Is the Lab misunderstood?
The most misunderstood dogs in America
Of course they touch on Labs and Lab mixes and here is what it says.
Labradors (and Lab mixes). People expect Labs to be perfectly trained, like the service Labs who team with the visually or physically impaired. "Here's the reality: They were bred to work under difficult conditions and have the drive to swim through ice to get that bird," says Patricia McConnell, author of "For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend." That's not to say with training and time they don't settle down, but they're not the instant soup people expect. "The expectations are so high, it's difficult to live up to," VanKavage says. "They're great dogs for a fairly active family, but not for elderly Aunt Tilda," Bradley adds. "And because Labs are large, they can easily learn to drag Aunt Tilda down the street." Golden retrievers can have the same problems.
I would have to say that this account is not fully true based on my experiences with Bosco. My chocolate guy has lived up to the high expectations. I chose a Lab because I have read and been told that they are very easy and low maintenance. Bosco was house trained pretty much in one day and other than the normal growing pains and learning the rules he has been a very well behaved guy.
Is he big? Does he get in the way? For sure but you have to know that when signing up for a Lab. I will agree with the whole dragging people down the street because he certainly is strong enough if it is someone like Katie walking him.
I guess my whole point of writing this is I got all defensive when reading that people give away and get rid of their Labs when they don't turn out the way they want. Labs are very smart and very trainable. Yes they are working dogs, so make them work and give them exercise.
What do other Lab owners think?? Has it been everything you thought it would be having a Lab in your life?
Labels: opinions
This entry was posted
on Sunday, November 05, 2006 at 11/05/2006 01:33:00 AM.
You can skip to the end and leave a response.
11/06/2006 11:32:00 AMMy biggest surprise with my lab/golden mix is the huge amount of dog hair tumbling through the house! Dakota was always a very good girl, even though last night she suddenly developed a fear of thunderstorms! What? She's almost five years old! She never fails to surprise me!
11/06/2006 03:25:00 PM
We have 3 labs living with us, and they are all different. The pack leader and the only female (surprise, surprise!) has a high drive and a very strong will.
The other two, "the boys" are much easier, more laid back, and much more eager to please, making them easier to train.
While they are all capable of pulling you down the driveway Indiana Jones-style, their trainability is vastly different.
I think that it's vital to do personality testing on any puppy before you bring it home, in order to have a full understanding of where that dog will fit into the family.
11/16/2006 08:14:00 PM
They have lived up to my expectations and more. Labs will alwasy have my heart. Originally the fact that they were so popular was a turn off, but I sill be sticking with this breed for a very long time now.
Buhbye, Amy &Polaris(an awesome black lab) and Cliff (a wannabe lab)
» Post a Comment