Officially getting a puppy

Mum has said she wants a puppy. Seems her and lexis little bonding day made her want one lol so we are on the look for a lab. Won't make any hasty decisions, we don't want one until they come back from hols in a few weeks, but yay! As a pup i'm hoping that seeing it about and being near it all the time will make Lexi accept it and be a good girl (shes got lots better lately) but if not there is enough room here to have seperate dogs until the time Lexi goes to doggy heaven.

Nice! Is there a due date?

Wow, is she sure? Labs take a lot of exercise!

We've had labs since forever, always had a lab so it feels strange without one tbh

They are not back until end of june so it will be after that. I personally would prefer a rescue but her and dad both want a pup cause they can be trained better to accept other animals, which is fair enough. It will end up the same size as my horses so thats a fair point :p

Will you be getting a show line or a working line?

I can understand getting it from a pup, especially in your circumstances! Rescues are lovely, but they may not do so well in a farm environment.

Caryll wrote:Will you be getting a show line or a working line?

Probably working. i would love to get one that i can work and do some retrieving with. I prefer the look of working dogs and the temperament. It will be a black one cause they are the best :p

Eleanor wrote:I can understand getting it from a pup, especially in your circumstances! Rescues are lovely, but they may not do so well in a farm environment.

Thats his thought, but i just like rescuing too lol hard to win really. Unless we happend upon a litter of lab pups in a rescue centre.

It's worth checking, just in case, but they get snapped up quite quickly!

Updates if you get any more news, btw!

I have to admit that I prefer the working lines as well! I think the show lines are much too heavy.

Congrats! Male or female?

Caryll wrote:I have to admit that I prefer the working lines as well! I think the show lines are much too heavy.

Yeah they are much to heavy looking, i prefer sleek and agile lol

Wendy wrote:Congrats! Male or female?

Unsure. We want a bitch, but don't know if lexi would ever get on with it so think a dog would be better (it would either accept his role or put her in her place rather than the constant battle for dominance)

As it will be a pup it is hard to know what it will be like as an adult, which is why we are prepared to have separate dogs but i hope at least for Lex they get on cause i do think dogs need a mate

As long as they're introduced properly there shouldn't be a problem. Most bitches will accept a pup, even if they're a bit reactive. Lexi's not out & out dog aggressive, is she?

Provided the proper steps are taken during introductions and the aftermath, I'm sure it'll be fine!

Not in the way that every dog is "omg kill" she will get along with them if she walks with them and is not just bombarded with them. But shes just still very unsure. She was the leader in my pack of three but my other bitch did try to challenge her some times. With Willow she will try to dominate her cause willow is an airhead so still not sure who she is, but with Molly she didn't even attepmt to dominate cause Molly was so far above her lol

Most dogs, even with limited patience with other dogs, are okay with puppies, provided the owner steps in to allow the older dog some time for his/herself.

I'm sure she'll accept a pup, just make sure he isn't allowed to pester her too much all at once!

(You see how I've made the decision for you...."He"!)

Congrats! Can't wait for the pictures!

Make sure you do the introduction right. You have some time to study up on it. Invest in some baby gates, they're a godsend.
Dogs do kill puppies - sorry to be a party pooper - but it's better to be safe than sorry.

Yes we all basically agree it will need to be a dog, because of lexi. Which is nice, because my parents don't really like her lol

the only time shes ever been near a pup was at the park once and she was startled by it and ran away

Bless her!

Aww a puppy, congrats! Looking forward to the puppy pics   

You must be so excited Hayley - looking forward to seeing pics of a little cuddly wuddly one   

looking forward to the news

Update. May have a dog tomorrow! The boarding kennels I worked in (owned by a friend of the family too) had a black lab. His owners booked him in for two weeks and paid up front then phoned a day later to say they were moving to Germany and didn't want him so get rid of him

his names rocky and he's a black lab. 9 yo so much older than we wanted lol but we are rescuers at heart. Going to see him tomorrow and see how he likes it here an how he copes with other animals. At 9 he will be set in his ways so we won't be able to take him if he's not animal friendly!