labradors

moneylover

Youdontseeme wrote: »

If your planning on getting a pup, then make sure you do all the relevant checks, but there are a lot of labs in rescue which I think is always worth checking out!

subliminal advertising: get a rescue get a rescue get a rescue get a rescue

Why are there a lot in rescue if Britains fav dog and easy to train?
I would quite likke an adult dog or older puppy but not sure if I would cope with a dog that had 'problems' becuase of never having had a dog before I would be on a learning curve as well as the dog!
Is there a rehoming of labs society?
Thanks Hilary

moneylover

what lovely replies from everyone, have thanked everyone individually but just wanted to say an extra thanks!
Lots of grooming then, a few baths (that should be a fine mess!) and the food that suits Labs best, Burns and James wellbeloved suggested any others? We will def use dry food!

I didnt realise they shed hair so much, I love golden retrievers too but presumed they would shed much more hair than a lab?
Thanks

WolfSong2000

moneylover wrote: »

what lovely replies from everyone, have thanked everyone individually but just wanted to say an extra thanks!
Lots of grooming then, a few baths (that should be a fine mess!) and the food that suits Labs best, Burns and James wellbeloved suggested any others? We will def use dry food!

I didnt realise they shed hair so much, I love golden retrievers too but presumed they would shed much more hair than a lab?
Thanks

Yes, but not a great deal more...not enough to worry about . If you like both breeds, why not consider a cross? Our (last remaining) dog is a cross - we owned his dad, a golden, who had an affair with the landlords labrador !!!!! whilst we were on holiday (oops!). The puppies were incredibly popular and all were sold before they were born. One went on to be crowned the best guide dog in Scotland one year .

Only thing you have to watch for with Goldens (and the same is probably true of labs as well, seeing as how popular they are) is breeding.

I'm more of an expert on Goldens and would advise checking any potential puppies ancestry. If the sire "favias tarquin" is too close in lineage to your pup (he was a very popular sire, so don't be surprised if he turns up - you just want his breeding as far removed from your pup as possible) then avoid! Whilst this sire was of an excellent physical standard for showing, his temperament was awful and it's something he passed on to his offspring. Poor breeding is also why you see a lot of aggressive goldens. As a rule, the darker the goldens, the less likely they are to have behavioural issues, but that's only a very vague guide, and not necessarily accurate.

As far as labs go...brown labs are prone to skin issues, so feeding is really, really important. As another poster mentioned, labs tend to do well on Burns and I've heard of a lot of cases where this food has helped clear up skin issues in labs.

Also, when choosing a pup, decide what you want - do you want show stock, working stock, or just a pet? Our retriever and his son were, when they were young, trained as gundogs and it's a good way to keep the dogs occupied, but if you get a working labrador, they tend to be very intelligent and require a *lot* of exercise. The pet ones tend to be a bit more dopey and are generally easier to deal with.

All labs though, seem to have an absolute obsession with food, so this is something to keep in mind - it can be useful for training, but also be wary of the dog gaining too much weight when it's older, as overweight labs are especially prone to diabetes.

Overall, though, they're amazing, amazing dogs. I've been lucky enough to have dogs all my life and they have enriched my life no end. My life is not complete without a dog, and as far as I'm concerned - the more the merrier! lol. They bring so much joy and happiness to your life that it's indescribable.

The following poem is the best way of summing up what I mean...

JUST A DOG

From time to time, people tell me, "lighten up, it's just a dog,"
or "that's a lot of money for just a dog."

They don't understand the distance travelled, the time spent,
or the costs involved for "just a dog."

Some of my proudest moments have come about with "just a dog."

Many hours have passed and my only company was "just a dog,"
but I did not once feel slighted.

Some of my saddest moments have been brought aobut by
"just a dog," and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch
of "just a dog" gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.

If you, too, think it's "just a dog," then you probably understand
phrases like "just a friend," "just a sunrise," or "just a promise."

"Just a dog" brings into my life the very essence of friendship,
trust, and pure unbridled joy.
"Just a dog" brings out the compassion and patience
that make me a better person.
Because of "just a dog" I will rise early, take long walks and look
longingly to the future.

So for me and folks like me, it's not "just a dog"
but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future,
the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment.

"Just a dog" brings out what's good in me and diverts my thoughts
away from myself and the worries of the day.

I hope that someday they can understand that its' not "just a dog"
but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being
"just a man" or "just a woman."

So the next time you hear the phrase "just a dog,"
just smile,
because they "just don't understand."

~Unknown Author~

Humphrey10

moneylover wrote: »

Why are there a lot in rescue if Britains fav dog and easy to train?
I would quite likke an adult dog or older puppy but not sure if I would cope with a dog that had 'problems' becuase of never having had a dog before I would be on a learning curve as well as the dog!
Is there a rehoming of labs society?

There are a lot of labradors, so more will end up in rescues than less common breeds. I suspect they are a common breed to get as presents for children because they a common breed of dog and you see them in avdertising a lot eg andrex puppy, and so when they grow up to be large dogs people get rid of them. There were a couple of labs in the RSPCA shelter where we got our dogs but far more staffies.

We decided to get an older dog too. Puppies, like children, are irritaing imo! An older rescue dog might still take time to settle in and have a few accidents in the house, ours did, but they are much quicker to house train than a puppy would be. The rescue centre will usually be able to tell you if a dog is house trained or not.

You're not likely to get a fully trained dog - ours wasn't, and it took a few weeks for her not to have accidents in the house (specifically, in each of our beds... not her own bed though! We've no idea what that was about! It only happened once for each bed though, very odd!), but an older dog will have more 'manners' than a puppy eg not so much play biting.

You can always ask the history of the dog, so if you are worried you can avoid one that is likely to need an experienced owner eg one that might be scared of people because it has been hit. At the RSPCA shelter we got ours from they said which dogs were most suitable for a new dog owner and which were not. There will be lots there that have not been ill-treated, there will be ones there due to death of owner, because owner had to move, etc.

Also the older dogs tend to be left there for longer, the puppies get adopted right away, so I think it's nice to give a home to an older dog.

flora48

Our lab (RIP aged 14 years) was a gentle giant, be prepared for lots of vauuming, never turn your back when food is around they eat everything including the mail. My lovely old dog could even take peas out of the pods! We got her as a rescue dog aged 7 months after having had 3 homes in 48 hours because she was not house trained. A bit of training and that was sorted. We all loved her and talk of her fondly.

sarah*a

moneylover wrote: »

Why are there a lot in rescue if Britains fav dog and easy to train?

Humphrey10 wrote: »

There are a lot of labradors, so more will end up in rescues than less common breeds. I suspect they are a common breed to get as presents for children because they a common breed of dog and you see them in avdertising a lot eg andrex puppy, and so when they grow up to be large dogs people get rid of them.

I agree - I think people don't realise just how big labs can be. We have a ridgeback-X and to us - in our house - she's huge! But when we take her to MIL's she's dwarfed by a couple of their labs :eek: She's the same age as their youngest two (almost 5) and looks so tiny and skinny in comparison. MILs are all show dogs (and Crufts winners *roll eyes* :rotfl:) so we know they are in peak health and not over large/tall/etc for the breed.

flora48 wrote: »

....... My lovely old dog could even take peas out of the pods!......

If I leave something yummy on the side in a plastic tub and she decides she wants it she brings it to me to open :rotfl: Clever or Stupid? We can't quite decide :rotfl:

:cool:

rising_from_the_ashes

Youdontseeme wrote: »

Labs dont smell any more that any other dog, not sure if they do have the rolling in anything dead, sheep or fox poo, the dirtiest muckiest stalest stinkiest puddle they can find "gene" more than any other dog but of you have one, chances are you think it will!

Luckily most love water and don't mind the odd hose down or swim or if really bad a bath!

Mine too, I don't think he feels like it's been a proper walk unless he's found a dirty stinky ditch to have a wade through - but wouldn't be without him for the world!

flora48 wrote: »

Our lab (RIP aged 14 years) was a gentle giant, be prepared for lots of vauuming, never turn your back when food is around they eat everything including the mail. My lovely old dog could even take peas out of the pods! We got her as a rescue dog aged 7 months after having had 3 homes in 48 hours because she was not house trained. A bit of training and that was sorted. We all loved her and talk of her fondly.

Mine's a thief too, he's managed to teach himself to open doors at the great age of 11! I can't leave anything out anywhere!


I agree with the others, feed a good quality food which should stop any "windy" problems.

Mine has a single 4 tog duvet folded in half and put in his bed - easy to change duvet covers every week and also stick whole duvet in machine every couple of weeks or so - easy to do & quick drying. The only place I've ever found smells really "doggy" but doing the above hugely reduces this.

Good luck, they really are fantastic dogs (we've had 7 since I was little), all have had their own personalities but all have been truely wonderful.

Youdontseeme

moneylover wrote: »

Why are there a lot in rescue if Britains fav dog and easy to train?
I would quite likke an adult dog or older puppy but not sure if I would cope with a dog that had 'problems' becuase of never having had a dog before I would be on a learning curve as well as the dog!
Is there a rehoming of labs society?
Thanks Hilary

I don't think people realise how much exercise a lab needs to wear them out, they see the cute andrex puppies etc and forget they are working dogs, who can need at the very very least a good hour twice a day. They also have a tendency to go through a bit of a "teenage" stage at around 16/18 months this is when the jumping and cute puppy things start to hurt and be annoying if not trained properly!

There are lots of lab only rescues depending on where you are:

http://www.labrador-rescue.org.uk/ South of England

http://www.labrador-rescue.com/ South west

http://www.chocolatelabs.co.uk/html/labrador_rescue.html West Midlands

http://www.labrador-lifeline.co.uk/ Berkshire and Hampshire

http://www.labrescuekent.co.uk/ Kent

http://www.labrador-rescue.org.uk/dogs.html The south

http://www.labradorwelfare.org/ Yorkshire

and my personal fav

http://www.homealabrador.net North West

I am addicted to this site, there is a really good forum if you have any questions and they do their very best to match the dog to the person, and they are there to help with any problems when you get your dog home.

YDSM

WolfSong2000

sarah*a wrote: »

If I leave something yummy on the side in a plastic tub and she decides she wants it she brings it to me to open :rotfl: Clever or Stupid? We can't quite decide :rotfl:

:cool:

Our lab X does this as well. If he wants somethimng that he can't get into himself, he'll grab it and bring it to you so you can open it for him.

rising_from_the_ashes

moneylover wrote: »

what lovely replies from everyone, have thanked everyone individually but just wanted to say an extra thanks!
Lots of grooming then, a few baths (that should be a fine mess!) and the food that suits Labs best, Burns and James wellbeloved suggested any others? We will def use dry food!

I didnt realise they shed hair so much, I love golden retrievers too but presumed they would shed much more hair than a lab?
Thanks

Mine is now fed on Skinners - substantially cheaper than Burns but still a high quality food with no "nasty" things in it - he's wheat intollerent so this is perfect for him (also VAT free). He gets this with cabbage am&pm. I cook the cabbage in batches and freeze in individual portions.

Youdontseeme wrote: »

I don't think people realise how much exercise a lab needs to wear them out, they see the cute andrex puppies etc and forget they are working dogs, who can need at the very very least a good hour twice a day. They also have a tendency to go through a bit of a "teenage" stage at around 16/18 months this is when the jumping and cute puppy things start to hurt and be annoying if not trained properly!

Agree with YDSM but if you have a young dog it's important not to exercise them too much as it can damage their bones (whilst they're still growing).

Also, if you got an older adult dog then they wouldn't need this much exercise. Mine was around 7 when I got him and we went out about 1/2 hour am & 1 hr pm. This has naturally reduced as he's aged & he's now a real old boy and we have about 20 mins am & 30 mins pm.