Hello.
This is Max. He just turned 3 years old. He is our third black Lab. We got our first, Trapper, on our honeymoon in 1987... we had him for 14 years. Then we then got our second, Brutus, and also had him for 14 years. The first two were both "field" or "American" Labs. Both greats dogs, but a bit high strung. Brutus was the bigger of the two, maxing out at about 78 lbs.
This time I really wanted a big-headed "English" Lab. So, I sought out an amateur breeder who had a litter of English Labs, with both parents on site. Mom was a 90 lbs chocolate and Dad was a 105 lbs yellow. We didn't get pick of litter, but the puppies that had already been chosen were all females... so, we were able to choose the largest male (which was also the largest of the litter). Well, we wanted a LARGE Lab... and we got one! Max is currently 113 lbs (down from 118 after adjusting his diet some.)
Max was a very strong willed, stubborn puppy. After about 8 months we decided, since we now had the spare time and could afford it, to start with a private trainer. We thought we'd go for a while and just get all the basic's, then continue on our own. Well, we ended up really hitting it off with our trainer, Les, and becoming good friends with him. Max absolutely loves Les, and Les is crazy about Max. Max received his Canine Good Citizen Certificate after about 6 months of training on every other Saturday. Now 2 years later, we're still training (although not quite as often.) As a result, Max is VERY well trained. I never dreamt we would ever have such an obedient dog! We take him everywhere with us, and he is a pleasure to deal with... what a difference from our previous dogs, that were just too unmanageable to take with very often (which was our own fault.)
Now, after 30 years of marriage, our kids our grown up... so Max COULD be getting just a little bit spoiled. He is a big, beautiful boy and we love him! He is still convinced he is a "lap-dog".:laugh: