Ok, these recent posts of 'new' puppies is getting me right >here<,  I'd really love to get one not having had one in ages.  

Q: At what age would it be ok for said puppy to be left alone while I'm at work?

Q: would 2 be better?

indoor/outdoors.  probably outside with adequate shelter while I'm not home.  btw, I have a HUGE backyard.

Breed?  Well I'm a real softie for Labs. I had 2 blacks (not at same time) as a kid and still think they're the cutest things, not to mention all their other traits....

thanks for any guidance you can offer  [:)]

im not sure on age. the "is 2 better" is a tough one.

remember, it will cost twice as much. labs can really pack it it, so plan on keeping a massive garbage barrel full of food. shots and vet also double. as well as living space.

if the money isnt a problem, its nice for your puppy to have a full time playmate. thier is nothing sweeter than brother puppies sleeping. 2 pups can be a handfull. my shorthair got to be alot smarter than my uncles of the same age. i have one, he has 2. they dont seem to learn as well, since they have each other to play with. also, those 2 german shorthairs could really beat the shit outta me.

I'm also looking into getting a pup, a Golden Reteiver. I wanted a Shepherd, the wife wanted a Golden Retreiver, so............

You can leave the pup home alone, if you keep it in an enclosed area away from draft, thats where he can eat,drink and sh!t. They have to stay inside until they receive ALL there shots.
                                            Two pups would be great, if the extra work and expense doesn't bother you.

GOOD LUCK.

We actually have a babysitter who comes to feed, walk, and potty the two girls around noon every day.  It's kinda expensive, but our girls are inside and I'd rather pay for them to be exercised than to pay a carpet cleaner.  If you are leaving it in the back yard, I would probably wait until about 12 months to leave it alone all day until it learns what it can and can't eat.  You can leave it in a pen or kennel earlier than that if you know there is no way it can harm itself.  Before that, keep it baby-gated in a kitchen or pen in the garage with a pad to potty on and a bed and some toys, it should be OK.  Just make sure the temp isn't too hot or cold and that it always has plenty of water.

As for two or one, I would probably start with one and then add another after a year.  It is great having two though because they keep each other company and give each other something that we can't as humans. They tend to keep each other in better shape as their playing is really good exercise.

As for food and labs, portion control.  Labs can get overweight really easy.  Figure out how much it needs to maintain weight and keep it at that.  Adjust it for the winter when there is less exersice.  I've see more than a few friends labs put on a lot of winter weight.

Can't go wrong with a Lab

I would definately vote for 2 as opposed to 1.

You wouldn't want to spend your day alone, would you?

thanks so far, but I still would like more input... [:)]

Labs are great - had a pair of brothers growing up.  I have an American Pitbull Terrier right now, and love him to pieces.  Don't believe the media hype - Pitbulls are one of the most stable, family, people-friendly breeds out there.  No such thing as a bad dog - just bad owners.  Buster plays with my two girls, four and two, and caught on right from the start that he can't play rough with them.  He tags along behind them, and lets them ride him around the house.  (Their high pain threshold comes in real handy with little kids - he just soaks up all their ear and tail pulling, and thinks its all great fun!)  I haven't experienced any problems whatsoever with aggression - if anything, Buster's too friendly!  We bought him somewhat as a home protection dog, but he just wants to meet everyone and lick them to death.  As far as inside or outside goes, I don't think you'll ruin a dog by going either route.  Just make sure that your outside facilities are adequate for the climate.  Buster sleeps most nights inside in his crate, but he has a doghouse that he stays in too.  We keep him inside with us a lot some days, and sometimes he spends a lot of time outside.  The main thing is just to make sure the dog gets a lot of interaction with it's "humans", whether its inside or out.  As for leaving a dog while you're gone, that wasn't a problem for us.  We "crate-trained" Buster when we got him at two months old.  This method of house-breaking basically teaches the dog that it's crate is it's den, and makes use of the animal's natural instinct not to mess in it's den.  The pup spends a lot of time in the crate at first, whether you're home or not, and eventually the dog comes to regard the crate as it's own little sanctuary.  It worked really well for us - you should do an internet search or get some books on the subject.  Good luck - you'll never have truer friend than a good dog!   (And Pitbulls are the best of the best - but then, I'm biased!)

I haven't had a dog in years. I think when I'm ready I'll get an Irish Wolfhound. Anybody have any info on this breed??

I'd agree with 300thMIBde on the crate training. I had a Flat Coated retreiver that did just fine in a crate and later had the run of the house when I was working a 9-5 job.

I've read that it's a bad idea to get two puppies. As mentioned above they tend to bond with each other rather than you. Especially if they are litter mates. I'd wait a year or two and get another, leave a radio on in the house to reduce the outside noises, maybe get a cat for him/her to play with, if you can stand cats.

I've got a 6 month old black lab pup, great dogs.  

My wife has a friend with an Irish Wolfhound and a Jack Rusell.  Likes the big/small thing.  They are great dogs, but have many of the same problems as other large breeds (bloat, displaysia, OCD, etc.) and are relatively short lived +/- 8 years.  They are a sight hunting dog with a strong prey drive so you should have good fences as well.  Beautiful, huge, well tempered dogs though.

[url]http://www.akc.org/breeds/recbreeds/irshwfhd.cfm[/url]

[url]http://www.batw.com/netpet/dogs/iw.module.html[/url]

 The last dog I had was a catahoula.  They are great at working cattle and they are good for coon hunting.  Mine would pretty much try to round up just about anything, including kids.  Mine tended to trip over his own two feet just walking around the house, but when I saw him walking along the top of the wood fence it suprised the hell out of me.  Go for a Catahoula, the name sounds funny, and nobody seems to have ever heard of them.

Go for two and make them females, if the're going to be expected to survive at home while you work...   One will eat the walls or worse if left alone...   Two males may still eat the walls and piss on your furniture...   At least females only "puddle"...

thanks for some very interesting replies, those and the info I'm finding on the web will help me make my decision.

This will also be for my daughter...every kid should grow up with a dog, don't ya think? [:D]

For the record, I have GOT to have a Lab! [:)]

Thanks for the offer BLUEWOLF, but kind of a long trip to AL from CO.  

I still welcome all replies :)