Hi there! I have a 5 month old yellow lab that I've taken home at 8 weeks old and he is the love of my life. He is the friendliest and easiest puppy I could have hoped for. He thrives in puppy school with obedience training and socialization, and attends daycare 2-3x a week where they tell me he makes new best friends every day and is the life of the party! We have a daily routine that he is accustomed to and he has bonded and settled very nicely in my home with me. With that being said, although I would not change my lab for anything in the world, I am shocked at how completely different he is from what I anticipated/what other's experiences with their labs seem to be. 1) He has NEVER been crazy about food and doesn't have that 'lab appetite'. I've transitioned his kibble 3 times thinking that was the issue, and with every kibble it is the same- he is never excited, hungry, or the typical tail-wagging and drooling for to eat type of behavior. He always ends up eats his rations and, but to get him to eat takes sooo much coaxing and time at every meal to get him to get interested in his food. The vet says he is in perfect health and he is the right weight for his age! But food just doesn't interest him?! People tell me I MUST have a broken lab! 2) He is the shockingly mellow/calm? He went through a bitey/teething stage for a bit around 2-3 months. But after that passed, at 5 months now when he is at home he just lays around and follows me but mostly SLEEPS. He almost looks like he is bored! But he doesn't chew on anything in the house other than sticks and leaves in the yard. I provide him with a range of different toys and switch them out. But after playing with them while they are brand new, he will lost interest and never go to them again! He has never ripped apart a toy or chewed up any of my belongings even when left out. I have multiple kongs that I stuff and freeze to leave him with, but since he is not a chewer he will lick for a bit only whats reachable to him on the surface and leave the rest. 3) He doesn't cuddle because he gets too hot!! He will lay by me but only on the cold wooden floor and he is happy to sleep in his crate because it has a cooling pad in it. No fluffy beds or blankets, meaning he won't ever come to curl up on the couch or bed with me. Any other labs like this?! I could continue, but I think you all can see where I am going with this!! I apologize for this thread being so long, I am just hoping I am not alone and there is someone out there who can say their lab was the same way at this age. I always just say I have an oddball lab and try not to get too worried, but I am really hoping there are some other oddballs out there too to settle this momma's mind!!
I say " Count your blessings " !! They do vary immensely , my own boy, now six years old , was also a calm laid back puppy who seemed at times to be too good to be true , to the point that I did take him to the Vets to get his heart checked out ! However , the Labrador I had before Sam , a female called Tess , was the devil incarnate as a pup ! I loved her dearly but they were chalk and cheese , its the luck of the draw peppered with a liberal amount of fortunate parentage . Your puppy sounds a joy to own, enjoy every minute, they grow up so quickly x
Hi, I agree with @kateincornwall , it's the luck of the draw. My youngster isn't cuddly, although more affectionate as she gets older, nor has she been very destructive with chewing things. While she enjoys food and I use it to train, I wouldn't call her greedy or food obsessed. BUT boy oh boy was she a crocopup, I'd never experienced anything like it. Of her 2 litter brothers one has been like yours, the other and one litter sister have been major destroyers of houses/furniture. None of them have been crocopups!
He sounds absolutely adorable, lucky you. Mind you, it doesn't mean he isn't going to have a cracker-dog stage in a few months. Our Molly was surprisingly placid as a young pup, she's now 17 months and Oh boy
What is a 'normal' Lab? They are as individual as their owners . My girl was never bitey, chewed anything and has little interest in Kongs. She's not obsessed with food, in fact I can drop really tasty good stuff on the floor and she won't touch it unless told she can. I've never allowed cuddles on the sofa or bed but we have lots of fussing and cuddles and I frequently sit with a Lab head on my feet . Enjoy your pup, he is perfect as he is.
My girl has never really been into kibble and it has taken a long time to find one she eats, but only one meal is kibble, the other is raw/barf which she eats much more eagerly. I thought Harley was an oddball because at the age of 12 weeks old she was sleeping from 9pm (woken for a wee at 11.30pm), then came to bed with us and slept until 10-11am! Nowadays she wakes up at 7.30/8am for breakfast then goes back to sleep until about 10/11am. She has never chewed anything she shouldn't and only de stuffed a few teddies after she turned 2 years old! She plays a little bit with toys, but isn't a big toy fan (unless it's a ball!). She is a cuddler though. I think all labs are individuals and can vary soooooo much in temperament, behaviour etc. Enjoy it whilst you can!
I had a pup very like yours goodboyblue He was my fourth Labrador and whilst the previous ones had been well behaved and not crocopups, this one was almost too good to be true. He didn't touch or destroy anything. He didn't want to play with toys or me and was not particularly interested in food and I struggled to get him to eat. He is now at 3 unrecognisable as the same dog. I worked hard on creating a bond with him and now he is a tug playing/ball obsessed/crazy swimming/foody/mad keen super speedy retriever!! Some days I think that I might have tried too hard with him. Wait and see how your dog turns out and remember the more you do with them, the more they want to do with you.
You mention a cooling pad in the crate, and your youngster not liking to be warm. Is it fairly hot where you are then? I ask as the cooling systems in young dogs are not quite as effective as mature dogs. If your vet has checked him over and he is OK in terms of growth, weight and condition I wouldn't be too worried, it sounds like he has a ball at day care. He may be teething right now, so is his mouth a bit uncomfortable? Usually they like chew to ease a bit of soreness from erupting teeth.
All of this feedback has been extremely helpful!!!! I definitely understand that all labs have different temperaments and behavior and are unique in their own way! Also good point about things could change as he grows older so I should count my blessings now LOL Another lab owner also pointed out to me that since he does go to daycare and blows off steam and energy for a couple days a week there with lots of other dog friends, that would be why when he's home on his off days with me he is so calm and sleeps a lot. Which makes sense too! As far as the food concern, it's good to hear that some labs are just not voracious eaters! I just had never met a lab that didn't scarf down his entire bowl or drool at the sight of their food coming, so I was worried why mine just could care less about feeding times. But like some of you mentioned, he is in a healthy weight and growing so I will try not to be too concerned! And the weather is pretty warm where I am and although he enjoys sunbathing, when it comes to resting he likes to be on the cool floor. He has been this way since I brought him home. He had multiple beds of different textures around the house but he will choose the floor over any of them any day! The cooling pad in the crate seems to be working as he doesn't make a peep when he is in his crate at night. Once I put a fluffy bed in there because I was worried he would be cold at night, but he barked at me right as I locked the crate to remove it!!! LOL Thank you all! This forum has really settled some of my worries!
