Joys of Spring

[ksmith]

Next house I have? Mudroom. So help me.

Comments

[threeringedmoon.livejournal.com]

We converted part of our garage to a mudroom a couple of years after we moved in. One of the best ideas we ever had.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

My garage is detached, so that's out. But I have a deck that I never use, and that needs replacing. My dream is a three-season room, with an entry/mudroom. Tile floor, with a drain, if possible. Lots of hooks for drippy coats and brollies and washable walls for when the muddy dogs shake.

Come on, smutty bestseller...

[mevennen.livejournal.com]

I feel your pain.

Our hallway is elegantly appointed with an entire copy of last week's RACING POST. Either that or I just throw the carpet out.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

I have hardwood floors, currently spotted with footprints. Very cheap grey carpet in the dining room catches the worst of it, but you can never dry off Lab paws well enough.

And the carpet itself looks so lovely. Clashes with everything.

[bevhale.livejournal.com]

Your lab looks like my Zoe (except for the one white paw). We have a huge towel that goes down in front of the back door so that we catch (or try to catch) the dogs and dry them off as they come in the house. However, we also bought a carpet cleaner because, while Jilly will stop for paw cleaning and rubdowns, Zoe slips through and then spreads the joy (and mud) around the house.

I have a question for you. I've never owned a lab before (I have always had herding dogs. Does the lab brain ever get delivered and installed? Zoe is sweet, but not the brightest bulb in the knife drawer. And the most stubborn dog in the universe. And the chewing thing almost got her hot-glued to the ceiling. Tell me it gets better...please.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Ah.

Both my guys are Lab mixes. King, pictured in icon, is a Lab-GSD mix. Mickey is a Lab-take your pick.

Both my guys turn 6 this year, and I've have to say that they came with brains installed. King is very active and very stubborn, but he seems to be slowing down a little. Mickey is a couch potato and pretty easy to handle. Everything I hear about purebred Labs is that they are very active, needs lots of exercise, and slow down at age 5-6. King, I think, would go mad indoors--he's an outdoor dog, very vigilant, and loves to run.

Is Zoe genuinely dumb? Or does the exuberance leapfrog the thinking brain?

[bevhale.livejournal.com]

We're not sure what is with Zoe. She is a labbish girl, who showed up in August abandoned/starving/thirsty. It took her over 4 months to realize we were actually addressing her and that the sounds could mean something. She just followed after Jilly for food. She barely passed puppy obedience or the first real obedience classes and promptly forgot most of it one minute after class. I'm not sure if she's stupi or just stubborn.

In fact, I think stubborn is her first and middle name. I've trained lots of German Shepherds, Aussies. But Zoe confounds me. And she ate darn near everything in the house and the backyard the first year we had her (incouding rocks, trees, bricks, screen doors, carpets, etc). Where Jill wants to please, Zoe wants to be pleased. I still love her (she's a cuddle bunny), but she's not the easiest dog to own.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

I have heard that Labs often need to repeat basic obedience. It does tend to slip their minds, especially puppy classes.

King is a handful, as well. The thing is, once he senses I'm really mad, he does anything he can think of to make up because he does not want his people being angry with him. He just wants to do what he wants to do.

Depending on how old Zoe was and her background, you could be dealing with some socialization issues. Or it could simply be Stubborn.

[(Anonymous)]

Zoe was 4 months old when she wandered into our lives and seduced my husband with tummy fur. Now she's almost 4years old. Zoe gets along with dogs just fine, especially boy dogs (thank God she's spayed). She loves our kids and friends who come visit (very enthusiastic about seeing people). She loves us. I think stubborn may be the problem. So very very very Stubborn.