Lab Questions

[Masherbrum]

A co-worker of my wife knows someone who is moving to Vegas and needs to unload a 7 week old Lab puppy.    I've never had a Lab, only two Collies and a Husky.  



This is her above.   We'll probably be getting her if she is still at his house tomorrow.    We have a 5 year old son who will be going, and will pretty much want her.    We're both aware of his wanting a pet.   When asked "What kind of pet would you like?"   He replies:  "A King Cobra or a puppy."    The first one ain't gonna happen.  

My questions are as follows:

1.)  Are they docile around kids?
2.)  Our Husky turned our backyard into a moonscape by burying and digging up his bones.   Do Labs dig?  My guess is only when they are bored.
3.)  Our neighbor has an Australian Shepard that barks nonstop, will this annoying dog affect the Black Lab?  
4.)  Any other tips any Lab owners may have are appreciated.

[Ripsnort]

Crate train her. I crate trained our lab (now 7 months old) and it was the first time I tried this method. It not only makes your life easier, but it benefits the dog as well.

They are very kid-friendly.

[Masherbrum]

Originally posted by Ripsnort
Crate train her. I crate trained our lab (now 7 months old) and it was the first time I tried this method. It not only makes your life easier, but it benefits the dog as well.

They are very kid-friendly.

Rip, do you happen to know what size the crate was?

[Dichotomy]

Labs are FANTASTIC family dogs.  They do tend to be somewhat protective of their family but are rarely overtly aggressive.  As with every breed (just like people) there are some really smart ones, really dumb ones, and some that are just in between.  But if you get a good one they are worth their weight in gold.  My former neighbors had two that I simply adored.  The only problem we ever had out of them was the female was very dominate around her property and attacked my llewellin once.  Away from the property she was great around people and dogs.

[Ripsnort]

Originally posted by Masherbrum
Rip, do you happen to know what size the crate was?

*is*. We still use it. Its her refugee now. When she gets tuckered out, or wants to be alone away from the kids, or when we have dinner, she goes to her "den" (crate).  We'll keep her crate out until she's about a year old. We don't need to close the door anymore. Its her place. if you move that crate, she's right there looking at you like "WTF are you doing with MY CRATE?!?"

We got a large crate, but you'll want to block half of it off when they're puppies so they don't use it as a bathroom.  The idea is that dogs won't crap/pee where they sleep. So, when they're pups, you wanna let them outside every 2 hours or so until they get older. Supervise them constantly. Don't use the crate as an all-day babysitter if you work. You'll want to use newspaper and a laundry room or something like that if you plan to confine them for all day.  

The first week or so, they'll whine while in the crate at night, but then soon subside. Our 8 week old puppie was potty trained by 10 weeks with a minor accident here or there, but the accidents were not her fault, they were ours for not monitoring her and letting her out often enough.  There is lots of reading on the web about crate training technique. Do it. Its what 95% of vets recommend.

Edit: One more thing, never use the crate as punishment either.  Never strike a dog when they have an accident, its not their fault, its your fault for not letting them out.

[Ripsnort]

Oh, and Toad raises labs too, (breeder??) he's a good source for information.

[fuzeman]

If you get it, name it 'King Cobra' and he gets both things he wanted.

[Hornet33]

Labs are awsome. I've had 3 and all were great dogs. They are real good with kids. My last lab would sleep under my kids cribs when they were babies. Only thing about black labs that freaks me out is at night. They can stand in the middle of the yard and just seem to vanish.

Awsome dogs, your lucky if you get her, just get her spayed before she goes into heat for the first time.

[Shuffler]

I have always had sled dogs (husky, malamute, chow).
I have friends with labs and can tell you they are great pets. I have yet to see a lab that you could say was just dumb. They take to training well and are protective of the family without being over protective. As for the brain damaged next door dog.... who knows... he may calm down once you have a dog too. I'd say if your in the market for a dog.. go for this one.


If it is male... might I suggest a name "Gunner" one of the best blue chows I even had carried that moniker

[Eagler]

Originally posted by Masherbrum
Rip, do you happen to know what size the crate was?

at least 42"
Picked one up for my sons 70lb boxer we babysit once in a while.
we got a great deal on ebay:
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&from=R10&submitsearch=Search&satitle=dog+crate+42&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=33511&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1&coaction=compare&copagenum=1&coentrypage=search&fgtp=

this is the one we got:
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-42-Two-Door-Large-Dog-Crate-Crates-Cages-w-Divider_W0QQitemZ180099777157QQcategoryZ121851QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

less than half the price than a petsmart even with shipping

[Masherbrum]

Thanks for the replies guys!   She is a purebred with papers.   He is asking $300 for her.    Only reason he is selling her is because of a job in Vegas he just acquired.    I realize with larger dogs, dysplasia (sp?) is more of a possibility in the hips.    Also, the eyes.   We'll go to the same vet we took our Husky to, they were really good.  

Our son really does want a "King Cobra, Black Mamba or, or, or an Anaconda".  That is exactly how he said it.   I was BARELY successful in holding back an outburst of laughter when he answered last night.    I had to excuse myself, go to the detached garage and double over laughing for about 30 seconds (I didn't want to hurt his feelings by thinking I was making fun of him).    We both feel that this will help Ian with responsibility around the house, as he'll be 6 in September.

I didn't want to take him to see the dog tomorrow, because I know we're coming home with her if he goes.   But we're well prepared for that decision and hope she's still unspoken for tomorrow.  

BTW here's the light of my life:

Ian (taken at the Kalamazoo Air Zoo (yeah, he loves airplanes too)

[Toad]

Originally posted by Masherbrum

1.)  Are they docile around kids?
2.)  Our Husky turned our backyard into a moonscape by burying and digging up his bones.   Do Labs dig?  My guess is only when they are bored.
3.)  Our neighbor has an Australian Shepard that barks nonstop, will this annoying dog affect the Black Lab?  
4.)  Any other tips any Lab owners may have are appreciated.

1) Almost always. "Almost" because you can get a bad example of any breed. However, in general, Labs are one of the very best kid breeds.

2) Most dog habits that annoy us are a result of the dog being bored. None of my Labs have been diggers. However, if they go through a period of not getting enough exercise/work, they WILL find a way to amuse themselves. I've had a few small holes in my back yard at various times but no real problems.

3) Neighbor dogs that bark will generate an urge you your dog to bark back. If you train your dog that barking for the sake of barking is not acceptable behavior, you can head off this problem. I have a Sheltie next door that barks non-stop. Anytime my dogs have answered, they were immediately scolded and called into the house. They got the picture pretty quick and now they generally ignore the Sheltie. My dogs are not disciplined for barking at intruders or strange sounds in the night. Again, I've had none of what could be called problem barking using these techniques.

4) Crates for training are a great idea. You can buy one that has an adjustable panel that confines the dog to a small area but can expand as it grows. As Rip pointed out, this tends to keep a pup from soiling its crate. My dogs are all crate trained; in a very short while, they love their crate as it becomes their den, their place of safety and rest. Check out the Life Stages wire crate online at Petsmart; something like that is what you want for crate training.

5) One caveat: breeding counts for a lot. If possible find out about this pup's parents and lineage. I feel it's much better if the parents are working dogs; it's not necessary that they be Field Trial champs (in fact that can be a problem for some types of owner) but it is better if the parents are trained in something and have shown some ability.

In general I prefer field lines to show lines for that reason. Most show dogs just have to look good. But show line dogs with CD titles or agility titles have shown the ability to learn and perform so they would be OK. A field line pup from stock that has never titled but is known for good field work would be fine too.

If at all possible, check out the parents. Observe them for as long as possible. If they are well disciplined and calm, you're probably OK. If they are hyper, barking, running around like mad despite the owner's efforts to calm them, I'd be wary. It's not unusual for dogs to be excited and interested in new people but they should settle after they've been around you for 10 minutes at the max.

Any questions let me know. I've had Labs since 1981 and raised my two boys with the help of Labs. Right now I've got 4 Labs.

[JB88]

Originally posted by Masherbrum
A co-worker of my wife knows someone who is moving to Vegas and needs to unload a 7 week old Lab puppy.    I've never had a Lab, only two Collies and a Husky.  



This is her above.   We'll probably be getting her if she is still at his house tomorrow.    We have a 5 year old son who will be going, and will pretty much want her.    We're both aware of his wanting a pet.   When asked "What kind of pet would you like?"   He replies:  "A King Cobra or a puppy."    The first one ain't gonna happen.  

My questions are as follows:

1.)  Are they docile around kids?
2.)  Our Husky turned our backyard into a moonscape by burying and digging up his bones.   Do Labs dig?  My guess is only when they are bored.
3.)  Our neighbor has an Australian Shepard that barks nonstop, will this annoying dog affect the Black Lab?  
4.)  Any other tips any Lab owners may have are appreciated.

dogs require attention and excercise.  do not get one if you cannot give them both.  beyond that, if they are genetically disposed to certain behaviors there wont be alot that you can do...but labs are exceptionally good dogs in general from what i have gathered.

lots of walks or throwin the ball.  makes them feel useful.  keeps them out of trouble and chewing the world to peices.  you gotta wear em out a bit.

looks like a sweet little dude...a beaut!

good luck.

[Toad]

Just saw your last post.

Purebred in and of itself means little. Look at what those purebred ancestors have done. Any CD or Agility titles? Any Junior or Senior Hunter titles? These are pretty easy to achieve but they do require an ability to learn and to act and react under human control. If they have Field Trial titles, that's fine. It's a higher degree of learning and control. Be aware though that Trial breeders generally try for what  is called a "hot" or "eager" dog; these dogs can take a firm hand or even a training collar to get under control. They may be too much for the casual family owner/trainer.

As for hips, it'd be nice if the parents were Orthopedic Foundation for Animals certified. This is an x-ray test done when the dog is > 2 years old and the hips are rated by 3 radiographers; ratings are Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor.  This also comes with a caveat; it's not 100%. Pups from two Excellent parents can develop dysplasia. Environmental factors (weight) can have a major effect on hips. A fat, roly poly puppy is far more likely to become dysplastic than an pup kept so lean that it's simple to feel the ribs through the skin on the rear part of the rib cage.

I don't want to bore you on dysplasia but I have done a lot of research on it. Your best bet is get a pup from Good or better parents and keep it lean, lean, lean. PM me if you want more detail. My partner in Lab breeding is a top flight vet in Georgia and is Penn Hip trained; he can x-ray hips at 4 months and give you a good reading on what your pups hips will be. He says LEAN and he means it.

By "eyes" I take it you mean PRA or Progressive Retinal Atrophy. There's parent test for that too. The old one is simply to have a vet check for PRA in the parents; breeding dogs are usually checked every year. There is also a genetic test by Optigen; PRA is inherited as a recessive trait and they can now genetically identify carriers.  You'd be looking for "clear" in at least ONE of the parents; that would ensure your dog didn't have it, although it could be a carrier.

[Cougar68]

Everybody has given great advice so far and I'll try not to duplicate any of it.

90% of problems that people have with dogs are from them being bored.  Don't expect to just stick it outside and play with it when you feel like it.  As Toad mentioned they'll find something to do on their own and you probably won't like it.

Since labs are natural retrievers, fetch is always good.  If the hips check out you can do some light frisbee tossing.  Don't take it too far until they're fully grown.  Jumping and twisting can do baaaad things to a growing dog.  Bottom line, work them until they're tired as often as possible.  A tired dog is a happy dog.

One last thing, has your son been exposed to labs before?  The reason I ask is that labs have an oil on their fur that some are allergic to.  My wife and I both have this problem.  I have two rough collies and a border collie that live in the house with us.  No allergy problems at all.  However if you get me around a lab, it's over.  

Good luck!