Meet Cooper

He is such a soft, loving, goofy boy. He adores his family - and basically pretty much everyone he sees - his whole body wags when he's happy and his love of life and joy shines through. He lives life at 100mph, does nothing in half measures and is just all in - all the time. Whether that's lying fully on you for the biggest cuddle, eating his dinner at record speed or running, playing and chasing...

Stopping him from chewing, chasing and hurting himself on sticks. He has had a few nasty accidents and it's so upsetting and worrying. He gets really distressed when he's had to have surgery as a result of a stick injury and it's also really expensive. Thank goodness for pet insurance. He doesn't seem to learn and goes straight back to sticks when he's better though. It's really hard to stop him.

That their natural instinct to retrieve is so strong without any encouragement or training at all - he always has to be carrying a toy in his mouth or bringing you a present of some kind when you come in the door.

How bitey they can be as puppies. I know most puppies chew and play nip when they're little, but I wasn't aware that Labradors tend to be one of the most bitey and that it goes on for quite a few months. It wouldn't have changed our decision to get Cooper, but we would have better been able to manage our expectations and it would have been less stressful