Hi everyone... I hope you don't mind me posting. I haven't posted before - largely because I haven't bought a puppy yet!! I am a lurker and read soooooo much about puppies/training/feeding..etc etc ...but I've never had a dog before ( we had a lab cross when I was a child) so I am trying to be as prepared as possible. I'm going to look at a litter of choc labs this weekend. I'm so excited but also really concerned in case I buy one, bring them home and then find it is a nightmare and that I have made a huge mistake. I've been advised to do my research (done...), speak to as many people as possible (done) etc etc ..but if you've never had a dog then you're always that bit naive about what its REALLY going to be like. I don't want it to go wrong - can anyone offer any advice????? Bit of background...I have a little boy (6yrs) and live in a house with a garden. We have two cats - one ragdoll and one moggie - both are very used to dogs (my friend next door has a st bernard). I do work but nearby and only 15 hours flexible across the week (I have planned 3 - 4 weeks off when (if) puppy arrives). Thank you!!! any thoughts welcome!! x jenny
Re: About to buy a puppy..... Hi Jenny and welcome from me and my Lab Sam So pleased that you have done your homework Jenny , I assume then that you know what to ask the breeder when you visit ? Its really important to ask about all the health test results , hip scores , elbows and eyes and please ask to see the results, dont take someones word for it . There are some dedicated lovely breeders out there, but also lots who arent, so be prepared and if in doubt, walk away, its hard I know but will be best in the long run . Well done on your choice of breeds ;D ;D Whats it like to have a pup ? Wonderful , shattering ( at first ) frustrating, fun but a real blessing too . Just make sure that your little one knows to allow the pup some space , leave pup when its sleeping etc . and start training puppy as soon as poss, make it part of daily routine, just little sessions that are fun, not too long or puppy will get bored . It will change your life compltely, for the better , dogs are so rewarding and its good for children to learn about responsible ownership too . Please let us know what happens , and we will be needing photos
Re: About to buy a puppy..... Thanks Kate, I will ask those questions - I knew about the hip scores but not the others so that's great. The breeder is kennel club accredited (there's some others nearer I was tempted to see but thought accreditation might be important). The dogs are dual purpose - so not show or field which slightly worries me...but my reading tells me they should be ok and that show/field doesn't guarantee their personality anyway. I know as soon as i see the puppies I'll melt and want to take one so I am planning a couple of visits and not taking any money with me the first trip!
Re: About to buy a puppy..... Jenny, if they are advertised as dual purpose , ask if this is because one line is working stock and the other is show stock . If so , this can be best of both worlds , especially for a first time owner, very sensible not to take money with you , be brave, not easy if you look on the Kennel Club website , find info for Labs and it will tell you what you need to ask about all the health checks . I remember when we were looking for a pup , there was a lovely local litter, but the breeder had " lost " all the paperwork : It was really hard to walk away but can save heartache down the line . Having all the health checks on parents is no guarantee but it lessens the odds of health probs in the pups , good luck and let us know
Re: About to buy a puppy..... Hi Jenny and welcome to the forum! In addition to Kate's suggestions, I would add that there are good breeders that are not KC accredited, sometimes because they don't agree with the scheme. You have probably discovered them already, but if not, there are quite a few articles in this section that might interest you. And some here on health screening Do let us know if you have any questions. Pippa
Re: About to buy a puppy..... Thank you Pippa, It can feel a bit of a mindfield to begin with! Thanks for the links x
Re: About to buy a puppy..... I agree with Pippa re the KC accredited breeders list . My boy is very well bred indeed from a well known line in the sires side , but the breeder was not on the list , she simply didnt believe in it , her pups have always been sold on recommendation . So excited for you, how old are the pups Jenny ?
Re: About to buy a puppy..... The pups are by a breeder called darcburn labradors and they were born 22nd March, so still very wee! They had another litter previously and they look fabulous looking dogs. It's great you had a recommendation to get yours from - I don't have any recommendations only going off what I can gleen from the internet. Anyone recommend a breeder in Newcastle u tyne?
Re: About to buy a puppy..... Hello, I am a new puppy owner of a yellow 9 week old! Our whole lifes have changed and I LOVE it! We have had some hard times and i am sure we will have more too come! I like you am so worried i am doing something wrong!
Re: About to buy a puppy..... Hi Jenny, I haven't heard of the breeder that you name, and don't recognise any of the names as being from working stock. Which is not a problem if you don't want to work your dogs. I have had a quick look at the health tests for both parents. The stud dog has great hips with a low and even score, and his eye test is only a month out of date, which could simply be the KC being slow about posting results. The bitch's certificate is rather more out of date (2011) Again, it could be that the KC has not updated their records. Ideally an eye certificate should be dated within the last 12 months. The breeder will be able to tell you when the dogs were last tested and will have copies of the certificates. The bitch's hip score is average. Again it is even (which is good) but I would personally prefer a slightly lower one unless the bitch had some outstanding qualities in other areas. Neither dog appears to have its elbows tested and elbow displasia is becoming increasingly common in Labradors. So that might influence me too. I hasten to add, that this is better than you will get from many breeders. But on the other hand, there may be better options in your area. Just my thoughts, I appreciate that is not an easy task. Pippa
Re: About to buy a puppy..... Wow, thanks for your advice Pippa. I will see if I can find a list of kc breeders and browse from there. If anyone can recommend a breeder that would be even better!
Re: About to buy a puppy..... Hi Jennyann I live near Newcastle and would be happy to discuss breeders with you. Don't know if that's allowed publicly on this forum though? What sort of lab do you want - working/show type/ mix? I have had two (working strain) pups in the last few years and researched extensively before I bought so feel free to PM me for more info. I also am pretty aware of the show-type breeders in our area.
Re: About to buy a puppy..... I think it is fine to summarise a particular breeder's field of interest (eg working or show) and to tell us if you have had a good experience with a breeder. And in theory it is ok to make factual statements that could be seen as negative (ie, this breeder does not test elbows) provided that you can back them up. But probably best to restrict any negative feelings, opinions etc about a breeder, to the private message system. Pippa
Re: About to buy a puppy..... Lochan, That's really good of you thanks. I have loads questions...lol. I think a show lab or mix would work best as the aim is for the dog to fit into family life. Plus I'm inexperienced so I'm dreading getting one that's too highly strung or untrainable....I've read some nightmares! I know it seems it's down to enough exercise and good training hopefully! I tried to email you but can't work out how to do that! Maybe we could chat by email? How's it going with yours?
Re: About to buy a puppy..... hello and welcome from me and my two Cuillin (19 months) and Brodick (13 months). Both working lines, I am a first time dog owner, talk about throwing yourself in the deep end!! I chose working lines as I want to do a lot of long distance running with my dogs, but also had read a bit (probably very generalised) around the differences and decided working line was for me....My two are fantastic. Its been hard work, but I'm loving it, and them. They both have one 'classic' working line trait each - Cuillin is highly sensitive and a bit highly strung, but a lovely girl, and soooo loyal... Brods is a super laid back mushy sop, but has a real hunting drive. so its been a steep learning curve for me, but I'm lucky in that I am single and although I have a busy life and do lots of traithlon training myself, I have plenty of time to devote to the pups. and plenty of folk who like to help out....Mind you , I have recently started working part time to make sure I can squeeze everything in!! Both of them were great as puppies, I found it easier than I thought I would, its when they got to be teenagers that the work really set in!! Anyway, enjoy your puppy and well done for choosing labs, they are all fab whatever....oh and the big thing I would do diiferently if i got a pup now would be to NEVER let them pull on lead....never....
Re: About to buy a puppy..... Jennyann mine are great, both strong working lines and very different. One is a complete sop, a lapdog really, loves nothing more than to lie on my lap at night, great family pet BUT show her some game to retrieve and she's a different dog, focussed, responsive, fast and determined. She has been easy to train, great with the family (2 teenage sons, set of elderly grandparents), steady and calm but you have to watch the hunting drive (loves a spot of illicit deer chasing if she thinks she can get away with it....) and she needs plenty of training/exercise to keep her sharp. She would have been very easy to have with a young family around. My other dog is a different kettle of fish altogether and has been hard work as a youngster. Massive hunting drive, great dog for beating with, works like a hot spaniel and needed focussed training constantly for the first couple of years. Fast and mad outside, gentle, calm and quiet as a lamb indoors. Now she is 2.5 she is easy, trots obediently with me unless retrieving, loves to just carry a ball on her walks. Both from different breeders and as I am EXTREMELY fussy about my pups health checks (must be single digit hip scores, 0/0 elbows, clear current eye certificates, genetic testing for EIC, CNM, etc etc) as well as meeting their parents and liking the temperaments they were bred a little distance from Newcastle. Having said this about my strong working lines pups (1 great for young family, 1 less so) my previous lab whom I adored was a work/show mix. My sons were 4 and 6 when I got her and when she was a teenager she would abscond on walks if she could - many horror images flicking through my mind now of me leaving my young sons together on a field somewhere as I tore off to catch the absconding 8 month-old puppy. She was 15 months old before I had a solid recall in place and this was despite having the KC Good Citizen Gold Award by then so having show or show/work mix dogs doesn't always determine their suitability for enjoying country walks together with a young family at least in the first few years...I will contact you with a chat about local ish breeders of show types and working types which also make good family pets. Meeting the parents (preferably before the temptation of cute puppies on the ground is present) is vital in my opinion to give you an idea of temperament.
Re: About to buy a puppy..... Hi Lochan, very interested to know how you got the solid recall with the pup that absconded? thanks Helen
Re: About to buy a puppy..... Hi Jennyann, welcome to the forum from me and Hattie 5 1/2 and Charlie 2 years. Lots of great advice on here for buying your puppy, good luck! Helen x
Re: About to buy a puppy..... [quote author=Lochan link=topic=1370.msg9142#msg9142 date=1365174266] many horror images flicking through my mind now of me leaving my young sons together on a field somewhere as I tore off to catch the absconding 8 month-old puppy. [/quote] I know that feeling! I've had some strange looks as people come across Lizzie in the buggy with no mum in sight. Usually I'm not too far away retrieving riley from whoever his new best friends are!
Re: About to buy a puppy..... Hi Helen, no miracle cures from me for the absconder I'm afraid. She went on a 30m washing line for 3 months when out for a walk and I made myself the most interesting thing in her world. Luckily she was ball and food obsessed so this was relatively easy, and her absconding was not hunt-driven. I made sure the recall was proofed then gradually chopped the line smaller and smaller. She ran with a 1m line on her collar for ages as she seemed to believe she was still on a lead....However, for hunt-driven dogs the most important thing in their whole world is hunting and it is not easy to gain their interest in anything else. It is such a self-rewarding behaviour it can be difficult to stop. One of my current dogs was very hunt-driven and although I did use a long line with her for some time, I found it of little use alone in training her not to hunt except by physically preventing the behaviour and keeping her safe. Put simply, on the long line she would recall perfectly every time because she knew she was on a long line. I would take her to the river on the long line and practice recall from the ducks (a huge favourite of hers - off lead she would chase ducks, go over river into woodlands, smell deer = gone.....I'm sure you recognise the scenario....). She would very quickly recall perfectly from the ducks even with a trailing long line BUT as soon as hunting temptation presented itself off the long line she would go deaf to all apparently proofed commands and disappear at speed into the next county. Watching her behaviour I recognised I had a window of opportunity to distract her before the "red mist of hunting" descended and she disappeared. Every time she was about to hunt she would stand still, put her ears up and wag her tail in a particular way before launching herself off after whatever it was. Distraction for this dog with food (not interested), a dummy or squeaky ball (couldn't care less when a real hunt opportunity presented itself) was a waste of time, the hunting was just too good. I could distract her by tugging on the long line but this still meant she would hunt when off the long line. I ended up using a remote-controlled spray collar with her. As soon as she adopted the "hunting pose", a quick spray of icy mist on her neck would get her to look at me in surprise and prevent the "hunt-induced deafness" that was rapidly approaching. The element of surprise gave me a valuable moment to get a recall command in and jump up and down like a loony, making myself as exciting as possible and she would gallop back like a good girl to tell me what had happened and be rewarded. Once the "red mist" had not descended I could then get her attention with a ball or dummy or food and replace her self-rewarding hunting behaviour with set-up hunting behaviour from me (find the rabbit skin dummy, find the hidden tennis ball, watch my teenage sons lope off into the woods and hide and seek with them, lots of gundog training, stop on a whistle etc etc). As I'm sure you've heard and tried a thousand times before, you need to stop the hunting drive behaviour they exhibit and replace it with one you find safe and acceptable. Soooo much easier said than done though, and in my experience each dog is different in what works to (a) distract them from that all-important self-rewarding hunting behaviour to allow them to even hear a recall command and (b) reward them for not doing the most all-consuming thing in their lives. I doubt this helps as I'm sure you've heard it all before, but good luck and don't give up and don't feel guilty - anyone who has had a dog with a serious hunting/prey drive will empathise greatly with the frustrations it can induce.
