Hello! We are a family of 4 (2 adults 2 children aged 7 and 10) and we have decided we'd love to have a black Labrador in the family! We live right by the woods, and the sea, so and ideal location to enjoy walks! So any tips for first timers? What is the best way to find a good breeder? I've heard Labradors shed terribly, is this true? Thank you for any help you can give me
Hi and welcome to the forum from me and my two monsters, Willow and Shadow, who are 13 months old and my first puppies. Biggest tip - go and buy a copy of The Happy Puppy Handbook. I bought it before I brought my two home and have read it over and over. I found the forum afterwards, but it turns out that Pippa who runs this forum is the author. It is a truly fabulous book for first-time puppy owners. Also, look at the main site (www.thelabradorsite.com) for lots of articles on puppies and what to expect, as well as browsing through the puppy board on here. You'll find that lots of people have the same problems that are pretty common in these gorgeous little pups. Labradors do often shed a lot, but it varies from dog to dog and throughout the year. My little black one, Willow, didn't shed for ages and I thought I had one of those mythical creatures that is the shed-free Labrador. Her brother, Shadow, who is pale yellow, always shed pretty badly. Then they had their first "real" shed and OH MY GOD. Hair everywhere! That lasted a few weeks but then settled back down to a consistent average. I don't think my two are any worse than my sister's cocker, or the staffie she had before that. But there are two of them I can't tell you much about where to find breeders, but your first decision will be whether you want a show line or a field line. As a first-time owner, you're probably best avoiding a breeder with a long line of field trial champions because the puppies will likely be very demanding! Make sure that the parents have had all the relevant health tests and you can see their certificates. This will minimise the chances of you getting a puppy with health problems. It's good to meet both parents to assess their temperament and, if possible, any dogs from previous litters of the pair. Good luck and keep in touch!
Hi and welcome to the forum I'd suggest buying a copy of The Happy Puppy Handbook and reading that - gives a very realistic picture of what's involved in raising a puppy. Also read as many articles as you can from the main Labrador Site. Labradors are usually really friendly dogs that want to be with you all the time. They do have a thick coat, though it's not very long, and they shed to some degree most of the time (with a peak a couple of times a year). You'd have fur on your clothes pretty much always - so if you get a black Lab buy black clothing too What would you say is your ideal dog and what do you see yourself doing with your dog?
Hello and welcome from me and my big yellow boy Pongo! We were also first-timers, and we didn't find this forum until after Pongo arrived (wish we'd found it earlier, it is really great). Are you in the UK? We went through the Kennel Club website to find breeders first of all; but then we found a website called Champdogs.co.uk which I think is (even) better. It is more discriminating (for example, it will only list breeders who meet certain standards like minimum age for breeding). It is also pretty informative and up-to-date about available litters. And of course it has lots of photos which make your heart melt! Definitely agree with oberon that you should think hard about what sort of dog you want, what you see yourself doing (how much exercise are you realistically going to give it, is the dog purely a family pet or do you want to try it in competitions..... our breeder was very good at asking us these questions, and she helped us pick exactly the right puppy for us. We hadn't thought about it properly at all, so we were grateful for that! Yes, they shed. Oh yes. I can't offer any advice on that except to try to develop a tolerance for dog hair in the most unexpected places... You are going to have a wonderful time finding your puppy - looking forward to hearing all about it! Rosie
My friend has a big, bouncy black Lab and he is her first ever dog. All has gone really well, he's two years old and a super boy (he's staying with us at the moment while she is on holiday) She's not even really a dog person, but she retired and her husband was keen to have a dog, so she agreed - her husband still works so she is main dog trainer/carer. She loves it, she loves the long walks and adores Zaba This site - especially the puppy section, is well worth reading and inwardly digesting. Be ready for the pup being unable to play with your children (except for well controlled 'fetch' and 'tug' games.) Be ready to separate pup and kids more than you ever anticipate - and prepare you children for the same. My two don't shed much at all - a good groom once a week is enough. Zaba sheds for England and needs to be groomed every day. Here is a photo - Zaba is in the middle of my two.
Hi and welcome from Holly and me. In my late 50s now, and Ive had labs in my life since I was at school. They are great family dogs, and I'm sure you'll have many years of fun together. Having a beach nearby will be really good as most labs seem to love swimming. Shedding varies. Some get it all over in a short spell twice a year. The other 99% seem to shed all year round. If you're sensitive about shedding then choose a colour that matches most of your clothes. My lovely old black lab's hairs were invisible on my work clothes, but Holly's yellow hairs show up on everything! I don't have a copy of the Happy Puppy book, only because it hadn't been published when Holly was a pup. "Total Recall" is a must-have book as a good recall is really important. Let us know how your plans progress. There are a lot of really experienced people on this forum and I'm sure they can answer most questions.
Welcome to the forum. Haven't got anything much to add as there's some great advice already. Read as much as possible about having puppies, and their rearing. Also you need to consider how long a puppy will be left each day, and if you work how you can work it that the puppy isn't left for more than an hour or so to begin with. My advice on health checks is to make sure that the breeder has all the relevant tests and paperwork for both the dam and sire but with regard to Elbows ask I would always advise that you ask whether there has been any incidence of Elbow dysplasia in close relations i.e. litter mates, parents, offspring of either the dam or sire. For me this is important as 0/0 Elbow scores for parents does not mean that a puppy can not have dysplastic elbows
Good luck and enjoy your search for your breeder and puppy if you go ahead. I have a field line puppy (she's an older puppy now, having reached 16 months) and she is of a lighter build than some other labs. I haven't had a lot of hair shedding but when she is losing hair I can easily comb it out with a fine tooth comb and that's a nice thing to do with your dog anyway.
I found this really useful bit on the kennel club website that lets you do your own check on health results - http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/services/public/mateselect/test/Default.aspx Once you think you might have found the right litter, if the breeder shares with you the pedigree names then you can check quite a long way back and out on the family tree.
The problem with ED is that it will only throw up the "good" x-ray results and not whether any close relatives have been affected, ifthey haven't been used for breeding they are unlikely to have been tested.. As ED is genetically carried all the x-rays show is that the parents are not suffering from ED themselves. I had a similar discussion with my vet this week and she is of the opinion that the x-ray test requirement for ED is pointless, it's a genetic test that is needed. Apologies to one and all but ED and x-ray tests are something I feel very strongly about through my experience with Juno.
I think that elbow and hip x-Rays are much better than nothing and 0:0 elbows and low scoring hips are a must for both parents. Walk away from any litter without these credentials. But a genetic test would be ideal....not sure if joint problems have simple genetic markers but if they did and could be tested for that'd be the standard to go for. Fingers crossed for the future.
Hello, and welcome to the forum. As others have said, improving your chances of having a healthy Labrador is a top priority (they are, generally, a very healthy breed but like all pedigree dogs, there are nasty things in the gene pool). If you are in the UK, the data to look up is the Estimated Breed Value of the parents (in addition wanting to see great scores of the individual parents, that is). This shows all the results available from the genetic line of the parents, siblings and previous litters. It's much, much better than just the x-rays of the parents alone. It's still not perfect, of course, but a huge improvement on just x-rays. http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/serv...v/Default.aspx
Hi there! Good advice so far. Just wanted to say Hi and good luck. Jac and Lilly (my first puppy/dog who is now 5 years old)
Hi and welcome, I can't add any advice but wanted to say hello from me and 14 week old Dexter, our first puppy. The Happy Puppy Book and Total Recall are brilliant and Pippa has a new book out in October, The Labrador Handbook (I think I have that right), I have it on pre order. This forum and the Labrador site are excellent too.
Hi and welcome, you have had some great advice so wont add anything other than your children are a perfect age to enjoy a puppy. They will be able to understand and contribute to training, caring and learning all about how to be responsible for an animal. They can even go to classes with you. Having a dog a child is a great life experience in so many ways. My dogs and kids are one big family. Its a joy to see. Best of luck with the search for your next family member Emma, Jasper 10y Malamute, Meg 18 m lab and double trouble twin boys age 7 !!
Wow you've all been SO helpful! Thank you for the lovely welcome and the great advice! I will definitely keep you updated with our decision, and search, etc. I have many many questions!! Thanks
Welcome from Hattie 8 years and our rescue boy Charlie 4 years. Good luck with your search for a new member of your family. Helen x
