I've been lurking on this forum since I got Dottie at the beginning of November. I was hesitant to join because I spent the first many weeks wondering why I brought this 4.5 month old ball of fur and fury into my life and thinking I would have to throw in the towel and rehome her for both our sakes. I had no experience with labs OR taking care of puppies on my own and it was quite the crash course. Now that things have calmed down a little and learned how to be a (better) dog handler, I thought I'd properly join the community. I'm nervously awaiting the onset of the teenage years (she's 7 months now) and hoping her overwhelming drive to please overrules some of the rebelliousness.
A very warm welcome to the forum It's so very normal to feel like that when puppies are young, they really do turn life upside down for a while! Glad to hear that things are calming down now. Let us know how she gets along!
Hello! We have a lab puppy who is just over 6 months, so we are also awaiting the onset of Labrador adolescence! He is our second lab so we have been through this before, but as we quickly learned on day one, each lab is different! Once the puppy phase is over (and by that I mean until about age 2), you will see a difference, and again a few years later around 7, lol! Labs really are worth it though, and it’s good she’s eager to please! We lost our girl in May of 2019 and she truly was a gentle, sweet old girl. We miss her terribly, but are also enjoying being able to do more again with a younger dog. One of the best things I have found about having a lab is that it forces you to get out of the house and go on walks and get exercise along with your pup. It may not seem like it now, but the years go by way to quickly!
Hi and welcome to you and Dottie, what a great name! It does get easier doesn't it. I have a nearly two year old choc lab called Isla
I am also a nervous Lab Mom!!! I just rescued a 5 month female Black Lab after a lifetime of having small rescue dogs in my life. My last dog was a beagle/basset Hound that lived over 18 years. He was the love of my life and the best rescue of all. I just adopted my lab-Dylan 3 days ago and I have to admit I have 2nd guessed myself whether it was the right decision on many occasions. I need encouragement right now from lab owners that once faced my same prediction. All Encouragement Desired!!!!
