Lab puppies are amongst some of the more energetic of puppies–and they stay that way for the first few years–or so everyone tells us. “Wait until they are 3 and then you’ll see…..give them another couple years….they’ll mellow out by age 3.” 3 years!!??? That is quite a lot of “puppy time” to survive (and yes, I mean survive–the bouncing, jumping, thieving, exuberant tail-wagging,…and so on). Luckily, my two labs have passed the 20 month mark and already are showing signs of being ‘Mellow Yellows.’

For example, Audrey, who has always been the more excitable of my two when it came to meeting new people, is starting to meet people in a more acceptable manner. In the beginning, she used to meet somebody new by bouncing, jumping, climbing all over them—she found it difficult to remain calm and in a sit long enough for them to react to her. Of course, this is not what my husband and I were going for in terms of her meet-and-greet skills. So, every time she would meet somebody new, we started making her sit, even if it meant holding her by the collar and putting our hand on her back to keep her bottom on the floor. We wouldn’t let the new person pet her or acknowledge her until she had calmed down a little. Now, at 20 months, she is showing signs that she is finally “getting it.” Don’t get me wrong, she is still excited by meeting someone new, she just handles it a little bit better. She still gets a bit bouncy and tries to jump up, but a ‘Sit’ and a touch on her back and chest calms her down enough for her to get greeted much sooner than when we started working with her.

Audrey, as well as Tori, have also become more accustomed to being around young children. They used to get really excited and practically knock children over when trying to play with them. Most children found this frightening and would cry or scream, which only made my labs get more excited and more jumpy. Now, after having some more exposure to children in a controlled manner (‘Sit’ commands, collar holding, etc.), Audrey and Tori are more cautious around little ones. They seem to enjoy children’s company and find the children able tug opponents and belly rubbers. They are so mellow around children now, they even eat when the children are around, petting them and talking to them.

So, to sum it up, there is finally a light at the end of the puppy-to-adult tunnel—before I know it, my two pups will finally be Mellow Yellows.

My husband and I are amongst the group of dog owners who believe in crating their dogs. We have had house guests, friends, etc. comment on our use of crates, with sentiments such as, “Oh, they keep you in a cage.” We try to explain that to a dog, the crate is like a den he would have in the wild–that he actually LIKES it. That always gets us mixed looks. We then argue that for our dogs, it is for their own safety–they are still young and still like to get into things they shouldn’t, which could be really bad during the occasions we have to leave them alone in the apartment. That usually gets us an understanding nod. If only they could see how Tori begs to be let out of her play area to go back to her crate. She has actually started pushing the pet gate out of the way ON HER OWN (no commands from us to stop playing) and going into her crate ON HER OWN. She does actually LIKE her crate. To compare to something in the human world—her crate is like our bedroom and bed–when we are tired and want to be comfortable, we want to be in our bed, our OWN bed. Well, when Tori is tired and wants to be comfortable, she goes to her crate. It is that simple.

Having had less than the best night of sleep last night, I thought I would write about dogs and mornings. You see, no matter how tired you are in the morning, your dogs need you to get yourself moving so they can go outside, go the bathroom, and have a walk. Ah, yes, walking in the morning when you still feel half asleep–you can guarantee you will be awake by the time the walk is over! When you feel like skipping the morning walk (after the potty break, of course), it helps to think about how loyal your dogs are to you and that all they ask is for a nice walk around the neighborhood. Looking into their big puppy eyes will do it too–damn them for being so cute. The walks are good for us humans too–more fresh air and more exercise can’t really be a bad thing for us. In sum, mornings may feel like a bitch sometimes (no pun intended), but we do it all for the love of our dog (or dogs).

…is actually Audrey’s sister….and this is the story of how they ended up together!

After having Audrey for awhile, we noticed that she seemed lonely and rather enjoyed when she was in the company of other dogs. She was not at all aggressive with other dogs, thankfully, but she came alive when she got to play with them. So, we started talking about getting another puppy from the same breeder. I began to check out the breeder’s webpage, waiting to see news of upcoming litters. That is where I found Tori, my second Lab.

I had seen Tori’s picture up before on the breeder’s page. The breeder had kept two females from Audrey’s litter to have as show dogs. One day though, upon checking the puppy page, I saw the words “Adolescent for Adoption” and Tori’s picture (this one here). Audrey’s sister was up for adoption!!! I could barely contain my excitement! I contacted the breeder who told me that Tori wasn’t shaping up well to be a show dog, that her career was over before it even began, so that is why she was up for adoption. I didn’t care about that stuff–all I wanted was to give Audrey her sister.

We had to wait two weeks for Tori, much less than we did with Audrey, and again, it was worth it. The drive out seemed to take forever this time. We brought Audrey with us so she could meet Tori and the breeder could see how she grew up. When we arrived, the breeder took us down to the kennel and led us outside the the fenced play area. A few seconds later, a very round, bubbly yellow Lab came running out to us. Tori. Nothing like Audrey, who is very mellow and lean. I fell in love with her anyway. My husband was not so sure of her. Audrey was not so sure of her either. My vote won and we brought her home for a two-week trial period.

The two dogs did well during the car ride home, but all hell broke loose when we got inside our house. Audrey’s territorial side broke loose, her hackles went up, and she bared her teeth at Tori. Oh boy. This is not how I pictured it. We tried having them outside together on the front lawn and they did some sniffing, but Audrey still seemed on the defensive. I contacted the breeder who suggested finding a neutral spot in the house and bring the dog together in that room. Luckily, we had kept the spare bedroom off limits to Audrey, so we decided to use that room. It worked–not right away, we still had to supervise playtime for the first few days, but Audrey started to let down her guard and found a willing and fun playmate in Tori.

At the end of the two-week trial period, I was head over heels for Tori and there was no way I was giving her up. Audrey seemed to enjoy having her around too. My husband was still unsure of her, but because I loved her so much and Audrey seemed to enjoy playing with her, he voted to keep her. Now, of course, he likes her as much as he likes Audrey. We are a pack!

…is actually my first dog. Growing up I always had cats around and as far as dogs were concerned, I was actually rather afraid of them for awhile. So, I am dog-convert you might say, swayed by a pair of milk-chocolate brown eyes and fluffy yellow fur. This first post is dedicated to the story of how I came to meet my first Lab…Audrey.

The idea of bringing a puppy into my life materialized one summer when my husband found out he got into a year-long graduate program nearly 300 miles away from me. I didn’t fancy the idea of being alone in our house at night and thought a puppy might make some good company. I’m aware of the obvious question–a puppy? But, you’re a cat person, right? Or, at least, you were, right? What made you think of a dog? Why not a cat? Well, my fear of dogs had subsided as I got older, and at the time I was working in an office that had 3 Labs who made regular visits. The more time I spent around the “Office Labs,” the more comfortable I felt interacting with them…and the more in love I fell with the breed.

Now armed with the idea of getting a Lab puppy, I did some research and inquests and found a reputable breeder, Windland Labradors, who had pups available to adopt that summer. Not only were her Labs beautiful, but she had been breeding for many years and she was active in a variety of kennel clubs. It was obvious that she really cared for her dogs and for Labs as a breed. My husband and I sent in our adoption application and set up a time to make the drive (2.5 hours) to select our puppy. We had to wait five weeks before our appointment and I was very nervous about the whole selection process. How would I know which puppy was right for me? Some books suggested specific tests to use with your prospective puppy, while others suggested that the puppy will select YOU–the “you’ll just know” theory. Piece of cake.

When we arrived at the breeder’s home, we were taken to the kennel area to spend some time with the puppies. There were 3 litters at the time, so the kennel was brimming with puppy cuteness. This was not going to be an easy task. The breeder first showed us the puppy that had been reserved for us. This puppy was a yellow female, and boy, was she a BIG girl!! She was also VERY energetic and could barely be contained long enough to pet! We expressed some concern over her size and energy level after the breeder discussed the needs of such a pup. That is when she showed us some other female pup who were available, a couple yellow and a couple black. Of course, they were all cute bundles of fluff and sharp teeth. To me, one stood out from the rest, though, and that was Audrey.

Because I can no longer resist, here is a picture!! This is Audrey the day my husband and I brought her home at 8 weeks old. Now, back to the story of how we picked Audrey.

So, there we were, sitting on the floor amidst some very cute puppies. I picked up one, a yellow girl, (Audrey, of course) and cradled her in my arms, like you would a baby. She looked up at me with what had to be the most apathetic look. She didn’t squirm or try to get away. She just lay there in my arms looking up at me. Eventually, she sniffed my arm and gave me a few licks. I handed her over to my husband to hold and told him I liked her. He wasn’t so sure of her, he was more interested in this little black pup who was nipping at his shorts. He thought Audrey didn’t have any personality, and set her back down on the floor. Now, what she did next sold us both.

Once on the floor again, Audrey very confidently pranced across the kennel floor to the gate of the breeder’s one chocolate lab. She stopped, looked at the other Lab, pawed at the bottom of the gate, took a step back, and the proceeded to go into a play bow and bark at the chocolate. This little show of attitude and playfulness sealed the deal. That little pup was ours.

We had to wait three long weeks after that first meeting before we could bring Audrey home, but she was worth the wait. Of course, our first few weeks at home with her we had quite a learning curve, since she was the first puppy for both of us, but that story is for another post. For now, here are a few more puppy pictures of Audrey to enjoy!