Let's Talk About the Pros and Cons of a Lab..... (how much, cost)
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Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,085,847 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by subject2change
If you leave him in the yard when he's a puppy, how will he learn the house manners he needs as an adult? Or anything else? Then you'll have a large, untrained dog to deal with instead of a little untrained puppy. And nothing on this earth is sadder than a little puppy stuck out in a yard by himself all the time with nothing to do and no one to play with.
And yes, labs are double-coated and famously heavy shedders.
Once again, a perfect post. I'd rep you if I could.
(And, once again, I'll ask the OP: Do you even have a dog? I only ask because your questions are so random and varied.)
No, but I am thinking about getting a backyard lab though.
Labs are NOT backyard dogs. Very few breeds are. To me, putting a lab in a backyard most of the day, especially if the dog is anything other than 100% zen and calm from day 1 (not sure these exist, even ab pups raised to be guide dogs are energetic before mellowing out and those labs typically come from specialized lines), is a recipe for a neurotic, hyperactive dog of the sort that often ends up in a shelter after a year or so.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,085,847 times
Reputation: 28903
Quote:
Originally Posted by sunset2000
No, but I am thinking about getting a backyard lab though.
Unless it's a working dog (like Driller's) and has the correct environment for weather (like Driller's), I think you're setting yourself (and the dog) up for failure. But I'll say no more than that.
ETA: No. I will say more. Dogs are social animals. One dog -- outside all day -- is unfair. They need company -- either you or another dog. Now I'll stop talking.
Your dogs are different. It sounds like your dogs are kept very active and physically/mentally stimulated. They sound like they're less pets and more working dogs. If the OP is getting a working lab, a lab that's going to be out and about hunting with them, then a bit of yard time isn't an issue. By that point, the dog has been exercised and stimulated and will probably just sleep in the shade/kennel.
If the OP lives in a suburban tract home and just wants to stick the pup out there while they're at work, there is going to be an issue. I can see such a lab getting bored and becoming destructive as a result. Of course, it also depends on what sort of lab you get. IIRC, labs descended from show lines are calmer and make better house pets while those from working lines need a job. Someone mentioned Marley and Me and, if I'm remembering the book correctly, I think he got a ill bred lab pup from working/hunting lines. Lots of issues in that book, but that was the first mistake.
Your dogs are different. It sounds like your dogs are kept very active and physically/mentally stimulated. They sound like they're less pets and more working dogs. If the OP is getting a working lab, a lab that's going to be out and about hunting with them, then a bit of yard time isn't an issue. By that point, the dog has been exercised and stimulated and will probably just sleep in the shade/kennel.
If the OP lives in a suburban tract home and just wants to stick the pup out there while they're at work, there is going to be an issue. I can see such a lab getting bored and becoming destructive as a result. Of course, it also depends on what sort of lab you get. IIRC, labs descended from show lines are calmer and make better house pets while those from working lines need a job. Someone mentioned Marley and Me and, if I'm remembering the book correctly, I think he got a ill bred lab pup from working/hunting lines. Lots of issues in that book, but that was the first mistake.
I don't think any dog wants to be outside away from its pack.
As for labs, I don't do drooly dogs.
Will stick with my collies. Shed, yes. But no drool, not destructive, actually purposefully try to stay clean, super easy to train, and eventually do calm the hell down.
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