Hi everyone, this is my first time posting but I've been reading like a woman possessed for a while now! We are a family with 4 young children and have been considering bringing a dog in to the family for some time now - our first babies were two wonderful German Shepherds We've decided that a Labrador is the breed for us and we have the opportunity to have a little girl (if there are any!) from a litter of puppies where the stud belongs to good friends of ours. He has a lovely temperament and mum sounds great too but he is a working dog (with lots of Field Trial Champions in his pedigree) and I'm concerned that it may be too much for us. Does anybody have any thoughts or experience of this? We want a dog who'll enjoy retrieving and going on long walks but it's incredibly important to us that she's well mannered in the house and not difficult for me to control - obviously we'll be committing to lots of socialisation and training - but how important is breeding too? Would we perhaps be better off with a mix of show/field type? I've seen some litters of chocolate labs which seem to have a lovely mix of both!
Re: Which puppy for us?! Hi and welcome to the forum. We are Hattie 7 years and our rescue dog Charlie 4 years. I can't advise on which type of puppy to choose but there are lots of people with show and working Labs that will help you no end. Enjoy the forum and ask anything you want, we are all women possessed with a smattering of men too xx
Re: Which puppy for us?! Hi and welcome. My old boy Archie is sired from a field champion and has been a lovely pet. However he is a large lab and when he was younger, was very strong. I never managed to lead train him very well and had to use a halti most of the time. I didnt have children, but he was fine with family children, very lovable. He has always retrieved balls, and still carrys one round now, although struggling with athritis. I think if you put the time and effort in, any lab can be a great pet. But thats just my opinion.
Re: Which puppy for us?! Hello and welcome form another woman possessed! There are a lot of people here with a lot more experience than me, but my two 5-month-olds are both working strain with FTCHs in their lineage and they're a delight to live with. They have very different temperaments but are both super keen to learn, I don't think any harder or easier than your average Lab to train, looking at the posts on here, and they're lovely at home. Right now, they're both zonked out at my feet ;D Looking forward to hearing more about your choice and, of course, seeing lots of pictures of your new addition!
Re: Which puppy for us?! Hi there and welcome!! I have a working line bitch, who has been a delight to train; very intelligent and quick to learn. However, I would say she is a lot more sensitive than my old show-line labrador, and she is just obsessed with retrieving and gun dog work. I didn't know anything about working-line labs until I got her, but I quickly realized she needed to do some kind of work and slowly I have become immersed in dummy training and in training her to be a reliable gun dog... I go to training classes with her every weekend, spending at least four hours each weekend on her training, and travel to competitions and so on, as well as taking her shooting on occasions. Generally speaking, I wouldn't buy a working line dog with FTCH in the pedigree unless you are prepared to at least do some dummy work or gun dog training with him/her. On the other hand, most show line labs need a lot of exercise and mental stimulation, too! Either way, so long as they are properly trained and kept happy and busy, most labradors are just delightful house pets - once they get past the challenging puppy stage! Good luck, and keep us posted. Where are you based?
Re: Which puppy for us?! Hi and Welcome, We have always had Labradors, (15 to date). We have 3 at moment and sometimes 4 when my son's Molly comes for a sleep over. Our 3 are all working girls and have been sired by Ftch or Ftw with much red in their pedigree's, they do tend to be quite high drive. They have not been difficult to train and are very intelligent and responsive to everyone in the family. One thing that is very important which ever line you go for is that Labradors are not couch potatoes and need a good amount of exercise. Here are our crowd: http://www.thelabradorforum.com/index.php?topic=6217.0
Re: Which puppy for us?! Hi and welcome I think it's hard to generalise. There are people with workers that have been challenging but likewise people with show line that have brought different but equally challenging behaviours. My personal opinion is that it's best to meet the parents and judge based on them. Do they have the ability to switch off? Do they seem to be fairly robust in their temperament? Young children and dogs can be absolutely heavenly but they must be careful of each other at times too. My lab is working lines and he's a sensitive soul but he's also wonderful with my toddler. My spaniel puppy on the other hand is a touch boisterous so they need to be watched carefully and separated on occasion
Re: Which puppy for us?! Hello, and a warm welcome from me , three year old black Lab Sam and our terrier Millie I think Labs make superb family dogs , and they usually adore children, Sam loves all my grandchildren with a passion . I endorse what Karen has said about working bred Labs , Sam is pure working stock with FTCH in his immediate lineage and as such he is a passionate retriever and sensitive with it , a proper gentle soul . I have owned both show and field bred Labs , and must be honest in saying that Sam has been the easiest of dogs to train, but then I do gundog training on a regular basis to keep him mentally fit as well as physically fit , so maybe if time might be an issue, a show bred Lab or a mix might be the better option ? Exciting times, planning a new pups arrival , good luck
Re: Which puppy for us?! Welcome to you A Lab X Golden Retriever is a wonderful mix (just to confuse you further - haw haw!)
Re: Which puppy for us?! Hi from Holly and me. I agree with Kate that Labs are great family dogs. They want to be involved with everything! Holly is from a good working line with a fair number of FTCH, and our previous dog was a chocolate Lab from a show line. While grandchildren were toddlers we needed a placid dog from a show line so we spent time with the litter and chose our choccy from her personality, taking advice from the breeder about how she might develop. Now that the GCs are older we've gone for a more energetic working line dog as it suits our lifestyle. My advice would be to look at the litter & the dam. As you have small children then you might not want the puppy that clambers over all the others, but possibly the one that waits until the mad scramble is over then comes and politely introduces itself. The dam's temperament might give you a clue about how they are likely to develop. Whatever you choose, I hope that you have many happy years together.
Re: Which puppy for us?! I might be disagreed with but I think it's, to some extent, luck of the draw. I have only had working line labs all male. My first, compared to the two I have now was relatively easy. He loved to retrieve and was excellent in the home. He was sensitive but adapted well to new situations. He didn't freak out at anything and was a big softy with people and animals. The two I have now are the complete opposite and have been a challenge behaviour wise although very good with Gundog training. I think to judge what temperament the pups are likely to have you need to see the Dam. How she interacts with you and the pups will be an indication as to how the pups may turn out.
Re: Which puppy for us?! [quote author=Jen link=topic=9578.msg138290#msg138290 date=1421774008] I might be disagreed with but I think it's, to some extent, luck of the draw. [/quote] I also believe this, and when you look at my two, there was nothing between them at six weeks of age; their manner was almost identical to each other. Now, at five months, they are very different - Willow is much more confident, assertive and independent, like her dad. Shadow is a lot more dependent, needs help with new intimidating situations and is a complete attention whore ( ), like his mum!
Re: Which puppy for us?! Thank you for all your replies and welcomes, much appreciated It must be 6 years since our GSDs passed and another 10 years before that that they were puppies! I do remember the general chaos though and of course we know the time involved in walking and so on They were wonderful dogs, big softies and incredibly intelligent. We were quite young ourselves and tried to do the right things taking them to training classes and so on but in retrospect they didn't get enough of our time because we were both working full time (though we did doggie daycare for a while!). We never did manage to get them to stop jumping up when somebody walked in the room and for big dogs that's obviously not a good thing at all! I work from home as a childminder now which is great because the dog would never be short of company but it's also the reason that I feel so much pressure to 'get it right' (if there is such a thing!). I guess we will chat lots to the owners, meet mum and dad too if possible and go with our hearts! It's difficult too when waiting lists get full so quickly because it seems that if you do manage to get your name down but you're at the end of the list you don't get to choose which is yours. Is this the usual scenario or just the ones I've come across?
Re: Which puppy for us?! Field line and show line have different shapes and even within field line you will find different shapes - bred for different purposes, environments etc. I would look to the parents temperament, energy and build first of all. I am really happy with my girl and would love to do gun dog training but there's none near me. I visited breeders of show line in my research and had a clear reaction of: not for me. You could wait, do dome research and not take a pup from the litter you have mentioned.
Re: Which puppy for us?! We didn't get to choose ours, as we came late. In retrospect, we were lucky! And I have met breeders who decide which puppy will go to which owner - they try to match them up as best they can; big exuberant puppy always getting into trouble to owners who have experience with the breed, quiet calm gentle puppy to first-time owners, etc...
Re: Which puppy for us?! We didn't get to choose Tatze either as she was the last bitch of the litter. Her breeder said she was the cheekiest, naughtiest, feistiest pup - just what we wanted! When we first met her she was careering round the kitchen like a nutter, while her two brothers snoozed in the corner - signs of things to come, hehe. ;D
Re: Which puppy for us?! I think that sounds like a good plan Jane, much as it saddens me to pass on what sound like wonderful puppies on paper! We do have a couple of options a bit further in to the future and I think I'll try and get over to meet the mums sooner rather than later, before the puppies are born. I worry about saying no having met the dogs in case the owners taken offence but I can get over that!
Re: Which puppy for us?! Oh yes, harden your heart ( says she who also finds it hard to walk away ) Honestly , people can and will tell you anything to get a sale , sad but true . When I was searching for another pup , I lost count of the lies I was told when asking about health checks on sire and dam , even had one tell me that she had lost all the relevant paperwork in a house fire ( I checked, no fire ) , so ask to see everything and if a little voice of doubt speaks to you , walk away, it can save heartbreak further down the line
Re: Which puppy for us?! Hi and welcome from me and 17 month old red fox lab Harley I think the advice you have been given so far is really good. Harley is from working lines, her dad, brothers and sisters are mostly police dogs. Mum used to be a gundog. Harley is brilliant with kids of all ages, but it did take a lot of training and it's ongoing all the time. She needs to be walked for at least an hour and a bit everyday and needs to be retrieving and doing things when out. At home she is chilled, laid back and generally really good (except when builders come in!). I think you know what would be best for you and your family and I'm sure you will make the right choice
Re: Which puppy for us?! It's just impossible to generalise really - you could get a show lab that is lively, energetic, keen to learn and an obsessive retriever. Or one that is completely chilled out, bomb proof but will tell you to get your own ball. Or a working line dog that is an absolute doddle to train, completely steady come what may, and doesn't take his eyes off you. Or one that legs it after any wildlife that moves, is a nervous wreak to live with, and couldn't care less about fetch. Best advice is to meet the parents, but even then you have to be realistic about your training skills compared to those of the owner. For me, If I have another lab, I'll go for another show line lab - looking for a moderate build, keep them slim, healthy and active, and look for parents who have at least got their working certificates (which to be honest is more than I reckon the average pet owner, not working their dog, does with a working line pet dog).
