Hi, i'm a new pet owner planning to get a new labrador puppy this weekend. Can someone give me some guide to choose a good puppy. I visited a couple breeders this week and my wife basically like the fattest puppy because it's cute. And i did notice that some puppies has shorter nose and bigger paws than the others. Any information will be helpful. Thanks in advance.
Hi Badwolf, welcome to the forum Take a look at this article on our main site. I'm not sure where you're based, and Pippa has written some of it from a UK perspective, but the principles are the same everywhere (just substitute "AKC" wherever she has written "Kennel Club" if you're in America for example!) Good luck!
Firstly, make sure have done you have reseach and the pups are offspring from thoroughly health tested parents from a reputable breeder who lets you meet the pups Mum at least. The actual choice from the litter is a bit of a gamble, what you choose in terms if temperament and looks at 8 weeks might not be anything like you get as an adult, which is why it is so important to look to the parents for that information. We have had 5 dogs and after all the due diligence was done, we chose one because he had the biggest paws, one because she was the only one with a white chest, one chose me as she sat on my knee, one because nobody wanted him as he did not have breed standard colours (best dog ever) and my latest one because she was the only bitch in the litter. All fabulous dogs that brought joy and lived long, healthy lives. My current lab is awesome age 6 and is the image of her Mum, who is still a fit 12 year old. Read Pippa's article as it puts it much more eloquently than I have tried to. Good luck with your choice.
Okay.. so i need to see the dog parent to see what will the puppy look when adult. Then big paws is good then.. And the breeder offer to show me the pup's vaccine history. I left with little choice as there are only few labrador breeders in my town. Thank you for your info. It's really helpful.
My point about big paws, white markings etc were things that appealed to us, not an indicator of anything else. Knowing the pups vaccine history and viewing the Mum is important but more important is the health history of the parents hip/elbow scores, genetic test results, eye screenings etc. Without that information you can't choose a pup without taking on risks for the future health and well being of your pup, not to mention the financial implications lots of vet visits. Good luck with your search.
Very hard to predict personality on a pup-by-pup basis. I think EDP's points are that the parents are the best indicators of what you are getting and that as long as they are good (health, temperament, appearance, etc.) then picking the puppy based on more frivolous considerations (paw size, markings, etc.) is perfectly fine since trying to pick based on the puppy's personality at 8 weeks is a crapshoot.
