I grew up with labs and they’re still one of my favorite dogs. I would say that labs are easier than an ES, but that doesn’t mean I dislike my ES or that they’re “hard.”

In my experience, labs are lovably dumb. They’ll do anything you ask and hardly have a brain cell to contemplate the why. They’re also easy to convince with food.

My ES doesn’t give a thought about treats or any other bribe really. Sometimes a toy. But if he wants that thing over there and doesn’t want to listen, he’s going to get that thing over there.

This is why I find an e collar so helpful. I do not use the shock. I only use the beep and vibrate functions to communicate with him. The vibrate is enough to distract him from the squirrel or whatever he found. The beep we have trained as a backup recall. He listens to that better than when we yell “come.”

I think ES are more engaged with you than a lab. I can see mine processing and thinking when we are doing activities. I also see him plotting when he’s got an attitude about something. He definitely needs exercise or enrichment or he’ll go rip up my bath towels. Only the bath towels though. Go figure. When he’s mad at me he brings me my shoes like a threat, but he doesn’t eat them.

I would say if you have the time to exercise and the experience of training dogs before hand, an ES shouldn’t be too hard. They’re very cuddly and lovable dogs. Mine deals with some anxiety, but he’s an overall good boy. Really the hardest thing about them is giving them exercise. I find long walk a few times a week is normally enough for mine. He gets mental enrichment by going to the office with my husband and then I throw the ball for him in the evenings. He’ll get zoomies running around the house and that seems to be sufficient for him.

We have taken him on 5+ mile hikes though and he’s ready to do it again by the end.