly but I just want to always make sure he's happy i realise telling him no occasionally won't mean he's un happy) but we cannot leave any food out or he will eat it jumps up on work tops but does get lifted down immediately and told no.

He is also very very greedy which I struggle with because he was starved as a baby but we do not over feed him he actually looks so healthy and sleek. I want the cat to love / or at least tolerate a dog and not be sad 😔

With this said when we get a puppy what's the best way to try and mound it in to the kind of dog we in visage i need it to be well trained can we do this ourselves if we stick to it or have people used puppy classes or something else ?

Shall I try and get one that's been brought up in a house with cats and kids ?

Want it to be sociable and not bark constantly. Don't worry about the exercise I love the outdoors in any weather and I am a keen runner that's one of the reasons we would like a dog so it will run with me and it's abit safer but also giving a dog a lovely home thanks for reading

It would certainly help if you got one used to cats, but all of my dogs have come from cat free homes and got used to the cats. We give the cats a separate eating and sleeping place, and have stairgates on the stairs so the cats can get up but the dogs can't. It takes a bit of time and training but they get there.

Chocolate Labrador. She had to be put down at 13 but I actually dreamed about her last night, woke up very upset. She was beautiful, energetic, cuddly and very needy in that she always needed to be near us, sat on our feet, snuggled up to us. We had her a year before DC was born and she was amazing with DC. Very tolerant and patient. Always waiting at the door to greet us. We loved her so much and I’m upset that we moved and she is buried at our old house and not with us here. She had Cushings disease and tumours in the end. Thank god she was insured because her medication would have cost us a fortune! The vet could have kept her going longer but we felt that she was getting distressed as she was unsteady on her feet, short of breath and couldn’t dash about like she wanted. She gave a life time of love, she only ever barked when someone knocked at the door but she would chase cats if she had the chance. Hope you find your lovely Labrador soon

I have a rescue lab. He is the loveliest daftest dog.

I don't think he's aware of things like birds when they're in the garden as he doesn't even look at them. He loves to play, he is the biggest diva when he feels he should be getting some attention.

He's great with kids, all kids and will run about after them before having a lie down. He does have hip dysplasia in both hips but so far they're still functioning but we will get him new ones when he needs them.

Bit of a barker if he spots you out the window and you're taking too long to get inside to say hello, he will bring you something when he meets you at the door.

He's the most beautiful, friendliest, loving dog in the world.

And I agree with buying a decent hoover, shedding season results in tumbleweeds across your floor even if you've hoovered 10 minutes before.

I bought an excellent brush from amazon for him and my other long haired dog. Hardly a hair in sight now.

I love all your stories and send for all those pets in heaven I too have been there and it's crap they give us so so much then leave the biggest hole in our lives.

Any tips on training? It's quite important that it would run with me and stay near by xx

I've got a gorgeous dopey 7 year old black lab. He's my best mate and I can't imagine life without him.

As far as training goes, I didn't take him to classes but wished I had. He was a nightmare when younger but seems to have calmed down now. Don't underestimate the amount of exercise they need ( that's one of the reasons I got him) And how greedy they are! If you can take all the comments on board you won't regret it.

Labradors seem to be diverging into two separate strains: the working/trial and the show/pet types. It depends on what sort of a lab you want.
My two are working/trial and they are not like the placid, calm dogs people believe labs to be... they are hyper alert, energetic, somewhat nervous, not particularly friendly to people they don't know. They seem to take two to three years to mature.

One in particular was a nightmare as a puppy; biting and constantly active with no respite. Her teenage period was hilarious; she would huff and sulk like Kevin the teenager and all but say”I hate you”. We can't keep her out of water, every puddle, pond, river, like the one described above. She is very affectionate and greedy, yelping with joy whilst eating her food, so funny.
The other chewed until three years old and even now will run her top teeth along my hand, in a “I'm not biting, I’m just touching you with my teeth” way. She is lightly built and very athletic and can jump a five bar gate from standing. She wary of strangers and backs away suspiciously from anyone who puts out a hand to her, also visibly getting offended if people she doesn't know try to pat her. But really soppy with us.
They are wonderful gun dogs and live to work, will even leave food, if they think there's a chance of a walk or a shoot. They are kennelled, with a run during the day and come in for socialisation in the evenings.
That is basically what to expect from the working strains, so different from the more heavily set labs that I see going through the village carrying newspapers, etc, which are probably more suitable for house pets. But you'll need a good hoover, in either case..

About the hair!!! For context, we hoovered last night. This is one quick sweep of half of an average-sized lounge this morning

I wouldn't have it any other way, though!

Oh and also, my dog very rarely barks. In fact, if he does, we all go running to see if there's an intruder in the garden or something else drastic! He uses his voice very sparingly!

Training - treats & good girl/boy and lots of fuss as a reward.
Ours would stay to heel, walk alongside us off lead and if running around would immediately come if called because we spent hours training her as a pup rewarding with treats and fuss and then once she got the hang of commands rewarded with mostly fuss (so she didn’t get fat) and just occasional treat.

@cameltoeflappyflapflap
I bought an excellent brush from amazon for him and my other long haired dog. Hardly a hair in sight now.

What brush is this?

We’ve got a brush from amazon called a furminator. It’s brilliant.

I've had labs all my life, along with other breeds (and non-breeds!)

I find the black labs are usually the easiest to train, then the yellow, and lastly the chocolates.

I currently have two chocolate dogs aged 8 bred from a working mum and show dog. One has epilepsy and needs expensive meds and is just starting with arthritis. The other is in rude health.

They need to be watched for weight gain, and will steal food if given the chance when no one is around. Young dogs need heaps of attention and will tend to be destructive if left and underexercised. Mine are large dogs and do take up a lot of room in the house, they also tend to get muddy in wet weather, whereas the lurcher is spotless.

They do love to please their owners and enjoy a job to do. One of ours loves carrying the firewood home for us and they love retrieving things. Ours swim almost daily, but take ages to dry off.

With cats they need to be trained not to chase them, a young energetic dog might not be the best mix and something older and calmer would be easier to avoid confrontations depending on the dogs and cats character. Your cat will have its nose pushed out and be unhappy at sharing initially. You definitely a safe place for the cat to eat or the lab will scoff it. We use a stairgate to keep a room dog free; but microchip feeders are another option and feeding the cat at height. Mine live with six cats quite happily. (the cats are the boss)

Hoovering is a definite issue, and probably explains why I have a hoover fettish; currently a Bosch Athlet, Miele at and dog, and Vax Air, which all get used. I also have a good carpet cleaner. Be prepared to wash greasy marks from doors and walls where they rub against!

Saying all that, I love them dearly, they are great dogs!

Forgotto add, start collecting old towels now, you can't have enough for drying off in the winter!

We’ve a 2.5 year old lab x cocker (working lines, an ilicit kennel encounter). He looks like a black lab puppy with paws and ears that are just a bit too big to pass for a regular lab. He is bouncy and energetic given half a chance and took a while to train to walk to heel as he had the attention span of a goldfish. but can rein in his energy pretty well. Great with our toddler (who is only 3 months younger), puts up with lots of hugs and enthusiastic pats. she can even be waving a breadstick at him and he knows not to take it though he can be relied on to fall on any meal or treat as though he hasn’t been fed for days. Very rarely barks but does want to chase cats.

We lost our 13 year old fox red lab last year. He was a working dog, loyal, placid, good with kids and cats and just such a calming, happy presence. Terrified of fireworks, though great gun dogs.

This is both of them in the pic.

We have a chocolate Labrador that the whole family absolutely adores. We're all a bit obsessed really
Definitely a lot of hoovering and brushing required, and she's not a fan of either! She loves food and it can be hard to say no but it's important to watch their weight, especially as they seem prone to arthritis. Her love of food did help with training though.
She's cost my parents quite a bit of money in vet bills so keep that in mind as yours gets older. She's worth every penny though 😍

Haha not sure why that came up as chocolate rather than the blushing face! I suppose it fits with her being a chocolate lab though :)

I know they are meant to be intelligent, but mine is a fucking idiot. Love the bones of him though.

We have a 3 year old lab x pointer. Huge goofball (40 kgs, no fat on him). He HAS to carry stuff, sox, undies, plastic containers, boxes... it doesn't matter. Still destroys plastic toys in under 5 seconds flat. Has an entire washing basket of chewed and munted shoes which are now his "toys". Eats the cat's poo. Steals food off the bench when he can and he's quick. I once brought the grocery shopping in, put it on the bench, went to get another lot from the boot... no sign of the dog. Making dinner later that night, couldn't find the cheese anywhere. Happened to look outside and there is the plastic wrapper drifting gently around the garden. He ate the entire 1kg block of cheese. Can't go past a puddle or any body of water without going for a swim. Loves to carry large sticks and then run past you... being wacked behind the knees is common. His tail should be registered as a lethal weapon and has been known to clear coffee tables faster than you can blink. Sheds hair like you wouldn't believe and smells quite bad sometimes - particularly if he's found something revolting to roll in.

BUT. He's wonderful. The sheer joy he greets you with would melt a heart of stone, doesn't matter if you've been gone 5 mins or 5 hours.
He loves his cuddles and simply being close to where-ever you are. Very sociable. Been brilliant with the kids and is an awesome guard dog. Gets on well with the cat, so long as the cat doesn't run. Still chases the cat when she runs, he just can't seem to help himself. Totally food motivated so been relatively easy to train EXCEPT when there is something to chase and then he ignores you until he's good and ready to come back. LOVES to run. He's a huge part of our family and we can't imagine life without him now.

He’s an old man, adopted at 8 years old.

His one skill is being yellow. He’s very good at it. He can’t run far, catch, sit on command, raise a paw, or any other doggy things. But he can be yellow. Actually, I’m doing him a disservice there - he does ask to get on the bed by putting his massive right hand on it, and if we say yes he jumps up and steals the middle of the bed. If we say no, he goes and sulks in his dog bed.

He’s stupid. Probably the thickest dog we’ve had.

He also does very good Sad Face when he sees suitcases and sits in front of the door so we can’t leave him.

He’s allergic to everything though and is on daily medication and hypoallergenic food.

@Blendingrock do you have a pic? I fell hard for a black lab x pointer my husband used to walk/train for a local estate, huge muscly handsme beast, loving and goofy to boot. Its not a cross I’ve ever seen before but I’d definately be interested in the future. Tbh he was the least intelligent and trainable of the 4 dogs in that household but he just had something about him.

We had our lab PTS in June. Couldn't live without one. We collected this little monkey yesterday. She has already stolen our hearts. We chose a home bred puppy rather than a professional gun dog breeder this time as our last dog was poorly socialised and could be anxious. We did get her aged one though.

@1fenchfoodie here you go :) He is pretty strong willed that's for sure.

We hadn't come across the cross before either, but we think we think it's a good one and would definitely have it again. We look after a purebred Lab and he seems prone to a sensitive tummy (mind you, that could be down to the speed at which he eats - he just inhales and the entire bowl of food is gone!) and rather than just carry round sox and undies he eats them

I love all these lab pictures. We are thinking about getting a lab next year (probably a puppy since we have cats that they'll need to get used to). Everything I read about labs suggests potential hip/elbow issues. What have you lab owners done/ screened breeders in terms of checking for that?