MissMonaro

We used a cool mat for one of our litters that was born in the warmer months. When I removed it to wash it, they cried...put it back in and pups all happy again. Another thing you could use is a damp towel in one corner....only when the pups are able to move off though. Lie them down on it belly down....but definately do not blow a fan directly on to the pups.

This is correct. I think you will find that males can be used from 9 months and bitches from 12 months - HOWEVER - as Labradors have to be hip and elbow scored prior to mating, this is not done until 12 months of age and even then I wouldnt breed a bitch that young anyway.

This is pretty much what we do too. I invite ppl to meet my dogs first and like to judge how they react to a fully grown dog, some more boisterous than others, and see how they handle that. I do not allow anyone to touch the pups at all though and we will hold the pups and show. We held on to one pup for a few more weeks due to fencing at new house not being complete and allowed them to come out every weekend to spend time with their puppy (time suitable to both of course). I really hate ppl that say they are coming out and dont show though, esp if I have waited around. eg. like today. I had to go out to get mums day card etc - lucky other person that was coming at a later time had the courtesy to ring and say they were going to be a bit late, which gave me an extra bit of time to get done what I had to after waiting an extra hour for the no show person.

I have had a bitch go 5 hours between pups. She ate her dinner, then went to toilet and I noticed the bag (hence the definate advice about a torch)...took her back inside and pup was born. Waiting, waiting and then nothing else. We thought she must of only been having one and left it at that. Decided to go to bed (well on my mattress next to box) and made sure pup had a nice feed first and she started contracting (this was 5 hours later) - I thought she was just cleaning out the pipes but it was pretty full on labour and out come puppy no. 2. That was all she had. There seems to be a differing of opinions on time factor though. Recently when discussing it during a visit to a reproduction specialist, he told me no more than 2 hours between pups and seemed quite amazed when I retold him the above story. But also speaking to some breeders that have been having pups probably long before I ever considered becoming a breeder have told me as long as the bitch isnt pushing or straining, then let them go at their own pace etc. My litter born just 2 weeks ago....she started at 10.15 am in the morning and delivered pup 6 by just after 1 pm. So definately all different. p.s. Congrats on the new arrivals too !!

Wish I was going Have fun !!

I was told that if it was a double (overnite) show that you were allowed to leave your gazebo up, but had to remove the floor. As for camping overnight for double headers - I see it as if Durack, or any other dogs sports venue, want to encourage more exhibitors then they have to be a bit more lenient in regards to this. It is very expensive to drive all the way home and then have to drive all the way back again for a show the next day...and it has made us seriously consider the amount of dogs that we show at these weekends. Petrol isnt cheap esp when you arent local. I know others are in the same boat as us.....and so the clubs miss out on the money from extra entries.

Poodle - Progressive Rod Cone Degeneration - PRA PRCD* $215 * Puppy prices available for selected diseases (less 30%) • 5% discount available when you order online All Breeds - DNA Profiling PROF - $70 Clear By Parentage (disease only) CBP - $70 Hope the above helps. Taken from a price list I got from Genetic Technologies on the 9th April and valid until June 2010.

Oh no......so sorry to hear of your loss. Our thoughts are with you. RIP Mummy and babies.... :D

Here are a few pickies of our newest litter.

Congratulations on the new arrivals..... and Becks....sorry to hear about the one you lost

Certainly Choc Labs, which are neither rare or unusual! I certainly would be wary of a breeder with that colour in their prefix. It's is an acceptable colour therefore it's not unethical to breed. How about actually providing the OP with some reccomendations of good breeders who breed this colour instead of dissing all Breeders who breed this colour. Thanks SAS for your comments. I am one of those "breeders" that is very passionate about the chocolate labrador. It does not mean I value the other colours any less, and I own and do breed all 3 colours. Actually just had a litter this morning of yellow and blacks. Although sadly there are breeders that are breeding solely for colour - please do not tarnish us all with the same brush, as we are all NOT the same. Just like I do not criticise my prospective puppy buyers for wanting a "chocolate" or a "yellow" one, bitch or dog....you know, it is purely a personal preference. As for prices - you can pay from $1000 to $1500 for a Labrador puppy. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

Congrats...........I am still waiting waiting waiting lol ohhh yes I see that yours were due yesterday. We didnt expect ours for a few more days - I am soo glad I pushed my holidays forward a day (today).

soo cute

WE HAVE PUPPIES......WAHOOOOOOOO !! 6 bundles of joy arrived today - starting at 10.15 am and finished by 1 pm. We ended up with 1 x black boy, 2 x black girls and 3 yellow boys.

Wish I had a video of the ways some of my labs have walked over the years as they have been growing.........I liken it to an articulated truck. When they walk they sway from the middle moreso than the hips. When I first had labs I thought OMG something is not right....but I can tell you that these dogs all passed hip scoring with flying colours. Sorry to say that some vets just see $$ signs and really dont have much of an idea in this area. That is why some vets are also better to do the x-rays than others as if the positioning is not done correctly, you can get an incorrect result. By all means when he is old enough, then get some x-rays done if you still want - but DO NOT let the vet influence you from the x-rays - get them read by someone that is a professional in this area. As others have suggested, I really would let your puppy grow. Make sure he is getting fed on a good quality food (even better is something specifically for "large breed puppies" - and do not let him get too fat !! Good luck with your puppy

awww labby babies....congrats !! Congratulations also to everyone else that has had babies so far this month. And I am here to say that despite the litter disaster in December (although was lucky to have 2 beautiful babies that did survive from it)...but then wondering would I ever do it again.....well yep I have.... To say I'm a little bit anxious / nervous is an understatement.....think I'll need some of this So Labrador babies due for us around the 25th April.

The big thing I hear from a lot of people is ........"labradors are fat, lazy couch potatoes" and for which I inform them that they are only lazy and fat cos their owners make them that way. Being a retriever, they should be able to work. I see so many fat and obese labradors..........although have to say one puppy owner of mine brought one of my babies to visit and I think they took my "dont overfeed" a bit too far and I told them to put a little bit more meat on her bones. Labs just dont have a cut off valve and as long as you feed them, they will keep eating. A long time ago when we first had labs, I came home from to find 2 of mine severley bloated. I thought OMG they've been bitten by something and their insides have swollen...panicking and running around the yard....then I found the culprit.... we kept our dog food in a garbage bin outside the back door....well being food orientated like they are, they knocked it over and had pretty much devoured about 15 kgs out of a 20 kgs bag of food. So either they do have a cut off valve, or I got home in time for them to not finish the rest of the biscuits. Either way, they did not get fed for a few days and now the food is kept inside the house.

WOW.....great results......CONGRATULATIONS !!

Yes it is mandatory in Qld to have hips and elbows done prior to registering a litter.

Just a heads up for anyone in Moreton Shire - changes are coming....yahhh !!!!

I agree with Lilli. Hip Dysplasia is NOT entirely genetic - research points to a high degree of environmental factors that do contribute. Elbow dysplasia on the other hand has a much higher genetic factor. I would be more concerned in scores on the elbows personally - and beleive me there are plenty of breeders breeding with dogs with bad elbow scores. Example for you - Breeding bitch - her father, who she was linebred too had a hip score of 8/7 (so he was a few times in her pedigree). Her hip score was 1:2. She was mated to a dog of 0:0 hip score and one pup came back with a score of 11:9 and one a hip score of 3:3. Pup with higher score was 40 kg at 10 months of age - so bare that in mind. Next litter.....mated to a dog with a 2:4 hip score. Pup from that litter scored a 3:3 hip score. Bitch mated again to same dog........this time pup from litter scored a 2:2 hip score. Labradors are a very popular breed and there are breeders out there that dont really understand the issues etc......so be careful. and even with the best intentions, we dont have a crystal ball and sometimes things happen.

I've heard the above comment a few times but I'm not so sure about that....... for instance the Barmah Forest virus is a virus that is carried through mosquitos and infects humans (eg. like Ross River Fever). Barmah Forest is in Victoria. So therefore one would assume that if you have mossies down there, then there is every chance that your dog can still get heartworm.

Both will start at "A" - that is why the open show starts at 8.30 am and the champ show at 9.00 am. There are a lot more entered in the champ show, so the open show should be well under way by then.

That's really good to hear. How many times did you do the AI per bitch? 3 matings per bitch ....every 2nd day.....2 of the bitches though did have a normal mating in between the 2 AI's done either side. The boy is a good indicator though. He smells...if they arent quite ready he'll fart arse around and sniff the ground, try to mount etc, and just muck around. We do use that time to get a sample and check the semen under the microscope and it does clean out his pipes. But when they are "in" he is like a bull at a gate - so we dont do prog testing or anything like that - he lets us know. Although I would prefer natural... AI is quicker and over in no time.

we've had a few matings done via AI with fresh semen - all maiden bitches - all good litter sizes too.