Hi all, I wonder if you can help. I am Looking to get a puppy lab to join our family. Having known a bad experience from breeders and the consequences of my parents having dogs with really bad hips I would love some advice.. I've found a reputable breeder to whom I was recommended. However both parents haven't been hip scored (dad has) but the parents of the mum both have fab scored. Just wondered if this was something I should worry about? I live in Kent. Thank you very much!!!
Personally I would look for parents with hip scores but it's tatally your decision. It the other dogs have been scored why not the parents it seems odd to breed pups without.
I know that I sound like a broken record, but please, please do not consider buying a puppy from anything but fully health tested parents. This includes hips AND elbow, eyes and DNA tests. There are hundreds of labrador litters available. You can afford to be choosy. Buying a pup from untested parents not only puts your pup at risk, but encourages unethical breeders to continue this practice. Very worse case scenario, it could be that the bitch was xrayed but the radiographs were not sent for scoring if they looked bad.
We went through a similar thought process when we bought our puppy a few months ago. As first-time owners we got cold feet every time we found out the parents hadn't been hip/elbow scored. The price was much more in our budget, but a verbal assurance of the parents being very healthy dogs just didn't do it for me. I then found a KC assured breeder not too far from home who spoke to me at length about responsible breeding, the importance of testing etc and it really made me think. We decided to prioritise health over cost, ended up paying more than planned (especially if you factor in my original plan to get a rescue dog!) but felt happier knowing that both parents have had every possible health test to ensure a litter that would be as healthy as possible (not to mention temperament). Naturally, carrying out tests costs money, hence the pups costing more. Incidentally, the breeder we got our pup from was the only person who wanted to know about the home we could offer. On our first visit we were full of nerves and went armed with photos of our house and garden – it was as much about the breeder being happy with us as us falling in love with the puppy!
Absolutely! Just to add to my other response, we ended up paying around £250 more than a puppy we'd seen from parents that hadn't been fully tested. Subsequently, I've seen that the other (non-testing) breeder has advertised several more litters over the last three months – lower price, higher volume, less overheads in terms of paying for tests, pretty good turnover I reckon.
Well done you. Unfortunatley this is probably why hip and elbow problems are still prevelant despite responsible breeders having tested for many years. Non-health tested puppies are just as cute, but much cheaper and there's a lot more of them. It does make me cross.
Thank you so much everyone.. Im in Kent and finding it difficult to find a trusting a breeder. There aren't many on the kennel club. The one who hasn't got thr mum scored is in Kent. I've decided to to get one of hers.. I am definitely waiting for one to come up which is scored etc. If anyone knows any reputable breeders in Kent of surrounding counties please do let me know thanks so much everyone!!!
Hi don’t be afraid to travel We live in Oxfordshire and we travelled 3.5 hours to wales to get our pup! Breeder was fab both mum and dad are 5th generation kc registered dogs they were in a fab place and they were so looked after! The breeder kept In touch with me constantly and even after 5 days of us having our boy she still checks in to see how he is We’ve got all hip scores and proof of being kc registered she gave them to us when we took our boy home
I agree with @teide don't be afraid to travel. I got chatting to a couple in pets at home in Harrogate, North Yorkshire who had travelled from wales for a Staffy. They had been looks for a very long time. My first dog came from Barnstaple and I live in North Yorkshire !!! It’s worth it for the right dog.
You could also try Champdogs https://www.champdogs.co.uk to find litters. We started our search on Pets4Homes and came close to visiting a breeder in Kent that seemed to be very reputable, but both parents weren't tested and the pups weren't KC registered. When I questioned that, I was told it was because they didn't want them to be used for breeding in the future. We eventually struck lucky through the KC Assured Breeder scheme. As well as the hip/elbow thing, other important tests are for eyes and the crusty nose condition. There is definitely more to buying a puppy than I ever realised – good luck with your search!
I totally agree it’s so worth it for the right pup! We looked at loads of differing options online and I got chatting to a few breeders but the breeder we chose was the one I felt the most comfortable talking too the photos she sent me were lovely! She answered all my questions silly or not. There were loads closer to us but I just didn’t feel the same about them. We traveled up to meet our boy when he was 5 weeks and I was so happy with the breeder and her husband their land was beautiful well taken care of! The mum of the pups was lovely such a gem and the pups were so looked after! When we took our big home Sunday she said how said she was for him to be going and if she’d of kept one it would’ve been our boy and she insists we Keep her updated with photos
@Michele Ellis You can set alerts on champdogs so you get emailed when new litters get added. I am always having a peek
We got ours through Champdogs. He came from Hertfordshire. You can see which breeders have had other litters. Which have good hip/elbow/eye scores. You can also work out the COI which I had never heard of until Toby’s issues.(more info on this site) Will give you a reasonable idea if the dog has been too interbred and may therefore have genetic weaknesses. Please don’t buy an untested dog.
