Ok hi again guys,

what i want to know from all you lab and retriever owners is basically..how big is your house and garden??
I love labs, they are my absoult fave breed and i really love the black labs, i know they require a lot of exercise and hoe incredibly strong they are and i would love to get one some day but we only have a smallish house with a small garden, however we do have a HUGE park across the road that we take Leo to at the moment and so we would be able to exercise him.... but what about the practicalities in a small house such as the long powerful tail knocking everything over that Leo's tail can't do?is that a major problem for people in small houses?

Although my house is quite a reasonable size with for a semi detached and the garden is quite a bit bigger than is given with houses these days we still have some small rooms. The kitchen and hallway for example. Yes, a Labrador's tail can clear a coffee table with ease. In fact just as much ease in a large room as a small one! There can be another problem though. My Anna is the kind of dog who never stops wagging her tail and this is her problem. She bangs it about to the extent that she keeps opening it up. And it's not just her! My old Bethany seemed to have her tail bandaged up rather more than unbandaged! Just like a boxer's eyebrows, scar tissue builds up and the more brittle skin then splits so easily. One of the penalties of having a happy dog!

If you are prepared to put the work in then a Labrador will fit into most circumstances. :)

Best wishes, John

I live in a semi-detached house with a big back garden. The rooms inside though are tiny. For instance. My living room has a 3-seater settee, a 2-seater settee, an armchair, the computer desk, the tv and a desk. If all 3 dogs (Large Munsterlanders) are lying on the floor I can't put my feet down. This is why I've got settees :D When it's time to feed the dogs in the kitchen there is no way that I can move around. I usually wait outside until they're finished ;)

I thought of moving earlier this year, but I've changed my mind. I like it here too much (except for my non-doggy neighbours next door :( )

Yes, my Lab can clear a coffee table with two swipes. Her tail is always wagging too. If she's at the far end of my small house and it hits the dryer, or a cabinet.....thump, thump, thump, the Chihauhuas think someone's knocking at the door and they go into guard dog mode. LOL.

I've had to clear my coffee table anyway because of Doberpuppy. But it is kind of nice to have a dog with a stubby tail. Of course, it really doesn't matter. What is gained from a lack of a long tail, is more than made up for in losses with his very busy schedule of re-arranging my house. LOL.

Sorry....got carried away with my love of Labs. I don't blame you for wanting one. I have a very small house, but have 5 acres and a lot of wilderness all around me. But if you have a place to take the dog for some exercise and fun, it should be fine if you have a small yard. But they do need it everyday.

Hi
I have a black lab he is my world, they are such fab dogs, so loving,
I have a three bedroom end link house, my front room is 13 ft by 17ft and a big kitchen 12ft by 12ft,
i have a fairly big garden nearly 50 ft long which goes right round the house but i only have a very little front garden,
and just across the road there is a green were i walk Toby,
we have to watch were we put our cups all the time, i have a cream sofa and Toby once knocked a glass of red wine onto it, luckily it came out

Heidi

Hello, I have not got a lab, but my brother has, and he has a small house and a small garden, and they all get on fine, i went to his BBQ last weekend and Jack ( the dog) broke 3 glasses with his wagging tail, so as long has you move things out the way, i think it is lovely, i know that my brother and his wife and jack are all very happy,
see you Jo

I have a mid terrace house, the rooms are not large the garden is medium sized, I have found that with flatcoats there main problem is that they will steal things and these things are only food but anything you leave in their reach! So everything in the house has to high up out of their reach, (rather like having a toddler about the house). Some flatcoats can open doors and then you have to have locks on cupboards and the fridge. Like the labs they like to wag their tails so can easily clear any low table without even a pause in the wagging.
Mine go out every day for training and for a walk I usually spend two to three hours walking them and doing a bit of training, before I start work and then we do something later in the day. They seem happy enough and are not a problem.

We are about to move from a large house with a medium sized garden to a small house with a very small garden - :( :( I am sad about the smaller garden from the labs' point of view (although they don't know, of course...) but by the time we move Luke puppy will be at least 9 months, so will be having quite a lot of outside exercise, and the house is very close to parkland, so I trust all will be well.
Cathy.

I dont think it matters how large your home is as long as you take simple steps as suggested above keep everything above tail wagging height,make sure there is enough room for dog beds etc.. and above all lots of excercise.
I once lived in a two up two down with four labs and walked them twice a day I now live in a big farmhouse with three quarters of an acre  garden,yes its easier with more room but dont deny yourself a dog because of the size of your home.
The only way I would worry was if I wasnt fenced off its something we look for whenm rehoming rescue labs as they can bomb off.
Having said that we take our labs caravanning and have to manage without fencing there keeping them on leads when walking ,toileting etc.. its down to you being a sensible owner.
Im sure we would all love to live in a massive house with lots of land but in the real world that isnt so.

I agree with Mattie I don't think the size of your home really matters too much here .

Labs don't look around to see if it's ok to wag their tails they just do it ! :)

Sooner or later no matter the size of your house they are going to do it whilist standing within swiping distance of something ! :) :)

So long as you accept that & have somewhere nearby where they can exercise (they do need a fair bit) then I reckon you'll be just fine. :)

I agree with everyone, there is only one decision to make...... a coffee table or a Labrador :)

Hi
I have 4 children aswell as a lab pup. We dont have a coffee table. They are just to dangerous with the kids and the dog around.

The only problem we have had so far with her tail was on a windy day, she was chasing one of the kids, he ran into the house, she followed and the wind blow the backdoor closed on her tail. Buffy kept on running and dislacated her tail. (sorry about the spelling).

We do have a biggish house and a large back garden but to be honest even if we still lived in a flat i would have got her, we would have just had to go out more often :)

Debbie

Hi,

Well with 4 children and 4 Golden Retrievers we don't have a coffee table in the middle of the room its actually underneath the longe window but it has a bead frame on it thats it with all those tails wagging its not worth it.
However our cottage is not huge but I also have kennels and a large run and also a large garden so the dogs can come into the cottage but when the childeren have friends round and playing in the garden I can pop the dogs in their run knowing they can see everything going on but are not getting overexcited with all the children, especially other peoples children who may not have a dog at home and some can tend to wind the dogs up.

Having said that my 4 Goldens just love children .Gundo the male will lie down to any toddler so they can reach his ears and head.But that has come because I have a toddler and the dogs are taught from puppies not to jump up at all unless I ask them they are also not allowed on any furniture so when they do come into the house they are pretty good:-)

Thre is always a rush of Goldens who get into the kennels and run first,very often the doors the conservatory are open their run gate is open and they can have access to the whole garden where do I find them? lying down in a heap in their run watching the koi swimming and listening to the waterfall.

Briony:-)

Hi

I live in Denmark in a 2 room (a kitchen, bedroom, hall, livingroom and bathroom) appartment on the 3. floor. I have a chocolate lab bitch. Luna is 13 months old now. I have no garden but lots of parks and fields around my home.

As mentioned above, it doesn't matter how much space in the house or garden you have as long as your lab gets exercise. Luna goes on 3-4 walks a day. And on almost every walk we meet other dogs to play with.

Jeanette

Hmm I had a coffee table once. Now it is hidden under the pile of stuff I have removed from the jaws of death (of my golden boy) and to follow suit it has nicely chewed corners. But who cares?!

Well said Charlie :D

I have 3 in a decent sized semi-det, with enough garden to chuck a ball (well, my 4yr old boy does from the top of his slide, past the swing.....) !!

But I agree with Mattie.  The size of theproperty doesn't really matter if you ensure that the dog is excercised etc properly

I have 2 labs,4 children and a husband,my yellow girls pregnant,and i live in a small three bedroom house,with a medium sized garden.I think if your love of the breed is so great you will get one no matter wot,oh yeah and ive got a 3rd one coming hopefully August...If you get one make sure you do plenty of searching for the type that you like,people think one breed easy all the same,but as i learned from crufts last year,breeders breed them all different. Anyway good luck Julia