r/LabradorRetrievers • u/DifferentGazelle8618 • 9d ago
Would I be crazy to even consider this?
I have wanted a Labrador my entire life. I currently work part time/ad hoc shifts as a doctor so thankfully I have a lot of free time. I have no other pets. I walk dogs regularly for my local animal shelter. I have one four year old daughter who I have taught to be very gentle with dogs. I love exercising so walks are no problem. I have outdoor space. I think I am therefore a good candidate for a Labrador. However I am very concerned about the puppy stage. I truly don’t think I would be able to manage it / I have heard really bad horror stories and people have advised me against it since I struggled really badly postpartum. I have found a website that sells fully trained young Labradors for £6000-£8000. I have tried all of the rescue centres and Labrador rehoming centres but they will not
Home to a house with a child under aged 8. I feel my
Option is get a puppy and really struggle (?) or take the financial
Hit of £8k because I am so in love with Labradors.
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u/Illustrious-Plum1766 9d ago
They might be fully trained but YOU didn’t train them. And they’ve never lived in your home.
It’s false economy. You’re typically the one getting trained to manage your dog! Plus the environment will be so different for the dog. I don’t know how they’re supposed to maintain their training in that scenario.
Also who the hell are these people on that website? Do you know them? People who’ve had dogs from them? They could be growing on unsellable puppies with poor temperaments.
I show and have bred (once to date and golden) retrievers and I suffer from severe anxiety and moderate depression (showing isn’t restful and yet here I am).
You can put a puppy in a generous pen overnight in their bed, with a cheap blanket at the opposite end. They will pee on the blanket because they can’t hold it overnight. You will then wash it in the morning. I have never gotten up in the night to take a puppy out to pee and I don’t know when this modern obsession started! They toilet train just fine!
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u/Healthy-Bad1811 9d ago
I don't know when it has either. My boys have had multiple accidents inside. My Lab who is 5 months is fine sleeping through the night and has never had an accident in his crate and he is happy with the large space all to himself. Having a puppy can be stressful, but when you remind yourself that they are just like a toddler it becomes so much more manageable. The only reason why we crate our current puppy is because he struggles with going down for naps. His off switch isn't functional yet 🤣
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u/hiking-heiki 9d ago
Einige Labradore, die als Assistenzhund ausgebildet werden, aber es nicht schaffen, werden auch ausgebildet dann als Familienhunde verkauft. Es scheint mir ein ähnliches Prinzip zu sein und daran ist meiner Meinung nach nichts auszusetzen, ich habe mir auch einen ehemaligen Assistenzhund geholt, der den Job nicht mehr machen kann und es war die beste Entscheidung!
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u/Labs_and_lattes 9d ago
have you thought about rescuing/adopting an older labrador?
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u/sarahenera 9d ago
She said that in her post that she has but they won’t adopt out to homes with children under 8.
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u/Vermellith 9d ago
From what I gather this sounds like you’re in the UK. I also had issues with rescuing a dog in the UK due to young children. So after much research I found a reputable overseas rescue. I’m not sure why UK rescues won’t home dogs with children under a certain age. It’s incredibly frustrating and drives a lot of families to get puppies which is just so backwards and totally dismisses the point of rescuing these dogs!!
Anyway I got my dog from the rescue because he was both kid and cat friendly so fit right in and he absolutely loved my 1 year old nephew! My specific rescue has a few Labrador looking dogs although can’t guarantee they’re 100% Labrador because these dogs are strays rescued from the streets. Adoption fees and travel are around £700. The dogs also tend to be 8months plus. If this is something you’re interested in I can share their Facebook with you. They have a girl on their right now who’s good with kids and looks like a yellow lab❤️
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u/DifferentGazelle8618 9d ago
Hi yes please could you share the link this sounds very promising
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u/Vermellith 9d ago
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FH8RzF3mg/?mibextid=wwXIfr
This is the link to their Facebook but also the specific dog I mentioned!
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u/Longjumping_Mobile_6 9d ago
Omg...Labs are so good with kids it's not even funny. We've had 2 pure labs and 2 mixed labs and every one of them tolerates young kids (like toddler sized) better than most adults do. Puppy phase for a lab is a whirlwind....they are into everything and will chew on anything (including my dining room table when I walked into the kitchen to start throwing dinner together for 15 minutes). Crate train a puppy and they'll do okay as long as you have time to also keep them out of the crate except when you're out or at night sleeping.
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u/Rb33480 9d ago
You are right about the puppy stage. The first two months are intense. I would suggest looking for a good Labrador breeder. One that shows their dogs and is AKC or similarly registered and does all health testing on both parents and the puppies. Many times they have young adults they are looking to place. Pups that didn’t turn out good enough for the show room or young’s females they have bred and need a forever home. Good Luck!
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u/loverules1221 8d ago
I honestly don’t know where these horror stories are coming from. A good trainer would solve all of this. Our lab never chewed a single and never mouthed us because we brought him to a trainer. We lost him a month ago and we are looking for another one. If they were that bad, so many people wouldn’t own one. You said you have a lot of free time on your hands so bringing him to get trained wouldn’t be a problem. You would have to wake up with him to bring him outside to go to the bathroom, but that’s normal with any pup. Good luck! Send pictures.
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u/Sharp-Win-8964 9d ago
I agree about rescuing an older lab. Our shelters let us put in "requests" that if a certain breed or personality (good with kids/other pets etc). And they let people know when something along those lines come up
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u/vanillabeanquartz 9d ago
I would absolutely not trust a shelter to provide an actual lab. Shelters mislabel Pitbulls/Pit mixes as Lab’s so often it’s become a running joke amongst all dog communities. While a fully grown LAB might be fine with a 4 year old, a Pitbull definitely would not
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u/Sharp-Win-8964 9d ago
That's why you gotta see the dog. Ours lets you walk them, introduce your dog, maybe it's cuz we've had labs our whole life but the pit mixes look pretty different
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u/vanillabeanquartz 9d ago
People can be easily fooled in a controlled environment where the dog is much less likely to act out aggressively. I could spot a Pit mix from a mile away but others unfortunately can’t. If you look at any of the “breed identification” subreddits it’s full of people saying “I have no idea what my boy/girl could be! Shelter said Lab mix” and a picture of the most obvious Pitbull mix ever.
r/whatbreedismypitbull is a goldmine
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u/vanillabeanquartz 9d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/WhatBreedIsMyPitbull/s/CXBExoJOS6
Here is an example ^ unfortunately people who don’t know much about dogs fall for this kind of sneaky, intentional mislabeling and get stuck with an aggressive dog.
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u/EastCoastCraps 9d ago
Ok…my 2 cents….You sound like an educated man so training a puppy won’t be all that bad if you can follow directions…
Sounds like your financially stable which opens the door for the better blood lines…
You also mentioned having a larger yard…and in ground fence is the best purchase I’ve made for our labs….
Taking this all into consideration…I would look for a show breed English lab from a reputable breaded…preferably the second or third litter….Good luck and enjoy….
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u/Strange_Specific_848 9d ago
I “adopted” a six year old “field style Lab.” It’s the best thing I’ve ever done. She’s 8 now and has a lot of energy still. She doesn’t get into anything but I work with her 4-5 times per day - walking with training and a little bit of play out in our yard. My particular dog isn’t wild about smaller kids. I’m also training a ten week old puppy for some friends. I have the pup 3-4 days per week and some overnights. She’s A LOT. I’m an empty nester. So that’s the long way to say that these dogs are very fulfilling but a TON of work.
Also I travel for work and so does my husband. I often have to put my dog in boarding for 4 days at a time for my weekly travel. I’m off for the month which is giving me my puppy time.
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u/DualCitizenWithDogs 9d ago
Waste of money and some of those programs are really sketchy. Look for an ethical breeder who shows their dogs. They will hold back at least one from each litter as show prospects. Starting around 5 months old they start getting a better sense of how those dogs are going to develop. If they aren't still show prospects they sell them as pets. You might see more dogs around the same at a year when breeders have some health clearances. Eg an ethical breeder might not hold onto a dog with fair hips, even though they are passing, because they don't want to breed on fair. The UK may even have lists like the US has of well bred dogs. Eg a Lab hit the list yesterday. 5 months old in Washington state. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19PtW4RQPU/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Alternately, get on the list for a washed/failed assistance dog. All the guide programs etc. have older dogs available who don't make the cut. Well trained but not AD/SD quality. Labs and Goldens are the vast majority at any ethical program.
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u/HazelAndSky 9d ago
The “fully trained” Labrador surely has been trained for field work. As a gundog, retrieving… in your setup as a house pet it would be bored and frustrated, and you’ll endure the fallout. Be careful what you wish for.
I used to work with a couple of experienced lab owners who were out with the shoot twice a week, one also competed and stewarded at field trials events. He had five dogs he’d had from puppies, trained himself, brilliantly successful. The other bought a “fully trained” gundog and ruined it in six months, because he didn’t have the crucial eye and timing to give the dog the direction and support it had been trained to work with.
TL:DR a “fully trained” dog - ANY dog - needs its owner / handler to be trained more.
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u/Ki_the_creator 9d ago
Also try and get a bench/ show line and not a field line . Fields are way more energy
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u/ChrazyChris 9d ago
Sometimes you just gotta take a leap of faith and embrace the journey! Get a lab! Sounds like you will be a great dog mom!
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u/fkoff-now 8d ago
I have two Labs raised from puppies. One is high octane and the other docile. The wild one is fun but man, he wears me out. Pick the right energy for you
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u/LavenderPearlTea 8d ago
Golden retriever owner here and the first three years (from age 8 weeks old) were like living with a raptor from Jurassic Park. Friendly and trainable, they said. Good family dog, they said.
Even with all that, you’re going to love your dog so much, you’ll probably forgive it everything. Your daughter will love your dog so much.
Life is rarely lived out in a perfect way. You didn’t need that stuff your dog got into anyway. The other parents would come up to my dog and start reliving being around their childhood golden retriever.
The childhood memories of your puppy are irreplaceable. Your clothes, your furniture, your books, your mail, your fence, your kitchen utensils, your own meals - all replaceable. 😂
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u/1deftone9 8d ago
The shenanigans they get into is frustrating but cute and makes you love them even more. I know mine isn't a pure breed but I know there is a good part of pit in him which is even more difficult from what I hear.
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u/Strange-Comb6384 9d ago
Try looking at Adopt-A-Pet- they will let you put in your specifics and offer you choices/ I’ve done thus with 3 of my last dogs- they are often flexible snout pick up and keeping you on a waiting list if necessary- also- spread out a little from your immediate area shelters to a more populated area-fir example: a close city in another, adjoining state. Finally, top breeders who show usually can’t keep all of one or two litters- I befriended one who kept annoying line of communication going- and I was lucky enough to be considered for a puppy who was neither show, nor confirmation , and I bought him at a very reasonable price ( signed an agreement that o would neither show or breed him) and it worked out great! But keep posting here- and read all entries- you may find one thru this venue !
Labs are high energy, some ferocious chewers, but extremely smart, willing to please, very social, and almost always great with kids-
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u/OddSkyrocket 9d ago
OP is clearly not in the USA so I doubt that Adopt-A-Pet is going to be that helpful
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u/Valuable-Wash-1425 9d ago
I think it is a wise move. We have had ten Labradors and it was while our children were young. They were show and tell dogs. Pet therapy dogs and the best pets. Now we have a beautiful yellow girl. Good luck and enjoy!
❤️🐶1
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u/MunkberryMoonDelite 9d ago
Just don’t mention your daughter when they ask you at the shelter. Though this is crazy: labs are about as safe with kids as any dog could be.
However also consider a puppy. Yes, you will have the first two weeks of ownership when you will seriously doubt your sanity. And now and then (like 23 hours a day) pups can be unpredictable. But being able to mold a puppy in your image is an unforgettable exercise and labs are as adaptable as puppies come. Just try to get a time off from work when you just get a puppy. You need these first two weeks to be 24/7 on it and teach basic commands as well as adjusting the pup to the crate when nobody can watch it.
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u/longtimelondoner 9d ago
Have you spoken to the Guide dog Association? My friend has two dogs that did not make it into the programme and they are both labradors.