Tell me about your Labradors :) General Chat

I'll send you Spencer for a week, he might cure you of that He's definitely going through the teenage stage. I keep telling him he's horrible but he just grins at me and carries on misbehaving.

Looks like butter wouldn't melt doesn't he?

aww hes so cute, defo looks like butter wouldnt melt! how old is he?

He's 11 months. To be fair, he's doing great most of the time. He just has his moments where I could cheerfully throttle him His old owners saw him a few weeks ago and commented on how calm he was. If they think he's calm now I really dread to think what he was like for them

Hes beautiful!

What are the worst bits of teenage labs?
And how was recall training etc?

Recall? What's that? No, to be honest, Spencers recall training is going really, really well considering he was 10 months old when it started properly. First 10 minutes he's on the long line I have no chance, after that though he's actually really good. He's also checking in with me of his own accord every few minutes. He comes trotting back and stares up at me as if to say "well I'm here, now where's my reward?" If he were running around with other dogs I'd have no chance but it's a start.

Our biggest problem is him grabbing anything he can and charging off around the house with it. I think that's more attention seeking behaviour learned in his last home though, he goes into a right huff if we seemingly don't notice he's stolen something

Other than that he just pushes the boundaries. Sort of "can I get away with biting you today? How about jumping up? How about jumping up with my toy in my mouth? How about biting your clothes while pretending to try to grab my toy that's nearby?" He seems to try everything he can think of every single day just to see whether it's going to work.

There should be a link to my Spencer training blog on my profile if you want to read that. All about 8 posts anyway lol.

Recall training can be challenging. Young Labs tend to be very dog and people friendly and will often shoot into the distance to say 'hello' to other dogs and people. You spend a lot of time scanning the horizon with your lead at the ready. Dogs are way worse than bitches at this I find.

With lots of training they do tend to eventually calm down and grow out of this. Thankfully most Labs are (or should be) very responsive to training and are usually highly food and toy motivated.

Oh really? Why is this?

Just my experience really -- I'm not saying it universal.

My bitches have always been far more focused on me, whereas my dogs have tended to have their own agenda. But then I've owned more bitches than dogs so perhaps my view on it is a little skewed.

I would not have another male Labrador but I would definitely have a bitch.

Ellie, my dad's lab was absolutely adorable.

She was the family dog, even though we had all left home and left him to it.

She was the best dog that we had ever owned, but she did have a temper! Mum and dad had a caravan up in North Yorkshire, and if ever dad was outside a shop whilst mum was inside, if a child asked to stroke her, he would allow it..... but then Ellie would look at him as if to say 'I've had enough now', and he would ask the child to leave her alone.

But.. if she had had enough, and you didn't leave her alone, she would snap. Literally. She once caught my face because I tried to push her.... My own fault... Glad it wasn't a child

People think that labs are the family dog... but I would trust a staffy over a lab any day........ with the family

This is my dog! he does all that stuff too lol!

Iv had a 2 dogs and a bitch before and marley is my third dog and i do find he has his own agenda most of the time! hopefully that will settle down as he gets older as it did with my others, but my bitch has been alot easier to handle but i would say that theres alot about males that i really like.

My mum is adamant that bitches in general are easier than dogs, says they're more responsive and less prone to wanting to do their own thing regardless of what you want. I've only owned males though and I like them.

Oh I see!
I do still want a male, butttt I am thinking with Alfie being male I may actually end up getting a female so that I have one of each

I've got 4 working line labs, all boys, 3 black & 1 fox red!

They are between the ages of 2 & 8 and are all completely different in temperament, the only thing they have in common is their desire to retrieve and please!

Hamish will be 8 in May,but is showing no signs of slowing down. He's the biggest of the four and is well built. He'll retrieve from anywhere and jump over anything, he's quite graceful for his size! He's mouthy, as in he wants to hold my hand, but doesn't bite, if you get what I mean! (he's he only one that isn't black!)

Blade is 4 and his father is Hamish. He isn't as tall as Hamish and more slender to look at, but not like these whippety type working labs I've seen! He's mad keen on retrieving and has only recently started jumping bigger obstacles, he doesn't have his fathers grace! He's my fave of the four, he was my first lab and I prefer his stamp of dog.

Horace is 7/8 and also black. He is Blades Uncle, I think. My friend that gave me Horace and bred Blade has all homebred labs. He's not as bothered by a fuss as the others, he's more independent and doesn't see the point in 'playing fetch' unless it's a shoot day! He's quite a sensitive soul, doesn't like being told off, but then he is such a good boy that I never have to! He's the steadiest dog I own!

Harley is the newest addition and he is 2! He isnt the sharpest tool in the box and he looks dopey as well, he tries to jump into the pick up before the back is open and bounces off it, then tries to do it again! He's not as smart looking as my others. For his age, he is a very good little dog, found and retrieved a woodcock the 2nd time I had him out and I know not all dogs will retrieve them! He's also jumped off a bridge and plunged 20ft into a dam, luckily te dam was full so he came out unscathed!


They are all very foody and can be ignorant and love a fuss!

All their coats are different as well, Blade's is quite thick ad soft, Horace's is short and flat, Harley looks like a bear and Hamish's isn't as thick as Blades, but still softish!

They'll take as much exercise as I give them, they run all day out on the shoots!

I can't comment on pups as they've all come to me as adults, Blade was the youngest at almost 2!

I will post Pics later as I'm in my phone just now!