hello

[Jennifer]

Hello! I'm new here. I just met a lab mix at a rescue shelter today, and I hope she will be living with my son and I sometime this week. So far, all of my dog experience has been with pitt bulls. I fostered pitts for a bit, and I have a lot of knowledge about them. But labs I am not so familiar with. And it's been almost 10 years since I've had a dog, bc my son has some disabilities, and although he has desperately wanted a dog, I have only recently felt 100% sure he would behave appropriately all the time. (High functioning autism and ADHD) So I figured I would do well to start educating myself immediately. I plan to do the basic obedience myself, as I have done with other dogs in the past. Unless the dog decides otherwise, there's always the possibility that she'll be beyond what I know. She's food aggressive, and would rather run around than hear me tell her what a good girl she is, based on our first meeting. Treats and praise have always been motivators for the dogs I've worked with, so I am going to have to be creative and figure out what reward will work for her. BUT...she's also in a kennel. You have to run when you have all that energy. She's also not quite a year old yet. I know I didn't really meet the dog she'll be in a month's time. She is VERY active, and was probably wondering what it was all about and why this women she never met before was telling her to come. She was much more interested in the boy who kept running around the pen with her and playing fetch with a squeaky toy. (Sigh. There's a reason why training will take place while he's at school!)

so...what do you wish you'd been told when you first got your lab?

[Maxx&Emma]

I was very lucky with my first Lab, she was a mellow, sweet puppy. I have also had another that was quite the challenge all his life but in all honesty he was what I desperately needed at that time. He became my first heart dog. Unfortunately I lost him at 8 y/o and I still miss him desperately. I now have an 11 y/o Lab/Border Collie mix, Emma and Maxx, my 5 y/o Lab. Emma is a bossy, neurotic princess, Maxx is a mellow, sweet, well behaved dream boy. They both make me laugh many times daily and I love them with my whole heart. Because I have been around Labs my entire life I honestly can't think of anything I wish I would have known!

[Abulafia]

I grew up with (among other dogs) two sweet Labs (the first a mix; the second pure Lab), so when we decided to get a dog—after a couple decades without, = (going to grad school, establishing career, having a child)—I knew it would be a Lab; there was never really any question.

While we lucked out hugely w/ Hoku—who is an almost ridiculously sweet, well behaved dog—I felt fairly well prepared for a Lab. Well, of course there was also a learning curve—I hadn't thought about the heavy socialization period in the first weeks, I guess a few other things I can no longer remember—but it went very easily for us. Yes, there was the biting stage—but it's brief (and your dog is past that, any way). Hoku was never destructive, and while she has energy, she's build more like an amphibious tank than a racehorse, so she's good with forest rambles, beach runs, and fetching logs in the lake. Not much of a balloholic dog, which is what I had expected.

I think it's probably hard to see what a dog's like in a kennel situation. You'll get a better idea when she's home with you, and settled in. Good luck, and thanks for saving her!

[Snowshoe]

Welcome to the board. It's nice you will rescue this girl but you say she is food aggressive. How some rescues/shelters determine that to be can be suspect but it might be a concern if your son can't be supervised around her. She will need to have peace while she eats no matter if she is food aggressive or not. I'm going to give you links on that subject and one to an organization that exists to promote safe interactions between dogs and children.

https://www.cappdt.ca/UserFiles/File...%20parents.pdf

Doggone Safe - Home


As for what we wished we knew before getting a Lab, I really can't think of a thing. We knew lots of people with Labs, lots of hunting friends, the OH had hunted over friends' Labs. We asked our Vet, the boarding kennel, the local field trial group and everyone we met with a nice dog we asked where they got it. We knew the most commonly done and recommended health tests and we knew the differences between field bred and bench bred. We had a dog already, a field bred English Springer Spaniel, so I think we were lucky to have a pretty good knowledge base.

[Rosy]

Sound's you have some good time with your new family member, I know how happy you are right now. Because like you, when I first got my lab I always want to play with him and I can't stop myself to hug him every hours. Dog is really a great companion and sometimes better than a human friend the only one thing that they need from us is to love them without limit and you will see the result soon.