I plan on adopting a labrador retriever puppy, chocolate preferred, early next year. I have searched for breeders both with akc marketplace and classified ads within 300 miles from central Virginia. Are there any good sources for breeder reviews? The puppy will be a companion, not a hunting dog. I have seen some breeder websites which seemed appealing and then found horrific reviews of that breeder, although usually it is impossible to find any reviews. Sometimes, further investigation reveals the breeder is obviously a puppy mill. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
I don't know how reliable any comnents would be about breeders as people are either happy or not and 'testimonials' aren't really worth alot as they are purely personal. The important thing is to know what to look for to try and avoid puppy farmers and the questions to ask. With that in mind this popped up on my FB this week and may be useful for you. http://speakingforspot.com/blog/ All though this is from an american site, the questions are just as relevant to 'puppy hunters' here in the UK.
I would look for breeders that tell you about the parents accomplishments or awards. We have gone for pups who's parents had hunting (Jr Hunter, Sr. Hunter, Master Hunter) or Field trial Awards. Even though we were looking primarily for companion dogs, the health and trainability of field bred dogs seemed like a good place to start. I you are more interested in show line dogs, look for parents with show titles. It is nice to be able to visit the kennel ahead of time, and see the parents, but we didn't do that with Cooper because it was a 5 hr drive each way across Oregon. We did look at pics of the parents, and videos of the pups.
I'm currently in the UK looking for a breeder and it's a long road, at least for me as I tend to be obsessively "research-y". Recommendations are definitely a good starting point. If that doesn't work and you know what type of Lab you want (field or show), then going to field trials or shows and approaching people whose Labs you like the look of can work. Even if there was a "Yelp" for dog breeders, I'm not sure it would get you that far. What I've found, in my admittedly limited experience, is that in person is ALWAYS the way to go. Start on the phone with your list of questions and if they pass muster in that first chat, then set up a meeting and go see their dogs. I'm not even talking about breeders being unethical or anything like that - simply that your idea of the ideal dog and a particular breeder's idea of the ideal dog may vary greatly. You really can't see that until you see their dogs. Then there are all the basic stuff - testing (what, how, how often), how many dogs, how many litters per bitch or per year, etc. Oh, and the Forum is a great place to ask questions about all things puppy, including puppy search. Good luck and hopefully you'll find a puppy that is right for you soon!
