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Are English Labs Good Dogs?

Black Lab outdoors in a field

Absolutely! The English Labrador is a breed that excels in many areas and is a great dog for just about anyone looking to add a new best friend to their family.

English Labs are sweet, goofy, and fun-loving dogs. They’re also highly intelligent and ready to please dogs who thrive on intensive training. If you’ve decided that an English Lab might be the right dog for you, the next logical step is to determine if this particular type of dog is a good fit for your lifestyle.

To learn more about this top pet, just continue to read our article. It provides you with more information so you can pick out the best Lab for you and your family.

Are English Labs Aggressive?

In a word, no. The English Labrador retriever is a very calm and placid breed of dog that is difficult to provoke into aggression. They are also not very hostile toward others. These dogs have a great deal of patience and can put up with virtually anything that a child can throw at them.

There are some puppies that do come with some anxiety and tension, but those puppies are the exceptions to the laid-back Lab that everyone loves. The Labrador Retriever is one of the most popular breeds, despite the fact that there are infrequent instances in which a puppy or an adult Lab will act aggressively.

In addition, if the Lab is not properly exercised, they have the potential to develop some undesirable behaviors. In most cases, these behaviors may consist solely of digging in the yard or chewing on shoes, furniture, or other household items.

You will be able to rid your Labrador of all of these undesirable characteristics and continue to take pleasure in him for the rest of his life if you provide him with the appropriate training. The most important thing is to start training them properly at a young age and to provide them with a lot of mental stimulation, attention, and structured times to exercise.

Because the dog is easily distracted, you must confine them to an area that is well-delimited by a sturdy fence or keep them on a leash whenever they are outside.

Are English Labs Calm?

Yellow lab sitting on a hill of grass

This version of the Labrador dog breed is said to be very gentle even when young kids are around. They only seem to get excited when they have been away from their masters for too long or there is trouble brewing.

There may be other times but for the majority of their lifetimes, these dogs remain very calm and easy to deal with. If you want to learn patience, this may be the dog breed to learn from.

What may change this attitude is if you live in a small apartment or some other small space, like an RV or trailer. They just won’t have the room to move about or get rid of some of their energy. Then that can make them less calm.

An English Lab needs at least one hour of heavy physical activities to help them get rid of that energy they come with. Cold and hot temperatures are not this breed’s favorite but they can endure it if they have to. Their coats are thick enough to provide insulation.

Just treat them right and they should remain calm all the time.

Are English Labs Lazy?

Red labrador retriever laying on the floor facing the camera

No, that is somewhat of a myth as English labs like to do a lot of physical activity outside the home. They may have got that reputation from being more of a show dog than a working dog like their American cousins.

The American Lab is bred to hunt, fish, and be very active while the English Lab is bred more for the softer lifestyle of being a show dog. But that doesn’t make them lazy. They will do tricks, learn commands, play a lot, and even take care of the family.

They are fearless as well as full of energy. That energy demands lots of physical activity even though it is more playtime than work time. If you take your English Lab running or jogging, they will need at least 2 to 3 days of rest in between runs.

That doesn’t make them lazy, it is just giving the dog time to heal and protect their hips and joints. When you own an English Lab expect to spend a lot of time outside with him or her. They love the attention and the exercise.

Some Final Words

Portrait of the head of a yellow labrador retreiver

You could not ask for a better dog to have as a pet. With 29 straight years of being the most popular dog breed in the world, they are a very good dog. Just take care of it well so that it can last you 10 to 12 years in good health.

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