Any good lab forums?

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jbfshn33

jbfshn33

Boxer Booster
My mom has a 1 yr. old chocolate lab that has proven to be VERY DIFFICULT! She could really use some help with her. I'm always telling her about BoxerWorld and all the great ideas and advice we get from the forums. I was wondering if anyone knew of a similar site for lab owners. Thanks!
 
Mama's Boys

Mama's Boys

Super Boxer
I have a 4 year old lab, but don't know of any particular lab forums. Your mom still might be able to get some useful info here on Boxerworld. At 1 year old, her lab is still very much a puppy.

My lab was VERY difficult. He was my first dog as an adult, and was an absolute terror to raise. Even now at 4 years old, he is still a little devil if he doesn't get enough exercise. He was very destructive for the first few years. However, he has grown to be such a wonderful dog that those terrible first few years were certainly worth it!

I'm not sure what problems she is having with her, but if she is being destructive, it is surely a sign that she needs more exercise and mental stimulation. The best thing that helped us get through my lab's first few years was doggie daycare. We wouldn't have survived without it. My lab needed SO much more exercise than my boxer did during the first years.

Let me know if I can be of any help! I'm no expert, but have certainly lived through raising a very difficult lab. The first few years can be extremely tough, but I would (and will) do it again in a heartbeat to get a lab like I have now!!!
 
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jbfshn33

jbfshn33

Boxer Booster
Thanks for the reply. We've heard that it can take up to 3 or 4 yrs. of age for labs to get all the "puppy" out of them. She definitely needs LOTS of exercise! In the warm months (which we have lots of in NM), her lab gets to swim in the pool for at least an hour every evening. This seems to help wear her out. She was going to doggie daycare at least once a week until she became very sick recently. The vet wasn't able to pinpoint exactly what made her so ill and now my mom's reluctant to send her back because she may have been exposed to something at daycare.

I guess the biggest issue is that she's so disobedient. They've been through obedience school twice, but my mom still isn't the boss. Nike pretty much runs the house. I will definitely tell her to check out boxerworld, but I just thought it might be good for her to find a forum with other lab owners since they seem to be a particularly challenging breed!
 
Maniago

Maniago

Crafty Moderator <br><img src="/forums/images/modp
Dogcast Radio's owner has 4+year old lab she says he is still puppy at heart. If you check out some of her podcasts you may get some good advice
 
Mama's Boys

Mama's Boys

Super Boxer
A lot of the info here on Boxerworld in the Behavior and Training forums would apply to her lab as well, so it would probably be worth it for her to join. If she hasn't heard of NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free), then I would highly recommend that she (or you) do a search on the site for it. There are many threads about it on BW, and there are also articles on the web about it. I didn't start NILIF with my Lab until I learned about it here on Boxerworld after I joined a few years ago. I started using is with my Lab, and it really seems to help with him.

Like your mom, I went through numerous obedience classes with Vegas (my lab)...3 to be exact. It really just took time (as in years) for him to become a more obedient dog.

As for the daycare issue, it is always possible for a dog to bring home an illness when they are around so many other dogs - just like kids at daycare. Are there vaccination requirements for the dogs at her doggie daycare? I hope Nike is feeling better from her illness.
 
jbfshn33

jbfshn33

Boxer Booster
Thanks for all the imput!

Nike is feeling much better now (after two nights in the hospital and almost $3,000 later!) The doggie daycare does have strict vaccination requirements, but I'm sure it's still possible to catch things (just like at regular daycare!)

I will definitely print up some stuff on NILIF training and get it to my mom ASAP!
 
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