Labrador Breeders And Questions

[Holly_chrystel]

Hi, I'm new to this forum but have been doing plenty of reading :)

I've been searching for a while for a good Labrador breeder. I don't mind where their located as long as I can get the puppy flown over. In January I'm going to be in Victoria so I spoke to two breeders, one didn't feel right as they wouldn't tell me the details of the father and said that the mothers genetics are the only ones that matter (is this right??) I absolutely love the second breeder I spoke to, I have a female offered to me who was born last Thursday and I will be putting a deposit on next week. I feel absolutely lost though, I have no personal connections to any breeders or know of anyone that has been to a breeder. How can I tell if I can trust a breeder? what questions can I ask aside from the parents elbow/hip dysplasia scores? Does anyone have any good recommendations for Labrador breeders? I'm after a pet, though I'm very excited to teach it tricks :)

Also how much should I be willing to pay? The one I'm looking at is $1600 which I thought was ok, but the first breeder I spoke to was selling for $1800.

Sorry for the long message :)

[Tassie]

Somebody will hopefully be along soon who can help more ... and it might be worth asking in the Labrador breed subforum.

Labrador subforum

Just had a quick look in the puppy listings on the DOL homepage. Seems like as well as hip and elbow scores for parents (and extended family is good to know too), testing should also have been done for EIC. Exercise Induced Collapse, and PRA .. Progressive Retinal Atrophy.

Presuming the breeder you're thinking of is registered with their state ANKC affiliate .. e.g Dogs Vic, or Dogs WA, you should be told which Register (Main or Limited) the pup would be on.

Don't really know about prices, but those sort of prices would seem OK, I would have thought.

ETA link to breed subforum.

Edited November 20, 2015 by Tassie

[Dogsfevr]

Why not get one from a WA breeder ,there are many great ones here where you can see the parents & the pups & meet the breeder .I wouldn't be paying any money until you have decided what you want & why this breeder & pup is the right fit for you.

Also don't forget to add crate hire & freight to your price

[Holly_chrystel]

Really? originally I was searching in wa but I only found 2 breeders and they weren't having a litter in the near future. I'm really only after a pet that I could train to do tricks and such

[Rebanne]

Really? originally I was searching in wa but I only found 2 breeders and they weren't having a litter in the near future. I'm really only after a pet that I could train to do tricks and such

A pet needs parents that have had all relavent health testing done as well. The health tests are very important for all dogs.

[Salukifan]

I'd recommend you start with your State's breed club.

Link is here

Breed clubs usually have a puppy register. They know who's got pups and often who's expecting them.

If there is nothing in WA right now, you should be able to get a steer on out of state breeders. They also tend to have great advice on the breed including health testing you should ensure any breeder you talk to should have done.

I love a nice Lab. I'd encourage you to look past the chocolate fad and go for a breeder with sound healthy dogs who do something - showing, obedience, retrieving etc.

There is also very useful information on Labs in the Dog Breeds 101 threads here

[Stressmagnet]

^this.

I also own a nice lab (who happens to be chocolate but that was luck). Stick to breeders who breed for health and temperament NOT for colour. Colour is superficial, character is not.

Edited to say....

I was looking for a nice family pet. I ended up with a breeder who bred service dogs. No one can believe my Ernie is a little over a year old, he's so well behaved. He's still a bit giddy but he tries.

Edited November 21, 2015 by Stressmagnet

[Holly_chrystel]

Honestly not that colour matters to me but I kinda don't like the chocolate/liver colour, the blue eyes are cute but if I was going off colour the black or yellow are my preferred. I will be in Victoria so I would see the puppies mother. I'm pretty sure the breeder doesn't breed for colour. What questions can I ask breeders?

[Salukifan]

Honestly not that colour matters to me but I kinda don't like the chocolate/liver colour, the blue eyes are cute but if I was going off colour the black or yellow are my preferred. I will be in Victoria so I would see the puppies mother. I'm pretty sure the breeder doesn't breed for colour. What questions can I ask breeders?

No Labrador should have blue eyes - not even the chocolates.

[Steph M]

Honestly not that colour matters to me but I kinda don't like the chocolate/liver colour, the blue eyes are cute but if I was going off colour the black or yellow are my preferred. I will be in Victoria so I would see the puppies mother. I'm pretty sure the breeder doesn't breed for colour. What questions can I ask breeders?

No Labrador should have blue eyes - not even the chocolates.

Perhaps OP meant as pups

[Dogsfevr]

There are certainly a number of excellent breeders in WA & more than 2 so not sure what kind of research you have done .

You will find numerous breeders showing most weekends .

[Holly_chrystel]

Honestly not that colour matters to me but I kinda don't like the chocolate/liver colour, the blue eyes are cute but if I was going off colour the black or yellow are my preferred. I will be in Victoria so I would see the puppies mother. I'm pretty sure the breeder doesn't breed for colour. What questions can I ask breeders?

No Labrador should have blue eyes - not even the chocolates.

Perhaps OP meant as pups

Yes, sorry I have no experience with Labradors but I believe the majority of photos I have seen with chocolate lab puppies have had blue eyes. How do people find dog breeders or find dog shows? Sorry I've never written in a forum before so I'm not use to it..

[Florise]

There are certainly a number of excellent breeders in WA & more than 2 so not sure what kind of research you have done .

You will find numerous breeders showing most weekends .

Maybe you could send the poster a private message with some names of breeders you would recommend.

[Salukifan]

Yes, sorry I have no experience with Labradors but I believe the majority of photos I have seen with chocolate lab puppies have had blue eyes. How do people find dog breeders or find dog shows? Sorry I've never written in a forum before so I'm not use to it..

The breed club would be your best starting point. :)

[Purdie]

http://www.dogzonlin...er.asp?state=WA

http://ballingarlabs.com.au/?page_id=51

Edited November 22, 2015 by Purdie

[sandgrubber]

Honestly not that colour matters to me but I kinda don't like the chocolate/liver colour, the blue eyes are cute but if I was going off colour the black or yellow are my preferred. I will be in Victoria so I would see the puppies mother. I'm pretty sure the breeder doesn't breed for colour. What questions can I ask breeders?

No Labrador should have blue eyes - not even the chocolates.

I think a communication problem here. Lab puppies often have beautiful blue-almost-purple eyes . . . they turn brown later.

ASK THE BREEDER ABOUT TEMPERAMENT. Both sire and dam. All Lab breeders say their dogs have 'great temperament' . . . so ask them what is great about their dogs' temperament -- without telling them what sort of temperament you are looking for (lots of people will tell you what you want to hear, maybe not deliberately, so don't let them know what you want to hear). When they tell you their dogs are smart, ask them for examples. Labs range from extremely mellow to somewhat maniacal. In part this is in the upbringing, but some of it seems to be genetic. Some breeders select for the more active dogs, other like the couch potatoes. I have met a few Labs who were highly protective and would bite intruders . . . many are friendly to a fault if you don't like forever eager greetings. I personally love the breed because of the intuitive grasp of human emotions and needs . . . as Stressmagnet describes. This trait is much stronger in some lines than others. If this is what you're looking for, ask what the dogs have picked up without being trained.

You might also want to ask about time to maturity. I love Lab pups, but a lot of people have trouble dealing with their antics and mouthyness. It's good to know whether they're going to start to settle at 18 months, or whether it's likely to be 3 years. I find this varies quite a bit in different lines.

Edited November 26, 2015 by sandgrubber

[sunny1shine]

$1600 is basically right on current price points.

Both parents test results are important - breed guide is lower numbers for hip and elbow tests the better- also keeping the total of each below 12 - and that the scores are better being even ie: 5:4 (=9) better than a 7:1(=8) even though 8 is lower its not as even.

See what the breeder does with their dogs- do they show or participate in a sport (you may end up finding a new hobby from it)

Decent breeders will have an idea from the pairing what type of pups they are looking for- high drive, laid back - and then after pups born they should get an idea on individual pups temperament. work with the breeder for what you are after.

-I have a chocolate girl that had blue eyes when born -breeder assured me the eyes would go the same colour as the mums -a hazel green. we asked for a high drive dog - we got one (and its awesome)

-just got a yellow boy - asked for laid back -we got it- lazy boy wont move out of your way, but when there's treats or pats the most beautiful do anything for you personality.

you could also ask the breeder on opinions on desexing -what do they prefer (current research is pointing towards much later desexing after dogs reach maturity)

[Stressmagnet]

Get the breeder to describe the pups temperament without you asking. If you can, watch the older dogs for clues to the lineage behaviour.

Def ask about inherited diseases and ask if she keeps in touch with her puppies owners.

Off to hug my frat boy now.

[sandgrubber]

Everyone will tell you to select for health . . . I take that for granted, but it's better to have a dog that you truly love and gets arthritis at 8 yrs than a dog you wish was dead and lives to 16 years . . . so do pay attention to temperament. Furthermore, don't be too wow'ed by health measures. A hip score of 5:7 on one or both of the parents looks kind of bad, but is rarely going to lead to problems, and may just be a stupid manifestation of how the dog was positioned when X-rays were done. Don't sacrifice other desired traits to get the 0:0 hips, 0:0 elbows. I would worry if you see 12:15 hips or 2:2 or 3:1 elbows . . . but no one advertizes those. Also, if you're after a pet, it doesn't matter at all if the sire or dam is a carrier (or even affected) for PRA or EIC .. . so long as the other parent is clear there is no way your pup will be affected. As for EIC, even if your pup IS affected. there's a good chance that you will never notice it. Many excellent dogs proved to be EIC affected when they first worked out the genetic test . . .

One more thing . . . it's good to work with a breeder who has some skill in temperament testing. Some litters have a mix of higher drive and lower drive pups. If the breeder is capable of judging which is which and wants to select the pup for you (probably best done at around 8 wks) that's a positive. Best to ask how they do the selection. We select the best pup for you' can be a shady dodge to make sure all the pups get homed at asking price, regardless of temperament problems.

Bottom line here is (1) define what your are looking: both temperament and conformation (2) question the breeder to find out how their bloodlines match up to what you want.

Edited November 26, 2015 by sandgrubber

[Blackdog10]

Go to dogzonline. Iots of good ones with websites etc. fed ask for health records of the parents! got mine from a small breeder who was only on their second litter but mine is perfect healthy, great temprament and very good looking. I didn't get mine from here but you're unsure I'd recommend libellen labs check out their Facebook. They are extremely transparent on there which I always find comforting. There's a questionaire to fill out and you must be the right person/home or she won't give you one. I think that shows a responsible breeder.