Tell me everything I need to know about Labradors please!

[Chocadore]

The good, the bad, the ugly.

Especially chocolate ones.

We've had our heart set on getting a Labrador (I've previously had staffies but not for several years now). We know several and they're amazing but we only really see them when they're out on walks on leads etc.

We want to be as prepared as possible as to what we might be letting ourselves in for

Incredibly social breed. You don't need to "socialise" them with other dogs in the park, better to teach them that other dogs are none of their business.

Really biddable if you go to a decent trainer and practice in between classes.

Big softies. Great with kids.

Will eat ANYTHING! Canine dustbin. Guts of steel.

Lots of solid advice here...
www.wylanbriar.com/

Totally laughing out loud at the whole funeral buffet

Fab thread. Loving all the stories and the pics. 😍

Unbelievable hard work for the first year but love on 4 legs. Wouldn’t part with her for anything

They seem to need a lot more exercise than most owners give them, seem to be loads of overweight ones around me.

On our 2nd show type Lab and can't imagine being without one. As you can see from this thread there are some common themes but more varied temperaments. A couple of points.

Firstly, it is imperative to check the health of both parents before you even visit a litter. There are few things more adorable than a Labrador puppy and it is easy to overlook potential faults when you see them. You need to know the hip and elbow scores which must be as close to zero as possible.

You need to consider your household and what type of puppy you want. Look up the Volhardt Puppy Test. It will help you differentiate between pups from the same litter when you choose. First time around I did neither of these things. My first Lab had hip and elbow problems, my 2nd is very healthy indeed, and although I did bear in mind the Volhardt test and avoided picking the alpha of the litter and the very timorous pup, I didn't realise the implications of the fact that he was more inquisitive than his siblings, a trait which he strongly exhibits today. There was another boy that might have been easier in this. I'll have perfected it if we ever have to choose again.

They are the most loving and loyal dogs. They do chew when young and they are food orientated - this is genetic btw, but not all eat inappropriate things. Mine never has, nor has he ever stolen food, though anything that lands on the floor is fair game. You need to be prepared to put in time and effort to train them if you want a good outcome. I didn't even like dogs before we had our first but I couldn't imagine being without a Lab now.

I think you are all been held hostage by your labs 😂😂 if this is me in another 10 years. Mines only 2 so I'm still in the thick of it! On the subject of eating /chewing so far - a 850g dairy milk. A bag of flour, the skirting board, numerous dog beds and frozen chips. A chair leg.

Watch the start of Marley and Me times that by 10.

your clothes, furniture, car will become embedded with fur, no vacuum cleaner has been invented that can clear the fur, daily hoovering is essential and lots of sellotape to remove hairs from clothes.

they need a LOT of exercise once past adolescence I’d say 4 miles a day everyday as a minimum

expect to spend the first two years training them

they are clever, loyal and fabulous watchdogs who bond closely with their families and will pine if dumped into a kennels ( 3 reputable kennel owners I know all said they are warier of a Lab than almost any other breed due to being bitten or witnessing aggressive behaviour because the dog is deeply emotionally traumatised by separation). If you get a lab, either socialise the dog with a friend or family member who the dog likes and they can look after the dog when you toddle off on holiday or just accept no foreign holiday travel for 10 - 14 years.

they are so clever they are capable of working out how to open kitchen cupboards that do not have handles and scoffing whatever they find inside, then reward you with bodily eruptions all over your carpet. They are dustbins, food centric and will eat and eat and eat until they are literally sick. You have to harden your heart to brown eyed starvation look. Training a lab around food is really important, sitting nicely and staying when bowl put down, teaching them not to scoff things that fall on the floor, not to touch plates ( as a kid I was given a slice of cheesecake and didn’t like it, hid it behind the sofa, for hours everyone was wondering why the dog was dribbling and staring transfixed at the back of the sofa …. The next day the cheesecake was discovered fully intact…. )

they love water are great swimmers but take ages to dry, you will end up with more dog towels than ones for the humans in your household.

I am a dedicated dog lover and grew up with them, I choose not to have a Labrador due to the exercise requirements and the fact they are bonkers for two years (have found spaniels to be a better household fit). As with most dogs, you get out what you put in. I am heartily sick of everyone talking about what fabulous family dogs they are and merrily forget the many labs that are overweight, under stimulated and locked up in houses day in and day out. They are an active breed and deserve the respect of exercise and dedication to training. Oh and don’t buy from back yard breeders, they need to be hip scored.

Can I add that much as I love Labs my 2 small dogs hate young Labs with a passion! You know that bouncy uncontrolled stage? Limbs & exuberance flying everywhere? That seems to go on much longer in Labs? Now imagine yourself about a quarter of the size and this thing bouncing all over you.

Please be aware that it doesn't matter how friendly your Lab is being it may be no fun for the small dog on the receiving end.

This is a good point. They are very very extrovert as young dogs and need training around other dogs.

Also, don’t let your young bouncy lab bounce/ hump all over an elderly dog, even if it’s another lab, as it may hurt the older one.

Ours is 5 now and I still get asked if he is a puppy as he is goes MAD when we go out for walks, runs and runs and runs and runs, it's his absolute favourite thing to do. I run with him most days.

He is very handsome indeed, stunning in fact, we get comments all the time.

His recall is insanely good 99% of the time, which is good when you consider point 1.

We haven't quite managed to break his habit of jumping up to greet people, but other than that his behaviour is excellent, although he does pull on the lead, which is sorted by using a Halti which he hates. He has never chewed anything he shouldn't but he does have a number of cushions that are his, that he walks around with and brings to you as a gift.

We also have a miniature dachshund and they are best friends which is very cute.

He does have elbow dysplasia in both front legs, which flares up occasionally so we have to rest him, but he's good at the moment - I give both my dogs joint supplements every day.

We adore him, he's fabulous.

oh and he sheds like nothing you can ever imagine, black hair in tumbleweed everywhere, I hoover daily.

There are different types of labs. I don’t mean just colour, but working/English/American labs, which vary slightly in appearance.

Mine is a 32 kg lap dog but he is my third, and favourite, child. Always delighted to see you, with a soft toy in his mouth, he does love his grub but has never chewed furniture or possessions but he has stolen a whole box of Easter french fancies and was neither up nor down with it! He is our first proper dog although we've had Labrador's when we volunteered for guide dogs..they all have their own individual personalities but we have deliberately chosen a chilled boy who is happy out playing with the kids in the garden but equally happy asleep with them on the couch.

Bouncy is the word I heard associated most with labs and it is 100% true. They are like Tigger in dog form. As many previous posters have said show and working breeds are worlds apart. I suspect show breeds may be less Tiggerish. Bouncy, loving, joyful, smart and bouncy again. Oh and they love their food!

Can I just add that we have spent some time washing our girl who decided to play in the stables muck heap next door followed by a quick roll in fox poo. Got a love a working lab.

Mine is like a 35kilo toddler with ADHD. One that can reach anything on any counter and who will happily chew up anything smaller than a football. But he comes and curls up next to me on the sofa and looks at me with those soulful brown eyes and I wouldn't swap him for the world.

We have a working black lab.

Slept through the night at 4 months. 2 pee accidents in house total after bringing her home at 8 weeks. No poo accidents ever. Eats everything she is given with enthusiasm. Always happy to see you. Always happy to go for walk. Very trainable because she will do anything you want for food.

An utter joy! 😍 She is now 2 years old.

I have 2 DC and one DDog. For years people told me dogs were hard work and tying. Utter bollocks! DC are hard work and tying!!!!!! Dogs are delightful and soooo easy. I'm sure I would've found having a dog hard if I had bought one before having children...but not after!

Like any breed, individual dogs have different personalities. We deliberately picked the one that was being trampled by his brother and sisters and he is such a lovely dog. As a puppy he definitely went through the land shark phase (I still have holes in jumpers and my kindle has a few chew marks) but at two years, he's hasn't chewed anything except his own toys for probably a year.

He alternates between being chilled (he's currently fast asleep) to acting like a springbok when he's excited (usually when he's wanting us to throw a ball). He loves food and we've learnt not to leave food in snaffling distance. He once ate the top level of my sandwich. Yes there is a lot of hair.

We have channelled him into retrieving - ball or stick - and yes he is food motivated. He generally ignores other dogs unless they're the same size as him. He loves swimming and actually puts his head under the water - something I've never seen before!

Most importantly, he is brilliant with DD's friends, hugely tolerant or being hugged, played with and ignored. He likes to sit on me... all 30kg of him. I love him to bits.

Another picture to add to the portfolio - my eight month old Labrador, who can be both frustrating and adorable (and puppy blues are a real thing).

Having a labrador puppy is like having a hyperactive toddler crossed with the Duracell bunny.

This is our 5 month old land shark! My poor clothes are feeling the brunt of his teeth.

He's very bouncy, adores his tug toy, and is responding relatively well to being trained not to pull on the lead!

He is very loving and tolerant of being given big hugs by the kids. He also throws himself to the floor for a belly rub as soon as he hears you approach. 🤣

His guts appear to be a touch sensitive, and we're trying to establish which food suits him best. I'm sure we'll work him out!

@NoWordForFluffy

I think your photos sum up a lab perfectly. Ie. Staring at you adoringly, ripping something to shreds, or asleep.

I grew up with labradors, they are the absolute best dogs around children! They need to form an attachment to one person as their "leader" and need to be well walked and trained in their early years.

Our second dog we got when she was 2 and she was very overweight from not being walked and was kept in a small utility room where they got rid of her cause she chewed through the door! Now living her best life in the country 😁

When we first got her she chewed the mudflaps and wiper blades of the car, chewed a bike saddle and our wellies. She can bark fiercely at strange cars and people but she hand on heart would never hurt a fly.

Our first was a black lab and she had a litter of puppies once. We temporarily lost my little brother when he was about 2 and found him curled up with the dog and all her puppies in the kennel 😊

I’ve got a 9 month old red fox lab from working lines. She is highly intelligent, playful, full of character. 90% of the time she is a lovely person. 10% of the time she is an absolute horror. Hopefully this will cease once we are out of the teenage phase.

It's a good job we have a porch, so our post doesn't come straight into the house, as it would definitely get shredded! He adores destruction of most things he can lay his enormous paws on. 🤣🤣