Currently Deciding on whether a lab is the perfect dog for me... Need your help

[Tasha13]

most important thing is to get a training program and study study study !!!!
learn all you can about training BEFORE the dawg comes home. once the puppys home , trust me , you wont have time to read.
i also would research the pedigree. healthy dogs = happy owners

[SeniorCoot]

Man that is a long tall order list- I hunt my labs BUT do NOT want nor allow them to chase squirrels, rabbits, or deer- for leetle guys we use beagles-I hunt upland and waterfowl which are very different and dogs must learn to adapt one in am other in PM often- labe do- labs great with kids- and can bw quite protective- never had any expereince with mine and dangerous game not in AK- 25 yrs nor Wi-10yrs.
Can be easy to train but not always- as for other stuff best you ask some other trainers- wife's permission I can't help you with--
Shedding-Ha they are great at it-- my blacks have smooth short coats but leave a trail of hair if they ever get into house- and my yellow has heavy coat- he drips hair and I use Furnaitor and curry brush almost daily in summer--

[need help]

I began with a long list of things I wanted one dog to do for me. I have learned quite a bit about how it is too much for any one dog, at least if you want your dog to be safe. As for the hunting aspect I realize that my priority stays with waterfowl and upland birds such as ducks, geese, pheasant, and dove. For the other types I have found that if one dog does both bird and small game it could be a hard time keeping it focused during a certain hunt and/or dangerous.

With the family aspect, as I pretty much knew, but learned was they are great with kids and family as well as most strangers ha. They are easy to train from everyone I heard from, I haven't heard much about other dogs and how it behaves with them. Is that something they are naturally good at or is it something they have to be introduced to growing up??? I have heard from a couple people that they will protect my wife and kids if the situation arrives, on the same note a lot of people just said that having a big dog will intimidate anyone or thing that comes close. Hopefully both of these will be true with the one I intend to purchase.

Lastly, I have heard from a lot of you that a lab is great to bring hiking, fishing, camping, to the park, etc. And I am thinking that strong, athletic, and stamina comes from me exercising him, the more the better, but not too much. I guess that comes with being able to hold his on against danger. Cold resistant... all I heard about this was that they can swim in ice haha that is more than I will need it for.

So that pretty much sums up the list I came here with. I appreciate the help and input all of you have had. If there is anything else you have to say it would be great, I will be checking this every now and then for another couple weeks.

Oh! One more question... do black, chocolate, or yellow labs seem to shed more than the others? Also, does one tend to hold an advantage over the others when it comes to hunting or competitions? I guess my question is this - Which of the three tend to be a bit more desirable, if color does in fact make a difference, or is it just preference?

[Benelli_my_lab]

IMO color makes NO difference whatsoever. You need to look at the BREED (the lines it came from - hunting/field, etc), the BREEDER (reputable, does all testing, health clearances and is not a BYB) and it's all in how you train them and how much work you are willing to put in. If you want a great dog, you have a LOT of work to do.

To your other question... I have heard that yellows seem to shed a bit more than blacks or chocolates. I have a yellow and can definitely vouch for the amount of hair she blows off!!! She could shed til she's naked, and I wouldn't trade her for the world!!

[bett]

all i can say, is i have a yellow and a black, and have had blacks before and i think yellow sheds more.their coats are different. maybe longer.

[need help]

How do I reply to a PM? I hit the reply button and it tells me this

"Sorry, You should have 5 posts before you can send a new PM now you have 4 posts
The Admin."

[lolabell]

I do not hunt, but I have a 5 month lab and a have had 3 Chessies in the past. So I can give you a little info on the Chessies vs labs behavior.

My observations would be that in general the lab is more energetic and demanding than a Chessie. CBR's can be more independent and have really strong bonds with their family (like Labbies)

Chessies are great family dogs and they don't shed very much. They have a brown (several shades of brown from dead grass to a dark brown) curly oily coat. They we're bread to retrve from the Chesapeake Bay and are very good on cold water/weather. The Chessies that I had we're not great "guard dogs" they would bark, but would be more likely to lick people to death. My Chessies seemed to really mellow out at about 1 year old and could tend to be lazy, but we're up for hiking, camping, fishing, swimming etc.

With whatever bread you choose make sure you get one from a reputable breeder or rescue. Chessie's in general are very healthy, but can be prone to OCD. One of my Chessie's had a slight case of OCD and was very hard to get out of the water - he also was obsessed with rocks.

Both Labs and Chessie's have been very easy to train and love to please people.

I got a yellow lab pup because I have always wanted a lab, but when my pup is a few years older I plan on adopting a Chessie. The CBR has a special place on my heart and they are great dogs - they are very similar to a lab.

Good luck with you search

[kojakusa]

Originally Posted by need help

How do I reply to a PM? I hit the reply button and it tells me this

"Sorry, You should have 5 posts before you can send a new PM now you have 4 posts
The Admin."

Try it now - you should have five posts with this one

This board restricts your activivties initially, until you have 'proven yourself' not to be some malicious hooligan.

[need help]

I just heard about the two different types of labs... American and English. From my understanding English are more mellow and house pets as apposed to American that are more energetic and better hunters. Can anyone vouch for this? Also if you have any more info please let me know.

Also, what are some qualities of the "fox red labs?" Are they typically the same as yellow, chocolates, and blacks? Do they do everything the other three do? Anyone ever own one of them?

Thanks

[SeniorCoot]

Don't even go there--we have enough BS re Eng VS US labs as it is-- BUY a Lab-- me I like Blacks & Yellows- screw RED FOX-Never liked his show anyway- and forget silver IMHO

[Fowl Play]

Originally Posted by need help

All of this is very helpful thank you. Just about everyone has said the same thing about all bark no bite for typical labs ha which is fine. I would probably prefer that over a dog that was mean to everyone. I just recently heard about Chesapeake Bay Retrievers... are the similar to labs? Better or worse in these areas? I hear they are great swimmers and tougher when it comes to the protective instinct... is this true? Let me know what you think about all that please.

As for the hunting portion, that makes a lot of sense about the dog chasing rabbits and squirrels while you are hunting birds. I would rather not do that. Thanks for the help. Let me know what you know about Chesapeake's and how it fits into my criteria above.

Thanks

I grew up with Chessies, now have Labs. Everyone of my childhood chessies was great with kids, and protective, and easy to train. I say easy because I'm stubborn, and my dad is extremely stubborn. You have to be a little hard headed to work with a chessie because they can be hard headed too. They are a bit bigger, and MUCH stinkier. There is something about the oil in the coat that reeks so if the dog will be inside that is important to consider.

Both of my labs are what I would consider to be protective, but also friendly. They sure make a fuss when some one comes to the door, but once they're invited in, the guest is likely to be spit shined. Now if someone broke in, I doubt they'd get a friendly, warm reception.

If you're newer to hunting dogs, I wouldn't get a Chessie. They're not for the faint hearted, and tend to take a different type of training.

[MickeyTheLab22]

for rabbits and stuff a beagle is the best.

[Blackgold]

Most has already been addressed, but one question you asked

Be able to hold his own is we run across dangerous wild animals

I did have an opinion on.

I don't believe any dog/breed should ever be put into such a situation to protect you from dangerous animals, most will not fair well in the outcome of a lets say a bear or worse out there in the wild. Your there protector, not the other way around. If your going into dangerous country, be prepared!

This may help with the training part as too what the breeds i've seen being discussed are like
Working traits of the Big Three
http://www.gundogsonline.com/Article...hree-Page2.htm

[TN_LAB]

I'll never own anything else but Labrador Retrievers.

I don't think it's any coincidence that they are the most popular pure-bred dog (mutt is #1).

My BLF makes a great pet and is the smartest dog I've ever been around (such a joy to work and train).

I'm biased, but I feel Labradors are top dog.