hi all I love labs, had one as a teen as a family pet and my parents have recently got a 1yr old lab Lottie (in the picture) and I've been thinking about getting my own for around 6months. I'm most likely having an operation in a few months which will mean extended time off work so I think once I'm over the worse of the recovery that would be ideal time to get it and settle it in when I'll be home 24/7. I work 3 days a week leaving the house at 8, my 12yr old gets home at 4pm so I'm going to use a doggy day care on those days (and maybe try and negotiate working from home one day to keep cost down). Maybe when puppy is older I could get a dog walker at lunch but I'm happy to pay for day care and factoring this into my decision to get one as I won't feel comfortable leaving a dog for long periods alone. My first question is do you need to put your name down on waiting lists? Guess it will vary. I emailed two but didn't get a response probably as I said in a few months time but I don't want to get a pup then find I have no day care. I've no experience in buying a puppy - I know the general things, see it with its mother etc but should I be on look out for scams / or be asking for health checks / pedigree papers? So far I've been looking on sites online is that ok? Any advice welcomed on what I need to consider. I've had labs before so aware they can be very hard work but also know how rewarding they are. I'm going to crate train and read a few posts which discuss articles by Pippa on main site - where do I find these? Thanks all - hopefully in a few months time I'll be sharing pics of a gorgeous puppy. Also yellow, chocolate or black? How do you decide? They are all gorgeous Debbie
Hi Debbie. I'm in a similar position of preparing to get my Labrador! Excited and terrified! The kennel club has a list of available litters, but because I was looking further ahead I used the assured breeder page on the kennel club website (http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/services) and it lists breeders throughout the uk. I then sent a message to all the breeders in my county and neighbouring counties. I explained a bit about what I was looking for (yellow female preferably working breed) and the preparations I had made so far, and when I could bring home a puppy (I can't get it until a certain point because of work commitments) and I asked if they were likely to have any litters at that point. I got an email from the Labrador forum about things to write in your email and that really helped. I probably sent messages to about 25 and about half replied. Some folk weren't going to be breeding, and others were only having black litters or some the timing didn't work. But I think I have found a suitable breeder (!) and I then emailed more with them to ask further questions. I asked about hip and elbow scores for both parents. I asked at what age you can visit the pups. They have offered for me to visit the mum before she has the pups and they have out my name down on a reserve list. Then I can visit again when the pups are 4 weeks and at that point pick a specific pup and put a deposit down. The good thing about assured breeders is you know they've been inspected at home by the kennel club and they will have all the correct documentation and screening tests. They also have regulations about how often they can breed their dogs. And the pups are registered with the kennel club so you should get 4 weeks free insurance, plus know they have been wormed, flea treatment and first vaccination. For me I wanted that assurance/peace of mind. Plus I think if you find a good breeder they are often willing to give you ongoing support once you have taken the puppy home. They really want the best for their dogs! I did look on pets4homes initially and I am sure some on there are fine, but I was concerned and the frequent breeding of some of them. Oh I also emailed the regional Labrador retriever clubs as they hold lists of litters. Hope that helps! Karen
Thanks so much Karen, that's really helpful, I'll take a look tomorrow and send some emails. I'd rather get one from approved breeders than pets4homes etc. I remember years ago when looking for our first lab we visited one lot of puppies which were supposed to be labs and she also had retrievers too which no mum in sight so needless to say we didn't buy one of those. Thanks again for your really helpful advice
Hi there Debbie, Welcome to the Forum . Have a read through this article on the main site http://www.thelabradorsite.com/getting-a-labrador-puppy/ , it's a massive resource explaining everything . Best of luck with your search Angela
Sounds like you have a good plan timing wise. The link above is excellent. Exciting times! My advice 9s (as always) Labs are the best dogs on the planet but Lab pups are total crocodiles - so be ready for that!
Yellow. chocolate or black? My favourite is black. I love their shiny coat, brown eyes and simple gorgeousness. Also, their hairs don't show as much on your clothes or anywhere else
Thanks I'll take a read. That's the part im dreading as my daughter was round a puppy earlier in the year and he nibbled quite a lot (goldendoodle) and she didn't like it so I'll be reading up on the articles on here about biting and try and minimise it but I know they do bite a lot at first. I'm going to crate train so guess she will get some space from him/her if it's gets too snappy!
Thanks I'll have a good read, want to be prepared. A couple of day care places replied too now so things are working out. Now I just need the surgeon to agree to definitely do the surgery I need and give me a date so I can plan puppy around that. If not I'll have to take some time off work I guess. Day care said take puppies from when had jabs and some offer a drop in service for a reasonable price so I'm sure even without the long time off work I can make it work.
I love them all, I have a list on my phone of names for black, chocolate and yellow for boys and girls as I really am torn so think I'll keep my options open and see what's available locally. Is it just me or do others think that different colours suit different names?! Maybe I'm crazy
Hi. Well done on planning and researching in advance I think different colour dogs suit different names too. I've got a 3 year old fox red lab called Harley. I didn't do as much research as you but definately will with my next pup. Good luck and let us know how you get on
We were torn between a golden and a black lab. I don't think we'd have called him Stanley if we'd gotten a golden one though. I just fell in love with Stanley in a second, that's why we ended up with him. Now I'd do much more checks on the breeder/illnesses etc. Ours were really inexperienced, I had no doubt they wanted the best for the pups, just were a bit unsure about everything I think. Stanley's mum was absolutely gorgeous though, lovely placid nature. We were hoping Stanley might take after her, no such luck
Hello and a warm welcome to the forum. It sounds like you're planning this very well, and you'll get loads of information from this forum and the main site (www.thelabradorsite.com), which is jam packed full of information about every aspect of Labrador ownership. I also wholeheartedly recommend The Happy Puppy Handbook, which is what brought me to the forum in the first place, and is an invaluable resource for new puppy owners. As far as finding a puppy is concerned, you need to start off by asking yourself what you want from the dog in terms of looks. Do you want the finer, often leggier, look that goes along with most working-lines Labs, or do you want the more traditional look of the show Labs, with their blockier heads? Or something in between? Once you've decided that, you can start looking at individual breeders and dogs. Look at the breeders first to see what they are producing; are their dogs health tested to your satisfaction? The Kennel Club website has a service that allows you to verify a dog's scores, where they have been registered. You should ensure both parents have an elbow score of zero, and hip scores that meet with your approval - this should be a combined score lower than the breed average, and evenly matched (ie a 1:5 is worse than a 3:3, even though the total would be six for both dogs). The ChampDogs website has many, many breeders on it, and you can browse to find dogs you like the look of, and then start researching the lines. Not all these breeders are "good" breeders, so you have to do further research rather than assuming they must be good because they're on there (similarly, just because someone is a KC Assured breeder, it doesn't mean they are responsible, it just means they tick certain boxes). Many good breeders do use the ChampDogs website, though - it's not like a Pets4Homes set-up. When you find a breeder you like, ask if they have any plans to produce any litters from their bitches, or if they have dogs, ask if anyone is using their dog at stud in the near future. Some will have websites with this information, many will not, so it's a matter of email or picking up the phone to ask. If they aren't, ask if they know anyone who is producing similar dogs they can point you towards. Most of the time, if you're researching in advance, you'll be put on a waiting list when a mating has occurred; the popularity of the breeder will determine how busy this is, and your chances of success in getting a puppy - I gather it's not generally a "first come, first served" with the better breeders, but, rather, once the puppies have been born and they know what they have, they choose the owners who could offer the most suitable homes. You may also find some good breeders have puppies that don't have pre-allocated homes, because people that were on the waiting list have picked up another, earlier, puppy elsewhere - or put themselves on several waiting lists. In this case, you may be lucky enough to find there is a puppy that has already been born and available very soon. Yellow, Chocolate or Black? Do you have a preference? If not, then you're in luck, because it's far easier to find the dogs you like without taking their colour into account. If you say you definitely want chocolate, for example, you immediately cut the number of available litters quite considerably. I have a yellow and a black, and I love them both. One day, I hope to add a chocolate to the mix, so I have one of each!
Thanks so much I'll start reading through the main site. I'm so excited hence so much research and I really want to get one tomorrow but have to wait really to see if this operation will go ahead as then that is ideal time. I think I prefer Yellow labs but I just keep changing my mind, I'm going to keep my options open as let's face it they're all gorgeous aren't they. Think I want a girl but not against a boy so guess I will have best options if I just keep my options open.
