Labs

Kevin, sad to say, but all of the labs and chesapeake bay retrievers I have been around loved to dig in flowerbeds and chew on anything they can get their mouths around.. It is usually only a 2-4 month stage, but it is very frustrating(to say the least) but, if they survive that stage, they ususally move on to more important things like fetching and trying to keep their owner happy. There are a series of books by richard Wolters (I think his first name is richard). I used waterdog.. and my dogs have responded well to the methods in that book. You get out of it what you put into it.. So if you set aside at least one hour a day for training/playtime you will have a wonderful buddy for years to come. Good luck and let me know how it goes..

 

Kevin,
ALL dogs need a lot of attention and each one is different. As puppies they need constant attention or they become very slow to housebreak. If you or a family member isn't there to correct problems you will have problems.
My dogs live in the house and do not chew on furniture. Boredom is what causes chewing and hole digging. Crate train and allow to sleep in your bedroom as dogs are pack animals, you are their pack!
Exercise varies with the dog, some require several hours a day of hard work and some are happy with a couple of long walks. Hunters generally require more work.
Labs are among the most gentle of the retreivers, not the smartest.
For some unknown reason some dogs are gunshy and some are not out of the same litter, I raised Chessies, so know this to be true.

 

I would suggest checking out Ceasar Milans books,the Dog Whisperer,he really knows his stuff. Not sure if his series still runs but that will help alot. I have a lab,and she is hyper as can be,and loves to chew,but will only chew destructively if left alone for long periods of times.I would recommend dog chews,mine goes through at least 3 a week. Now I dont walk her as much as most do,but only b/c she gets to go to work every day and play all day with my dalmation.During the walk make sure its a focussed walk,they can walk 10 miles while draggin you on the leash and still have energy,but if you make them focus and heel they will get more out of the walk and it can be a shorter distance.On the fetching,some dogs are more ball driven then the rest,just depends on them.If you want a good hunting dog I would go with a breeder who caters to those needs,dogs will more then likely be more focused on the tasks at hand. Again,check out the dog whisperer he knows his stuff,his biggest thing is letting the dog know who is pack leader. And good luck,its a lot of responibility having a dog,just remember when you go out of town or are away a couple days the dog needs somewhere to go as well.

 

In my opinion labs are the best breed of dog, just watch em when they are little. I have a chocolate lab, hes never chewed up any furniture or anything like that but he'll grab anything he can find off the kitchen counter. My dog was sick for a good part of his puppy stage so I didn't really have to go through alot of the frustration of him chewing stuff up becuase most of the time he was just laying around or sleeping. Also you may want to watch how you feed him, my dog is really overweight becuase I feed him too much and he doesnt get run around the ranch as much anymore becuase his back leg gets real sore. But he gets to hang out around the house and be a complete bum, sleep on my bed, then have the house to himself while i'm at school. On the training issue, i think some labs just know what to do when it comes to retriving, my dog hasnt had a day of training in his life but he'll go pick up dove or ducks if they land in the water where he can see them but, he wont go after a tennis ball or frisbee in the backyard. I've heard that that "Waterdog" book or series of books Bret mentioned is the way to go when training a dog. You may want to invest in one of the shock collars for training, ive seen dogs crazy as hell and then the owner puts the collar on him and and the dog is ready to work.

I came home from school today, i thought it was kinda weird becuase I didnt hear him barking like he usally does so I opened the door and found him with the lid to the little trash can we keep next to the computer desk in the den on his head. I guess i threw a candy wrapper or something in there and he tried to get it out........

 

Snagged hit it right on the head: don't leave them alone for the first year!

I have a huge (90#) girl who's 2 years old. She was crate trained and is an indoor dog. No chewing since she was maybe 4 mos. old. No digging at all. However, she gets excercise at least 2x/day, either walks, throwing the dummy, or both! The retrieving is key, because that's what she's been bred to do, and if she gets to do it she's not bored.

But if you have any doubts about the time you can or will put into raising a dog, especially a big working breed, save everyone's sanity and buy a cocker spaniel. Chicks will still dig it but the dog won't!

 

Kevin,
You might also look into a rescue and save a labs life.
Many of these are already house broken and have some training.