Obviously we love our Labs; they’re our little fur babies. But just like human babies, they can require a lot of work sometimes. Here is a list of 11 things that we think makes life with a Lab easier and more enjoyable. (Why 11 things? Because after I hit 10 I thought of another one!)

1. Pooper Scooper:
   Yes, I know, it’s not fancy or sexy or really all that interesting, but a pooper scooper or some other kind of excrement cleaning apparatus is essential. Cleaning dog poo out of the treads in your shoes is both difficult and disgusting (yes, I speak from experience), so being able to clean it up is an unfortunate necessity. Especially because they poo so much! We’re convinced that Shelby retains zero nutrition and everything passes directly through her system. How she manages to grow, I have no idea.
2. Greenies & Oral Hygiene Water Additive:
   Will you look at that? Two things instead of one! When Shelby was a puppy our vet was running a “deal” that they would give you a dental exam for free during the month of February. Seeing as we were going for puppy shots anyway, we got one. Two of the things they recommended were teeth cleaning treats and oral hygiene water additives. Of course, they said that brushing was the best thing you could do, but we already knew that. So we use Greenies chews and Tropiclean Oral Care Water Additive. Shelby loves the Greenies and will run with them to the other room, throw them around and run after them for a few minutes, and then essentially inhale them. Win-win, she thinks she’s getting a great treat and we don’t have to smell as stinky of breath!
   
3. Orange Don’t-Shoot-Me Vest:
   Yes, we actually use it in the woods. We got the Ruffwear brandbecause they are so well known for their rugged construction and, surprisingly, it was actually a pretty good price compared to other brands we looked at. But, this is probably a good thing for you to own even if you don’t take your dog hiking in the woods during hunting season. We also put the vest on her when we take her for walks in the evening. The bright orange color and the blinking light that we’ve attached to the back of it helps ensure that none of us will get hit by cars on these cold, dark evenings. The vest fits nicely under Shelby’s harness and is really easy to put on and take off.
4. Hiking Backpack:
   Again, yes, we actually make Shelby carry her own food and water when we go backpacking. But, we also use this backpack when we’re going to the library. If I’m taking my dog for a walk to the library so I can return and/or pick up books, why on Earth would I not make my dog carry my books for me? It works out so well because Shelby knows we’re doing something fun when the backpack comes out, and I get to be lazy and not carry my own stuff. Win-win! (I’m sure you could make your dog carry their own stuff, or yours, other places besides the library, but we haven’t yet.) I wanted to buy this Ruffwear Approach Backpack, but the store didn’t have the color I was looking for so we went with the REI brand one. Both of them are great packs!
5. Bright Orange Retrieving Toys:
   Shelby would swim and retrieve 24/7 if we let her (if her parents didn’t get bored of throwing her toys), and these SportDOG Training Dummies make combining the two activities so easy. They’re bright and easy to find so you’re not likely to loose them. They’re really easy to throw when you put a rope on the end and they’re practically indestructible. (I say practically because Shelby got hold of one unsupervised and ate the small, black valve off of it. Despite the hole that is now in the toy, it still floats and works perfectly well. We just have to squeeze the water out of it periodically.)
6. Tennis Balls: Going along with the retrieving theme, tennis balls are an essential. They’re small and light, so you don’t get tired throwing them over and over again. They’re less likely to do permanent damage to anything/anyone you might hit by accident than other kinds of balls, and it’s really funny to watch your Lab try to fit multiple tennis balls in his/her mouth at once!
   
7. Red Barn Filled Dog Bones:
   We have tried giving all kinds of different bones to Shelby. We tried antlers: she wasn’t interested. We tried natural bones with bits of animal still stuck on them (we called them stinky bones); they splintered dangerously. We tried bully sticks (“Ingredients: Steer Pizzle” we laughed so hard when we read that on the packaging); despite providing hours of amusement for us, they provided about 30 minutes of amusement for Shelby. Then our neighbor told us about the Red Barn Filled Dog Bones. They’re made from sterilized beef femur bones and are filled with all kinds of yummy things like peanut butter, cheese and bacon, chicken, etc. These really are indestructible and Shelby will chew them for hours at a time even after all the filling is gone. (PSA: They really hurt if your Lab drops them on your head, so try to avoid that.)
   
8. Center-Ring Harness:
   OK, some people have perfectly behaved dogs that walk nicely by their side and don’t think that the regular collar/leash combo was designed to encourage pulling. We do not have one of those dogs. And I bet a lot of you don’t either. When we first took Shelby to puppy class they recommended we get a center ring harness because they didn’t want Shelby to get into the habit of pulling. Oh. My. Gosh. It was like an overnight miracle. The brand we have is called SENSE-ation, though I would think any brand that is designed to have the ring in the center of the dog’s chest would work just as well. Of course, we’ve still had to do training with Shelby (and she could stand to have some more practice) but this harness really is the difference between a relatively normally behaved dog and one that is constantly trying to choke herself.
9. FURminator:
   This is one of the few brushes that I’ve seen that actually seems to work. When we’re consistent in brushing Shelby (admittedly, this is not that common of an occurrence and never lasts for more than a few days in a row), you can actually tell that she amount of hair you’re able to get off of her decreases over time. Shelby even likes the brush, too. She lies down and enjoys her time at the “spa” while her slaves (us) brush her over and over again.

10. Broom and/or Vacuum Cleaner: I love Shelby, but I do not love finding pieces of her all over the floor. One must deal with such a situation. I prefer to not have too many carpets because I think it’s so much easier to just bust out the broom than having to pull out the vacuum, plug it in, deal with a dog who insists on laying down on the rug you’re trying to vacuum, empty the filter, and put it away. So, I’m a big proponent of hard wood floors and a broom. However, we do have some area rugs and upholstered couches. The vacuum cleaner is unavoidable for cleaning the rugs and a God-send for cleaning the couches. We have a Eureka vacuum that comes with a pet upholstery brush that attaches to the hose. It works miracles! I don’t think they make our exact model anymore, but here is one that also has the pet upholstery brush and seems to be even nicer than what we have: 

11. Camera: Well duh, you have to be able to take pictures and videos of your little fur-babies! I don’t have a camera to recommend because really any camera would do. Especially with the quality of newer cameras these days, I bet you could use anything. I have a nice DSLR camera that I use a lot, but I also use my cell phone for spontaneous pictures and for video.