Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5

Original poster

Lab Puppy search

108 replies

Lolly2803 · 21/01/2022 13:01

I am looking for a Lab puppy. We are a family of 5 with 4year old twins and a 2 year old. I want to make sure I get from the right place with the right parents and breeder but beyond the kennel club website I don’t know where to look, or what’s good and bad. Can anybody offer any help or advice?

OP posts:

Happenchance · 02/03/2022 14:30

Do you have a garden? I wouldn't walk him for the time being. You really need to speak to a behaviourist or give him back to the breeder. I wouldn't trust what the breeder has said about him being socialised with toddlers.

He could be sitting on walks because he is nervous or in pain. Why did the breeder want rid of him at 9 months?

He didn’t even want to play with another Lab that approached him. He sniffed him but then just sat. Sitting down is another way that dogs communicate that they are uncomfortable. You need to be his advocate and not let dogs and strangers approach him, especially when he is trapped on his lead. Please read up on dog body language.

Happenchance · 02/03/2022 14:38

Correction for my last post: He could be sitting stopping on walks because he is nervous or in pain. Why did the breeder want rid of him at 9 months?

Original poster

Lolly2803 · 02/03/2022 15:34

He’s fine with me. Just wants to be near or with me all the time. Sits next to me and loves me stroking him. On a walk this afternoon he was better and we played fetch. Doesn’t seem to want to play with the children but doesn’t mind them or seems to tolerate them. But he’s definitely not happy playful Lab. The breeder says he part trains them and then they go. Usually as working dogs or other. Doesn’t advertise just goes by word of mouth. He’s kennel club registered. I’ve emailed the vets and am waiting for them to call me for advice.
The breeder said he’s being protective and nervous and will settle down. But he just doesn’t seem happy.

OP posts:

Thedogshow · 02/03/2022 15:47

We got one when our children were under 5 and it was extremely hard work. He was a working dog, chewed everything for well over and year and needed an awful lot of exercise- 1.5+ hours a day until he was about 3 years old as a minimum or he would be bored, boisterous and chewy. There have definitely been moments of regret. How will you walk it with small children in tow, eg during school hols?

Having said that, we love him, and now have a 2nd lab, and he is old and calm now. Neutering definitely improved our life with him- he was very full of testosterone at one point.

Our kids have loved growing up with dogs. We got ours through registered breeders pre covid, but were on a waiting list for 2 years or so.

Thedogshow · 02/03/2022 15:48

Sorry, should have read the whole thread. You have taken the plunge. Good luck.

Happenchance · 02/03/2022 15:50

How long have you had him? Are you letting him off lead already?

I wouldn't trust the breeder. Has he seen the dogs behaviour in real life, or is he just guessing that he is "nervous and protective"? Has he knowingly re-homed a nervous/protective dog to a family with 3 kids under 5?!

Do you know if the breeder uses aversive methods to train the dogs?

CharlotteTuesday · 02/03/2022 16:14

Gosh, you'd have been far far better getting an 8 week + lab puppy rather than a 9 month old teenager who is A. A working dog and B not been reared fully in a home

I'm sorry that that isn't helpful. Can you return him to the breeder? Or are you confident this is something you can handle

Original poster

Lolly2803 · 02/03/2022 16:17

I don’t know what methods he uses to train them. I’ve got a Kennel Club certificate.
He hadn’t been neutered. But he’s only 9 months. I let him off lead in an open enclosed field to play fetch and let him have a good run around. I’ve taken him out for about 1.5 hours each day. 1 long walk and then a shorter one later in the day. And he’s been in the garden.

OP posts:

Lou573 · 02/03/2022 16:59

OP, at 9 months he shouldn’t have more than 45 minutes at a time really for exercise, their joints aren’t properly formed yet.

Wolfiefan · 02/03/2022 17:22

That’s too much exercise. And KC reg or not that’s not a good breeder. You need a decent trainer/behaviourist to work with on this one.

Original poster

Lolly2803 · 02/03/2022 17:47

It sounds like a lot but remember a lot of the time he’s sat still!
I am waiting for the vet to call me for some advice. We’ve only had him since Saturday.

OP posts:

Lou573 · 02/03/2022 17:57

OP, I’m not one of those who say don’t get a dog with small children - I have done myself, although confident I knew what I was getting into and with lots of help. But this doesn’t sound like a dog I’d be comfortable to have in a family home - I’d seriously think about returning him if that’s an option and looking elsewhere. By 9 months he’s missed out on peak socialisation opportunities if not done properly.

InkySquid · 02/03/2022 18:01

What 'training' has the dog supposedly had?

Wolfiefan · 02/03/2022 18:06

It’s still proving too much for this dog though. If it’s growling etc.

Costacoffeeplease · 02/03/2022 18:19

I’m sorry but I’m reading this thread for the first time in shock. What have you done? Taken a 9 month old dog without meeting him first when you have 3 very young children. Utter madness

Happenchance · 03/03/2022 01:14

I know that you mean well but I really think that you are doing too much too soon with him. You have only had him for 4 full days and you have already taken him for multiple walks, let multiple strangers approach him after he has growled at them, let multiple dogs approach him, let him off lead (in a presumably public area) and had at least one visitor to your house. Your dog has had a massive upheaval. He has been taken from (presumably) the only home kennel that he has ever known and is in a totally foreign environment with relative strangers, including 3 kids under 5. He is understandably very stressed and needs time to decompress and learn to trust you.

I wouldn't walk him for at least 3 days (preferably nearer a week) and wouldn't have any more visitors for at least a week. The next time I had a visitor, I would follow advice from a behaviourist about how to handle the visit. Failing that, I would ensure that the dog was shut in another room with a frozen Kong, or something else to distract him, for the entirety of the visit, even if that meant that the visit only lasted 10 minutes.

Please let us know how you get on at the vets and please ask to be referred to a behaviourist.

EdithStourton · 03/03/2022 07:27

@Lou573

OP, at 9 months he shouldn’t have more than 45 minutes at a time really for exercise, their joints aren’t properly formed yet.

There is no science behind the '5 minute rule'.

That aside, OP, I'd give the dog a chance to find his feet and get to know the family. As PP suggest, less time outside the home and fewer visitors until he feels more confident and settled. Yes, he needs exercise, but getting him to use his brain will really help, so hide treats for him to find, do some basic retrieving with him, practise sit-stay and off-lead heal (if the breeder was honest, he will be able to do these things to at least a basic level).

Riverlee · 03/03/2022 08:06

Reading this thread with interest, as semi-committed to buying a lab this summer. Have met the breeders and potential mum and all seems good.

However, slightly nervous of some of the things written here, although as someone said, mn is very off putting when it comes to dog ownership.

Can I ask, how much exercise does a (black) lab need? Ie one or two walks per day, duration? That’s one thing I forgot to ask the breeder.

hashbrownsandwich · 03/03/2022 10:09

@Riverlee

Reading this thread with interest, as semi-committed to buying a lab this summer. Have met the breeders and potential mum and all seems good.

However, slightly nervous of some of the things written here, although as someone said, mn is very off putting when it comes to dog ownership.

Can I ask, how much exercise does a (black) lab need? Ie one or two walks per day, duration? That’s one thing I forgot to ask the breeder.

Generally I think the advice is an hour a day minimum but that's once fully grown, you have to be careful of bone/joint development in the puppy and young adulthood stages. Each dog will be different. I pick mine up next week and I'm going to go by his cues and discipline.

InkySquid · 03/03/2022 11:32

@Riverlee - exercise requirements are not that excessive, what's more important imo is engaging their brains. I have a 9 month old working black lab, some days she gets a 45 minute walk and 45 minutes of training throughout the day, other times she might have two 45 minute walks. We don't stick rigidly to the 5 minute guideline. Our walks are mostly off lead and involve searching for things and sit stay practice etc. not pounding the pavements.

Biddie191 · 03/03/2022 13:51

It sounds like he's just very unsettled by the move, which is quite normal. If he's been with the breeder for 9 months, then it'll be a massive upheaval for him to have left the place he was born, to live with 'strangers', and it will take a while for him to feel safe and happy. It may also be that he was sold as a pup, and has come back to the breeder as unsuitable. If the breeder is honest and trustworthy, then this probably isn't the case, but it is very unusual for a breeder to keep a dog for that long (Labs tend to have big litters - usually 6-12 pups. Imagine having that many juvenile dogs bounding around!). It may, however, be the breeder was intending to keep him for himself, either as a stud, but decided he's not quite 'correct enough / is related to another he's kept.
I think I'd persevere for now, but not leave him with the children at all without you being in close supervision, and keep things as calm at home as possible to allow to settle. If it's just the move that's unsettled him, he should be fine after a few days to a week, if his character isn't suited to family life, then it may be worth speaking to the breeder about him having him back, or finding a home that does suit you.
Buying an older dog often works out best if you have small children, but only if the dog is already acclimatised to the type of setting, and is a happy dog. How did he seem when you went to collect him - did he seem happy and friendly? If so, I'd think it's probably just settling in.
Whatever, it really is worth taking him to classes, or getting a trainer involved, so that you do end up with a happy, calm and well adjusted dog, who is controllable.

Original poster

Lolly2803 · 03/03/2022 16:13

Yes I think it’s exactly as you say. the breeder was intending to keep him for himself, either as a stud, but decided he's not quite 'correct enough / is related to another he's kept. He’s really soft and I went for a walk with him with a lady nearby who’d had two off him and he loved it. I think he misses other Labs. He’s very good with me and was so obedient. It’s just the children thing. He’s not been in a family home around young children. And I’m worried that he’ll get used to them but never be their friend. And I’m worried they won’t ever see him as that either....

OP posts:

Original poster

Lolly2803 · 03/03/2022 17:36

Yep he’s got a crate with lots of cosy blankets and toys. He goes in and out sometimes but prefers to lie outside it or with / near us. He sleeps in it at night or if I go out. Not that I’ve been anywhere beyond the school run!

OP posts:

Riverlee · 03/03/2022 20:32

[quote InkySquid]@Riverlee - exercise requirements are not that excessive, what's more important imo is engaging their brains. I have a 9 month old working black lab, some days she gets a 45 minute walk and 45 minutes of training throughout the day, other times she might have two 45 minute walks. We don't stick rigidly to the 5 minute guideline. Our walks are mostly off lead and involve searching for things and sit stay practice etc. not pounding the pavements.[/quote]
Sorry, what is the ‘five minute rule’?

EdithStourton · 03/03/2022 22:08

@Riverlee, the 'five minute rule' is 'five minutes of exercise once [or, sometimes, twice] a day per month of age'. Otherwise, it is claimed, you will damage your puppy.

I have NEVER seen any science to back this up, and some science which contradicts it. IME it just doesn't work with working-line gun dogs. My own puppy's breeder doesn't follow it, and it doesn't seem to have caused problems for any of her dogs. We didn't stick to it for our last dog, and he was still running miles with DH until he was 11 (and he was a big dog with less than perfect conformation).

Obviously you shouldn't be route-marching a puppy on pavements for hours and you need to use some common sense.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5