Hi, I've been wanting a dog for a while now, but I'm not sure what breed would be best for me. At the moment we are considering a lab which is why I was hoping you could help me answer a couple of the questions I have. 1) My sister and I are both asthmatic, however our asthma hasn't been severe since we were both young. We have considered other dog breeds, but the majority of them seem to be lacking in the qualities we are hoping for in our pet. Would a labrador be suitable? 2) We also have a pet rabbit and we are concerned about how the dog may behave around her. I have researched this, and found that most people say to train them from when they are young. Is this correct? 3) Some websites claim that labradors are easy to train, whilst others say they are one of the hardest breeds to train, does it depend on what age you get the lab, if so what age is it best to start training them? Thank you!
Hello and welcome. To respond to your rabbit query, it's definitely possible to have a dog and pet rabbit. My last dog (a show-line chocolate Lab) was completely fine with pet rabbits and could be loose with them, as could my dog previous to him (a show-line cocker spaniel). I no longer have,pet rabbits so didn't train my current dog with them and I wouldn't trust her an inch! So the key thing is early socialization with your rabbit. Probably also a good idea to go for show type rather than field/ working type if you decide on a Lab.
Hi and welcome to the forum. It's great that you're doing some research before just leaping in and buying a dog that may turn out to be unsuitable for you. 1. I don't know anything about asthma, sorry, but I can tell you that most Labs shed. A lot. If that's something that will cause problems, then it's not the breed for you, and you should look for one of the "hypoallergenic" breeds. 2. Is the rabbit "free range" in the house? I would be tempted to keep them separate. However, if brought up together from very young and handled correctly, it may be possible to train the dog to accept the rabbit as out of bounds. Personally, I'm not sure I'd risk it, though! 3. Yes they are easy to train, and yes they are difficult to train! It depends how much you want to do with them. I'm amazed how much my two have learnt in their first year, but also how much there still is to do. They pick things up very quickly (using positive training methods) but the "proofing" - that is, making them respond the same way no matter what the distraction - is the thing that takes a very long time. That's the same with all dogs, though.
Welcome from me and my dogs . so pleased that you are doing some homework before taking the plunge Labs, as already said, do shed and quite heavily too , we have dog hairs rolling around like tumbleweed at times , despite much grooming . They are lovely dogs , very eager to learn and also eager to please, but if the dog hairs are going to be a problem , then sadly they may not be for you
Hello and welcome, its great you are thinking about this. Snowbunny makes all my points, I totally agree with her
I believe Poodles or Labradoodles are a good choice for asthmatics. Labradors do shed, but then most dogs do to some extent. Well done for taking the time and trouble before deciding to take a dog into your life. Just wish everybody was so caring and responsible.
Hi and welcome I'm asthmatic and haven't had any problem with having a lab. I can't stay in a room with German shepherds and several other breeds but for some reason not had an issue with the shedding or hair.
