Number of posts : 8665 Location : California Country Mood :
Subject: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Wed Feb 17, 2010 6:56 pm
As some of you know, I lost both my dogs (3/2009 & 2/2010).
We want to get another dog, not right now because it's too soon for us still... but we are thinking around July.
I was looking at Labrador retrievers
I wanted to know if anyone here is an owner of one or knows of one that can tell me their experiences with them. I have also done some reading on them. My cousin went to see some chocolate lab puppies and I went with him... they are sooooooooooooooo cute! lol
Teresa Ingalls Friend for Life
Number of posts : 5286 Location : Minnesota Mood :
Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Wed Feb 17, 2010 7:03 pm
One of our neighbors had a black lab, and she passed away about a year ago. I think she was 13. She was a very sweet dog. Labs tend to be very gentle and loving dogs.
Carol Adventure Seeker
Number of posts : 8665 Location : California Country Mood :
Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Wed Feb 17, 2010 7:11 pm
That's what I hear, that they are very gentle and loving. Rocky was that way too. Panther was actually a lab mixed with another dog. She LOVED the water and could be chasing a ball all day long lol
Here is a video I found of a lab puppy. Warning: Heart could melt lol
Rob Nip it in the bud!
Number of posts : 62635 Location : Michigan Mood :
Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Wed Feb 17, 2010 7:18 pm
LIWnut Proverbs 3:5-6
Number of posts : 2539 Mood :
Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Wed Feb 17, 2010 10:06 pm
Aww Carol, so cute. I love puppies and I'm excited for you.
Amy Somewhere in Time
Number of posts : 13417 Location : Michigan Mood :
Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Wed Feb 17, 2010 10:50 pm
I don't think you could go wrong with a Lab Carol...they're one of the top rated dogs, right up there with Golden Retrievers.
I will tell you however, why we didn't want one. My sister had a Lab (among other dogs...she mainly has owned Beagles over the years). Her Lab shed like no other dog. There is just something about their type of hair...it gets really stuck in the furniture and is tough to clean. I would rather have a 'long haired' dog than a short. Chelsey is a Golden Mix and her hair is a non-issue for us, even in the summer....it just picks right up with one of those roller thingys. Jenna, the Beagle, doesn't shed at all so we don't have hair issues with her. I think Labs shed just like Goldens though, and that short hair is a bear to get up, even with a roller....my mom cleaned my sister's house for a long time and she said she'd never own a Lab for that reason.
If the hair is really no biggie for you, I say go for it. Like Teresa said, they're supposed to be big lovers!
Would you get a puppy, or a little older dog?
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
~Mother Teresa
Carol Adventure Seeker
Number of posts : 8665 Location : California Country Mood :
Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Thu Feb 18, 2010 2:02 am
Amy wrote:
Her Lab shed like no other dog.
If the hair is really no biggie for you, I say go for it. Like Teresa said, they're supposed to be big lovers!
Would you get a puppy, or a little older dog?
Hair?! I know a thing or two about hair... lol Let me show you an example of how it was to brush Rocky when he would blow out his coat... and this would go on for a couple of days!
It was so crazy! It was like overnight, it was like we never brushed and the next day all this hair again... lol
Rocky was mostly an outside dog, so was Panther. They would come in the house but they preferred to be outside... mostly Rocky... which is a good thing because I would go crazy with getting that hair all over the house etc lol.
I want to get a puppy Amy. Panther was that small when we got her... she was a little black fur ball lol, Rocky was a little bigger
Kristina Ingalls Friend for Life
Number of posts : 7892 Mood :
Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Thu Feb 18, 2010 9:50 am
my dog is a mix of a few different breeds, but she's part black lab, and she's a great dog. she's 14 now. I'm sure a Lab would be a great dog for you, Carol!
Amy Somewhere in Time
Number of posts : 13417 Location : Michigan Mood :
Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Thu Feb 18, 2010 11:37 am
That video is hilarious!!
Yep, we had hair like that with our Shepard Malamute mix and I knew that you had the long hair issues with Rocky too. But that's just it---I would take all that long hair over certain short-haired breeds any day.
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
~Mother Teresa
Carol Adventure Seeker
Number of posts : 8665 Location : California Country Mood :
Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Thu Feb 18, 2010 4:43 pm
Ah yes, I see what you mean Amy. I just saw the word 'shed' and burst into action
Anyway... okay.. so I am doing some reading about dogs living inside vs. outside and it is amazing how many say that if a dog lives outside it is cruel. I feel like a member of an underground mafia lol since both Rocky & Panther were mainly outside dogs.
We had a kennel outside and they both had warm/cool houses. The weather in the central valley is 85% of the time nice... meaning we don't get snow and temps. less than 20 degrees. Although when it is 20 degrees and we had "freezing' temp warnings or when it was very hot, we would do things to make sure they were comfortable and that meant bringing them inside the house at times. In the summer... sometimes the dogs were more comfortable than us because we tried to save on using the AC sometimes and the night air became cooler so we mostly spent time in the covered back porch with them.
They always had food/treats & fresh water, clean bowls, houses, etc. Even though they were outside mostly, they were probably left alone for no more than 3/4 hours. We had quite a lot of interaction with them though, daily play/exercise/grooming. Two of my neighbors also have outside dogs and they are really left alone... it was a miracle when we would hear their owners outside with them.
I have seen dogs that are living outside in the dirt, their house is under a tree, and are chained almost all day... now THAT is cruel... but my dogs lived like Kings compared to that poor dog.
I know this is a sensitive issue because of the strong feelings on this. Anyway, do you keep your dogs inside or out?
Rob Nip it in the bud!
Number of posts : 62635 Location : Michigan Mood :
Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Thu Feb 18, 2010 5:11 pm
Casey was an indoor dog, only because that's usually where I was. She was a daddy's girl.
Savannah "Psalm 34"
Number of posts : 54431 Mood :
Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Thu Feb 18, 2010 5:52 pm
My first dog was a black lab-springer spaniel mix, and she was a wonderful dog. She was an indoor dog, and we never had much trouble with her shedding, which really surprised me. To answer your other question, Carol....All of our dogs have been indoor dogs, but our weather is a lot different than yours is, too.
Carol Adventure Seeker
Number of posts : 8665 Location : California Country Mood :
Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Fri Feb 19, 2010 1:17 am
Yeah... I think that if I lived there... it'd be another story... the dog would have to be inside... I wouldn't mind of course. But here I have that option, that it will do okay outside.
Amy Somewhere in Time
Number of posts : 13417 Location : Michigan Mood :
Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Fri Feb 19, 2010 10:43 am
Carol, it sounds like you were a great dog owner....I think there is certainly a way of having an outdoor dog and making it comfortable and acceptable (your way!). But yeah, I've seen some outdoor dog situations that make me cringe. Just depends on the circumstance I guess.
Our dogs have been indoor dogs, but we did have a dog run and doghouse for our Shepard mix. He loved being out more than in, that's for sure!
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
~Mother Teresa
Guest Guest
Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Fri Feb 19, 2010 12:29 pm
I think they are the most sweetest dogs every..Very friendly! Good around kids 4 sure.MY mothers friend had a dog like that....Very nice......
Carol Adventure Seeker
Number of posts : 8665 Location : California Country Mood :
Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Tue Feb 23, 2010 6:24 pm
My heart melts...
Rhonda Prairie Survivor
Number of posts : 21216 Location : On my bike!!! Mood :
Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Tue Feb 23, 2010 7:29 pm
Awww.....how sweet.....My Daddy has fallen in love with the "Puggles". It is a cross between a Pug and a Beagle....they are SO cute....He says I need to get one, so he can come visit it.......Mom won't let him get one.....
OK.....I am sold.....go to this link and look at these babies!!! Puggle Pups
CANCER FREE!!! April 9, 1998-April 9, 2023-I AM A SURVIVOR!!!
Amy Somewhere in Time
Number of posts : 13417 Location : Michigan Mood :
Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Tue Feb 23, 2010 7:50 pm
Oh my gosh Rhonda, that is one adorable puppy!!
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
~Mother Teresa
Carol Adventure Seeker
Number of posts : 8665 Location : California Country Mood :
Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Fri Mar 05, 2010 6:30 pm
I love this dog house (shed/kennel)!
Amy Somewhere in Time
Number of posts : 13417 Location : Michigan Mood :
Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Fri Mar 05, 2010 11:00 pm
That's adorable! A regular little 'home'. I would love to build a dog run in our backyard....right now the dogs have free reign over the whole territory and they've torn up the grass. Every spring I dread the mud pit that our backyard will become.
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
~Mother Teresa
Farmer Girl Li'l Miss Milk Maid
Number of posts : 2578 Location : Right here! Mood :
Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Fri Mar 12, 2010 5:36 pm
I havn't been on in a while....busy, busy, busy! lol This topic caught my eye because my family has had at least one Lab as long as I can remember. Boomer was the first lab I really was attached to. He was a black male Lab, and one of the greatest dogs ever. He was hit by a truck in 2003. In 2004 I got 2 Labs, Moose and Maggie, with the intention of breeding as selling pups. Maggie was crazy. I took them to training, but didn't work with them much just because Maggie was such a pain. Moose, on the other hand was just like Boomer. I got rid of Maggie a couple years back, and the people I sold her to gave us one of her puppies. Now we have Molly, by brothers yellow lab. She is just as crazy as Maggie was. I think if something happened to Moose, I would get another male Lab. I would not get a female. I would get a puppy, too, just so I would be it's only owner. But if you got a male lab a couple of years old you wouldn't have to worry so much about chewing. lol.
When we let Molly in the house, she is crazy. We have to watch her, and keep her from jumping on the kids. When we let Moose in the house, even if we haven't let him in for months, he is just as calm as he can be. Of 'course, some of that is because he is 6 years old.
Lab pups are known for chewing. But you could get one that was a couple years old.
We have always kept our animals outside. We have enough inside work without dogs! lol. We keep them in pens, and only have tied them out when we are working on pens, etc for a few days. I think my dogs would go crazy in the house, too. They love outside.
Anyway, my 2 cents!! Here's a picture of Moose, taken last month in the snow.
~ Home is the nicest word there is ~
Gin Ingalls Friend for Life
Number of posts : 5920 Location : Curled up with a great book. Mood :
Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Fri Mar 12, 2010 6:34 pm
Moose is gorgeous! I agree male labs seem to be the best. As with any dog, you have to want to spend time with them and train them right.
I am more of a med/small dog owner myself. I just don't want that large of a dog, plus I like to keep mine indoors.
It is the lack of Christianity that has brought us where we are. Not a lack of churches or religious forms but of the real thing in our hearts. LIW.....Words From a Fearless Heart
Farmer Girl Li'l Miss Milk Maid
Number of posts : 2578 Location : Right here! Mood :
Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Fri Mar 12, 2010 7:40 pm
Thank you! I think he's handsome too!! :)
See, I've always been a big dog person, just because it's what I grew up around. When I was little my Grandparents, (who we lived with) had at least 6 full grown St. Bearnards running around. I have video of me out there in the yard, 2 years old with these big dogs twice my size, lol. They used to let their dogs in the house, talk about a mess! lol
I can definitely see little dogs for in the house. :)
~ Home is the nicest word there is ~
Rob Nip it in the bud!
Number of posts : 62635 Location : Michigan Mood :
Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Fri Mar 12, 2010 8:01 pm
That is a goooood-looking dog, Farmer Girl!
Carol Adventure Seeker
Number of posts : 8665 Location : California Country Mood :
Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here? Fri Mar 12, 2010 8:08 pm
What a cutie Moose is! Yes, we are thinking of a male lab.
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Subject: Re: Any owners of labrador retrievers here?