Labradors & children

A question about : Labradors & children

Heard mixed reviews so thought I would ask any Lab owners on here.

Would you recommend them as a family pet?

Pros and cons?

Best answers:

• i own a golden retriever and my friend owns a choc lab, they are extremely bouncy the first couple of years, and i would say it depends on the age of your children, as they jump up alot and can puppy nip alot.
  on the plus side, if trained right, they are extremely loyal and loving.
• Weight gain is an issue with these. If you get one then please get advise about its diet in order to keep it slim. Don't just give it a any old dog food.
• Labs are mouthy, its what theyre bred to do and it can take time, perseverence and patience to solve thus. The vast majority of owners who complained to me about the pup play biting when i ran Puppy School classes were Lab owners with young children. The problem is sharp puppy teeth really can hurt and damage a young childs skin and its very difficult to manage this as a parent.
• We have a lab and couldn't recommend them as a family dog more highly.
  Like all pups, she was a bitey nightmare and my son wisely kept out of her way when she was going through that stage, keeping little feet out of teeths way and they were never left alone etc.
  With training, labs are wonderful dogs although if your children are small they could be injured just due to the size of a fully grown lab barreling into them or a tail in the face, but that holds true of all big dogs.
• It depends on the age of the kids. My lab certainly couldn't be around my small children and this is why she ended up in the pound (some idiot bought her as a cute pup, didn't train her then she grew too big and boisterous to be around their small kids)
  She is a huge big dog (although she is more than likely working bred so is very leggy, deep in the chest and a big head) she weighs about 4 stone so could easily hurt a child without meaning to.
  Labs are one of my favourite breeds though but the biggest cons would be casting heavily, can be mouthy (mine was 18 months when I got her and very mouthy although she quickly learnt that it would not be tolerated) boisterous when younger. But, they are very loyal, love everyone and generally have a lovely temperament.
• I t depends on the family.
  They are not dogs for couch potatoes.
  As long as the family can provide the training and guidance , exercise and stimulation they are generally good family pets for the right family.
  Forget the cute Andrex puppy.
  You don't say whether a pup or an older dog.
  If a pup, do lots of research about breeders. Make sure you see health certificates for the parents. The Kennel Club site has information of the health tests recommended for each breed.
  Show bred stock tends to be calmer than working bred stock.
  Black labs tend to be more active that yellow. Chocolate can be very OTT.
  A good breeder will be able to guide you to a puppy suitable for your circumstances.
  Alternatively, have a look at lab rescue. Dogs of all ages become available and an older pup of 1-2 years or older who has passed the boisterous puppy stage may be a better option for your family.
• We have a brown Lab and Golden Retriever cross. We got her in August. My kids are (just) 13 and 11 so were 12 and 10 when we got her.
  DD is like the dog whisperer! DS stays well clear of the dog. She is very good but is that really annoying teenage stage where she just goes absolutely mental and starts leaping around and tearing up and down the house. She is also very mouthy and boy does it hurt at times. She knows it is not approved of and is getting much better.
  On DD's birthday (21/11) we had a stair gate on the kitchen door so kept her in there with me passing food through to everyone. she was ok and settled very fast.
  DS's birthday, 4 weeks later, gate had broken. Everyone came in, she got excited. Friends children started screaming and flapping and she thought it was a game. we then had to shut the door which wound her right up because the kids just wouldn't stop screaming. MiL took her out for a long walk to calm her down but we had to put her back in the kitchen as the kids just kept on. I ended up shut in the kitchen with her becaue she wouldn't stop barking.
  DH's birthday, 3.5 weeks later; those kids didn't come. Niece and nephew were here. Niece is a little unsure. Everyone ignored the dog. She then went to sleep on the rug.
  She likes good long walks and lots of mental stimulation. I work nights so have to leave her alone in the day while I'm in bed so I walk her until about 10 and then feed her when I get home. While she inhales that, I prepare a kong full of peanut butter, hide lots of monkey nuts or pistachios in their shells around the kitchen and fill a food ball with kibble. I put the radio on and leave teddies and a chewable toy for her and she's fine.
  If, however, I need to do some housework upstairs, it's a different story. She shows acute separation anxiety from the second I shut the stair gate until I am back over the other side. Even if I am 6" away from her but the gate is shut, she barks and cries. Darn dog!
• Depends how you train them. I don't just mean the dogs. The vast majority of problems seem to stem from children not knowing how to behave around dogs and how their actions will encourage dogs to behave in different ways.
  As far as largish breeds go, Labradors are famously soft as grease. If your kids can put up with a little nip here and there or having their arm held gently, and being knocked over from time to time by an excited dog, then great. If they're off the cotton-wool-wrapped-glass-children variety, then perhaps opt for a budgie.
  If you want to avoid the mental puppy stage altogether with a labrador, get an ex gun dog. They're trained to within an inch of their lives, almost to the level of seeming like they're part of one of those cults like you get in movies where people are lobotomised.
• This is a tough question!
  When I was engaged to OH he bought a black Lab puppy. a year later I had a little girl and that dog was like a second mother to her. my DD learned to walk by holding on to the dogs collar and the dog would 'walk' her slowly around the room, if she plopped down on her bum he would go down with her and gently rise up with her ...........it was so cute to watch. he was also very protective and although I had a fire guard for our open fire he would stand in front of that so she couldn't go near it! I also found her in the kitchen once hand feeding him bits of dry food out of HIS bowl! He was besotted with her.
  on the other hand - a local garage owner had two pet dogs he used to let loose around his premises. a Yellow Lab and a GSD - the GSD was lovely, but the Lab was a nasty dog - it bit a local child and he had to keep it locked up after that.
  I think you need to look at the temperament of the parents and the individual dog then bring them up properly.
  Sorry, this isn't much help - but as a breed they are usually very good with kids, and a reputable breeder breeds for temperament as much as looks. this is the sort of question I would be asking the breeder if I was looking for a pet with kids in mind. and not just accepting 'Pet Quality' which often means 'Not good enough to show'.
• We have a lab. She is lovely and we have trained her to a good standard. If you have small kids I'd recommend an adult lab as pups are very bouncy. Ours is 7 but we got her when she was 5 having had no training so still a bit excitable. And I wouldn't trust her near smaller kids incase she knocked them over.
  They need lots of attention and exercise and like any dog will destroy stuff of bored.
  Also depends on your kids- some kids are great with bigger dogs and have the confidence to say no and give dog commands but other kids just scream at the dog so dog gets wound up and jumps at them.
  Labs are probably best family dog as very unlikely to be aggressive- although will mouth, but we give our dog stuff to carry and she loves helping round house. They are also relatively easy to train as food motivated and love to please
  Be aware there's 2 types. Show type which are the fatter ones, and are calmer and less active and there's working types which are skinnier and need tons of walking and activity and can be hard work.
  Any dog can be a good family pet if you are prepared to train the dog and treat it well and also teach your kids to respect the dog.
  Our lab loves her walks but will also snooze on the sofa till I'm ready. Some days she gets 20mins, other days she gets 3hrs and some days she may go all day before a walk. All dogs are different tho. Just make sure you see what parents are like if getting a pup.
  Golden retrievers are a lot calmer than labs and very family friendly if you want to look at them too
• We have a 2yo old lab. Got her when she was 9 weeks. My youngest was 5.5.
  She was VERY bouncy when younger (still is to an extent), but has never jumped at the kids. She very rarely jumped up at me or my husband. However, it took 18 months to stop her jumping up at MIL. Although that was mostly MIL's fault as she wouldn't ignore her til she was calm and made her excitement worse.
  Very easy to train. Like kaz2904, my daughter is fab with her - my boys aren't fussed so she tends to ignore them in favour of my daughter.
  I would say training the kids is most important - they need to know what's acceptable and what isn't.
  Eg, leaving the dog alone when she's on her bed or lying quietly (hah!) on the floor.
  For walks, she has at least one 3 mile walk a day, usually two or three depending on who's doing what.
  She has never mouthed us, even when very young and teething although my dining chair legs have plenty of teeth marks on them!