LABRADORS

[Helencatz]

Tell me about your Labradors please what is your experience? Are they really as bad as people make out?

I love our lab so much, he is just great. He is brilliant with kids, is well trained (was on his way to become a sniffer dog when covid sent him our way) ,clever and just the best addition to our family.
He loves eating. The dog is unfillable. I couldn't be without him though.
Is it a golden, fox, choc or black lab you're getting OP??

We have working and show line. Show is choc and blind and deaf (14). She can barely walk but is still extremely food motivated. She’s always been on the heavier side and cost us a fortune in vet fees. Working was black and had to be pts a few months before 13. Was basically still a puppy until the last two weeks when the osteosarcoma was found. Very different dogs.
Owning an old lab is very different from a puppy but it’s a privilege to have taken care of them throughout their life span.
The reason people bristled is because none of us have any concept of why the fuck your used ‘bad’ to describe our beautiful family members. And you still haven’t, just tried to cover up your rudeness by attempts to overlook it.
Labs aren’t ‘bad’. It was a breathtakingly ignorant op and you backtracked.

Had a few over the years. Very good with children, unless the child has food in their hand and then it will be very gently but determinedly removed from the child. Most are easy to train, we did have one that wasn’t but she was a really good natured dog just couldn’t get her to recall train though. Only require a quick brush a couple of times a week.
Still easy going when they are old even if they do go a bit dolally.
Good with cats, chickens, small pets etc.

Downsides, they will eat any food left, you can always tell a lab owning household as they always leave the kitchen work surfaces clear.
Heavy if you need to lift them over stiles on a walk. They often eat what they shouldn’t, think decorative bushes with berries in the garden and sheep shit. Quite large if you’ve got more than one in the house. Can be quite chewy when little, one of ours destroyed a log basket and it’s contents repeatedly as a puppy.
Generally great dogs that’s why so many people have them.

Our lab was the sweetest, softest, loveliest dog. The kids adored him and him them.
He absolutely loved his ball and water, would swim forever if you let him.
He was very bouncy until about 8 and did chew up all the kick boards in the kitchen at one point and he was certainly food crazy!
Such a wonderful gentle boy, we all still miss him.

Baybetterdays - she will be a yellow lab we've been waiting a while now so the anticipation is killing us. We are bursting with excitement.

Thank you all, you've being brilliant sharing your experiences. Really looking forward to it.
Mrsmophead- we are having a yellow.

Puppies chew but as dogs when does the chewing come about when left alone?

I'm sorry for using the word 'bad' jesus I meant what's good about them and what's the down side people are always complaining about they eat too much chew too much etc... Is it true? if you are offended by the term 'bad' you really need to get a grip.
I worded it wrong get over it! nachthexe - No input about your dog needed because you've just devaluaded all you've just said with your bitchy comment and I'm the one that's rude. I didn't back track anywhere because that is not what I meant!

Now for anyone that is going to keep commenting on the term 'bad' when anyone with half brain knows that isn't what I meant. Keep off my thread. I'm not interested in repeating myself and I'm not interested in what you've got to say about your dog. Anyone that has helpful with comments is however welcome.

OP, I don't get why you're getting all the horrid comments. I hope you dont take it to heart.

We are first time dog owners and have a 6.5 month black lab puppy. He is hard work but the apple of our eye - we absolutely adore him. He is a textbook lab puppy- bouncing, chewy and clumsy but he is so loving, intelligent and easy going. He excels at puppy classes and takes everything in his stride.

He does shed a bit but nothing like what we were warned - although that might come with age. His chewing can be easily managed with lots of toys, chews and stimulation.

Good luck with your new arrival and enjoy!

I love them. They are born half trained, live to work at any opportunity, easy to teach anything new even when they get old. Live outside well if that is your preference or alternatively live inside without issues. Good with livestock, I don’t think we have had any negative experiences.

We have always stuck to field trialing stock, if not worked enough to keep its mind satisfied I would not want one living inside. If you just want a house pet the show bred ones might be less demanding.

Ours does chew bones, and plastic bottles, but nothing she hasn’t been given to chew. No problems in the early puppy stages with chewing though a previous one did have a few months of trouble fixed by painting everything in Tabasco.

The majority of labs I have known need reminding to eat unless in their kennel.

BAD?
HAIR!!!
The moulting.
That is all.

@LBee2020

OP, I don't get why you're getting all the horrid comments. I hope you dont take it to heart.

We are first time dog owners and have a 6.5 month black lab puppy. He is hard work but the apple of our eye - we absolutely adore him. He is a textbook lab puppy- bouncing, chewy and clumsy but he is so loving, intelligent and easy going. He excels at puppy classes and takes everything in his stride.

He does shed a bit but nothing like what we were warned - although that might come with age. His chewing can be easily managed with lots of toys, chews and stimulation.

Good luck with your new arrival and enjoy!

Thank you I've seen threads where people are attacked for the slightest thing so it's not surprise too me, I've watched mumsnet for a while now. No i'm not taking it to heart at all I've had some good comments and nothing can bit a dampener on me getting my much awaited lab. Thank you for your comment and congratulations on your bundle of joy.

@Wolfiefan

BAD? HAIR!!! The moulting. That is all.

Reminding to eat ?? Really ? Chewing is not a problem someone will be with her all day so I'm hoping if she has someone their to give her stimulation and exercise 24/7 it won't be a problem (says through gritted teeth) Anyone do agility with their labs ? Or any other activities ?

My Labrador was a nightmare to toilet train as a young pup (but she was a rescue so could have affected that) and she always bloody barks. She barks at the door and then she sees you and continues to bark, she hears a pin drop she barks, you pick her dog bowl up she barks BUT she is so loveable and cuddly and thrives on attention. She's also fantastic off the lead but a bugger for jumping in any type of water for a swim

Sorry quoted the wrong one.
I've heard they moult a lot which is a surprise considering they haven't got that much hair.

@NightOwl19

My Labrador was a nightmare to toilet train as a young pup (but she was a rescue so could have affected that) and she always bloody barks. She barks at the door and then she sees you and continues to bark, she hears a pin drop she barks, you pick her dog bowl up she barks BUT she is so loveable and cuddly and thrives on attention. She's also fantastic off the lead but a bugger for jumping in any type of water for a swim

That's alot of barking ! Can I ask what age you got your pup at ?

My Lab barks quite a lot too. Along with being able to tell the time. If he hasn't had dinner at spot on 6pm he will bark constantly to remind me it's just gone 6pm.

They are double coated dogs OP so yes they do moult quite a lot.

@isthismylifenow

My Lab barks quite a lot too. Along with being able to tell the time. If he hasn't had dinner at spot on 6pm he will bark constantly to remind me it's just gone 6pm.

They are double coated dogs OP so yes they do moult quite a lot.

I thought so but didn't want to say they had two coats just in case I was jumped on for being wrong and accused of not knowing anything.

Least you've got a alarm clock.

Got attacked for using the wrong term.
Got laughed at for saying about training the dog.
Got attacked for trying to move on the conversation.
All in all I think this thread is going splendid.

Agree with everything that @cakeallday says. Our lab is absolutely lovely. The sweetest, kindest, gentlest dog who is so keen to please us and makes our family so happy. He’s not even too bad with food - sits close and watches us eat hoping that we’ll drop some cheese but doesn’t ever steal food that he hasn’t been given.

The bad - the shedding. Oh my the shedding. I’ve resolved that by getting a cleaner and reducing my standards.

Is this your first time ever on Mumsnet OP? You’re taking every comment incredibly personally when most people are just contributing in a normal fashion to the thread.

I think most good and negative points have been covered already, so my contribution to add is my favourite video of labs, made during lockdown by a sports commentator. There’s several of them but this was the first.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=vPhpJuraz14

PS I also highly recommend the zoom groom brush for dealing with the shedding. My rescue lab loves it as it massages as it brushes.

KONG - ZoomGroom - Dog Brush for Grooming and Shampooing - For Large Dogs (Red) amazon.co.uk/dp/B0002AR1A0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_kkIzFb94WT4SJ]]

I’ve a Labrador whippet x - as a pup I lost count of the times I went to PC world with the chewed wire of some electrical appliance saying ‘ do you have one of these ‘ , easy to toilet train and train ( trained her to please me / do as I say and not get a treat majority of the time ) , sweet as pumpkin pie , however has the lab greedy gene and still eats dead things and shit but much less so now she’s 11 . So nothing bad - just a normal dog I’d say .