labrador

[bigmamma]

Is it the retriever in the labrador that brings that delightful need for it to greet you with a toy in its mouth.

[Kimmiebear]

Possibly.... Labs were selectively bred to have strong fetching characteristics as well as bite inhibition. Because of this, they are more likely to carry toys around in general. However meeting you at the door with a toy is more likely because it increases the chances that you are going to play with him as he already has a toy.

[Snappy]

Yes, my labs pick up anything when greeting, toys, shoes, socks, sweet wrappers you name it. Even if its a tiny piece of twig they'll carry it!

[ganesh]

Definately,they need to have something in their mouths,and being labs,they prefer food!!

[bigmamma]

Thankyou kimmiebear,snappy,and ganesh for your lovely answers.I agree ,the look in my beautiful black labs eyes ,(when shes awake),seems to say play with me or feed me.I dont intentionally mention the words FOOD,SAUSAGE,CHEESE ,or BISCUIT or her ears and whole body have an expectant hopeful pleading pose.LOL

[winny]

My lab never brings anything but the gsd brings a whole load of stuff. Whatever he grabs first will do. Work boots, slippers, kids toys, tissues, paper, rubbish.

[wolf63]

I had a lab/GSD cross and he never had food in his mouth. It was sucked from his bowl into his stomach in mega-seconds. The noise was indescribable. He probably never even tasted it.

You would think that after all the years of domestication they would at least chew their food.

[bigmamma]

Wonderful to hear about your dogs too .Thankyou winny and wolf63 for your delightful answers.

[annavc]

A golden retriever we had when I was a child would come running when we got home with her rubber ring in her mouth and would start singing to us. It was a high pitched whine really but it was always accompanied by overly energetic wagging of her tail and head butts and generally great excitement! It was such a lovely way to be greeted.

She had a particularly odd habit - dredging! Like all Retrievers she loved water and would amuse herself for hours wading into the shallows of the river or lake, digging with her feet then putting her whole head underwater and extracting remarkably large stones (almost boulders!). She'd then carry them to the shore and drop them, then go back to get another which she would drop in the same place creating little piles of stones!

I still miss her nearly 15 years after she died.

[ganesh]

Despite my being such an excellent housewife(lol) my retriever always managed to find clothes,usually socks but occasionally knickers,to give to guests upon their arrival!
Very embarrasing..but i miss her.
I have a flat-coated retriever puppy now and although she isn't so food obsessed I am still constantly rescuing things from her mouth! She has got a bit of string at the moment which I suppose is better than the drawing pin I got out yesterday!

[bigmamma]

Hi there annavc,your golden retriever you had for 15 years sounds to have been a really entertaining character and i can imagine greatly missed.
Gannesh ,your puppy sounds cute and as if it gets into anything and everything.It amazes me how soft a labs mouth can be .My lab can play with a spider in and out of her mouth and it can still walk off with full ownership of all of its legs.

[LLASY]

My labs (all 3) greet me every morning with something in their mouths, I like to think it is because they want to give me a present. It is lovely isn't it? My girls are related, mum (Jet) and big sis (Ebony) and little sis (Tilly Whiskers) They are the biggest and best part of my life. Much better than humans!

[bigmamma]

How sweet of you to tell me about your 3 beautiful lab girls LLASY .I bet they are a handful but very entertaining.Yes I think its lovely when they greet you and with the tail never still eh?