Truely Mans Best Friend (Labrador)

Member Name: Codfish

Product:	Labrador
Date:	22/01/09 (211 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Temperament, Loyalty, Fun

Disadvantages: Problems with Cysts

Where to start? Loyal, Loving, Playfull, Entertaining, Cuddly, Barmy .... All things you can say about Labs.

I have two black Labradors, one 7 and the other one 8 years old. I say I have, my parents have and I spent their first 4 or 5 years with them and still consider them my pets too. I see them at least once a month despite being 100 miles away from my home now.

The oldest of the dogs we got after our springer spaniel died. He was a lovely puppy when we saw him. The people we got him from had a massive house and their female lab, also black had just had puppies, well 8 weeks previously. We picked out Ben, because he was the one that seemed to be into everything and the liveliest of the 8 or so puppies left there. We went into the owners beautiful kitchen where the dogs rarely go and within minutes Ben had wee'd under the table and put his head in the ladies cup of tea and spilt it all over the place! But he was so cute we just had to keep him and we did and took him home that day.

It's amazing how quickly these pups grow despite taking 18months to get to full size! For the first 2-4 weeks he couldn't go out for a walk because he needed to have his booster injections, and they have to have them every year afterwards as well as the kennel cough medicine if they are likely to need kennel stays. These are usually around the £100 mark although some pet insurance include this in their package.

Toilet training was so easy with both these dogs. We did the usual newspaper on the floor thing where they would use that to go on and within days or a week or so they were just using the garden and have rarely had any accidents since which is a great trait in any dog.

Since day one Ben has been the biggest attention seeker I have ever known. He constantly wants you full attention and if you don't give him it, as a puppy he would steal things. Paper out of the bin, teddy bears, anything he could get his teeth around and he would flaunt them in front of you just far enough away that he could snatch them back when you tried to grab them. He still does it now sometimes but he tends to just feel sorry for himself when you don't fuss him. This actually became so much of a problem during the first year someone recommended we got him a friend and this is when we got Bruno a year later.

A lot of people don't realise there are two different types of black lab, a long haired and shorter haired one. Now the long haired isn't massively long and is probably the most common one, which is what Ben is, but Bruno has the shorter more coarse hair. Bruno was the last puppy of the litter to go. We went to see him and he was being kept, with his Brother who the owners were going to keep, in a chicken coup type box. It was stuffed full of hay to keep them nice and warm and when the bloke opened the box out rolled the fattest little puppy you have ever seen. He was the epitome of the term puppy fat and seemed to be cross eyed but he looked totally adorable. Ironically now he is the slimmer of the two dogs. My dad was very concerned how the two dogs would get on together, and worried they would fight but they immediately took to each other and if you saw them now they are the two parts of a wonderful friendship. They may not be blood related but they are definitely brothers. They are regularly seen lying together usually with Bruno's head resting on Bens back. They play together all the time whether at home or out on a walk. Labradors just love company whether it be human or other labs.

I have spent an awful lot of time with these dogs because during the first few years of their lives I was very ill and was with them day and night. They always seem to know when there's something wrong, even now you get their full attention when you're ill or upset. They have an amazing ability to know exactly when you're coming home as well. When my dad is out for example, they will often start waiting by the door or window and I will say 'They'll be back in 20 minutes' and more often than not they are back in the time it takes them to travel home. This is the same for any of us when we are out. They just seem to know when you leave to come home.

Ben and Bruno are very different dogs. I have already spoken about how Ben likes to tease you to get attention, whereas Bruno is more forthright and will simply climb onto you or cry until you let him jump onto the sofa for instance. They both love fuss, and they both get jealous when the other one is getting the fuss which can be frustrating because they often bark when they are jealous. I think this comes down to the loyalty labs have. They will do anything for their owners to make them happy. If you tell Bruno off for instance he so obviously feels bad. He will tilt his head and offer you his paw and give a performance that means you would have to be extremely mean not to forgive him afterwards. And he genuinely is sorry. I always get a lovely welcome when I go up with them climbing all over me with tails wagging and my face getting licked to dripping point.

The Labrador temperament is fantastic and they are great around all but the smallest children. Ben and Bruno have never growled or turned their lips up at anyone or anything despite Bruno's hunting instinct which means he chases anything that moves. This I have found is the same with nearly all labs and generally the only time labs will growl or snap are if they are really scared and even then it's not vicious it's a warning. Labradors are retrievers and Bruno is a prime example of one. When he does catch something, he doesn't bite it hard, he simply holds it in his mouth just tight enough for it not to escape and generally when you tell him to drop it he will straight away. Ben never really got this idea so generally if you throw a ball for him he will chase it and then let you go and collect it! They just love to play and although a bit boisterous let you be rough with them as well which helps with children. They love to wrestle with you especially Bruno who's aim is to sit on your face which apparently is a sign of dominance although I do try and avoid this and definitely don't do it back!

Our labs eat a mix of dry food and tinned meat and are usually fed just once a day. Getting the food right with labs is very important because they do have a tendency to put on weight and Ben and Bruno are no exception so we have to be very careful to feed them the right amount and not give them too many treats. They tend to have their main meal once a day and a denture stick to keep their teeth clean and little else. Don't be fooled by thinking they will stop eating when they are full because labs will not and you will end up with a very fat dog especially if they've had the snip!

Health wise we have had a few problems with the dogs which seem to be common problems with the breed and these are cysts. Both dogs have been on a number of occasions to have fatty lumps removed from all over their body and are still developing them now. We have been told this is very common but it's always upsetting when they have to be put to sleep and have them removed. Bruno has always had a displaced hip which means from a young age he's had arthritic problems with it. We have to carefully regulate things like throwing the ball for him which he loves and other things where he can make it soar. He has painkillers and anti-inflammatories on a regular basis to help control this but we have been warned that with age it will get worse.

These problems and rising vets costs means you shouldn't have any dog without pet insurance and labs are no difference. They have saved us thousands of pounds over the years with their problems and we wouldn't be without it.

The boys are now middle aged with labs tending to live 12-14 years but they're showing little sign of aging except for a small amount of grey chin hair. They probably sleep a bit more and get a bit stiff after a long walk but they still love their exercise and play as well as all their fuss and attention. As they get older they seem to be even more stuck in their routine. They have a very structured day and when this is changed they do find it hard to cope. When they are due a walk they will make sure you know with Bruno climbing onto your lap and Ben barking at you, and when it's time for bed Bruno will sit at the bottom of the stairs until you go up with him. They just always seem to be able to communicate with you and tell you what they want.

I've spoken about the different lengths of hair with labs, but there are also 3 different colours, Black labs, Yellow labs and the rarest of the breed, Chocolate labs. Generally labs weigh 30-35kgs depending on whether they are male or female, females being slightly smaller, so they are not small dogs but are very easy to look after. They do need a walk every day but don't usually need to be walked for mile upon mile. If they can get off the lead they will wear themselves out quite quickly all on their own. They don't like being left on their own for too long because of their sociable nature although on the occasions they have to be left they are always well behaved. All in all I think labs whatever the colour are the ideal pet and certainly the ideal dog and I would recommend them to absolutely anyone! I will be taking mine to the beach this weekend where they can run to their hearts content which is what they like doing best of all. Seeing them happy makes these little trips extra special.....

Summary: A dog for everyone