Looking for a lab pup

[Jstpssng]

Mine never would load without me standing there to back him up, and that was before he wrecked both legs. He can hardly jump at all so I have to give him a hand.

 

[CalG]

After they hit 5, consideration for age is always part of the deal. I can't jump in anymore either.... ;-)

 

[Jstpssng]

There was one day that we left the vet's, then I had a Dr appointment 100 miles away. She told me not to do any heavy lifting... as I carried him to the house that night I determined that "heavy lifting" must mean no more than 90 lbs.

 

[forgeblast]

You might want to contact Ridleys Red Retrievers . Our Goldendude is from there. They have excellent hips etc, but she might know of a quality lab breeder near you.

 

[NorTracNY]

I have never bought a dog from a breeder, and I never will. There are SO many dogs killed every day because no one in the world wants them. I can't support an industry that is cranking out more of them.

I also have never bought from a breeder, but I'm not understanding your reason. Should everyone buy used cars that need a new owner and not support the car companies cranking out new ones? The dogs coming from good breeders are certainly different than the typical dog from a shelter or rescue. We have bought puppies and gotten rescues. There certainly are pluses and minuses. We even did the Vuchard test on a litter and were impressed at how accurate it was. When we bought from a rescue, we didn't know what problems we were getting and it took a lot of work to correct the errors of the original owners. I don't know what route I'd take next, but I won't be against breeders.

 

[Jstpssng]

I also have never bought from a breeder, but I'm not understanding your reason. Should everyone buy used cars that need a new owner and not support the car companies cranking out new ones? The dogs coming from good breeders are certainly different than the typical dog from a shelter or rescue. We have bought puppies and gotten rescues. There certainly are pluses and minuses. We even did the Vuchard test on a litter and were impressed at how accurate it was. When we bought from a rescue, we didn't know what problems we were getting and it took a lot of work to correct the errors of the original owners. I don't know what route I'd take next, but I won't be against breeders.

I had never heard of that so had to call up Google again... I believe that you meant the Volhard puppy test. http://www.debbiespoodles.com/Volhard_Puppy.pdf
When I was looking for my first puppy I read a lot of books by "Experts" and got a lot of bogus ideas. The worst thing I read though, was when somebody wrote "Let the breeder pick out a puppy for you."
That's a surefire way to get the least desirable pup of the litter.

 

[fried1765]

I also have never bought from a breeder, but I'm not understanding your reason. Should everyone buy used cars that need a new owner and not support the car companies cranking out new ones? The dogs coming from good breeders are certainly different than the typical dog from a shelter or rescue. We have bought puppies and gotten rescues. There certainly are pluses and minuses. We even did the Vuchard test on a litter and were impressed at how accurate it was. When we bought from a rescue, we didn't know what problems we were getting and it took a lot of work to correct the errors of the original owners. I don't know what route I'd take next, but I won't be against breeders.

We got a wonderful looking 3-1/2 year old yellow (actually pure white) English Lab, from Labrador Retriever Rescue of Florida.
We eventually assumed he had been kept in a crate for much of his earlier life.
He howled continually, as soon as we left the house.

Had to put a howl activated shock collar on him when we went outside without him.
What a shame!
Milo was a wonderful boy, like a big white teddy bear. He had to be put down 5 days before his 11th birthday.

We now have a 15 month old, female (spayed) white Lab puppy from a respected breeder.

 

[forgeblast]

Forgot to say, there is a way to stop bloat. When we had our girl pup fixed, we also had the vet attach her stomach to her ab wall. I read about the technique in a war dog book as a way to prevent bloat. A buddy of mine lost a saint Bernard to it, and our friends golden dude had to be rushed to the emergency clinic because he had it. Prophylactic gastropexy is the name of the technique. I has given us peace of mind over the years with our pup.

 

[Sigarms]

What I'm really looking for is a 6 month old that stayed with the *****. They already know how to be dogs, and that PEOPLE are NOT DOGS. Big issue around small children.

The issue with most dogs and children is the childs issue on not being properly supervised being around a dog.

I don't care what breed you have and how long you've had both the kid and dog, leaving the two left together unsupervised is dangerous.

 

[Sigarms]

I can go with you on that if the dog is only a pet. A "warm object of your affection" , But some dogs are just built for purpose, and a retriever has "built in" some aspects that I really enjoy.(Like hunting waterfowl or even upland game) Much like cattle dogs just take to rounding up livestock.

If you want a pup that was bred speciffically for hunting from a reputable breeder / trainer, instead of $500 to $1,500 for a "pet", you'll start off a $1,500 and work your way up to 7k easily depending on the blood line.

I've never taken in a "pound dog", as the last 6 or 8 have always found us in someway, but all have been great dogs. I take that back, I did take my neighbors dog because he dumped him off at the pound (and was going to be put down), but he (the man) was a total arse hole in more ways I could count. The reality is a shelter is the worst environment a dog can be put into from my own experiences.

 

[Jstpssng]

The issue with most dogs and children is the childs issue on not being properly supervised being around a dog.

I don't care what breed you have and how long you've had both the kid and dog, leaving the two left together unsupervised is dangerous.

I keep labs because they are very social, and I don't have any tolerance for a mean animal of any species. Yet I wish more people understood what you just said. I saw a toddler walk up to my last dog as she was lying quietly on the floor, and poke her in the eye before I could do anything. Luckily she just turned her head, but it was definitely an "Oh ****" moment.

 

[NorTracNY]

I had never heard of that so had to call up Google again... I believe that you meant the Volhard puppy test. http://www.debbiespoodles.com/Volhard_Puppy.pdf
When I was looking for my first puppy I read a lot of books by "Experts" and got a lot of bogus ideas. The worst thing I read though, was when somebody wrote "Let the breeder pick out a puppy for you."
That's a surefire way to get the least desirable pup of the litter.

Yes, you are correct on the name. I don't see it in your link, but there is a small window of time that they look for the test to be performed. We saw a range from the pups and did wind up with exactly the correct temperaments from the two we chose. I know there are many breeders that will not let the people pick. I think it really comes down to the breeder. If you're selling something and it's in high demand, you call the shots. You just hope they have the integrity to do what is best. Not many people would hold onto the last pup from a litter just because the right match hasn't come along.