Labrador Owners

Need owners experiences of this breed. Need to know if they are good with cats (2), kids (8+), do they destroy the interior of your house and are they ok if left alone for a few hours occasionally. Ours, if we go for one, will have loads of walks, loads of attention and a big lawn to play on. The wife is concerned about chewing furniture up and how it will be with the cats but I’ve heard these shouldn’t be a problem.

They have the potential to be fine with all that but it comes down to training and having plenty of time to invest in the puppy. I have a black lab now 10 and a half she was fine with cat although wanted to play when young but cat is boss now. Not much chewing, a few bins raided in the night was a phase, they hate to be left but will put up with it if well exercised.

Can’t answer your questions but years ago when our landlord had a young lab it would creat hell when they were out at work. Other half said about putting radio 4 on, it was nice and quiet the next day lol.

Mine is great with kids (7 & 10), doesn’t chew (did a bit as a puppy), doesn’t mind being left. As thick as mince but we love her!

Our cat bullies the Lab, follows on walks and jumps out of bushes at her! The cat is the boss.

She is extremely patient with our kids (3 and 6) who love her and play with her. If she’s had enough she licks them.

No worries leaving her for a while providing we walk her properly at the other end. They are patient dogs but do need a proper run everyday or else they get bound up.

As a pup ours chewed a few things but get it some toys/bones/balls and train it not to. We went to local training classes that seemed to work a bit. They are very bright dogs so teach them properly and they are fine. Greedy though!

Ours is 7 now and not quiet as energetic as she used to be although still full of beans. They’re lovely dogs as long as you treat them properly.

We got ours at 10 months old. The young family that had him couldn’t cope. He was mental and chewed everything, didn’t even have a bed cause he kept chewing them. He’s now 10 (next week) and has chewed one flip flop at our house in all that time. Had his nuts off at 1 but that made no difference. But, he had two walks a day up until a few months ago and was never left for more than a few hours. Used to take him to gisburn regularly when younger. Ours is a chocolate which is the most boisterous. Plenty of excersise is a must. He’s still pretty lively but slowing a bit now.

As said they chew as puppies but lovely dogs(have 2 now) will play with kids but do tend to charge about a bit when playing (so watch with smaller kids) Mine are just over 2 and just over 1 and when we got the younger one the older dog (who was only 1 at the time) was really gentle with her. They do not tend to bark much either and we can leave them for a couple of hours ok but we put them in a cage when we went out for the first year (now they just lie about the house). Added after read the above post most chocolate labs tend to be a bit nuts and before anyone says how can they be ask yourself have you ever seen a chocolate guide dog

Our lab (fox red from working stock) is 9 now… she’s been perfect: soft as anything, we’re never been complacent but she has never shown the slightest aggression to kids/birds/mammals albeit she has chased the odd pheasant/squirrel (never caught one and if she gets close she just goes down on her front paws wanting to play). Never chewed furniture aside a bit of teething as a pup. She’s well behaved and calm. Did i mention shes perfect? I personally think they’re the best breed for a family dog and, going by how popular they are, I’d say many agree.

Fantastic dogs, we had a Chocolate bitch. Very obedient, brilliant with kids and our two cats. Would quite happily eat herself to death if given the opportunity. Exercise and stimulation is a must. If you can go for a working dog and don’t worry too much about breed line. A slimmer slighter build is the one to go for.

The vet nurse says…

Waxy coat so can be smelly

very food oriented. Can make training easy but also easy to have a fat dog.

can be chewers if bored.
very good with children and other animals

10 years since I lost my lab when he was 13, he was a bit destructive in the garden digging holes etc until he grew up, was full of beans till 4 years old and as if someone flicked a switch he completely chilled out, was perfect with the kids, he was 3 when our first came along, they could climb on him and he wouldn’t budge. Came from a gundog family that worked, he was terrified of fireworks. Loved to swim, once in the water it was a hell of a job to get him out, he would rather swim the canal than walk beside it. He would play fetch till he collapsed. He recovered from testicular cancer at around 10 years old, I should have had his nuts off way before that but didn’t see the need until then. We had 2 cats for a while and he was fine with them too.
Only down side was he was a big dog and one time out for a walk he collapsed and I had to carry him back to the car, just about killed me and I vowed in future to have a dog that was easier to carry if needed. After we lost him I suffered Lab envy for years afterwards.
Brilliant dogs.

On the other hand I wouldn’t have a golden retriever in a gift!
Meet too many mental nasty ones over the years, no thank you!

We’ve had 2 – a lovely chocolate girl called Darcey who was the sweetest, most adorable dog who lived to 13, and our current one, Esther we got as a rescue at 14 months just over a year ago.

It’s worth noting that Labradors, ours a gun dog stock are really high energy dogs and need lots of stimulation. Boredom leads to destructive behaviours. We have left them for a few hours at home without any problems but someone is home most of the time. I’m not sure I’d want a younger one as a latch-key dog.

They’re fine with children, but often the children need to be taught how to behave with dogs, keep calm and teaching them not to snatch food.

Esther was rehomed because she was completely hyper, despite it coming from an experienced dog owner (ran a doogy day care) who had her since she was a puppy. When I went to see her, she was locked in a separate room, devoid of anything because she’d destroyed everything – furniture, carpets the lot. We brought her home and she leapt into the pond, ran around the house and would clear the sofa in one bound. On the first afternoon she chomped her way through supposedly indestructible dog toys.

We have an elderly Bassett hound, he can be grumpy with other dogs but he didn’t mind her as he’s used to Labradors – if he’s calm, she’s calm.

Within a few days, we found she was highly trained, would respond to most commands and she hasn’t chewed anything – she even gets to play with some of our old dog toys which have great sentimental value as they remind us of previous dogs. She loves a ball – having one in her mouth is a great pacifier. She’s a people dog, not a doggy dog – she doesn’t mind other dogs but she’s more interested in people or chasing her ball.

I take her running and biking – quite often off lead and she does come back when called.

She’s lying upside down on the sofa right now having her tummy tickled.

Black ones are best! 😜

I have a 6 month old lab pup, she has chewed a few bits in the house but nothing major.
Crate training has been the key for us, she doesn’t mind it, it’s her space before I get called cruel. The crate stops her destroying stuff and keeps her safe

Family have always had labs, and she’s no different. Proper playful, wants to play with everyone and everything, wouldn’t hurt anyone (puppies sometimes bite you and it hurts, not on purpose)

Also I’m not saying to do this, but labs are known for being able to be left for longer periods of time. It’s important to leave them so they don’t become anxious when you do & they like to rest.

Also if you get a puppy, remember loads of walks isnt necessarily good for the dogs health long term. Obviously once the dog is fully grown they’ll walk miles but not when young.

In line with recommending what you already have in single track fashion, fox reds are the best

Unneutered Chocolate here – he’s 9 now and still full of beans, undisciplined and a complete charmer. Despite much training I’ve never got him to walk to heel and he pulls like the proverbial if he wants to. He tolerated our cats, hasn’t chewed anything. We don’t leave him regularly and at most about 4 hours on any one occasion. He’s come sailing and away for long trips in the motorhome to Europe without complaint. I should counter this with a cautionary note that my first Lab did chew skirting boards, parquet floor and chairs – they are lovely dogs, the Chocolate (Finn) is extremely soft natured and reliable with kids and farm animals BUT they need attention and regular exercise or they pile on the kilos.

Labradors are ace. They can have some random quirks though. My old black lab used to be scared of weird things like coughing, hiccups, the bin lorry etc. One time he was left alone for a few hours and got scared by something. He tried to hide behind the toilet cistern in our downstairs loo. It completely flooded the ground floor of our house. Oh.. and another time he ‘enlarged’ the cat flap with his teeth to get out into the garden. He was an amazing guard dog though and incredibly gentle with our children. He would often lie beside their bed at bed time until they fell asleep and was so good natured that I never had to worry. Gosh I miss him.

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Other things to note, they’ll destroy your grass, they like to take stuff and make you run round trying to get it back but they are cute

Lab x collie x who-knows-what, but possibly Lurcher.

She’s ace. Soft as shite, but can be nippy when treats are involved.

Not interested in balls or sticks, loves to hunt “things”. Her recall isn’t the best and despite being mostly Labrador, food doesn’t always work as an enticement to behave.

Loves to chase cats, but only if they run. If they stand their ground she loses interest very quickly. I have no idea what she’d do if she ever caught one.

Crate trained, it’s her favourite place and she’ll often be found asleep in there when we get home from work. Can be left all day if necessary and doesn’t chew. Much. I did find one of my 5-10’s in the garden the other day, thankfully intact. She does like to dig and often buries her bones, in the cat’s litter tray if she can’t get outside…

Loves people. Great with other dogs, but not really interested in them unless she fancies a mad 5 minutes, then all bets are off!

We got her at 5 months and she hadn’t been treated particularly well I don’t think. Hates spritzer bottles and was very timid away from the house, not going more than a few feet away from me for the first few months. Happy to bugger off and do her own thing these days though and happy as Larry doing it.

There are a few horror stories out there of bored Labs chewing the plaster off the walls. The trick is to keep them occupied as they are very willing workers and learners. Mine is a fox red from working lines.

One common trait is play-biting. They love the game, and with the last of their needlesharp baby teeth it feels like you’re being attacked by piranhas. You need to learn to let the dog know enough is enough and to “pull” the bite. There are plenty of training tips out there in internetland. They love roughhousing too, and are very strong, so make sure your kids are aware and establish limits.

She had a chewing phase, but this was distracted by plenty of toys, frozen carrots and antlers.

A waxy coat doesn’t mean they have to be smelly. Mine swims at least five times a week, and as a result her coat is wonderfully soft and non-smelly. Don’t over exercise them and don’t let them climb stairs until they are more or less full grown. They can suffer terribly from joint issues especially if they are overweight.

They are indeed very food oriented. You need to learn absolute discipline, otherwise they can very easily run to fat and become a thorough nuisance as they are also expert cadgers/beggars. A rule in our household is absolutely no “human food” of any description at any time. Begging is discouraged and never rewarded. She eats raw meat and bones and her weight is kept right down to visible ribs when wet.

Training is a breeze, as they are so quick to learn. Mine sat to a whistle at 9 weeks, and we’d completed the Kennel Club Silver by 6 months. By nine months she was steady on dummy retrieves and could sit/stay to a whistle at 150 yards. By twelve months she was good enough to take picking up. She lives to work, and is like a machine on the shoot.

They are an extremely rewarding, loyal companion,and love the challenge of training. That in itself takes patience, and repetitive discipline, but the reward is a dog that very rarely needs a lead, reacts to voice, whistle and hand signal commands.

Fudge my 4 year Chocolate lab is amazingly tolerant with my girls (11 and 12). He needs lots of exercise and attention at home. Follows me everywhere during the day. Loves swimming in lakes, lying in muddy puddles and rolling in fox poo, hates the garden hose and doggy shampoo! In the colder months he comes out for a run while me and kids ride, it’s too warm now for him so we have to regulate his play.
He doesn’t like being on his own, slightly nervous of people coming into the house, barks and wags his tail.
Great with other animals, but that took training and socialising.
He was also a chewer when younger, but only expensive items (Oakley x2 and wife’s expensive purse!)
As above has said, his pee is destroying our lawn.

We always had retrievers as kids, basically long haired labs. Lovely, patient and loyal dogs. Very intelligent but also quite daft. Can be greedy but this can be used positively. Amazingly patient with kids. It’s no confidence that they are used for guide dogs, wonderful animals