Hello I am currently looking to get a puppy and am just at the stage of getting onto breeders waiting lists. I was caught off guard when she asked if there was any questions I would like to ask, as having never had a puppy before I'm not really sure what to ask. The advert said the following about parents: Sire Elbow- 0 Eye- Unaffected Hip score- 4/3 prcd-PRA herditory clear DAM elbow - 0 eyes- unaafected Hip score 5/7 prcd-PRA - clear I know the average hip score for a lab is 12 which is exactly what the dam is. Would I be better looking for lower scores than this? and also any advice on what questions to ask would be appreciated. This is dams first litter. Thanks you in advance
Hi and welcome from me ! I would personally be quite happy with those hip scores from both parents ,they seem fine and the elbows are exemplary . Remember that a low hip score is by no means a guarantee that your puppy wont ever suffer from hip issues , but it lowers the odds somewhat . Good luck , please let us know how you get on in your search !
thank you for your reply, I've had 4 labs over my adult life but all were rescues as adults so will be my first time with a puppy & I want to make sure I get it right, as I am well known for being a push over with animals! . Have already started buying items for him for when I finally get him, will be hopefully getting him just after our 2 week holiday so will be nice and relaxed & is honestly the first time I think I will ever look forward to getting after a break . I just felt a bit dumb when she asked of I had any questions and I had no idea what to ask
Yes, the Dam is at about the score currently advised as being the average , and where possible to avoid going higher .I think we all worry, wanting to do the best, get the best etc . but sometimes with joints, its just the luck of the draw !
Ask what environment the puppies will be brought up in. How will they be habituated to different sights, sounds, textures etc. Will there be any "formal" training of the puppies? Ask what the temperaments of the parents are - are they afraid of anything, the vacuum, thunder, fireworks, gunshot, strangers, children... if so, how does this demonstrate? How are they with other dogs of different sizes, breeds, colours, sexes etc. Have either of them had any surgery? What for? Any signs of cruciate problems in any previous litters of either dog, or any of the direct pedigree. That's what springs to mind immediately - there will be a lot more that other people will suggest, I'm sure
When the litter is a few weeks old I'd ask to see the litter, meet the dam and (if possible) the sire. The dam might not look her best, but she might give an idea of what the puppy's temperament will be like. I'd also ask to see all health paperwork, the pedigree, the draft contract. Check that there is a 'take back' clause in case medical problems become apparent when you first take the puppy home. The contract could also include breeder's constraints on your breeding from the puppy, which is important if you plan to have a litter. Ask if you can spend time with the litter when they're old enough. Apart from the sheer joy of playing with all those puppies, its a nice opportunity to see how their characters are emerging.
Thanks for replies. Been told we can go when the pups are 3 weeks old. Due to them being 2 hours away that would be the only visit we could have. At that meeting is when we would be matched to the puppy and pay the deposit, so in no way is it set in stone yet. I’ll be sure to ask go see the papers when i’m there also believe the breeder has both parents so should be able to see them both. Thanks for the help this forum has been great while I’ve been browsing to see what I can expect when finally getting fur baby
I hope that you have a successful visit and find the right puppy for you. It's a very exciting time with a lot to think about. Our breeder was about two hours away. We managed a couple of visits, and she sent us pictures and progress reports which was very kind of her.
Everything mentioned. And make sure you do go to see the environment and the parents for yourself. If anything is unusual or “off limits” that would be a red flag for me. I made a 2 hour trip to pick at 6 weeks figuring I’d just lose the deposit if I didn’t like what I saw. I met the parents and was able to see the whole facility. Nothing was off limits. I also did and still do follow them on FB and see that they take excellent care of the dogs. 6 months later I am still in contact and am comfortable asking questions if they arise. I feel like part of their extended family.
Thank you for replies I won't feel such a dummy now will go armed with my questions, to make sure I get the best well rounded puppy I can
Our breeder was about 2 hours away too, and we only managed one trip but they were great with sending photos, video clips and updates on the pups. Before visiting we thought we had one particular pup in mind (he was the smallest but seemed the most outgoing and forward) but actually when we visited chose a different pup because he was so bright and friendly whilst the others were very sleepy (they'd just fed!). So pleased we did - absolute little superstar. You'll know your pup when you meet them, it's the best . Echo all the questions about parents' temperament, as well as brothers and sisters; and what are the breeder's plans for the puppies over the next few weeks, will they be meeting other dogs, animals, children, noises etc.? Do they have a radio on the whole time (ours did, on Heart FM so we played this for the first few nights he was with us)? Also when you visit maybe take an old towel/bit of clothing you can leave with the breeder to get the smell of the litter on it. You can then take this when you collect your pup to put in their bed for the first few nights with you; just a bit of familiarity may help them feel at home more quickly.
I would ask how the breeder socialises the pups and if he does any early house/toilet training. If the parents have done any confirmation testing or other advanced testing - sorry I dont know tge test names in English! Our puppy's mother and father both had "personality testing" dine by the Labrador association - how friendly they are, etc. I'm sure this ecists everywhere I just dont know what it's called. Our breeder also had a "nothing is off limits" approach and it instilled confidence. I dont think I woukd have been happy choosing ay 3 weeks though. You cant see their personalities. We had 2nd choice grom our litter. The first choice ppl chose at 3 weeks and the breeder thought they were crazy to be so set on a puppy just because he was cute at that age. He gave us 2nd choice and we had kind of an idea at 5 weeks. At 7.5 weeks he invited us to visit again and confirm our choice. At that age he was able to tell us a lot more aboit their personalities. I know it's mot an option for you to see them again but perhaps you can put the 3 week visit off a bit later?
The breeder would require a deposit of £200 at the 3 week stage, and I just couldn't afford to lose that much money, have been saving like crazy to afford the puppy & other costs associated with getting one. The bitch has only just been confirmed as pregnant at the moment and not due till around the 8th August so have plenty of time to look at other options also. On the initial contact I have had with the breeder, she very open and friendly & has promised to keep me updated on the situation with the pregnancy & everything. I will be also looking closer to home so that I would be able to visit much more often. It's going to be so hard to go forward with my head & not my heart (I'm usually attracted the sad, looking, runts when it comes to animals which is how I ended up with a poorly cat for 17 years). I just wish I could get one right now cos I'm getting broody looking at all the lovely litters in the adverts
I agree with Kobe; at 3 weeks there isn't much you can tell about the pups. They will most likely all be asleep in a heap of undifferentiated limbs. If you can pay a deposit but confirm your choice at 6-7 weeks you could try looking at them with the Volhard puppy test in mind (look up online). We first saw Caspar's litter at just over 5 weeks. There was definitely evidence of their individual personalities by that time, though they were mainly a bit sleepy. We wanted a boy, and one was already selected, one was a bit bossy, one was quiet; we chose the other, also the best looking. I should have known better than to get the one that went straight behind the sofa when liberated from the puppy pen - showing an inquisitive nature, and a drive to explore. That is exactly how he is. My neighbours would have preferred that we went for the quieter one!
We went in a 3wk visit wuth a breeder. Only to get there and find out that not onky did we have last choice, but that the others were already chosen and we weren't visiting a litter, we were there to see the one available. The pups had only had their eyes open for a day!!! We said no thanks and left. We'd driven an hour to get there and missed our son's Christmas concert to get there (our son too!). I personally felt that a breeder who had families choose pups that way was not a breeder who actually cared about families and dogs and wanted people to be happy. People just picked based on her photographs that she'd had done as soon as the pups opened their eyes. Not a good start. We waited and kept investigating and it took a long time to get the right puppy.But we are so glad we did.
Thanks I really want to make sure we chose the right puppy for us, he will have to be out going and confident as we have a shared garden which all the dogs in the block go in to play together. It will be tempting to go straight in and just chose one due to the timing issues, (we know we want a black boy, and we go away on holiday again 6 months after so don't want to leave a small pup with anyone while we are away). Although saying that there seems to be an abundance of black pups available at the minute so can definitely look around closer to the time they would be born, we are aiming for a pup born around the 3rd August, so plenty of time to keep a look out
On puppy aptitude tests: https://www.psychologytoday.com/int...personality-tests-predict-adult-dog-behaviors
Three-week old puppies are boring. I visited my latest puppy at four weeks. She was still boring. I was far more interested in mum and dad. With my previous two (who are litter mates), I helped to whelp them and spent a lot of time (days at a time) with them and the rest of the litter before they came home with me. Their personalities even at six and a half weeks - even at 14 weeks - wasn't indicative of what they eventually grew into. For me, I'd rather the breeder made the decision of which puppy went to which family. They are the ones who are best placed to do so based on what you are looking for in a puppy and what you can offer them, and it shows a keen interest in the puppy's ongoing welfare. Even having spent so much time with Willow and Shadow in those first few weeks, I couldn't have predicted what they would be like as adults, so expecting to do so after a couple of hours is asking a bit much. You will get the puppy you get. You will bring him home and you will love him. He will be easy or he will be challenging. Either way, you won't know what it would have been like with any of the others, so it really doesn't matter which you choose.
I'm ready for a challenge to be honest. My first 2 were lab x collies and were an absolute dream in the house but Ben was terribly dog aggressive and both pulled like trains even pulling my sister straight off her feet. The last 2 originally belonged to my brother which he had from pups and they were a dream for him, never pulled did everything asked off them, when I took over their care due to his circumstances changing they were little devils, jumping up pulling like crazy, and wouldn't do anything I asked but I was a pushover with them and they were right up till the day they were PTS excitable and puppy like, but I loved them regardless even when Simba got overexcited and bit my lip when giving me a kiss . I'm prepared to put in the work needed to have MY idea of a dream dog, which is maybe not everybody else's idea of a dream . I said so confidently I'm ready for the challenge bet I'm on here crying at his naughtiness in a few months haha
That’s how we did with Finn! Let me tell you that when we started to have a dog we went to a breeder who didn’t want to show us the pups. He said: “when you see the pups the only thing you want is have one. First look at the parents and the family. If you like it then and still like everything I show you mum. If you like what you see, well then I let you see the pup”. We ended up with our first ever dog. The second dog was Euan, we had to choose out of 10 siblings. We had visited the litter at 3 weeks in Belgium. At 8 weeks we could come and choose. We didn’t know how the characters were, we picked Euan. One of the pups was very shy and wasn’t allowed to leave the nest.... The breeder of Finn made the choice based on character. And what we wanted and looked for in a dog. The very last week she had changed. We didn’t get puppy red, but puppy orange...
