Labrador - do we adopt her?

[Primrosefrill]

DH work colleague has a lab, 9 months, colleague is older and is on her own and family persuaded her to get her but it is too much work. Lab has come to stay with us for few nights to give her a break but I know my DH badly wants to adopt her.

I am not a dog person but do like certain breeds including labs. She really is beautiful but a bit smelly, VERY boisterous and licky. We live right next to a beach (very lucky) so she has been having long walks which she doesn't currently get to have. I can't help loving her tbh. My DCs are enjoying her. But I am a bit nervous that if my DH offered to adopt her, about having a house that smells like dog and hair everywhere all the time.

If you got a dog, did you grow to get past the smell/hair? Does your house smell like dog? Are there certain areas off limits from the dog that are your sanctuary?

Yes she wants us to adopt her.

Thanks for all the comments and tips which have made me smile like mad, we’ll see what unfolds then. I won’t post a pic now but if we do adopt her I promise to come back and post one!

Only adopt a Lab if you want constant love and affection but can live with a lot of fur everywhere 😁 also training is Key you get back what you put in.

Only do it if you’re absolutely certain you can provide her a home for life. It sounds like she’s already been let down by those who persuaded her current owner to get her, and her current owner for agreeing to get a dog when it was too much for her.

As for the smell, no carpets and no fabric sofas help a lot. Wash cushions and bedding every few days and have her groomed regularly. She will never be without smell completely because she’s a dog so you have to be realistic.

Yes, prepare yourself for never having any personal space, this is how I’m working from home this morning 😂.

If you have a dog, your house will smell. Even the most meticulously clean owners I know have dogs who smell. They smell of dogs because, well, they're dogs!

But it is minimal if you're clean/they're clean/the house is clean and they're fed a good diet. And it's not particularly unpleasant tbh.

If you have a dog, your house will smell of dog, however faintly. This isn't a criticism.

It's a huge commitment op. Make sure you continue to think about it rationally. Cost up everything. Think about every aspect of your life and how a dog will impact everybody. It might be the right thing to do but make it a head decision as the heart bit takes care of itself.

Also worth considering the dogs background. There are a number of issues labs can be prone to, and as this lady's first port of call is not back to the breeder it's probably safe to assume not fully health checked, parents hip and elbow scored etc. Has the dog had any health issues that would be excluded from any insurance policy you took out now? I would think about the practicalities as well as with your heart.

A friend rescued a lab who then went on to develop elbow dysplasia, had several expensive surgeries, had to spend a lot of time on crate rest and still was euthanised relatively young when pain management became too difficult. Of course this could happen with any dog, but you can load the dice in your favour.

😂😂😂😂

Thanks that’s helpful

Looking after a friends dog for a few days in the summer is nothing like full-time dog ownership in the middle of winter.

The current owners are already looking to rehome her because she's too much work and she's not even a year old. Before agreeing to anything you really do need to sit down and think about the reality of this.

Do you work? Who will care for the dog then?
Who will care for it when your kids want a day out at the zoo or a theme park?
Are your kids old enough to be left at home while you walk her or will you need to drag them out with you everyday?
Can you cope with 6-8 months of smelly, muddy dog?
Can you afford all the ongoing costs - insurance, food, equipment, training, dog walkers, kennels, jabs, vaccines, flea and worm treatments?

I'm not trying to be really negative and I'm not saying don't do it, I'm just saying be realistic as they're a huge commitment and you don't want to be where her current owners are next year and looking to find her another home.

As she's female, you also need to think about things like seasons, how that impacts on where she is in the house, your day to day care arrangements, booking holidays etc.

I presume you'll get her spayed (another expense) but likely she'll have one or two seasons before she's the right age for that

The wave down the back of her coat btw, is not unusual for labs when they have a thicker coat. Normally more obvious after swimming/when wet.

Labs don't usually smell. It could be the food she is on or the conditions she is kept in, the material of her bedding for example. I would have to adopt!

Yes, your house will smell but a good vacuum cleaner will keep that to manageable levels. She will need training but Labs are generally easy to at least teach the basics and excellent at advanced stuff. Best dogs in the universe.

We had a black lab for years. She was the best dog. So calm and loving. Used to bath her and brush as much as possible. The anti-pong stuff for dogs is great for them and their beds too. Wash her bedding often especially in the winter and she shouldn’t be too smelly. Good food, plenty of exercise and a bath every so often should do it. Plus if she is a bit stinky chuck her in the sea then blow dry her lol 😂

Love my black lab so much, I adopted another. I love their smells- he smells like baked goods and she’s like melon.
They are bundles of energy as youngsters but they mellow with age and just get sweeter and sweeter.

Ooh - I didn't realise that dog grooming was a real thing for a shorthair dog. We have a 15 month lab and she's been great. It's a good age but I'd suggest that you get a trainer to come and do some family training with you. If the kids are onside with what's needed she will be much calmer with consistent behaviours and lots of long walks.

We give our a wash most weekends as she goes into the river and it's quite whiffs. She she gets a good rinse and a shampoo every few weeks.

I agree - how much a dog smells is quite controllable.

Some good posts. I disagree about all dogs smelling. I had a Phalane,he was a few weeks shy of his 18th birthday when we had to have him PTS a few months ago. They have no oil or undercoat,he didn't smell of anything. My border collie doesn't smell,her bedding does. I've had dogs since I was a kid. We got rid of the carpets. Windows open daily, regular vacuuming, washing floors,dogs bedding, blankets. She is allowed on the sofa and bed. My friends labs aren't because of hip and cruciate ligament problems, same with going upstairs. A friend of mine had to have a young one PTS they were unable to control his pain. I have a relative with a 2 year old,she's had them all her life,he's laid back, not food oriented, but very strong, physically and strong willed. You need a lot of time and Training. Dogs do make a mess,hair,mud, plants,twigs. They cost money, Food,wormers,vets,nails,teeth. They get sick, throw up, have diarrhea. It's a 4 legged baby,you plan your life, going out, going away. I have never not had a dog,used to have 3. Had a new one torn on here a year ago, for telling the reality of ownership.

I love the smell of my dog. I put my face in his hair and smell him when I feel stressed. He’s quite little and I keep his hair clean.

Ohhh you need to adopt her! The smell might be if she has beef food, ours smell awful with it. Unless it's the cute puppy smell?

My house doesn't smell of dog, but I do hoover every day downstairs because of the amount of hair my lab drops.

I mean it kind of goes without saying but dogs are hard work and I wouldn't go for it unless you were sure and prepared to give her what she needs (even in the dark/snow/mud/cold). It's easy to enjoy a dog walks in the summer I think. I actually enjoy them in the winter too but it's hard with a child.

I have a lab (among many others) and my house doesn't smell of dog. My mum hates dogs and the smell and would tell me the second my house smelt of them!
We avoid the smelly dog with weekly baths, paws wiped before coming in after walks, no dogs on soft furnishing and dog beds are put outside every day in the morning (under a covered patio if raining or in the sun when sunny) to air. Windows are opened for at least a few hours everyday no matter the weather.
We have solid wooden floor or tiles in all rooms and no rugs which helps. I also get my sofas steam cleaned every 3-4 months.
In short its possible to have a dog and not have a smelly house.

Oh,I forgot, daily teeth cleaning!!

Some people get used to the dog smell OP, others don't. And the hair - well you either love your dog enough to tolerate the hair or you don't! I have a cat and the hair is annoying. I find myself doing a lot more cleaning as she seems to moult constantly, but I love her so I tolerate it. DB had a labrador and SIL hated the hair, but they loved her. Pets come with downside and in the case of labradors smell and hair are the main downside.

I’ve got two labs and how we all love them. Nothing nicer than a Labrador. Mine are snoozing gently next to me, you’re never cold when you have a nice cuddly lab.

I think the best advice on here is to double check that the dogs parents have been hip/elbow/eyes scored.
If they have, great. If not then re-think or get insurance!
Labs suffer if they are fat/over-weight I would say the vast majority are so it's hard to gauge when your dog is getting too fat as labs are usually fat.
Keep them slim (yes they can be healthy and slim, despite what every Tom, Dick & Harry comments as they waddle past with their very over-weight lab! If you can, their joints will thank you esp as they age. Cancer was a thing in the labs I had, I'm not sure if I could have done anything diet wise, raw feeding is possibly healthier (something I didn't do) so it might be worth looking into how to reduce this risk too?

I breed Labradors. Can’t beat them. I have father and son at the moment but this will soon be father, son and grandson. My house has plug ins. Lots of huge and cuddles and no one is allowed to be sad alone - if one of the kids is having a bad day I suddenly find them in their room cuddled up with one or more labs. They eat twice a day and it’s quick. They poop - big and solid and I have special scoops to collect it. They have a huge bed on every room but nope my bed at night, on the sofa next to me - thry fight for attention. I don’t need a burglar alarm full stop and never have done. I sleep like a log.