Labradors, the way to go.
Nov 24 '00
I have just read Francesca57's article and I would have to agree with her 100%.
Unlike Francesca we did not contemplate a family pet until our two children were much older (11 years and 14 years). We tended to be away alot and at times we were both working, and did not think it fair to leave a dog alone by itself everyday.
Our situation though changed and my husband was working part time and often his job would allow him to take a dog.
We also spent many hours researching and deciding what sort of dog to buy. Our criteria were the following
1) Not too small (I am always afraid I will stand on small dogs)
2) Loyal
3) Placid
4) Easy to train (This was very important as none of us had any prior experience in dog handling)
5) A breed which did not yap or bark too much.
The result a Labrador. :0)
We bought our very first Labrador just over 2 years ago.
The result: one extremely happy family and dog.
I have listed the pro's and con's of owing a Labrador. This purely my opinion. I am not an expert in dogs by any means. It is also obviously the experience of owning X 1 Labrador dog, so I may a bit biased. Having said that this, this is what I think:
Pro's
1) Met all of the above criteria
2) They are so easy to live with, they are placid, our dog hardly ever barks, the kids can wrestle and play with him and there is no sign of aggression at all.
3) He has been healthy. Apart from the usual immunisations, only one trip to the VET required, this was recently when he developed an abscess on his neck.
4) He loves going for walks, so keeps us all active.
5) Isn't fussy in what he eats, although does not like tomatoes.
6) Loves being around the family.
7) So easy to train. Ours will sit and stay, let himself out the back door and any other tricks the kids feel inclined to teach him.
Con's
1) They are escape artists, although we did not often leave our dog for long periods of time (>4hrs), if we did, we would come home and he would be gone. Be sure to have good high fences if planning on owning a Labrador. Our house now looks like Fort Knox.
2) The hair. (YUK) We have a black Labrador and he molts like mad. I usually have to vacuum or sweep everyday to keep it under control.
3) If they get bored, they will chew, this was only a problem for us if we left our dog for more than a couple of hours.
4) They fret if you leave them with someone else, they don't bark but they do cry.
5) The size could be a negative for some as Labradors can be a large dog which can scare small children. As our kids were older this was not a problem.
6) They love water. If you let them off a leash anywhere near water they will be in like Flynn. This is only a problem, if you then need to put a very wet dog back into your car.
All in all the pro's far outway the con's and at no time have we regretted our decision to buy a Labrador.
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Epinions.com ID:
thinkpositive
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Member: Julie Misson
Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 2 members
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