[Mazzie]

Dont be put off there are rescues out there who WILL rehome to those with kids, it will depend on your lifestyle and that of the dog in question but a rescue is always worth the wait.  Im afraid a pup with a youngster especially a Lab (think of that tail and bouncing when its 6months old!) is asking for lots of bruises and tears.  Ofcourse it can be done but it will take alot of time and effort.

[jamima]

If your still looking found a site that has loads of dogs for rehoming it's  dogpages .org.uk

[dilsdaisy]

thanks ..have registered with a couple of centres (tho the one home visit had concerns about a dog getting on with chickens too) and got the dogpages set up too !! .. will keep waiting!

[ferreter51]

dogs and young children are never really a good mix IMHO; i've met some very experienced and qualified handlers who have done it

however if your determined to make a go of it, its worthwhile spending a lot of research on how. Labs not great with kids IMO,have you thought about a retriever?

I agree about the retriever.  I had Goldies with my young children and never a problem.  My parents had a boxer when I was very young, we became great friends and I could not have wished for a better protector.

[pete1977]

I have a lab that I got from a resuce centre in the north west as a puppy and they rehomed it with my two small children.  They did want to know if we had, had dogs before etc. .  Sorry can't remember the name off hand but I'm sure if you google north west labrador rescue you'll find it.

A lab puppy is fine so long as you take it to regular puppy classes (good recall, lead training and basic commands).  I found that I trained him to not jump up at people within about a week. Just turn your back and don't engage with them labs dont like being ignored and soon learn.  All this talk of your child being knocked over by a Lab is IMO a bit weird.  who in there right mind would let there 1 year old who I'm guessing hasn't been walking that long alone with a dog? or alone at all for that matter.

You've had a springer, so you have an idea of the ammount of time you'll have to spend walking a lab we're talking three 1 hr walks a day min and a big back garden. The problems set in when you don't offer them enough constructive excercise they will chew if you leave anything soft around so a puppy training cage is one solution.  I used this then later let him sleep etc.  in the kitchen.  loads of pot and pans precariously propped over the bin will deter them from emptying the contents over the floor.  you don't have to do this forever just untill they stop doing it...

Labs are very chilled out if a small child say pokes them in the eyes or pulls their tail they just move away...rubbish as a guard dog though unless a theif was alleric to being licked


Costs
I feed my dog on a dry working dog food  becuase it's high in potein and is vat excempt  this is £15 / 15kg sack and that last 30 days.  there are cheaper and much dearer options

injections are £20/year

Puppy classes £7 per week about 4/5 years ago so a little more now I would think and dependant on area.