Those Labradors Must Be Very Good Dogs
WE'RE NUMBER ONE! WE'RE NUMBER ONE! WE'RE NUMBER ONE!
If Labrador Retrievers were a sports team, the commentators would be using the word DYNASTY! For the 28th straight year we Labs are the most popular breed of dog in the country based on the American Kennel Club's registration statistics. And why is that? Why indeed! Here's my view...
We are extremely good-natured. We get along with almost everybody...kids, dogs, even cats! But we do look after our own...don't be coming after my pack and expect me to ignore you. Ever see a Labrador head slam? My grandpa, Gator, knocked an over-exuberant Golden to the ground with a head to head slam because he thought the dog was attacking, not just running up to say hi. (The Golden got up, shook his head and the two of them proceeded with the usual doggy butt sniffs, er greetings.)
We are easy to train. I believe the word "biddable" is the one they use in the Breed Standard. But, "easy to train" does not mean "self training". You folks are still responsible for setting up and enforcing "the house rules". Labs without proper direction will find ways to amuse themselves commensurate with their intelligence which you may not find so amusing.
We are energetic and playful...so let the games begin! Agility, flyball, dock diving, obedience, field trials, even dancing...we'll give it a go if it means time spent with you.
We are hardworking. We'll retrieve almost anything...birds, varmints, fish, car keys. We'll sniff out drugs, bombs, lost fritos under the couch. We guide the blind, assist the physically impaired, cheer up the ailing, listen to kids read, guard the house...ok, maybe just the 'fridge...you get the picture.
We are easy keepers. No high maintenance hair-dos here! And we'll eat anything...which means you do have to make sure we don't eat what you don't want us to eat...like ripe tomatoes off the vine. Not the green ones, only the ripe ones. Yes, we can tell the difference.
Yup, we Labs are pretty much everything the ideal dog should be AND we come in three colors. Any more questions?
