Black Labs ?

[Bonny]

I have a question about black labs. My son & daughter in law purchased a black lab pup. I have been told you have to watch them they can be nasty at times? So far this pup is a joy to have around. He is smart & likes to catch the ball, play tug of war with a rope, go for walks in the woods. He does snap his jaws pretty good at treat time. We have been working on slowing that down. I thought Labs had a soft mouth but so far this one does not show signs of that. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks !!

[vinjashira]

I have never had a lab but I do not think that the black labs should be different than the yellow or the liver ones.

[Cincy'sMom]

I'm sure any breed of dog can be nasty if it is not raised properly, however labs, by nature, are energetic, fun-loving, loyal dogs. I have three lab mixes and none of them has a mean bone in their body. They can be grabby with treats and over excited to see people some times (ie jump on people), but they are not the least bit "nasty"

To help with the grabby treat problem, I would teach "off", "wait"and "gentle". I don't know what your experience with dogs is, but if you need some hints with these commands I can try to explain...

[Karen]

Right. I've never met a "nasty" Lab, though I have met some who could have used some manners.

As with any dog, it's all about one thing: Training, training, training! A good basic "puppy kinderagrten" class would be the place to start, especially if they've never raised a pup "from scratch" before. There's nothing particularly different about raising a lab than any other dog, besides their propensity to want to retrieve anything all the time. But they get big quickly, so the more training done now, while you have a size and strength advantage, the better!

I bet he's adorable. Good luck!

[Desert Arabian]

Color has nothing to do with temperment.

[Mandy1]

Just because the puppy is snapping at a treat does not mean it is a mean dog. Luke (my lab) is incredibly food obssesed, and before we took him to puppy classes this happened alot. Labs are generally not mean dogs however they are capable of being mean, with proper training you probaly dont have to worry.

[Pit Chick]

When giving him treats, give him a command to do to get the treat. If he gets all excited and snappy, wait until he is calm before giving it to him otherwise you are rewarding his snappy behavior. The commands that Cincy'sMom suggested are good ones to use.

[Miranda_Rae]

Labs are generally very sweet and kind. They only turn "nasty" when they have bad training or are wired wrong, and from what you say it doesn't sound like hes "wired" wrong. I have met plenty of nasty labs, but I kind of think that it was the owners fault, just like i have met other breeds of dogs that were nasty, and it was the owners fault. I agree with Cincy'smom, teach him a command such as gentle (i use easy) that lets him know that he shouldn't snap at the food. I hope things work out for you. Obedience classes work wonders too! By the way, welcome to Pet Talk!!

[Bonny]

After reading all your posts I have decided to use the word Gentle. The pups name is Max. Max has been taught to sit on my left side. Sometimes I have to push his butt down & I give him the stay command my hand in front of his nose. He has a plastic cool whip container he likes to play with. I had that in my right hand. I held the container in front of his nose & then used the word gentle when I gave him the container. I used a calm slow voice & it worked. Max will be around smaller children so I was concerned about the snapping especially if they have food in their hands. I always thought the birding dogs had a soft gentle mouth? I think he has a sweet playful personality. If we keep working with him before he gets to big to handle that will be the key. Thank you everyone for your comments it will be very helpful. Bonny & Max