Calling all Lab owners
 

I can’t believe it is really going to happen. In just a little over 5 months, we will be moving to The Villages. “We” is my wonderful wife, Blondie (our 9+ year old lab) and me.
Blondie loves to lay out on the driveway, when it’s 20 degrees outside. It’s her winter coat. To you Lab owners, how did your Lab adjust to the Florida warmth. We will be year-long Villagers. I’m worried about her coat adjusting.
Thanks everyone, in advance, for your help.
From Minnesnowtans, Kevin and Teresa.

Too hot here for a lab
poor dog

Don't worry, there are lots of labs here. Her coat will thin out (keep that swiffer handy) and she will love it here. You will have to watch the hot pavement in the afternoons. Congratulations and best wishes for a great move.

Our Michigan golden has done fine (moved here in 2012). He's known as Driveway Dog in both the neighborhoods we've lived in. His coat adjusted. In the summer he gets up and moves with the shade, and when he decides he's too hot, he comes to the door and barks once to be let in. In the other three seasons he will be out there all day, greeting the neighbors and accepting treats between naps.

Put a pool in with a birdcage. Dog will never want to come inside.

We moved to The Villages from Indiana 6 years ago. Our 11 year old lab never like Indiana winters. Our driveway has shade in the afternoon and she will lay in the drive. As said before, if you take walks, do them in the mornings or late afternoons when the pavement has had a chance to cool. Don’t forget the dog parks. One thing we found is our lab does not care for St. Augustine grass.

We have Golden Retrievers who adjusted to their move from the north beautifully. Because they need to run, we go to Inverness every day where there is a leash free park with a safe (no alligators) man made pond and lots of trees so they swim and play for hours every day. I’m pretty sure it’s their humans who are having the tougher time adjusting to the heat.

do NOT walk your dog on the pavement during the summer months....way too hot and their pads will burn

How exciting! Not having been an owner of a long haired dog in Florida, not sure how Goldie will adjust. 5 months out will put us into May which should be 2 months shy of some of The Villages heat and swamp like (high humidity) conditions. Have faith that as God’s creature, she will adapt.

What part of MN will you be relocating from?

Safe travels, smooth move and happy 2021.

Craig

We moved from Northern Indiana to get out of the cold and snowy winters and our dogs (a Shepherd and a Golden) love it. Their coats adjusted but we vacuum almost every day because they both shed year round. They love being outside without concern for weather conditions and except for the heat of day in the summer, they are always ready to run. The dog parks are great for that and they find the cool shady spots first. There are thousands of happy retired dogs here in The Villages.

I have an older golden retriever. I clip her coat pretty short about once a month in the hot months, maybe not so often in the winter. I let her lie in the back yard, she can lie in the grass (sun) or on the porch (shade). Leaving a water bowl outside (in the shade) helps too I think.

Don't worry the dog will suffer till it's coat thins out
How cruel

Lab? Yesterday at a dog park I saw a big chow chow with hair that looked six inches thick! Just right for Florida! Somehow it survives the summer. Just get a house with a pool and leave your doors open all summer and the dog will keep the carpets nice and wet. (I’m glad my dogs don’t like the pool.)

We have a black lab and moved here full time from Michigan last February. He does just fine. He did a lot of shedding, but no different than normal in Michigan. In the hotter months. We walk him first thing in morning or when it cools down in the evening. We go to do park when it not hot. We have a fenced in back yard & he enjoys running around in it. We also bought him a kids plastic pool & fill that for him to play in when it’s hot, he loves that as well. He just turned 5 in November. When it’s it’s really hot he’s only let outside to go to bathroom. He loves to go for golf cart rides.
Your lab will be just fine. Just be mindful of the heat in the summer months.
What village are you moving to?
Oh and don’t listen to the cruel remarks on this thread. I see tons of large furry dogs here. Since you own one I’m sure yours will do fine, since you do have summer in Minnesota.
Some people feel they need to be negative on these threads and they are ridiculous.

We have 3 labs. Their coats adjusted. I do vacuum every day and brush them almost every day. They don’t spend as much time outside as they used to in the summer, it’s just too hot. But then again, neither do I. Anyway, welcome to the Villages!

Congrats!!! I view the Talk of The Villages daily. My husband and I are 54 years old and just completed our preview in December. We loved it and plan on moving within the next 24 months from Wisconsin. We have 2 bassets that we will bring with us. Have you found your home? Our biggest concern is having an enclosed back yard. Our contact is Dave Luce - Realtor. He is great. From Michigan. Any questions related to moving from cold to warm year round, he's your man! Good Luck!

Welcome to TV! My 13 and 14 year old labs loved it here, cold wasn’t good for their hips as they aged!! You will meet other owners once you settle! Good luck to you all

We have a 6 year old lab and Walk early in the morning and have a pool but limit her to about twice a month but in the summer on a hot afternoon she will lay on the pavers in the driveway or the back on her own.
I will not bring her to a dog park. Don't like or trust them , but that is just me

Our Lab, Lulu, does great. The ONLY problem we've found is her paws seem to be sensitive to the pesticides that are sprayed on all the lawns here. This irritation makes her lick a lot . We've started washing her paws in the shower each evening before bed. Your Lab will be happy here. We taught Lulu to sit in the floor of the Golf Cart rather than the seat. That way there's room for Hubby and me to ride with.

Hello! You will love it here. We had 2 labs. We lived in Memphis,Tn. It gets over 100 degrees there between end of April & early October. Not daily but plenty of days over 90. The humidity is terrible. It is unbelievable that it’s hotter than the Villages many days.
My labs were indoor dogs & yes, we could have made shag rugs with the fur shedded, they were so sweet & loving!!
The girl would sun herself but the male liked it inside.
Their coats will adjust and if you are really concerned you can buy a cool mat or depending what type house, a baby pool.
No worries! Welcome!

We too are from Mn. and have a golden retriever. We had her groomed and they removed her undercoat. She has adjusted very well, but only let her out 15 minutes at a time in the summer. She too loves laying in the driveway and greets everybody that passes by.

FYI, Monday morning 7:30 am old camp road, back of Sonnies BBQ saw a bunch of dog walkers, looked like a great social event you might be interested in to meet and greet

It is a good idea to check the pavement by placing the back of your hand on it. If it is uncomfortable for you to hold it there for 10 seconds or so, it will be too hot for your dog. Some dogs suffer in silence just to please their owners. If you get a terrier you won't have to worry about that. 😊

That's ridiculous. There are thousands of happy Labs living in Florida.

unless---you can find an experienced groomer who knows how to successfully remove the undercoat. a long, expensive job, but your dog will appreciate it:)

welcome future neighbor!! you' ll love it here! :welcome:

I,ve had 3 labs. They will acclimate to the heat. ONE MORE IMPORTANT THING. DO NOT THROW BALLS OR OTHER TOYS IN THE PONDS HERE. BECAUSE SHE'S A WATER DOG SHE PROBABLY JUST JUMP IN. THERE ARE ALIGATORS ALL THROUGH THE MANY PONDS,LAKES THERE IN TV.:welcome:

Blondie will likely shed her winter coat just as she did in the warm weather before you moved to Florida and it is unlikely it will return. I’ve had a yellow lab and a black lab. Chelsea, my black lab, found lying in the sun uncomfortable due to the color of her fur, but by her name I’m guessing Blondie is a yellow lab. She will adjust and enjoy her new lifestyle. Welcome to TV!

Since you are asking, surely you are aware. Five months from now is May or June. It is HOT.
You will worry. Your dog will learn quickly that an afternoon nap in air conditioning is a happy normal.
Reincarnation? I'm not sure I believe in it but, if it is reality and I have a choice, I'm coming back as a Villager's dog. Just please don't get me one of those outfits or a stroller. The people who bought a deluxe four seater golf cart for their retriever-how do I get one of those????????

Walk in the coolest times of the day. You can purchase a cool vest which helps. You wet and refrigerate it. The evaporating water helps cool the dog. Our Border Collie uses our pool more than we do.

Thank you so much,
 

Everyone,
Thanks much for your responses. I do feel much better now. I do remember about reading in earlier posts about the palm of the hand on the street for 10 minutes. That sounds like a great test.
I'm sure those who have not lived in the cold winters of Minnesnowta, don't understand how hard the cold is on an older Lab's joints. It will be HOT, but much easier on her joints.
Not sure where we will be living. Have been down to the villages twice (Lifestyle stays), but we think we will rent for a bit to make sure where we want to live, and to wait for right property.

Again, thanks again, and I can't wait to enjoy the lifestyle you all talk about.

K & T

Where is Inverness ???

We brought our 7-year old black lab from MD. She does fine in TVs. In the summer, we limit the time she is outside because her dark coat soaks up the heat. I'd say she is outside maybe a total 30-40 minutes a day when we have very hot days. Her long walks occur after sunrise and before sunset. In between, they are short walks of 5-10 minutes to allow her to relieve herself. BTW, we do the same for our Yorkie-Poo who also has dark fur.

Even on the worst of the hot days here, we have never experienced that the blacktop streets are too hot for their paws. I regularly slip off my flip flops and stand on the pavement in my bare feet to see if the surface is too hot. I've never experienced a surface which was too hot for my sensitive feet.

During the late springtime, our lab sheds a lot. A few months ago, I pushed the couch our from the wall, and was amazed to find we must have a third dog in the house. It's the only way to describe the large fur balls I collected.

Go straight out 44 from the intersection of 44 & 301. It's about half an hour. It's called Bark Central. Bark Central Dog Park

We haven't spent any of the truly HOT months here with our 4 year old Lab, Finn. He's only experienced October and November- but suffice to say, they adapt- and do so quite well with a bit of help/understanding from their humans

There were lots of great suggestions already shared by fellow dog lovers. I'll add that a Coolaroo bed is nice to have on the lanai.

Original Elevated Pet Bed - Small | Coolaroo

Finn is an English Lab with a particularly thick, wavy coat. A well-meaning lady shared the name of a groomer and suggested I have my dog's coat shaved "so he'd be cooler."

Here's why that's NOT a good idea:

Should I Shave My Lab (+Science of Why You Shouldn't)

We did walks and dog park visits early in the morning (Atlas and Brinson Perry) when it was cooler- and walks in the early evening.

I never had the chance to look into dog parks or playcares with swimming pools- I imagine this would be quite popular since lakes and ponds aren't safe due to potential for gators.

While we're from NY, Finn is from Mora, Minnesota- about an hour north of MSP. It would be awesome to meet Blondie and her humans someday :)