Anyone have a lab?

[ilovetofu]

Planning to get a puppy soon.
Just wondering what do you like in particular about owning your lab?

Erm and also what would you change?

My two live with six cats happily, with a pup or young dog I'd make sure the cat has an area to escape to for a bit of peace if needed. Ours will all snuggle together, but the cats are the boss.

I'd avoid a cross personally, there is always a risk that you get the worst of both breeds and not the best; apparently the chap who 'invented' the labradoodle says it is his biggest regret.

Oh and yes to stealing food we lost a christmas turkey and gammon that were resting on the worktop one year. They'd sneaked it out and left the foil tented as if it was still there, I thought I was going mad when there was just empty plates underneath. Also they've eaten pounds of fallen fruit from an orchard with resulting laxative effects!

They also think that it is their job to pre-clean plates if they aren't kept out of the way when loading the dishwasher.

Have a black lab (rescue). Amazing personality, gentle sweetheart. Very trainable/easy to train (with food). Loves everyone.
Downsides - hair, slobber and having to have surgery on both knees. Had surgery to remove bowel obstruction. Had surgery to remove tumour.

Mum has a chocolate lab. He's a bit dim, bless him, and his tail gets in the way of your legs wherever you go. He only barks once a month and he sounds like a small dog when it happens. He's lovely though.

We had a yellow lab. Gorgeous boy who we adopted at one but he pulled like a train and it was a horrible habit he’d picked up with his old owners. He did shed tons which was very annoying but he was very very sweet but slightly nervous. They’re lovely dogs. We now have a poodle who is awesome.

I have a beautiful four & a half year old black lab. He’s been a dream to train, he’s clever and so gentle and affectionate and loves to work. He adores me and has to follow me around and is always at the bottom of the stairs in the morning to say hello. He loves the kids, everyone he meets, all other dogs, he’s just lovely.

He’s a bit odd for a lab in that he doesn’t like water, he doesn’t like going out in the rain, he doesn’t roll in fox poo and he doesn’t scavenge while we’re out. He has nicked the odd thing at home though.

He is incredibly hairy though, even for a lab. He sheds like anything. I’d love another one but my husband can’t put up with the hair.

We have a good walk every morning and then he spends the rest of the day snoozing. It’s a lovely life.

@MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig he sounds amazing!

@MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig can I ask where you got him from?

@sillysmiles hope he's ok now?!

@ilovetofu He's absolutely fine. Some days he is a bit limpy - but most of the time he's totally perfect. We think he is about 10.
Some days he comes to work with him and sits in my office all day not making a sound. One day I had left him (with the office door open) for longer than he wanted so he went an lay down in my office neighbours office until I got back. I dread the day when he is no longer with us.

*comes to work with me that should read

Ah Bodgeit , yours sound just like mine. My boy stole raw burgers from under clingfilm without apparently moving the clingfilm. He also loves a good pre-wash, and I caught him this morning actually lifting a plate out of the dishwasher for a sneaky lick.
I am proud to say, he didn’t drop it 😂

Mine just eats and sleeps !! She a 10 year old chocolate. She the laziest dog on the planet

We had 2 black labs, girl and a boy, both from a farm, but super pets. Just absolutely joyous dogs to have, amiable, mischievous, full of life, mine both lived to the ripe old age of 16!!. They do shed loads of hair, I could have made another dog from the hair collected from the kitchen floor on a daily basis, insatiable appetites, mine ate floor tiles, angle beading and made a square pine table into a round one by eating all the corners, but all in all just fab good natured dogs who want to be loved!

ilovetofu I’ve pm’d you. Here’s a pic though.

Can’t believe people are talking about their dogs and nobody else has put a pic up yet.

I've had two. I would love another but OH has put his foot down because of the hair. The hair is amazing. It fills your house. You could knit jumpers for the people of a small country. If you do not like hoovering five times a day do not even consider this breed! We have Spaniels but much as I love them I long for another Lab. they are the most beautiful souls.

Oh gorgeous! 💛@MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig

ilovetofu it’s all those scrummy paws

We had 2 chocolates that lived to 17. They were both lovely dogs but greedy as hell and one had hip dysplasia which is painful and expensive. Over their lifespan we had 4 cats, 2 tolerated the dogs and the other 2 came out on walks. When one of the cats was in her last hours the labs lay on either side of her and snuggled in.
Get a puppy trained, we didn't, big mistake.
Get a crate, it keeps them safe and they enjoy the peace away from family life.
Get good insurance, Petplan is the best and will insure conditions for life.
From the get go don't let them on the sofa or bed unless you are prepared to live with a wrecked sofa for the next 15 years
Ours are gone a few years and we still find dog hairs, buy a Shark vacuum!
Name your pooch Biscuit and they will do what you want!

13yo choc - completely deaf and creaky but can hear (and run for) a cheese wrapper at 100 paces. Cost us a bloody fortune in ophthalmic surgery as she can only pee with her head in a bush and got a thorn through her eyeball. Once stole 8 extremely expensive fancy burgers off the bbq at a friend’s picnic.
12yo black - thinks he’s 4, scared of high pitched beeps, total pudding. Once stole an entire Stilton from the centre of cheeseboard before dinner party.
They are my besties. Total opposites though. If you hold a ball ready to throw it, one will stare intently at the ball waiting for it to be be thrown, and the other will stare intently at you, waiting for you to throw the ball.
They love to swim, and my entire house is knee deep in dog hair.

They’re the easiest pups and happiest dogs. Like having a friend around you always smiling and happy to see you. I recommend them just watch what they eat and keep a strict diet - they eat any and everything but as a pup didn’t eat anything like toys or shoes but I’ve heard others have. SO be careful

I’m hoping someone could give me advice about Labrador health checks? I’m looking at a litter on champdogs, both dam and sire have good hip/elbow scores and clear eye but results are from 2018. Also dam not tested for eic/cnm/hnpk, not sure whether this matters if sire is unaffected? Anyone any experience here?

Also, i was expecting to have to go on a waiting list for a puppy, should I be wary that all these puppies are available? I’m very wary so any help would be much appreciated!

What a lovely thread. Much nicer than the other one I was on about BT broadband!

Everything is true from PP. The hair was a surprise and gets everywhere. Don’t let them upstairs (unless you want the hair everywhere).

You can literally turn your back and something from the kitchen will be stolen very very quietly and they will do it without disturbing the foil, cling film etc. How do they do that?

So the hair, the rolling in stuff, knocking things down & needing a lot of exercise seem to be the worst of it.

Do not under estimate the hair. It is all year round and then twice a year they go into a major moult for weeks, usually over Xmas for us when I'd like the house locking nice, when regardless of how often you vacuum the hair will be back within an hour or so!!

First 18 months regardless of how many toys you buy they will chew and destroy everything, until teething is done. Ours destroyed through chewing (usually during the night) every bed we bought him, new boots, skirting boards, 6" off a carpet, a sofa seat cushion, kitchen cabinet door and more.

He is 6 now and had cost us/the insurance over £6k in vet bills for various minor issues and one knee op.

They are constantly hungry and you need to say no to those beautiful pleading eyes several times a day. Labs need to stay very lean to prevent health issues. If you find the right food (usually expensive) farts can be kept at bay.

Everything for a lab/costs more. Flea/worming tablets, medication, health plan etc go by weight and they are heavy dogs.

After all that, there is a reason they are still so popular, they are simply the best dogs in the world. Not sure I'd want to go through puppy chewing stage again, might look into rescue next time.