Fox Red labrador - tell me all

[SAHdoglife]

Thinking of adopting this breed (1 year old male).

Please tell me all I need to know as it's our first dog.

I have 2 children under 6.

Private rehome and I don't know the specifics yet but I take on board all your points. Very useful, thanks.

I have an 18 month old. She's wonderful but quite vocal unlike the old black lab we lost two years ago who was very chilled and quiet.
Our fox red's quite high alert and only really relaxes at home, as a result we can't go to cafes/pubs but she's great fun at home and on walks and doesn't have any badness in her.
An almost perfect wee pooch and we all completely adore her.
I have older teen kids, not sure she'd cope well with very young ones!

Hmmm intersting to read all these replies. We have a female FRL, she has just turned 3. We have trained her from 8 weeks (only positive reinforcement - never shouted or told her off) and she learnt so so quickly. Super easy to train as they are smart. She definitely needs 2 good walks a day - that is off lead with LOTS of sniffing. It's not the running/activity, its the work with her brain that she needs. She is calm in the house and has been from a small pup, but we also played many brain training games with her indoors and respond to every whimper/cry so all her needs were met. That resulted in a brilliant, easy dog for us, everyone comments on how calm and gentle she is. We can take her anywhere, you wouldn't know she was under the table/with us at all. Super obedient. However, we do not have young children and I do notice if she's around excess noise/children in the home etc she seems more on high alert and sensitive, so she isn't so calm. So I think yes, as other posters have said, I can see the highly strung issue. We also try to keep children from excess interaction as in pulling and poking (hyper grandchildren) so she doesn't become reactive or frightened of children.

She is calm, just wants to be with humans and is so gentle, but is that down to consistant training or breeding/personality? I do not know?? And I think males are more 'full on' from talking to others. But along side all of that - find out history and be prepared to give him as much attention as a toddler to acheive a well trained dog

I would be very wary of a private rehome. The first red flag is that any decent breeder would have a contract that the dog must be returned to them. And not rehomed, so you could be looking at a breeder that’s also not bothered to health test properly. Which will be ruinously expensive in a breed prone to joint issues like a lab.

There will also be no support at all ahould it go wrong or the dog struggle to settle

Agree with Lastqueen. Any decent breeder would support a puppy owner and have a contract that the dog must be returned to them if owners couldn’t keep it.

We have a fox red lab (male). Absolute star. Was very excitable until 24 months, but now (4.5 yrs) the easiest dog in the world.
Even as a young one, we had so much fun with him, we just had more work with him - pulling on the lead, running off when smelling food and he was a bit reactive to some dogs. Recall wasn’t always 100% ( unless I carried chicken with me 😂)
All that’s settled down and he’s so chilled now. We can take him everywhere, he walks on a lead beautifully, and he snuggles on the sofa on an evening waiting for cuddles.

I do average over 20.000 steps a day walking him which is mostly off lead. And he loves swimming , catching balls and games like hide-and-seek with him toys 🥰. So if you are happy to put in a lot of (fun) time and energy, FRL are great.

Our friends have one, he is a beautiful gentle giant and perfectly trained - our friend has put a lot of work in with him and takes him to training classes weekly even now at 3 years old.

They can be lovely - and can be trained with a significant amount of patience and commitment - but will need a huge amount of exercise and interaction, especially in the early years.

We have them in the family. I would NOT recommend them for young children, inexperienced owners, or someone without hours a day free.

My DB has one. Absolute headcase. He's about 2. No idea how to walk on a lead but that's probably more due to the lack of training than the breed.

Completely manic. Very powerful dog! Much like my old black lab, his tail can bruise you with its strength. Actually, many years ago that dog actually broke his tail hitting a tree....!

You don't sound like you have much dog experience? Has this dog spent time around young kids before?

Oh @CornishPorsche (love the name) YES - the tail is a lethal weapon.

Absolutely not a good idea around young children!

Most dogs are not "good with kids" under 6. Not the dogs fault but children are really bad a lot reading dogs body language

That said labs are tolerant as a whole but they are full of bean until they are 3-4 and often need a lot of exercise and and training.

Boys can be pretty boisterous. Had to tell some are layabout by my 4 year old birth has just about calmed down. She's at her best through when she's having 2+ hours of off lead a day and plenty of stuff to do at home (sniffle mats/training/scatter feeding/bones.

It's a working breed.

If you want to rescue a dog your best bet is a small local recuse who will take j to account the young kids (and possibly advise you wait until they are a bit older).

I foster for a rescue and there are very good reason that we tend not to rehome to houses with young children. Until there is a dog already and the children have grown up dog savvy.

A rescue regime means you have fulll rescue back up - so if forever reason it doesn't work out they would take the dog back without question.

Please don't take my hilarious fat finger spelling as evidence of my credentials or otherwise.

On a train after and long day!

colderandeatsmincepiesalot
Magicisuponus

Similar experiences to posters above.

We have a Male FRL - working line. Super smart and so very easy to train. Needs 2/3 good walks a day with lots of things to sniff - that’s the joy of them - they are active and interested. Will jump & swim in any water at all. He’s 12 now and still very active

Totally loyal. Love being close to you - he’s constantly at your feet. Has the kindest, softest temperament. Like all Labs he's food obsessed and molts ALOT.

Basically put the time into train him and exercise him properly and they are the most wonderful dogs. And so so handsome - I luffs mine so much!!

This! There is no way I’d take on a year old lab with two children under six unless you’re an experienced owner. Labs can be hard work and they need a LOT of exercise. We have 4 labs. You need to be prepared for keeping their minds busy, they’re a high energy dog and they love water and relishing muddy puddles! They cast a lot, they’re teenage tearaways and test your patience to the limit some days 😂.

I don’t agree with young dogs being in families with young children unless the children are told very firmly they do not annoy the dog and the parent is present 100% of the time to supervise.

Unless you’re going to spend hours of training and walking the dog it would be a no from me. Labradors are not the cute Andrex puppies you see on tv, they can be hell on earth if untrained and they’re powerful dogs of not trained to either walk off lead or on lead.

We have one, he will be two in a couple of months and quite honestly, he is a bit of a twat! Very bouncy, excitable and high energy.

But when he relaxes, he is fine - happy to snuggle on the sofa with you.

We have young kids and he is great with them, we also have a cat and whilst they aren't the best of friends, they tolerate each other

We got him from a puppy, he wasn't too bad to train as he is very food motivated but he can be stubborn and if he is in a hyper mood can be hard calm.

He pulls badly on the lead at first too, always so excited to go out - something we are still trying to work on with him!

Ours is lovely, clever, needs alot of stimulation/walks even at 8 yes old, has such a strong nose, can find his ball hidden anywhere, is very ball focused, so loving, but wasn't popular Sunday when he stole and ate a bag of fat balls, labradors have bottomless pits of stomachs, Mondays walks were grim when it took it's natural way out.

We rehomed a just turned one FRL last August and she’s an utter gem. Not at all bouncy, very gentle with the children and just a generally wonderful dog to have around. She has a job waking the kids up in the morning and does her round saying goodnight to them too.

She was pretty well trained before we got her. We did a lot to hone her training but she was very easy to train. I did ask the trainer if all labs were as easy as her and she said no, definitely not! 🤣

What @WeeblyWobblyWibbly said with bells on.

A good breeder (like a good rescue) would have taken the dog back. So it's a back yard bred dog. Probably need for colour not temperament.

Labs are great. They really are but they are proper dogs. You need to be set up as a dog person with all the exersize, training, mig, teenage behaviour and shedding.

If this is your first dog walk away. Labs are hard work for the first 2/3yrs whatever colour. The trouble is we lab owners, particularly if we have had a few quickly forget the juvenile years. Most would happily give away their 1 yr d lab.
That said they are the most wonderful breed. My current black lab is now 8 and super laid back at home. Out and about she is fine but is often mistaken for a much younger dog because of her boundless energy. She is a bit of a Jekyl and Hyde personality.
Our first lab was 6 when we got her, she was an ex working dog ( my BIL is a gamekeeper and retired his dogs at 5/6 yrs old) she was incredibly obedient but for the first 6mnths was a bit of a nightmare since she’d never lived in doors. She was a food thief and an escapologist but I could take her into work tell her to stay in her bed under the reception desk and she wouldn’t move an inch.
Once through the teenage years, anything up to 4yrs of age, they are fantastic.
I wouldn’t have a young lab or puppy with a child under 10. When we lost our second lab DS was 7. We waited until he was 11 before we got the current one. They are best of friends Ds and have grown up together. DS was big enough and old enough to handle a growing lab.

I used to work for a large UK breed charity in welfare and rehoming. There are dogs that are surrendered for genuine reasons, (ie marriage break up, money problems), but I'd say about 80% of the time at that age, if there's no genuine known reason, the dog will have issues, or the previous owners have got bored after the puppy stage and lost interest so it's highly unlikely to have been well trained. If you have the experience and knowledge to commit to maybe rehabilitating some difficult behaviour (1yr olds can be trying at the best of times), and also to understand the canine behaviour side, then great and good luck.

Our neighbour has one. He is a beautiful dog and very good-natured and friendly - never heard him bark. He is also MASSIVE. Not yet 12 months old and weighs well over 4 stone. And has caused her to fall over when out walking him because of his sheer strength (and he is being trained). I am not a dog person so it may be unfair of me but I wouldn’t want a dog that size with younger children.

Working labs are easy to train but easily bored. Love children but clumsy. Our latest ten months old gets excited when the grandchildren are around so need reining in.

You might find someone who shoots who will train you both.

These are fantastic vacuums! I do also have a Shark anti hair wrap, a robot and a Dyson, but I have a Newfie so we're on another level!

Dog hairs all over the bathroom on white porcelain a room she never enters. They just float around don't they. The shark is great but I wish Labrador hair wasn't a year long issue