[Spirit_of_Cotons]

There's this choc. Lab that lives near us and is about 2yrs old. Belle is a friend to Luke and the owner noticed I was carrying Luke (I don't always carry him and he does tell me when he wants to be put down), so I told the owner that Luke was getting over his cold and was about 70% better.

So the the owner, David his name is, mentioned that Belle hates to go on long walks and he never leaves the complex to walk his Lab. The complex, if you take your time, is a 30min walk. But the Labs I worked with at the kennel (some older than 2) were very boisterous and energetic; they would just not stop playing!!

I know Belle is slightly overweight and granted it was a hot day that day we talked, but David tells me this a lot that Belle just isn't a fan of walking. So is she just a lazy Lab? I mean I've never heard of a Lab that's lazy, have any of you?

 

[skitty56]

I didn't think they existed either until I got my lazy boxer/lab mix. I got her as a young pup and thought she'd be great fun to do stuff with. Nope, not food motivated, not bouncy and crazy she just loves to hang out. She will go for walks, but is just as happy chilling inside.

 

[Rocky911]

they exist but are not the norm (nor are the crazy labs, labs should be middle of the road energy level). I would be curious if there was a health issue (is she overweight? lack of muscle? health issue where it hurts?) or if it was a socialisation thing (afraid of something outside the complex). She may prefer other types of exercise like fetching or swimming so it may just be the walk that is the issue.

 

[georgiapeach]

I adopted a very overweight lab from my niece many years ago (RIP Bluto!). He should have been around 75-80 pounds, and he was 101 lb. when we got him - yowser! We walked him down to the lake (about 1.5 miles) and he would have to lie down and rest about half way through the walk when we first got him, poor guy. He lost a lot of the weight, but was never a high energy dog.

 

[hanksimon]

The other issue - heat, can be a big factor. If a dog is not walked continuously, then they don't get conditioned to take the heat. So, if it's not a habit, and he doesn't have to the dog may not want to walk in the heat. The big question is if he's more energetic when it's snowing, under 40 degrees, windy, or drizzling?

 

[Spirit_of_Cotons]

Thank you all for your replies.

Rocky911--Belle is 10lbs overweight. I know she has toys in her home, but I remember the owner telling me that she sleeps most of the day. She has never been out of the complex in her 2yrs, so I don't think she would be afraid of anything outside of it. We live near a highway, but there is a sidewalk one can walk on, but still those cars are zooming by. Maybe she was afraid of that.

georgiapeach--I'm unsure of Belle's weight, I just know she's 10lbs over. I do know she'll play with outdoor dogs and then tire quickly, like adopted Lab you mentioned.

hanksimon--I know the owner, David, has to get up really early to go to work so he walks Belle around 5-5:30am. I don't see Debbie (his wife) walking Belle unless David is there with her. So if she's home, she only lets her out back (off leash too--but that's another story!) and then Belle will just roam. She doesn't play outdoors too much even when other dogs (big or small) are there with her. I don't see them out in the rain much and when it's snowing, it's hard to see them outside because we live in a different court than they do.