any lab owners?

[lynetteSC]

Hi guys! Last week, dh brought home a puppy that had been abandoned in his parking lot at work. I was hoping to find a nice home for the puppy ... well, dh says now he can't part with it! Sooooooo, it seems like the puppy is here to stay! We already have 2 jack russells, so we are very familar with jack russells, but know nothing about labs. The vet says she is probably about 6 weeks old. Very cute. Any helpful hints out there? Thanks!!!

 

[tkyes]

No hints with a lab. They need some exercise and love to play.

They are fun dogs, good with families and very loyal.

Have fun - any pictures?

Tamie

 

[Serena]

The very best advice is to keep it busy. Train it, play with it, and make sure it has lots of toys to chew on.

Another one, they are really smart and are happy dogs. My Maxie is a lab mix. She loves most everyone.

LOL, get used to vacuuming. They shed like crazy, and two times out of the year, the shedding gets almost overwhelming. I take her outside to brush her. Oh, there is something at the store called a "rake". It looks awfully dangerous, but is great at getting rid of some of that loose hair.

If you have any other questions that I might be able to answer, let me know.

What are you going to name it?

 

[Saffron]

I have a big ol' black Lab.

Your Jack Russels are in for a run for their money. Lab puppies are very active ....... ummm, VERY active!

They are incredible dogs. They are very curious, very playful and very sweet. They take a little longer to settle down than most puppies - they seem to out grow that almost hyper-active behavior by the time they are 2, in my case, 4. They just like to go, go, go!

They are extremely intelligent and easy to train. Just make sure you give her lots of activities to keep her busy. Long walks are great for Labs.

Mine was very mouthy too. He loved to chew, bite or mouth things. A "Kong" toy filled with peanut butter or cheese, some raw carrots, pears and apples helped my dog with that a lot.

Crate training is good for any puppy, but I'm especially glad we did so with my Lab. He only needed the crate until he was 6 months old, but I'm sure it kept him out of trouble when we weren't home. He was easy as anything to housebreak. When out of the crate we kept him confined to the living room (well, I took him to bed with me at night, I mean when he was playing). He taught himself how to go to the door and cry to go out.

All in all, I've had a wonderful experience with him. I adore him, his temprement, his gentleness and his sense of humor. I'm glad he's mine.

I wish you all the best with her and hope you have the same wonderful experience with your Lab that I've had with mine.

 

[Chattyaholic]

We have a chocolate Lab, she's 4 years old and the sweetest dog we've ever owned. She is so well tempered, and just wants to please her daddy. I'm okay as long as her daddy isn't around, but once DH is in her sight she's right by his side. We let her have one litter of puppies two summers ago, DH wasn't here when she had them but she wanted me to be right there with her. The puppies were so cute, definitely an "experience" and it was so hard to let them go to new homes. Ours is an outdoor dog, and rarely comes in the house except in the winter DH lets her in some evenings for an hour or two and she sleeps in the garage in the winter too. She is penned outside, but is out some every day, some days less, some days almost the whole day. She's been taught to "stay away from the road" but you just never know, so we don't allow her to roam free when we're not outside.

The other day our DS (he and his family live next door) let her out along with their dog (one of our dogs pups) and they were just playing in the yard when all-of-a-sudden a rabbit appeared and the dogs gave chase. The rabbit crossed the road, as did their dog, but our dog stopped at the road. Good doggie!!!

 

[poohandwendy]

Awww! I love labs! You will not regret this decision! Although, the first 2 years can be frustrating. They really stay puppies for about 2 years. Then, they start to calm down and are the most loyal, sweet, friendly, wonderful animals. God Bless you for rescuing ths puppy!

 

[Kitty 34]

My Mom, who lives next door, has a beautiful yellow lab who thinks she lives part of the time at my house. She's such a sweet doggy but she's getting old so she's not very hyper anymore.

 

[tkyes]

Oh, you people with calm 2 year olds and 4 year olds are lucky Ours is 5 and I would like her to mellow a bit more still.

Chattyaholic - ours is an outdoor dog too. She has only been in our house once when she was "fixed". She is brought in the garage during extreme temperatures as well. She builds up a nice thick coat in the cold weather as I'm sure yours does living in Michigan.

I wish I knew your trick for getting the dog to stop and not cross the road chasing that rabbit. Ours searches for the rabbit and has been known to cross the street after it.

 

[Poohnatic]

I had a lab and would get another in a heartbeat. DH doesn't want one because he thinks they are too big. Pooh on him, he only had minimal exposure to the one I had.

They're very smart. My house had a pocket door into the kitchen and Bear figured out how to open it. We drilled a hole at the top and put a nail into it so that Bear couldn't go and raid the kitchen while ex and I were at work (he was a glutton, which many labs are). That dog figured out that if he rattled the door, he could work the nail out of it. I'm not talking a small one, a 10penny nail that was about 4-5 inches long!

Your lab will give you affection enough for a dozen dogs, but will want plenty of affection back. I figured that even though Bear was fine with being kenneled when we vacationed, a better arrangement was to have a friend dog sit at his house. If ex and I hadn't traveled for a while, the friends roommates would ask me if Bear could come over and stay!

Enjoy your puppy...I have to wait until I move to get another dog.

Suzanne

 

[TerriP]

I admit to beaing biased, but Labradors are the BEST dogs there are. My four year old yellow boy, Baxter is the love of my life (don't tell DH....WAIT, he already knows!). Once you make it through the puppy years (and you WILL make it, I promise) your Labrador will become the best friend you've EVER had.

I volunteer in Labrador Rescue and am a member of an internet group that is comprised of over 1000 Labrador owners, breeders, showers and LOVERS. Visit www.labsr4u.com for the scoop on Labradors and our gang of LabLovers!

Congrats again on the puppy...what will be his name???

 

[Debi]

I have a black lab, and he is very affectionate (he loves to give dog kisses!), sweet and loyal. He's definately a "people person," so to speak; he loves to be with and around people. He's very playful, and always has to be the center of attention (this can be a good thing, though!).

Buy your puppy toys that squeak or make noise. Denny's favorite toy is a large frog that makes the sound of a frog every time Denny bites his stomach. The toy's hands and feet also squeak. He will not put that toy down!

Most of all, have fun with your new puppy! Have you decided on a name yet?

 

[krazyboutWDW]

We have a black lab mix puppy that we also rescued (from the animal shelter) when she was six weeks old. You will fall in love with your puppy!!!

Ours is very, very active and loves to run, play fetch, and go for long walks. She loves to give you attention and loves when you pay attention to her.

Right now we are going through the chewing on everything stage which is not fun. But we give her plenty of chew toys, watch her and have tried to make the house as "puppy proof" as possible. I have also found that a spray called Bitter Apple helps a lot.

She is a cutie and very sweet as I'm sure yours is. What color is your puppy? Any ideas on a name. Enjoy your new family addition and keep us posted!!

 

[lynetteSC]

Hi! Thanks everyone for the wonderful feedback! She is a black and has white paws and one white spot on her back. No pictures yet! Have to work on that! DH has named her Belle. I will admit, as much as I was against the idea of a new dog, she has really been amazing! LOL! She and our youngest jack russell play all the time. Our oldest jack russell is thrilled that the other dog is leaving her alone! So, everyone here is pleased to have her around! Thanks for the tips. I will be certainly to get some squeaky toys next time I am out. She has been through all the toys in toy box, even the ones the other dogs don't play with! Thanks again for all the info!!!

 

[ahutton]

We have a lab mix (yellow with a bit of beagle) and she is wonderful. Very loving and playful but gentle as could be with our DDs who are 1 & 3. There is a whole line of toys that go with the Kong toys - Pedigree makes them and they are very hard rubber. We have had several of them for years, even with her avid chewing. They always kept her interested enough that in 8 years I've only ever lost one corner of the tongue of a tennis shoe. The one that looks like the planet Saturn is really fun to play with in the yard. I also second the idea of kenneling the lab - crate training has been a life saver with our Aurora. We've always called it her house, and never used it for punishment but send her there when she gets too hyper with guests (YES - even now we have this problem!!!) or when we leave for the day. She often goes in there on her own and will spend a lot of time even with her door open, it is her safe place and where she can get away from the kids and activity if she wants to relax.

 

[tkyes]

You definately have some sort of lab mix on your hands with the white. I wonder what kind?

Have fun with Belle. Again, we want pictures

Tamie

 

[lynetteSC]

Tamie- LOL! I will work on picture for you!

She is really doing good at housebreaking (or we are really lucky to get her outside on time). She stays in her crate while we are gone or at nite. I have left her out in our fenced in yard if we are only going to be gone for about an hour or so.

 

[Patrick IL.]

I also have a big ole black lab..he is 7 now. Best dog I have ever had. As pups and adults they need lots of exercise. Great family dogs...loves company once he is sure we want them there. They are extremely protective of thier family...my wife and DD especially. He will show teeth, bark and growel thus scaring the tar someone who he does not feel belongs in the house or yard or even anywhere near our house. He also is protective of our neighbors on either side of us, he feels he is the boss of the neighborhood. You do not want to be a utility, phone man or mail man, he has run them running for thier trucks . At heart is is just a baby and would like one of us to pet or rub his belly all day long He gets confused and thinks he is a lap dog..he is 90 +pounds and would like to sit on our laps.

 

[Deb in IA]

Labradors are intelligent (frequently used as guide dogs) and have the best disposition of any dog I've seen. They are wonderful family dogs, and very patient with children (sometime, more than me!!). They are very loyal. Ours has never met a stranger he didn't like . . .

They DO need lots of exercise.

They are larger dogs, and are prone to hip dysplasia. Your vet should check this regularly.

They shed like crazy. All the time. BIG clumps everywhere, every day. Be prepared to vacuum daily.

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

One excellent piece of advice offered by Serena:

make sure it has lots of toys to chew on

, for about two years of a lab's young life it will chew, on anything it can!
Our yellow should have been named "Shadow", he follows one of us around the house and won't stay in a room alone, unless he's sleeping.

 

[Lezah]

We have an almost 2 year old Black Lab and love him to death. He is very, very hyper, but a ball and Daddy and the backyard makes him happy! I second the idea of the Kong with peanut butter in it. It keeps them busy for sure. Bear loves it. Enjoy your new puppy!