Hi there, I'm looking at getting my daughter and grandchildren a Labrador puppy. My grandchildren are 9,10,11 and 12. My daughter got her Labrador Max, 13 years ago and sadly he passed away in June 2014. He had grown up with the children and was an amazing family member. Obviously it hit them all very hard and my daughter didn't think she would ever get another. But lately the kids have been asking and my daughter is swaying to the idea. I spoke with her about getting another and have told her I'd like to get the children one for Christmas. I know, a dog is for life and not for Christmas but if I do get them one it really would be for life. I don't want to get one from anywhere, I imagine there will be lots around Christmas time so would like to get one from a reputable breeder. My daughter seems to think this would be impossible around Christmas time though. Last Christmas was the first without max and my daughter said Christmas morning just wasn't the same. This year the kids have asked for a puppy. My 12 year old grand daughter has been taking neighbours dogs (small ones) over the round to the small field and walking them. They are very much a dog family. So I know getting one hopefully at Christmas time is the right choice and the puppy will be very well cared for. I did see an advertisement on gum tree. A lady (I think) was selling puppies that were not even born yet? She was asking for collection between 22nd and 24th December and the price was £800 not kc registered and wouldn't be vet checked as she said her vets would be closed? The advert isn't there anymore so hopefully it's been reported and deleted. So my question, does anyone know any reputable breeders that will have puppies around Christmas time? Many thas
Hi and welcome to the forum Your plan sounds really lovely and I can imagine how utterly thrilled your grandchildren are going to be! You will definitely find reputable breeders with litters available around Christmas time. They will probably just be extra careful to make sure people are choosing one of their puppies with the intention of making a lifelong commitment, and you are obviously one of those people. I'd very strongly encourage you to go for a serious breeder who has KC registered dogs and who has made sure all the relevant health checks have been undertaken on both parent dogs. That is the best way to ensure that your gift will be one that brings many years of happiness to your daughter and your grandchildren Check out the articles on this page, especially the ones about choosing a breeder: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/getting-a-labrador-puppy/ Please do stay in touch and let us know how you get on with your search - we'd love to know as it sounds like it's going to be a story with a very happy ending!
Hi and welcome to the forum. Rachael has given you a really good advice and an excellent link with loads of great information. The first places to start looking for breeders would be the Kennel Club website and the Gundog Club website, but you have to still do your research on these breeders and ensure that the appropriate health checks etc have been done. I think most people are always a bit unsure when someone talks about buying a dog as a gift, but in this case, it sounds like they would be well prepared for the dog. I just wonder, are you going to involve them in the choosing process? The colour, the sex, having visits before it eventually comes home etc? I think that's some of the most exciting time and I'm sure they'd love to be involved in that. Good luck in your search and I hope you find the perfect puppy
Hi and welcome to the forum! Great advice given above - the main thing is first to check that your breeder has had all the proper health checks done, and I would definitely advise going to see the mother at the breeder's. The only thing I would say is that it's a lot harder to deal with a puppy in the middle of winter, rather than in the spring (think toilet trips out to the garden every 20 minutes to begin with). And your daughter and her family would need to decide what kind of labrador they want - one from show lines, or from working lines, as they are quite different. Ooh exciting! Do stay in touch and let us know what you decide.
Hi and welcome, What a fantastic Christmas present you are planning - may be tricky to wrap though When we started looking for a dog (around 2 years ago) we were pretty clueless so did lots of research. One thing that I wasn't aware of until that point was the importance of health checks - they are vital. If you were buying a second-hand car you would always ask to see the MOT certificate to ensure that the car had recently passed its own version of a health-check. Well, its a similar thing with buying a puppy except that you have to base things on the health of the parents (on the basis that this will have a direct impact on the puppy). Good luck. Feel free to ask any more questions that you may have.
Hi from me and big yellow labrador Pongo (in south Wales)... Definitely, definitely look for a proper breeder, and be prepared to have to convince them that you are buying for the right reasons (if they are not concerned then they are not the sort of breeder you want!) We were complete novices when we got Pongo. We used the Kennel Club website to get a list of breeders, then emailed them to ask if any of them were likely to have litters near Christmas. And then we found a website which I think is even better: www.champdogs.co.uk (I hope that link works!) If there isn't a puppy old enough to gift wrap and put under the tree (!) then maybe your present could be to take them on a mystery trip which involves going to visit a litter of pups (then they could help choose, and it would also mean that they have a few weeks of getting ready and learning about how to bring up a young pup before he arrives....) Please let us know how you get on! Rosie
Sorry, but I wouldn't suggest having a puppy for Christmas, just not the right time for a puppy. However, you could give the children a surprise, a dog lead, dog bed, toys etc and a photo of the puppy on Christmas day, then they can look forward to go and fetching it a few days after Christmas.
I'm not at all worried that you're not the right people to have a puppy at Christmas however I would agree with Stacia. The chaos of Christmas itself (if your house is anything like mine!) isn't the ideal place to bring a puppy that's just left all it knows in its litter mates, mother and home. It's a tricky environment to start your housetraining in and making sure the pup doesn't eat baubles, wrapping paper, chocolate! etc while the excitement of the day ensues. Leads and photos or a little toy puppy (the right colour of course ) would be a great alternative with the excitement of choosing names and planning everything for the few days between Christmas and picking it up. It would be like having two Christmases!!!!! Good luck in your search and I look forward to hearing all about your exciting Christmas. My three year old daughter will be very jealous
Welcome to the forum. Your grandchildren will be just the right age to enjoy a puppy One thing to be aware of 'tho. House training is not as comfortable at all during the winter. You spend a LOT of time outside waiting for the pup to 'perform'! I have a new pup every year and wouldn't entertain having a winter pup!
Lots of great advice above. Can't stress enough the importance of the health checks on the parents before they are mated to try and ensure a healthy pup, and I would certainly not entertain a puppy advertised on gumtree with no health checks, no KC registration and no vet checks. A good breeder will provide all this information without any problems. Also I would suggest that it would be better to introduce the puppy after Christmas for all the reasons already given. You may find that some breeders aren't prepare to let their pups leave immediately before Christmas for exactly those reasons. Good luck with your search
Thank you everyone, Fantastic advice. I have spoke to my daughter about it at length and the puppy really will be a lifelong family member. i had in mind to let the children pick their new puppy. As someone said, I was going to decide which breeder and arrange a visit with the children for them to pick. And then hopefully weekly visits so the puppy and children get to know each other until the day we can fetch the puppy home. It's so exciting just thinking about it. I didn't think in depth about getting a puppy at Christmas time though. I did think maybe a few weeks before Christmas but I will share your concerns with my daughter and we will talk them through. Thanks again
Welcome to the forum, and good luck with your puppy search. I have no strong views about getting a puppy at Christmas. It all depends on the household. We got Holly as our Christmas present to ourselves three years ago after we lost our lovely chocolate lab, Cocoa. With two adults in the house it was relatively easy to get a new puppy settled in. Holly got rather fizzed up when visitors came, especially with children, but we just had to be insistent that they allowed her to have some quiet time. If your grandchildren are sensible enough enough to give the puppy some space then there is no reason why it shouldn't be introduced at Christmas. Whatever you decide, I hope that the puppy has a long and happy life in its new family.
A lot of pleasure can be had from doing the research and looking forward to the pup. I would involve the children with the research and visiting the parents to be etc AND I would sim for spring. I wouldn't have a young puppy around at Christmas unless it was an opportunity with a litter that you really wanted. Enjoy the search!
