Care/Training
Obviously, we think labradors are awesome, but it is important to do your homework when it comes to choosing a breed of dog that is best for your family.
While every dog is unique, here are some common things to consider:
- Labs act like puppies for several years! You should be willing to commit to training your lab in basic obedience – it is imperative.
- Labs tend to be chewers and will eat anything and everything. They can be destructive and need to exercise daily.
- Labs can be high energy and love to be active – most love to swim!
- Labs love their people. They want to be next to you whenever possible.
- Labs are big. Adults can grow to 75-85 pounds.
Interested in adopting a puppy?
- Puppies may be irresistible, but they are also extremely time-consuming. If you have never had a puppy, then you might not realize what you're about to get into. It's one thing to be ready to get a dog, especially an adult dog. Raising a puppy requires an even higher level of commitment.
- Young puppies need to be fed three to four times a day. They need to be taken outside immediately after eating or drinking so they can eliminate appropriately and become house trained. Puppies will have accidents in the house while they are still being house-trained. That can mean a lot of clean up.
- A puppy might wake you up several times during the night. It might be because the puppy needs to go outside, or it might just be because the puppy is bored or lonely.
- A young puppy can't be left alone for more than a few hours. The puppy should stay in a crate when alone; this aids in house training and keeps the puppy from chewing up everything in your house. However, after a few hours, a puppy can't hold its bladder (and sometimes bowels too).
- Puppies can be destructive. They want to explore, chew, lick, and possibly even eat things in their environment. They don't know manners and may act unruly or hyperactive. All puppies need to be trained and socialized; they also need a lot of exercise. These things take a lot of time.
- Are you prepared to come home from work midday to care for your puppy? Can you handle being woken up in the middle of the night? Are you able to spend several hours a week working on training and socialization? What about any other pets or people in your home? Will a puppy be too disruptive?
- If you get a young puppy, be prepared to spend a lot of extra time with it, especially for the first few months. If this sounds like too much, but you still want a dog, consider adopting an adult dog.