Getting a Lab - Now What?
 

Tips and tricks are welcome, we are getting an 8 week old lab puppy on Sat. My daughter has wanted a dog since birth so it is technically a gift for her 6th birthday, but honestly I'm excited as well. I grew up with dogs but have never been in the situation of being the person in charge of taking care of one. It's a female yellow lab that will be up to date on shots and have dewclaws removed before we get it, so what's next? Find a good vet and get on a program for shots, heart worm medicine, flea treatments, etc? We are also planning on finding a doggy training boot camp type thing where my daughter can take her for training, and will get her spayed when old enough. What else do I need to do or consider? Lab specific advice is welcome.

My family had a beautiful Golden Retriever and now have a chocolate lab. Most labs think they are puppies for around 2 years. Take pictures now because she will grow fast.

Labs are relatively easy to train if they want to be trained but have a mind and personality of their own. The Golden kind of ruined it for all other dogs because she was sooo good and smart.

Watch out for parvo (keep her away from other dogs and their poop until she can be vaccinated.)

Labs also love to fetch. You will be doing this often and for what seems like hours on end so get used to it. :)

It really depends, Matt.

First of all, great choice! Rika is an amazingly smart dog, very aware and willing to do the right thing.
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Labs are very pack oriented, friendly dogs. She is going to want to spend a lot of time with the family indoors and out. A lot of time. It is what they do. If they are alone they are miserable.

I would consider getting a cat or another small dog as a companion if she is going to be by herself for extended periods of time. Two are often more efficient and pleasurable where Labs are concerned.

So, prepare the indoor space as well. Get the right indoor gates, etc. so the new member of your family has space with her new family.

A big bed is essential.

Plan on at least a mile walk in the morning and afternoon. The amount of energy they have is daunting, make sure you are prepared for it.

So much more, let me get a list!

Obedience lessons are totally necessary in order to make the dog well.... obedient.
That is does not pull on the leash. Responds to commands etc. Fence off veg. garden or it will be eaten. My black lab used to dig up bulbs in the garden too.

Dog must be walked a lot. Not happy unless they get their exercise. They will eat anything so they need chew toys. Your daughter will enjoy this lab. They are great as long as they are disciplined. They will eat all the food you put in front of them. Enjoy!:)

QFT... They love to chew on anything and will eat almost everything.

My daughter is 6 and I worry about her constantly around the dogs. She gets right up in their faces no matter how many times I work with her on this. Make sure that your daughter knows not to do that.

congrats!

Obedience lessons are totally necessary in order to train the Owner

Most important thing I can tell you: You are always training your dog.

e.g if you call the dog and it doesn't ocme; then you call it again - you are training the dog that the 1st call is NOT a command

so, have two forms of address: a command: "Rover, Come!" - which will always be enforced

and a Request: "C'mon over here"

there are several good books on dog training - Monks of New Skeet is one

Bitter Apple is your new friend hose down all edges and corners of furniture, rugs, your mom (I did this with my 2nd Golden) etc.

Very good.

I also have the Richard A. Wolters books, Gun Dog, Water Dog and Game Dog.

They are a bit old school (concerning discipline) but they get inside the mind of Labs very well.

The key to the breed is that they really, really want to do the right thing. It is up to you guys to show her. That and the pack behavior is going to be essential.

hey - bump that old thread of yours for whipped to look at

don't ever let the vet give it Rimadyl. can be deadly for labs.

we have these three books. great reading. i've (well, my family) has had 3 labs. crazy coincidence, we've had the exact same number of new couches. crazy energy in a lab. none of my dogs ever did anything casual. they didnt eat casual, drink water casual (mine would chomp at the water and flood the place), walk casual..never mind. mine never walked. everything was at full speed.

as a dog owner, you would hope to progress in knowledge. i think the key to having a great lab (or any birddog) is to exercise the beast. the last dog, we put a backpack on and filled it with water bottles. this was the only way a walk would provide any exercise.

they will eat anything. bishop picked up a brand new bar of soap. i grabbed the dog and watched that bar of soap slip into the abyss. the dog never even got the farts.

fetching? i never did find the end. by this i have never had a lab quit fetching with me. you cannot outlast a lab in the game of fetch. ever.

i love em!! not so sure i would do a puppy again tho. good luck matt!! have fun. you love your couches?

Labs
 

Welcome to the club.
Great wiht kids.

High energy so she'll be needing walks and they love to play always.

Mouthy means a good retreiver and they tend to nip alot in play so have a lot of chew toys handy -those milk teeth are sharp -she is not biting you just being a lab

Crate train -labs are very anal so make sure the crate is not too large.
most all my labs house train fast - do not paper train

Careful with food as they tend to pick up weight

I am on the list waiting for my second one http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1369775981.jpg

They are pleasers. Mine is food focused so a small treat gets big reinforcement.

They are great dogs! I have had numerous English Springer Spaniels, a couple of Goldens, and Daisy is up there with the best of them. She is great.



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Daisy

These are some of the things I really like my dogs to do. (They are also hunting dogs, which involves a lot more training, but it does not sound like you are going to hunt with your lab.)

- Crate training (Excellent for potty training, controlling the dog when unattended and travel).
- Stay away from the table when the family eats
- Wait to eat their food until I tell them it is ok
- No human food ever. (None of my dogs beg or fart!)
- Wait to walk through the door until all humans are through
- No going out the front door without a release command
- No getting out of the kennel w/o a release command
- Walk on your side of any obstacles (lamp posts, trees etc. - no tangling up the lead)
- Drop on the spot immediately with a voice (or whistle) command (the dog emergecy break).
- Lay down and stay put until released. (Good at the pub patio, party, at friends house etc. - usually takes some maturity.)

HTH - PM me if you have any specific questions.

G

Good choice :) labs are great dogs.

Excellent stuff so far, keep it coming! We have a big fenced yard and are a fairly active family, my wife is looking forward to having some comfort on her early morning runs and I guarantee my daughter will want to bring her to the lake with us. George this will be a family dog only, no hunting. I'd love some tips and trucks regarding the training that you mentioned, it's simple to type but I know not so simple to train.

Training starts on day 1. No "ah, it is a puppy, let's feed it some food off the table and take it on our laps. If the dog isn't going to go on furniture (it shouldn't!) or on your lap, don't start it. Get the kids on board too, they should understand that the dog is not a toy and that spoiling it will ruin the dog's chance to come along and be a pleasant member of the family.

A lot of the things I like to do with the dogs are around control and making sure the dog undrstands the whole family is alpha and they are at the very bottom of the pecking order. Eat last, eat only when told, go through doors last etc. all reinforces the position of your family vs. dog.

- Crate training (Excellent for potty training, controlling the dog when unattended and travel).
Get a crate on day one. First night should be in the crate, even the ride home can be. I would put nothing in there in terms of padding, the plastic is reasonably comfortable and no accidents eating the pad will happen. Let the dog out to play and walk etc., but when not interacting with it directly = crate. Nights = crate. I would put the crate in a common area that is busy but not drafty - i.e. kitchen. This will be the home base for the dog. Let the dog out at least once every 4 hours, including 1 time at night. Limit food and water intake before bedtime and start extending the duration at night. In 2-3 weeks the dog will call you to be let out if they have to go and may make the night already in one 8 hour session too.

- Stay away from the table when the family eats

Starts day one. Easy: Crate the dog when food is served. Not sure if there is a lot of snacking at your house. Limit snacks with the kids it to times when the dog is in the kennel or vice versa.

- Wait to eat their food until I tell them it is ok
Starts day one. I'd only have one person feed the dog in the beginning. Preferably a grown up. Put food down in the kennel (you want the dog to like the kennel!), hold dog by the collar for a minute away from the kennel a few feet, and then let them go with the release command. I am saying "release command" because this should be something that is NOT "OK". You say "ok" so much in your regular language, that you will accidentally release the dog all the time. Good English words are "go on" etc.

- No human food ever.
Starts day one. Get the kids on board. Tell them the dog will get ill from human food (not even a lie!). Also tell them about doggie beggars and how annoying it is.


- Wait to walk through the door until all humans are through
Starts day one. Just works when on leash. Also get the family on board. I use a command for this even to re-inforce it. Something cute like "who goes first?" works!

- No going out the front door without a release command
Starts day one, see above. "Go on" = same release command than when at the trough.

- No getting out of the kennel w/o a release command
Same. Same release command, or can also use "come" to get that going. After the pup is a few weeks old, the door of the kennel can be used for negative reinforcement. Head comes out without a release command, door comes closing quickly. ;)

- Walk on your side of any obstacles (lamp posts, trees etc. - no tangling up the lead)
First would be to train to walk on a lead. Then when taking extended walks, set the dog up to go the wrong way around poles and start negative reinforcemment (NO!, pull on leash) and positive reinforcement, if they do it right. This is also a good way to stay in control. The dog needs to pay attention where YOU are going, not walk you instead.

- Drop on the spot immediately with a voice (or whistle) command (the dog emergecy break).

This is an advanced command you should start at 6 months. It is a good command to gain better control of a stubborn / high energy dog. This is not a regular "down". The dog here drops on the spot and the head goes between the front toes. This is a command from hunting to drop the dog when shots are fired (rabbit hunting for example) or to drop it if it starts chasing something that's not ok or chasing into a direction of danger (road, barb wire fence etc.). This command requires a lot of negative reinforcement. You have to make the dog go into this position and only when it does, you get off it's case. Let me know when the dog is 6 months and I can walk you through it! ;)


- Lay down and stay put until released. (Good at the pub patio, party, at friends house etc. - usually takes some maturity.)
This is just extending the "down" and "stay" command. Takes focus and consistency.

On the word consistency. That's probably the most important thing in dog training. You always follow through on your commands, even if it is inconvenient to do so, i.e. when people are visiting. Never give a command to a pup that you cannot reinforce. I.e. do not ask it to "come" if it is not on a lead or within reach where you can make it come to you.

Do short training sessions in addition to the constant training you will do from day one. 1 or 2 times a day for 5 minutes is better than 2x a week for 30. Short attention span will limit what you can do. Even a mature dog benefits from short sessions over long ones. Always end training sessions positively with something the dog can do well. Never end on a bad note. Never train when you are not relaxed and in a good mood. Never train when rushed or distracted.

HTH! Have fun!!!

G

one thing about training is that some of the components are essentially built-in and you simply need to link them together to get the full behavior

e.g. for a retrieve - the dog already has a propensity to 1. go out after something (like a splash), 2. put things in its mouth, and 3. come back to you

the give is the harder part

I trained my Goldens to not touch stacks of paper on the floor but that paper in a waste basket was ok - and to show it to me before tearing it up

on way to do this is to tell the dog to 'retrieve' the paper to you, give it up and then you either:
1. praise and give it back to them
or 2. take it and tell them no-no BUT give them something even better IN EXCHANGE
(like a chewie or food treat)

always praise you child when it does something good - same goes for your dog

also, both entities need to learn that if they want something they need to earn it (by doing some form of "work")

Doggie Valium helps.....

Exactly! Mine destroyed everything until she was about 2. And yes I do mean everything!


Great choice for a family dog though, they are extremely intelligent dogs and your kids will love it. I bet it will love going to the lake too, so get a doggie life vest!


I miss my lab, we had to put her down due to cancer last summer at 14yrs. :(

Congratulations!
Already some great suggestions but you might decide otherwise on some. We never crate trained, but did have a designated area trained to stay on command. A padded bed or other worked well and they quickly know its theirs. Our beloved female lab of fourteen years was hard to lose. Hip displaysia set in and shortened any more quality of life. I could only suggest that there is a tendency or difference of temperment between a female and male. Other habits and curiosity might surprise you or test your patience, ex. the first time you catch them eating fecal or steal that frozen t-bone defrosting in the sink... LOL.. but for a lab, they are easy to work with and obey... as long as the hard love and reward is consistent. Remarkable creatures that sometimes with just eye contact seem to read ones mind. Enjoy her!

This is some great guidance.

I STILL have my Wolters book...25 yrs old!
George and Dan have it pretty well nailed down. No interest AT ALL in hunting her? I only ask because the pleasure factor of your dog goes thru the roof when you watch them doing what they've been bred to do for years. getting there takes a bit of work; but it too is enjoyable...spending time in the outdoors away from the city...I urge you give this a read:

Mostly Tailfeathers: Stories About Guns and Dogs and Birds and Other Odds and Ends: Gene Hill: 9780832916700: Amazon.com: Books

I miss Tule...I got just under 16 yrs w/ him...he was a sweetheart!

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No, I'm not much of a hunter. But the dog will see plenty of the outdoors, that's for sure.

keep the dog on heartworm meds year-round; check for ticks & grass awns in feet, etc.

Great advice here. I can only add that consistency means the whole fam is on board with commands, otherwise the dog learns that only one of you is serious.

The dog needs to learn a "drop it" or "off" command early on.

Most dogs, labs in particular, are "teenagers" from about 8 mths to maybe 18-24 mths. They'll test your patience. Firm love is important. Always love the dog, but don't be afraid to make sure it knows that the human is in charge. Sometimes a bit of discomfort is required with a high energy dog to get its focus back on you-a quick pinch, or a prong collar (controversial, I know, but sometimes necessary in my view) work well.

Working breeds require more exercise than you can imagine. Games like frisbee fetch etc are good once they're old enough to get the point of the game.

I'd watch many of the videos on the Leerburg site. Lots of good free information there.

a good Lab. is a tired Lab.
as they are really spawns from hell..;)
it's good for the owners as well..
once you adopt this mantra..
you will enjoy your pup..

they don't mean to..
but they are easily bored & then the fun begins..
every Lab. owner has a 'you never believe what he ate or chewed to bits....
they love water so don't get angry if they choose to puddle jump..

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someone dumped a treasure..
and I found it..

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these days..

They are greats dogs to own and so much fun! The companionship you get from them is worth all the trouble they cause.
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What variant of lab are you getting? Sporting mouth or block head? There's a difference in temperament.

We initially got a black lab that all it wanted to do was escape. It was later shipped to the US as a hunting/field dog. Shortly after got a black lab that was previously owned by a family whose daughter was allergic to the dog. We ended up with that dog and did not try to escape and was very happy with us for 14 years....now deceased.

Yes you are right above ^^^^^the personality types are varied. If the first one does not work out trade it at the kennel for another one.

I was just happy this thread was not about a meth lab.

BTW - do not hold toys for the dog to jump at until about 1 year old - they need some time to develop w/o extra stress

for ANY dog be careful about them running with you in even warm weather (or bicycling) - humans are the best hot weather athletes of all Mammals and your dog's love and obedience can kill them running with you

Thanks again for all of the advice guys, I had my wife read this thread and will keep it filed away for reference. Here's a very happy little girl with the puppy that she's been asking for ever since she could talk.

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She named her Zuri. God only knows why, my daughter is definitely the creative type.

Exercise, exercise, exercise. Otherwise they will bring down the rath on your house. And then all of a sudden they become lazy angels. At least that is the way it happened with our sons chocolate lab.

And then you have goldens, which are born angels.

We have 2 labs, including a 130lb boy.

Labs are very easy....if you do your work upfront.
1. Exercise and train your lab daily. You can do this in short bursts as they have a training limit. Then play hard, and go back to training.
2. Be consistent, labs become insecure if they aren't sure what you want.
3. They are giant batteries; full of energy. Drain them daily. Our labs can't wait to sleep. Keeping them going means no trouble.
4. They love to dig! Be mindful.
5. We have a pool and they swim laps until they are exhausted and will dive for tennis balls.
6. Tennis balls are dog currency! Have lots!
7. They are PURE love. Enjoy that!
8. Once they are 3 year they will mellow. They will be puppy like for up to 3 years.
9. They are happiest and will do well with kids or other dogs.

Let me know if you have any other questions or I can give you tips. They are pure love and you will be question your sanity in the beginning, but will be your best friend for ever.

Oh, and they are always hungry!!! DO NOT give in! Labs that are overweight blow out their CCL (just like our ACL). Surgery is around $2000.

Go here, order this and enjoy....

GoDogGo Automatic Ball Launcher & Tennis Ball Thrower for Dogs - GoDogGo Fetch Machine Official Web Site

Best thing I did when I bought my first dog.
.
Mother Knows Best: The Natural Way to Train Your Dog: Carol Lea Benjamin: 0021898056665: Amazon.com: Books

Good one. :)