Justin Van Dyken wrote:

One of my neighbors has some chocolate lab pups that they are
selling. I have always heard they are intelligent dogs, and good
water dogs (which is a bonus for going on my boat). Don't know if
they are good guard dogs.

What do you guys think?

Justin Van Dyken

In article .com,
Justin Van Dyken wrote:

Don't know if
they are good guard dogs.

It depends. Many are alert/alarm barkers, but many are not. I hate the
term "guard dog". I feel most large dogs can be a deterrent, but don't
think counting on a dog to be a protector is ever going to be a great
family choice.

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com

in rec.pets.dogs.behavior, Justin Van Dyken wrote in
oups.com:

Justin Van Dyken wrote:

One of my neighbors has some chocolate lab pups that they are
selling. I have always heard they are intelligent dogs, and good
water dogs (which is a bonus for going on my boat). Don't know if
they are good guard dogs.

What do you guys think?

They (chocolate labs) are mediumish dark dogs. That, in and of itself,
will (IMO) be a decent deterrant to most criminals.

As for whether they are good guard dogs, a lab with proper tempermant and
training should, (and this is an exaggeration) be able to follow the
command "Fetch the DVD" and follow it.

--
Marcel Beaudoin and Moogli

In article ,
Marcel Beaudoin wrote:

mediumish dark dogs. That, in and of itself,
will (IMO) be a decent deterrant to most criminals.

Yep. My black dogs have always looked so much scarier than my gold dogs
(not that either color has ever been very scary!).

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com

Marcel Beaudoin wrote:
in rec.pets.dogs.behavior, Justin Van Dyken wrote in
oups.com:

Justin Van Dyken wrote:
One of my neighbors has some chocolate lab pups that they are
selling. I have always heard they are intelligent dogs, and good
water dogs (which is a bonus for going on my boat). Don't know if
they are good guard dogs.

What do you guys think?

They (chocolate labs) are mediumish dark dogs. That, in and of itself,
will (IMO) be a decent deterrant to most criminals.

As for whether they are good guard dogs, a lab with proper tempermant and
training should, (and this is an exaggeration) be able to follow the
command "Fetch the DVD" and follow it.

For dogs bred to have a soft mouth, Labs have amazingly strong
jaws - reputed to be able to clamp with more pressure than a pit
bull.

Oppie (before laryngeal paralysis and his unilateral vocal cord
tieback surgery) had a bark that could rattle the windows. We
measured it at about 100 dB. And he used it when people came to
the door - just before he started trying to lick them to death.

Warning to the OP - Labs are wonderful, adorable puppies, but
they are very active, require lots of attention and exercise, can
be very goofy and destructive if they aren't getting enough of
either. They're very intelligent and are often the dog of choice
for service dogs - after intensive training and a year or two of
maturation. Because they are so popular, they are often not
well-bred and are subject to several hereditary diseases. Getting
one from neighbors who are back-yard breeder (if that's what they
are) might not be your best choice, especially if they don't have
a health history of the dogs' family tree, going back for several
generations.

FurPaw
--
It will be a great day when our schools get all the money they
need and the Army has to hold a bake sale to buy a tank.

To reply, unleash the dog.

in rec.pets.dogs.behavior, Justin Van Dyken wrote in
oups.com:

One of my neighbors has some chocolate lab pups that they are
selling.

Oh yeah, forgot this:

You don't need to buy a lab puppy.

Go to your local shelter or rescue. There will be lots for you to choose
from. if you go to a rescue, you can probably also get a good idea of the
personality of the dog as well.

--
Marcel Beaudoin and Moogli