The Labany is a mix between a Labrador Retriever and Brittany Spaniel. This mixed breed can fall into either the medium or large category.

Due to having working parents, the Labany is multi-purposed and intelligent. Owners utilize these dogs in hunting, tracking, retrieving, obedience, and all sorts of canine sports. Their high intelligence makes them perfect candidates for just about anything.

Plus, they love to perform. This mixed breed is highly devoted to their owners, often performing various tricks to make them happy.

Breed Overview

However, these dogs do require a substantial amount of work. They are working dogs, through and through. They require a decent amount of exercise and mental stimulation daily. They often aren’t best for those who “just want a dog.” A casual dog owner will likely have a hard time meeting their needs.

Therefore, we recommend the Labany for active families that plan on doing canine sports or something similar. If you’re looking for a dog that will go on hikes with you, this canine is often suitable.

You shouldn’t expect them to sit around the house all day waiting for you to get home.

Labany Puppies

Labany puppies are challenging to find. They aren’t a popular mixed breed and usually aren’t produced regularly by breeders. Therefore, finding a little of puppies is mostly a matter of luck.

Breeders are the most expensive option, typically because they put more time, energy, and money into the puppies. Their dogs are often genetically tested, and the puppies receive extensive veterinary care. Often, their puppies will come with their first vaccinations and basic training. Some puppies are well on their way to being housetrained.

On the other hand, rescues often charge very little for their puppies. Their main concern is getting the puppies adopted quickly. Usually, the puppies will receive their vaccinations and veterinary care after being turned over to the rescue.

Temperament & Intelligence of the Labany

Generally, this canine is outgoing and friendly. Labany enjoys being around people, especially their family members. They are outgoing with everyone. They often enjoy being around people of all sorts.

Of course, socialization is still essential. You should plan on socializing your Labany regularly to ensure that they are used to being around new people. The last thing that you want is for your dog to be fearful of strangers, which often leads to aggression.

This mixed breed is known for being devoted to their owners and families. They are eager to please, and it shows when it is time to train them. Labanys are intelligent enough to learn most commands with ease and devoted enough to perform those commands in real-world situations.

Due to their people-oriented temperament, Labanys do need quite a bit of attention. This breed is not a dog that can stand being alone for hours at a time. They are prone to separation anxiety and need more attention than most other dogs.

We do not recommend them for families that work out of the home for most of the day.

Are These Dogs Good for Families?

As long as your dog’s needs are met, they can make wonderful family pets. They are suitable for families with older and younger children alike.

Often, people assume that smaller dogs are good with children. However, smaller dogs are more likely to be injured or fearful of smaller children, leading to biting and aggression.

Medium to large dogs like the Labany are less likely to be injured. Due to the size difference between them and children, they are also less likely to be fearful. After all, they understand that the odds of them getting hurt are quite low.

With the correct socialization, this breed can make an excellent option for families with little children. You should get them around children starting at a young age, though. Like all dogs, they can be unsure of little kids if they are never introduced to them!

Does This Breed Get Along With Other Pets?

Labanys are perfect for multi-dog homes. They are friendly toward other dogs and are often not territorial in the least. As long as you socialize at a young age, this breed is often wonderful around other dogs.

However, they do have a significant prey drive. They like to chase things — it’s what they were bred to do, after all!

It is challenging to keep them around small animals for this reason. If you have cats or other small pets, your Labany will likely want to chase them.

There isn’t much that you can do to correct this behavior. Chasing prey animals is what these dogs were bred to do! Training and socialization can help somewhat, but you can’t expect them to always behave calmly around a cat.

Things to Know When Owning a Labany

Food & Diet Requirements

These dogs don’t have any specific dietary requirements. Since they may fall into the large-breed category, we recommend that you feed them a large-breed puppy food.

Proper nutrition for large breed puppies is essential to avoid health conditions later, like hip dysplasia. You should speak with your vet about whether your dog needs large breed puppy food, but the answer will likely be “yes” for most Labany puppies.

Dietary imbalances in large puppies can lead to vitamin D deficiency, compression fractures, and hyperparathyroidism. Orthopedic conditions can also occur, especially when the puppy is fed too much during their growing years.

You should only feed your Labany puppy the calories that they need and no more. It is usual for puppies to act quite hungry all the time, but overfeeding can cause serious health problems.

When these dogs are adults, they usually don’t have specific dietary needs. Joint-supporting food may be a good option for dogs with particular joint conditions.

Exercise

The Labany is exceptionally active. They tend to be far more active than other dogs. Both of their parents are working animals, which means they were bred to spend hours in the field each day. The Labany will have a similar amount of energy, requiring either a job or substantial amounts of exercise each day.

Without the proper amount of exercise, the Labany can quickly get destructive. If you don’t find a way to help them burn off energy, they’ll find their way, which is usually the last thing that you want.

A tired dog is a well-behaved dog — it just takes a great deal to get this breed tired!

Luckily, the Labany isn’t picky in how their exercise needs are met. They will happily go on walks, play fetch, or perform agility competitions. If you’re interested in canine sports, these dogs are often great options.

Just plan on doing something with your Labany for at least an hour each day.

Training

The Labany takes quickly to training. They are brilliant animals and adapt quickly. That said, we do recommend that you get started at an early age. Earlier training is almost always better.

Fortunately, these dogs are brilliant. They can learn most commands quickly, even advanced commands. They can sometimes be used for service work.

However, their high intelligence also means that they need plenty of mental stimulation. They have to be doing something with their mind, or they get bored. Training is an easy way to keep them correctly stimulated, but canine sports and puzzle toys are also great.

Grooming ✂️

The only major grooming that you’ll need to perform on these dogs is brushing, but you may end up doing a great deal of brushing.

These canines are extreme shedders. They can shed quite a bit year-round, though their shedding may pick up during specific periods. Many people brush their Labany at least every other day, though every day may be necessary for some dogs.

They need minimal bathing. Too much bathing can dry out their skin and irritate them. So, we only recommend baths when the animal is visibly dirty. Brushing should remove most of the dirt and debris from their coat.

Health and Conditions

As a mixed breed, the Labany is often quite healthy. There is a slight chance that they will inherit genetic conditions from either parent, however.

Canine hip dysplasia will be the primary concern. This condition affects most large dogs, including mixed breeds. Therefore, the Labany may be affected as well.

Hip dysplasia can occur due to many reasons. Genetics plays a role, along with environmental factors. Overfeeding puppies can lead to fast growth, which can damage their joints. Overexercise is also a problem, especially among faster puppies. Short and regular exercise regimens are often better.

Idiopathic epilepsy can also be a significant problem for some dogs. This condition has a strong genetic basis, though there is no genetic testing currently available for it. The exact cause of these seizures is unknown, but we do know that it runs in certain bloodlines.

A single seizure is often not dangerous. However, many seizures during a short period or more prolonged seizures can cause the body temperature to rise, which leads to other problems. Seizures are not painful and can sometimes be controlled with medication.

The main point of concern with seizures is that the dog may hit their head. As long as the dog is on the floor, this is unlikely to happen. However, you may choose to enforce a “no dog on the furniture” rule to prevent your dog from falling off the couch while seizing, which can cause potential problems.

Not all seizures need to be treated directly. If your dog doesn’t have that many seizures, there is usually no reason to treat them. Minor and rare seizures are unlikely to cause problems.

Once a medication is started, it must be given for life. Stopping an anticonvulsant can cause the seizures to get worse, which can be life-threatening. Even dogs without any history of seizures can be induced to have seizures if they are put on an anticonvulsant and then taken off of it.

Male vs. Female

There are no significant differences in sex for this mixed breed. Differences are more likely to be caused by genetics. Size does vary quite a bit, but this is primarily due to differences in genetics.

Males may be larger than females. However, many females will be larger than males, mainly because they inherit such a wide variety of traits. Size tends to vary widely in even a single litter.

There are no known temperament differences between the sexes. Temperament differences are more likely due to genetic variance and socialization differences. Females can be just as aggressive as males if they are not socialized properly.

3 Little-Known Facts About the Labany

1. They require significant amounts of exercise.

We do not recommend these dogs for inactive families. They require regular exercise throughout the day. Both parent breeds are working animals, so this mixed breed exhibits similar energy and vitality.  Over an hour of activity is required daily, with more for puppies and particularly active adults.

2. The Labany’s coat can vary.

Everyone has seen pictures of these dogs with their cute, wavy coat. However, this is not the case for every Labany out there. Their coat can vary widely depending on what traits that they inherit from each parent.

Don’t adopt this dog if you’re looking for a specific coat type or appearance.

3. They can shed profusely.

Often, this mixed breed is labeled as low-maintenance when it comes to grooming. However, these dogs can shed quite profusely. You won’t need to trim their fur, but you will need to brush them regularly and clean up large volumes of fur.

It mostly depends on your definition of low maintenance!

Conclusion

The Labany can be a great family dog for active families. They get along with children and other canines, though they can be a bit of a hit-or-miss with cats and other small animals.

They are intelligent and people-oriented. These traits make them well-behaved, but they also need quite a bit of attention and training. Their needs are high compared to other dogs. If they aren’t adequately cared for, they can quickly become destructive.

As they are prone to separation anxiety, it is essential to work with them at an early age on being alone.

If you can adequately meet their needs, they make great dogs. Problems mainly arise when owners don’t know what they’re getting into and don’t consider the dog’s needs!

Featured Image Credit: Adam Tremel, Shutterstock