There have been a lot of negative comments on this thread about Labradors, and as the owner of two well-behaved and well-trained chocolate labs that we have had since puppies, I feel I must jump to their defence.
Yes they do chew (as do most dogs), but this is manageable. Make the house dog proof (the utility room sounds ideal) and train them to chew what you want them to chew.
Yes they are hard work but no more than any other dog. Any dog is a big commitment and will change your life totally.
They are not hard to train if you are prepared to put in the time and energy. They are very eager to please and will do absolutely anything if there is food involved. It is no coincidence that everyone's image of a guide dog is a yellow lab.
It is also no coincidence that the largest number of puppies registered with the Kennel Club both in the UK and the USA are labs. All these people cannot be wrong.
Don't let the comments on this thread put you off labs. They are very sociable dogs, good with children and make very loyal and loving companions.

I agree, Lurchers are also wonderful doglets
I have a Lab pup and She is amazing BUT she is still a baby - we haven't hit her teens yet and i am at home all day and she is only left for a max 45 mins a day whilst im on the school run (too far for her to walk just yet) She requires just as much attention and care as my 2 under 5s (although she is easier to handle! haha!) so agree that an older rescue would be a fab idea for you
Gotta love greys and lurchers...my first love

I think it was more because of the excercise time the OP has - nowhere near enough for a lab rather than trying to diss the lovely lab

Hi I am also a first time dog owner my lovely dog Sonny is now 3 yrs old and when we first got him it kinda all happened by chance. My family and I knew we wanted a family dog (he is a cross Lab/springer) say no more LOL....Anyway as much as we all adore him he is fabulous in every way but the first few years were shall I say a shock to the system......he destroyed my table and a perfectly good sofa.......he was mad as a box of frogs however through hard work and determination and of course his age he has settled down nicley.

I go to work and he is no bother, I check in on him once a day. He has two short walks twice a day, and three times a week he goes on long long runs off leash.

I hope you find what your looking for...you sound like your being really sensible by doing your homework etc.....Good look with your search cant wait to meet the new addition

HOPKINS:


Yes, Labs are fab, I own one - but there are also hundreds of them in rescue groups longing for caring homes.

The original poster described his working hours and some people - me for instance - simply noted it wouldn't leave enough time for a young Lab. As you will know, they require a hell of a lot of exercise.

So nobody was bashing Labs. Some of us, again me for example, simply suggested that the OP get an older Lab if he was intent on this breed.

Gorgeous and comical and adorable though Labs are, they also often require a great deal of time,energy and patience. In my humble opinion, a young Lab is often not the ideal choice for a first-time dog owner who is out at work at least some of the time.

I have only personally owned 4 dogs and 3 of them were/are ESS.

Our first ESS we had when both OH and I were F/t at work and she was fine, she had her first season and calmed down and could be left during the day from 8.30-3.30 although she has a dog door to get to the garden.

We orginally went to local rescue centres (I am from Shrewsbury so we triedthe one at Roden and also the RSPCA at Dorrington). We were told not to have a spaniel if we were out at work a lot and also not a hound!

Our next dog was supposed to be a springer/cocker cross but unfortunately she landed up being 80% collie and I am sorry to say we had to rehome her.

At last we have our 2 ESS brother and sisters and as for nutty, yes they do have their moments (the boy more than the girl) but generally as long as they have walks to burn off their energy and you are able keep their minds active too they are brilliant and the girl is very much unlike a springer in the house and spends most of her time curled up with my 7yr old daughter, but she changes when she goes working.

Going totally off course....what about a Boxer? Yes they chew but so do other dogs but boxers are gorgeous!

Our one neighbour has got a greyhound from a rescue and she is lovely, very quiet and gentle.

With regards to the rescue centres I mentioned, I know a few months ago when we were looking for our kitten we went to the RSPCA one and 90% were SBT, the rest were collies and there was also one lab.

Good luck with your decision.

Another vote for Greyhound here!!!
I love the breed - never owned one but i'm planning on getting one when my current dog passes.

If you're worried about destruction, don't forget there is crate training, i don't know much at all about crate training but i'm sure there's peopleo on here who will help

I disagree, respectfully. Labs are, generally speaking, incredible adaptable when it comes to excerise. They are definitely not as demanding as many other breeds in this respect. For an adult Lab the amount of walking/exercise the OP is willing to do is plenty.

Yes they can be mouthy and destructive as pups, but provided the would-be new owner is made fully aware of this, this can very easily be managed or trained out of them. Provided this breed is raised in the right way from puppyhood, they are in my opinion one of the easiest & most adaptable breeds to own -- there is a reason they are the most popular breed in the country.

LABRADORK:


Yes, Labs are really popular but do you know how many are later packed off to rescues...?

Speak to anyone who works at the breed specific rescue groups for Labs - they are having to try and rehome hundreds of Labs every single year.

Also - the original poster mentioned a six month old Lab he'd been looking at, I think....?

I agree with you, if one has the dog from a puppy and can put in place good, consistent training,that is wonderful.

But as both the OP and his partner would be out at work quite a bit, I personally would say that a six month Lab might prove a handful.

This is simply my opinion - based on a year of taking care of an older lab belonging to a friend, and now being the owner of my own rescue Lab who came to us at 12 months old.

The older Lab, being calmer, would be an ideal first dog for anyone, I think.

Hence my suggestion that the OP consider a slightly older dog than six months.

I wasn't saying he shouldn't get a Lab.

I was just recommending he get a slightly older one.

Well on Saturday we went over to the Dog's Trust Roden site and were really impressed.

Originally my other half wasn't going to come to the centre because she thought she'd get upset seeing all the dogs etc... but we both really enjoyed it. All the dogs where happy and clean and the centre was very good.

We didn't see an awful lot that took our fancy. There seemed to be an abundance of staffies to be honest.

We did see a lovely 6 month old cross breed (buddy) who was perfect. We talked to the staff and explained the situation and they seemed to think he's be fine on his own for the time we'd be out. The only problem was someone else had already reserved him! They hadn't had time to put a note on his enclosure but we put down a second reservation anyway so if the first people don't pass the approval they'll be giving us a call.

Next weekend we've got a couple more centres to go to, there's another near Shrewsbury and one closer to Telford. If we have time I might try and get out to either the Dogs Trust Evesham or Blue Cross in Bromsgrove (or both!).

I'll make sure I keep you all up to date. At the moment we're keeping a pretty open mind and hoping to find a dog at a centre that we just "click" with.