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Before you start looking at where to get a Labrador, have you asked yourself: is a Labrador retriever the right dog for me?
And just as important, are you the right type of owner for a Labrador?
They are a delightful breed with wonderful personalities. They’re fantastic with children and love to play. They’re friendly, loyal, biddable and very eager to please. They are a beautiful, strong, yet kind looking animal.
Honestly, is there anything about a Labrador Retriever not to like?
Well, depending on your personality, energy levels, financial situation, available space and tolerance towards a little mess, there could be a few things!
Read on to discover what you should ask yourself and must answer honestly for the sake of yourself and your potential new friend.
Do I Have Enough Energy to Look After a Lab?
The Labrador retriever was developed for a single purpose in life: Traveling large areas of land, running, jumping and swimming to retrieve fallen game for hunters.
This type of work demands a high level of energy and stamina.
Today, the majority of Labradors are a family pet with their main task in life being a fun and loving companion. But although their place in life may have changed, the energy levels of the breed have remained the same.
They have boundless energy and need an owner with energy to match. One who will always be alert to their needs for training, play and exercise.
If they are cooped up and left alone indoors without an outlet for their energy, they will almost literally explode with hyperactivity and can become uncontrollable and destructive to your belongings.
Yes, most labs with unspent energy become destructive, the breed is quite known for it.
How Much Exercise Does a Labrador Need?
A Labrador has to be walked at least once per day, for 30 to 45 minutes. Two walks per day though is more the accepted norm.
You will also need to take them for a much harder bout of exercise 3 or 4 times per week.
A couple of hours hiking, or a good swim, or running in the park playing a good game of fetch. Exploring the great outdoors, having a good swim and retrieving games on land or in water is what a Labrador lives for.
If you’re the type of person who will walk, run and play with your dog EVERY day, no matter the weather, then a Labrador retriever is the dog for you.
But a stay at home person with a lazy lifestyle will drive a Labrador crazy, and a Labrador will drive that type of owner crazy too! In this case, you should perhaps consider a lower maintenance dog breed.
Must I Have a Garden to Own a Labrador Retriever?
You may be thinking you need a very large yard for a Labrador Retriever to run about in to be happy, but this is simply not the case. Many people without a garden of any description are very good Labrador owners.
If you don’t have a garden, but can devote a good 1 hour minimum spread out over the day to taking your Labrador outside to relieve himself and have some freedom to exercise, the dog will do just fine.
On the flip side, some people have huge yards yet their Labradors don’t get nearly enough exercise. A Lab will not exercise itself if left alone and ignored. They need you to go out and exercise and provide activities for them.
The ideal situation is a house with a fenced off yard where your lab can play and relieve itself but isn’t able to wander off alone.
But you as an owner must still devote plenty of time every day to exercising and training your lab outside of the garden.
Do I Have Enough Space In The Home?
I will say right from the start that if you don’t have enough space in your home, please don’t bring a Labrador into it.
They aren’t a small dog and a normal one weighs in the range of 55 to 80 pounds. It has quite a presence.
Also they aren’t the type of dog to sit quietly in front of the fire while you and your family go about the house doing chores or having fun.
They’re like a shadow, wanting to be right there with you helping with every chore and joining in every bit of fun.
So if you’ve a small house or flat, you will forever be stepping around, over or god forbid on them (we’ve all done that sadly :-s). And in too small a space, this could soon become tiresome.
Other things to consider are the space needed for a bed and a crate. And to comfortably fit a Labrador, the crate won’t exactly be small. Nor will it blend discreetly into the look of your decor and furnishings.
Also, you know that thick ‘otters tail’ that Labs are famous for?
If you don’t ‘lab-proof’ your home, then those ornaments and cups of tea on displays and coffee tables set right at Lab height, well, they will forever be getting knocked over and broken.
Can I Afford to Keep a Labrador?
Forgetting the initial cost of buying a healthy pedigree Lab, there are some considerable costs involved with keeping a Labrador happy and healthy for the duration of its life:
You need to prepare to pay for:
- Licensing and an ID tag / microchip
- Annual vaccination shots
- Grooming products
- Toys and chews
- Collars and leashes
- A bed and / or a crate
- Good quality food
- Trainers / behaviorists
- Pet insurance – Though not essential, highly recommended.
The total annual cost isn’t easy to calculate, but a conservative minimum spend would be in the order of £1500 GBP / $2300 USD per year.
So if you’re struggling to feed yourself and pay your bills each month, getting a dog would be a very bad idea.
That last point, pet insurance, although optional I believe is something every Lab owner should pay.
Unfortunately Labradors as a breed do have a wealth of inherited diseases. They are also very active and can hurt and injure themselves.
Pet insurance can really lower the overall cost of vet care if you and your dog are one of the unlucky ones.
Will a Labrador Make My House Smelly and Dirty?
We’ve all been to a dog owners house and been met with THAT smell! Yes, there’s no doubt about it, Labradors – like all dogs – smell.
You can bathe them occasionally to cut this down a little, but you mustn’t bathe them too often as it’s bad for their coat, especially their undercoat which will lose it’s waterproofing.
Another thing to consider is most Labs will find water where you never knew there was any. And when they find it, dive right in.
So often, your dog will be coming home from walks wet and covered in mud. Inevitably this will sometimes find its way into your home.
Finally, a Labrador will shed it’s undercoat twice per year and this can literally come out in huge clumps. It’s impossible to prevent this from getting all over your home.
So a Labrador has a distinctive smell, a love for water and mud, and sheds it’s fur twice per year. If you’re very house proud and cannot stand the thought of having to regularly clean after a dog, then it’s likely not a good idea to share your home with a lab.
Related article: Best specialized upright, handheld and canister vacuums for removing pet hair.
So, Should You Get a Labrador?
I hope this article hasn’t put you off! But before making that all important decision, you owe it to yourself and your potential future dog to do your homework and make a sensible and informed decision before bringing a Labrador into your life.
We all know the grace and beauty of the Lab. We all know their famed personality and loving disposition. We all know just how fantastic they are.
I hope this article has served to alert you to the needs and some of the less desirable points of owning a Lab so you’re prepared to take the rough with the smooth:
- Are you truthfully able to take care of a dog for the next 8 to 15 years?
- Do you really have the space?
- Can you deal with the hair shedding and mess they sometimes create?
- Will you be comfortably able to pay for all your dogs needs? Including those unexpected vets bills?
- Do you have the time and patience to train, play with and care for a Lab (or any dog?)…every day?
If you still have questions, check out our list of reasons why you should NOT get a Lab.
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17 comments
Dear Mark:
Thanks for your very informative article regarding whether a Labrador Retriever is right for me. I’ve decided to adopt a Yellow Lab puppy and stumbled across your website. This article and the others you’ve authored are very helpful. Thanks again.
Jay Creighton
Thank you for the kind words James, it’s nice to know my articles are of some use :-)
I do not have AC in my home. In indian summer the temp is about 40 degree centigrade. I have all others as per your article. Can a lab survive that heat??Please reply.
Hi Aniruddha. A lab can survive that heat, yes. Labradors are becoming ever more popular in india so they seem to be thriving. The thing to bear in mind is to just always make sure they have access to a shaded area, are never confined in a small and airless space, aren’t over exercised (don’t make them run after tennis balls for an hour straight, because they will and can overheat.) And if you can, take them to places to swim for the exercise needs more than you normally would because they love it and the water keeps them cool.
I like that you talked about how you can instead go out and stroll with your Labrador to have some freedom to exercise if you don’t have a garden inside your house. My son is requesting for us to buy a Labrador as our birthday gift for him. One of the things that I am considering is the garden where the dog can freely run to be exercised. I believe that your idea to go out can be a great alternative. I will make sure to check some shops to buy a Labrador soon.
Hi, thanks for your information it was really helpful as I am about to bring home a Lab, and leave in an apartment in Mumbai suburbs.
Wow spot on my new pup even sits in the bathroom when I’m in there , very rambunctious but loving, we’re outside at seven in the morning, Dusty has chewed though all the so called toughest dog toys so I have my eye on him constantly. He’s just wonderful can’t wait for kayaking in the lake , his stomach was a little sensitive so breakfast is chicken , rice pumpkin wit a spritz of olive oil
The Goughnut and KONG Extreme are two of the toughest toys we’ve found. Although, we know heavy chewers can chew through the toughest toys. Here’s a list of some of other durable toys we’ve found (some are better than others) https://www.labradortraininghq.com/reviews/best-toughest-durable-dog-toys-for-heavy-chewers/
Just lost my forever friend who was a black Labrador aged nearly 14. Had her from a puppy. I miss her so much as well as the company she gave me. I now want to rescue a lab about 5 years old. If anyone knows of one needing a home with a garden near the moor with plenty of walks in the south west area preferably.
I’m sorry to hear about your Lab. We lost our black Lab just over a year ago when he was 12 1/2 years old. We still miss him dearly.
Sue, my daughter just took her 3-year-old lab to a shelter in Annapolis MD. They line in an apartment and he needed a larger space to play and live. I’m going to miss him.
So very rightly said by you for the Labrador Retriever dog. Probably one of the best breeds that one can have , even if you are living in a cosy three bed room apartment on the 13th floor. Lovable, very predictable, docile, friendly, intelligent, follower, friendly , family dog,…. The list would go on and on. It is a huge dog and thus intruders might get intimidated. But if he knows about Labs, he would be sure that the dog would soon be coming to the thief, with a ball so that both can play !! I have a Lab for the last ten years and have seen her going through all the phases of one’s life :
.. as a boisterous pup, while giving company to my own growing daughters
.. cajoling mom for her own puppies,
.. supporting nanny for my bedridden , old mother , and .. now as a graceful old lady , who is not very comfortable in walking , yet is still ready to give company to my grand son.
Even though Lisa is ten plus now, still two things remain in her . Her jest for life and her perpetual hungry look , as it was ten years back.
Yeah, Lab is one of the best family pets that one could ever have !!!
Hard to look after and rend to every puppy b need when single.also you need to be strong to lift her .
I also hve labrado, his name us kwan, eighth mth. old. He is super active, every evening he brings his toys in his mouth to make me play. But from some days he is nt eating his food properly. He wants to eat that what we eat. He does not want to eat his pedigree. He can play every hr of a day. I have to keep an eye on him, where he is, he is very naughty. I love him, my son take care of him too much. May god bless my kwan always.
I like this article, what all you said is correct.
hi, is there an m2 minimum of space you need to have for a lab? I live in a small apartment and really want to buy a lab but not if I don’t have enough space for it.
When we got our first Lab we lived in a small condo and we didn’t have a problem. No matter the size of your home you’ll still want to get your dog outside for walks an play time on a regular basis. We walk our dogs 2-3 times a day and also have 1-2 play sessions outside. Every dog is different and it will vary how much exercise they need. Also, it’s important to exercise them physically as well as mentally by working on their training and stimulating their minds.
I am planning to get a 3 month old femal lab.. I have a seven year old daughter. Is it too much to look after..? We live in a 2bhk apartment..Do lab need lot of care and attention? How long does their chewing / teething phase last?it’s just me and my daughter mostly.. I am a stay at home person.. Will I be able to handle a lab?