Hello! My name is Hannah and I am about to put a deposit down for a future litter of yellow labs. I've researched the different breeders in my area and picked the one I trust the most. It'll be nine to eleven months until the next litter because she carefully chooses which dogs to breed and stuff and I have some questions! This will be my first lab btw -I have two dogs right now and one was quite dog aggressive (we've worked with an awesome trainer and he is now great with other dogs) so, are labs known for being aggressive towards dogs if not socialized well? I thought I really socialized my other pup but I obviously did something wrong! -are labs prone to seizures? I dog sit for a living and a lab I watched had epilepsy and the owner told me apparently the breed gets them a lot? -what kind of food do you feed your dog? I've been really researching this and the more I research the more confusing it all gets! -are labs cuddly dogs? I really want a dog I can snuggle with without it wriggling to get away lol! -at what age should I neuter? I've been hearing so many mixed things. Thank you so much for helping me out! (my username is that because when I met a lab for the first time, it ate a bumble bee and I said that if I ever got a lab, I'd name it bumblebee!)
Hello there, and a warm welcome from me and Charlie, we live in London, UK. Where are you from? On the whole, Labradors are people loving, friendly, healthy dogs. But every dog is different, including Labradors. The best guide to your future Labrador's temperament is the temperament of the parents. Labradors, it could be argued, don't need as much socialisation as some other breeds - but again, some would do well with lots, others not so much. This depends both on your Labrador's personality but also on how the breeder brings them up when they are very young. If in doubt, the best strategy is probably to socialise well, as an over socialised dog can be trained but an under socialised dog is a lot more problematic. Some Labradors cuddle, others don't. I have not neutered my male Labrador and have no intention of doing so, but whether or not that's a good choice for you depends on your dog's personality and your circumstances. Here is an article on neutering your Labrador - there are links to various other articles and information in the side bar: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/should-i-have-my-labrador-neutered-the-latest-evidence/ Here is an article about Labradors and epilepsy: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/should-i-have-my-labrador-neutered-the-latest-evidence/
Thank you for replying so quickly! I live in the US, Minnesota! I will def read those two links right now, once again, thank you!
Just wanted to say hi and welcome from me and Juno in North Lincolnshire UK. I think Julie had answered.most of your questions except the feeding. I feed my girl a vet prescription kibble but some members feed a raw diet and others a mix. The usual advice is to stay with the food that zthe breeder has used to raise the litter and gradually change it if you want once the puppy has settled in to his new home.
Hi Hannah, and welcome to the forum from Poppy and me, in Germany. Your breeder sounds sensible, choosing the right dogs to breed from and waiting for the right time, but I am a bit confused - when is your puppy due? As for the cuddliness - my two old dogs, a labrador and a lab/spaniel cross, both loved to cuddle. Poppy, my current dog, doesn't really like being cuddled. She is very happy to sit on the couch with us, and loves her tummy being rubbed, but she is not very keen on people hugging her and just sort of puts up with it until it is over... The question of what to feed depends on your dog and on you and your circumstances. I do a mixture of raw food (for one meal) and good-quality kibble for the second meal of the day. With regard to seizures and epilepsy - you should check with your breeder that the sire and dam have both had all their health checks, including EIC (Exercise Induced Collapse). There is no current health check for epilepsy that I am aware of, but I don't think Labradors are particularly prone to it any more than other breeds. Labradors are generally friendly and outgoing dogs, but they do need to be socialised properly. Working line Labradors can be rather more sensitive than show line Labs, but this is a generalisation, and as Julie says, each dog is different. It also seems to be the case that bitches are less likely to be aggressive towards other dogs than male dogs (at least, this is so in my experience). I also have not neutered any of my dogs, as there was no health reason to do so nor could I see any behavioural reason for it. I may have Poppy spayed at a later date, to avoid the danger of pyometra, but I haven't made any decisions about that yet. Good luck, and don't hesitate to ask any questions!
Hi! Thanks to everyone who answered! In reply to Karen, I'll be putting the deposit down tomorrow and that will give me a pick of a yellow male puppy in her next litter, she expects her next litter to be anywhere from 9-11 months from now, so sometime around then I'll have a puppy! She did say sometimes it's much sooner. I'll be sure to ask about their health checks. I have one more question, do labs really eat everything they can?
Will your pup be field bred or show bred? Recently it was thought CNM was only in field lines but it has cropped up in show lines as well. I'd add that to my list of health checks on the parents, along with the EIC suggested above. Both of these are gene tests so it can be guaranteed that your pup will not have either condition. You also want to see OFA or Pennhip on the hips and the elbows tested, along with heart and eye cerfs. Your breeder will probably send you home with a bag of food she recommends and it's a good idea to stay on that for at least a big bag. There is lots of information on the health, behavioural and social pros and cons of neuter. But you may find the breeder writes her preference into your purchase contract and voiding it may impact your health guarantee. It could go either way, some breeders might demand the dog be left intact till two years or so, others may ask for earlier neuter. I assume you will have a non-breeding contract. It's good to have your questions ahead of time but the best answer for some will come from the prospective breeder and are things you should know before you put that deposit down.
theyre show bred. I will be neutering the puppy and I won't be doing if before six months, I'm thinking more around a year? I've already asked the breeder so many questions I feel she will get annoyed with me soon lool
Best of luck with it - very exciting! You must see all the health checks of the parents before you put a deposit down though, this is extremely important.
I doubt that very much! Reputable breeders will want to know that their puppies are going to the right homes. I often hear about breeders interviewing the prospective owners to ensure that they are suitable. It's not simply a case of handing over the money, if you're not the right person for the dog. Someone who asks a lot of questions is showing that they want to do everything right I agree with what's been said above about reviewing the health check information of both parents (make sure it is both of them, because there's no relevance in having just one) before putting down a deposit. It sounds like she may not know who the sire is going to be yet? I would be waiting until I knew exactly who the parents were before putting down any money. I did everything wrong when I got my dogs, so this is very much "do as I say, not as I do", but the next time I'll be hugely more educated in making a good choice, thanks to this forum. Like Karen, I feed a mixture of raw and kibble. Feeding is a pretty contentious issue and everyone thinks their way is the right way! People can get very militant about it, on all sides, so it's really a case of doing what is best for you and your dog. Read as much as possible and come to your own informed decision. Don't be afraid about asking questions on here, though - we have a mixture of raw-only feeders, people who feed a mixture and those who feed only kibble. It stays friendly when it's discussed here - you may find in other places, it gets quite nasty! Here is an article about raw feeding, giving (I feel) an unbiased view on the pros and cons: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/labrador-health-information-about-raw-feeding/ As for neutering, like Julie, I have no plans to neuter my boy. It's not as much a cultural thing where I live as it is in the US, where it appears it's almost a given that you'll neuter and you're a bit of a social pariah and judged as irresponsible if you don't! If, however, I did choose to neuter him, I would wait until he had reached full maturity - most likely not before the 18months mark. Again, though, this really depends on your circumstances and your dog; read as much as you can about the pros and cons of neutering and at what age. Cuddling really depends on the dog! I have two from the same litter, so you'd think they'd be very similar, but they're actually completely different. Willow doesn't like to cuddle; she prefers her own space and doesn't even like her brother leaning on her when she's snoozing. Shadow, on the other hand, is a complete snuggle monster and is never off my lap! Good luck with everything, it's a very exciting time
Often the main reason to postpone neuter is to allow growth plates to close and that probably wont' happen by one year old. More likely 18 months or even 24. If you allow puberty then you may encounter the so called "puppy license." Dogs, unlike humans and many other species, have a huge surge in testosterone levels and in my readings it was found they soar to as much as SEVEN TIMES what they will be at adulthood. During this time you may find any dog, male, female, entire or not, will seeemingly target your puppy. In my experience, my own still intact male and with other young males, the poor puppy seems oblivious and has no idea what's going on when the other dog doesn't seem to like him. Here is a quote from one source on this, you can find many. "Puppy License To Misbehave Testosterone is the hormone which makes male urine smell male. Thus, the “maleness” of a dog's urine depends on level of testosterone in the body. In most mammals, adults have much higher testosterone levels than youngsters. This is not true for dogs though. Plasma testosterone levels start to rise by the time the male pup reaches four to five months old, whereafter testosterone levels reach a maximum at ten months of age and then fall to adult male levels by eighteen months of age. At the ten-month peak, testosterone levels in adolescent male dogs may be as much as five to seven times greater than adult levels. Urine odor, therefore, betrays the age of young male dogs. The odor of puppy urine is quite distinct. The puppy's size, shape, sound, color, behavior and especially, his smell, all advertise the youngster's age. A rollover with a leaky urethra is a means for the pup to display his puppy license to older and/or higher ranking individuals: "Yo! Sniff this urine. See, I'm just a young puppy and don't know any better. Please don't harm me. I didn't mean to jump on your tail and bite your ears. He! He! He!" And sure enough, most socialized adult dogs are quite tolerant and lenient towards young pupskis. However... once testosterone levels start to rise, the male puppy's license to misbehave is rudely canceled. In fact, by ten months of age, adolescent male urine smells sooper-dooper, ultra-mega-hyper-male, informing all adult dogs: "Why lookyhere. This young urinater must be a developing male adolescent — a potential thorn in the side of social harmony. Let's educate the young fellow right now, while we still can." And sure enough, most adult dogs (especially males) start to harass developing male pups to put them in their place before they become a significant challenge on the social scene." FRom: http://www.dogstardaily.com/book/export/html/1198
Hi and welcome from me and 2 year old fox red girl Harley It's really good that you have researched a breeder that you are happy with. When I got my girl I didn't know much about health checks etc, but will be more prepared for the next pup. Personally I feed a BARF diet - Natures Menu. Harley had allergies to a lot of kibble that made her really poorly. The only kibble we found that she got on with was really expensive. I would keep your pup on the diet the breeder has them on to allow their tummy to settle. Good luck and feel free to ask any question - the people on here are great and really helpful
I will ask my vet about a raw diet, it sounds like a good idea! The breeder is going to fax me the health papers on the two dogs she thinks she's going to breed and she said if the pair changes, she'll send me the updated papers. If I don't like the results I can have my deposit put towards a different litter! Thank you all so much for all of this information!! I'm really excited, this will be my first big dog I've ever had!
Your breeder sounds very responsible. I wish you much happiness with your new pup - it'll be worth the wait for the right companion.
