Not all labs are created the same. Find a good breeding and do the research on the lineage. You want both parents to have a good "off switch".
Do not skimp on buying a puppy, spend as much as you can afford. It is the cheapest part of owning a dog.
Call Rhett. He will be able to point your in the right direction. The line of dogs that he has bred off of his personal dogs are everything you described you are looking for.
For the house, I sure wouldn’t get a lab. English setters make fine house pets and have the best personalities.
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My lab goes to work with me every single day. She's a little smaller (60 lbs) which makes carrying her all over with me a lot easier than a larger lab.
Member of the Tenth Legion Since 2004
Labs can be great dogs, or absolutely horrible dogs. The amount of time you spend with one, will play a key role in how they behave. And that goes for just about any breed. The lab I have now can be the most loving dog you have ever seen, or the biggest asshole to others. He is very protective of every child that is in my yard. If you have never been around him, you would think that he will eat your face off, when you first see him. But within a few seconds, he becomes one of the biggest love whores you will ever be around.
The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is,
as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.
Thomas Jefferson
I gotta think the magical "off switch" is more environmental than anything. In over 20 years of owning and training labs this has not been an issue, and all have lived their life in the house. These have all been from FT breedings from some of the highest energy lines available. Now, in the field is a different story. But in the house, no problem.
Mike
I'm no expert, but a lab's temperament can vary just as widely as attitudes on this site. If that tells you anything. Craps shoot man.
I'd recommend adopting an adult dog if possible, to spare yourself some of the factor of the unknown. Lowcountry Lab Rescue is one.
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Delta in a nutshell: Breeding grounds + small wetlands + big blocks of grass cover + predator removal + nesting structures + enough money to do the job= plenty of ducks to keep everyone smiling!
"For those that will fight for it...FREEDOM...has a flavor the protected shall never know."
-L/Cpl Edwin L. "Tim" Craft
English lab is what you want
I have/had 2 chocolate labs. (down to 1 now ) Both great dogs but one could not sit still but more athletic, one I have left is more of the big block head chocolate and is very calm(he is 12 1/2 yrs old now and slowing down) and has never bounced off the walls.
Both very good dogs as pets but as difference as night and day Actually the younger one(he is one I have left ) would have made a better dog for hunting but never attempted to train him Older one ran off, did that a few times over years but we seemed to always find him, and we never saw him again Looked for months for him
So from my experience it is just the actual dog and not the breed or bloodline
Look into the English lines, they seem to be a little more laid back. Check out the dam and the sire, you'll have a direct reflective of one of them.....
British/English Lab
Buy American.
The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is,
as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.
Thomas Jefferson
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