Labrador Retriever is undoubtedly one of the most loved breeds among all the dogs. And you must have heard people calling it a ‘Lab’ or ‘Labrador’. Labs are a medium-sized dog breed that comes from a retriever gun-dog family.
Mostly Labrador Retrievers are used by physically disabled people like blinds or people suffering from autism. Labs are specially trained to assist these people and help them in doing their inside and well as outside chores. These dogs are widely popular for their loyalty, obedience, and playful nature towards their master. Moreover, they are also known for their sporting and hunting skills.
So if you are planning to find a good dog breeder, you must do some research first. Firstly, decide which breed do you want. Secondly, find the best place where you can get yourself a good quality dog, then get further information about the breeder and its way of taking care of the dogs. Some other factors are also important to be considered before making your decision.
So, keep reading to know how you can find a good Labrador Retriever Breeder.
Physical characteristics of Labrador Retriever
So, the first information you need to know is about a particular dog’s physical characteristics. Because when you go to a pet store you can judge a dog by his appearance and find if it is a well-breded dog or not. Here is the information about the physical characteristics of a Labrador Retriever.
| Gender | Height (cm & inches) | Weight | |
| Female | 54-56 cm 22-22 inches | 25 to 32 kg | |
| Male | 56-57 cm 22-23 inches | 29 to 36 kg |
Labrador Retrievers are also available in different colors like black, fox red, chocolate, and yellow ( ranges from nearly white or pale shades of yellow).
Who can you trust while buying a Labrador Retriever?
Most people prefer not to buy a Labrador from puppy farms or pet stores. However, it seems easy to find a puppy farm but it is rather very difficult to spot a good one.
If a breeder seems friendly and welcoming while you approach them, then it is a good sign. So, if you have found a good breeder, do not hesitate to ask them any questions about the dogs.
What makes a breeder less trustworthy is when they hesitate or seem nervous while you are asking them lots of questions. It may hesitate a breeder from all the questioning, but if he has nothing to hide, he will still welcome all the queries.
But if they are nervous, hesitated or are uncomfortable with you, then it is a red sign. This shows that they are hideous and there is a chance they can be hiding some important information that you must be aware of.
Checklist for a good Labrador Breeder
Here are the points you must consider while searching for a good Labrador Retriever Breeder. And a good breeder will always possess these qualities and do these listed things below.
- They will do a health test of their breeding stock after certain intervals.
- A good breeder always takes the best care of his animals.
- They will be choosy while picking a good home for his animals.
- A good Labrador Breeder must be aware of all the knowledge about the breed.
- Must be proving lifetime support and give guidance in taking care of the animals.
- Must be friendly and honest while answering all your questions.
- And lastly, if they introduce you with their other animals, and your desired pet’s mother and also takes you to the place they are raised, shows how transparent and honest they are in their work.
Now, lets discuss some of the important points in detail.
Good Labrador Retriever Breeders conducts regular Health testing of their animals
One of the important points to be considered is the health testing of their animals. A good Labrador Retriever Breeder does their animal’s health testing on a regular interval of time.
Orthopedic Foundation for Animals Canine Health (OFA-CHIC) and USA Labrador Retriever Club requires minimum health tests to be done for the Labrador Retriever. Some of the tests are listed. The test must include an eye exam, elbow scoring, hip scoring, and a DNA test for the dilute coat gene and for Exercise Induced Collapse.
Some other optional tests are heart exams and DNA tests for Prcd-PRA and Centronuclear Myopathy.
Get proofs of the animal tests
It is possible to check the animal health results on your phones beforehand because it gives you clarity on whether the breeder is serious about its animals’ health or not.
It is important to ask for the test certificate before you visit the breeder. it would be more helpful if you get the certificates via email beforehand. this would save you from any kind of embarrassments in case the breeder is not available at the time you visit them.
Good Labrador Retriever Breeders will take good care of his animals
It is impossible to find out in what conditions the breeder has raised the Labrador Retriever until you visit them personally.
Although there are some questions you can ask the breeder to find out more about him and his animals. So, let’s talk about them pointwise.
1. Ask the breeder how many dogs he is currently raising
A good Labrador retriever breeder will not raise lots of dogs at the same time. Because he would not be able to give his attention to all the dogs equally at the same time.
A good one will try to build a strong and warm relationship with each of his dog. He will try his best to incorporate his dogs in his daily life. He would go on walks with them, play with them, and embrace them into his family as a valued member or companion.
2. Ask the breeder how often they breed from each female dog
It is important to ask how many puppies each female Labrador has given birth to and the reason is that a good breeder will not allow a female Labrador to give birth more than once in a 12 months span. And also he does not breed more than three kids from a single female Labrador throughout her life.
Moreover, they will make sure if the female Labrador Retriever is in a good and stable condition to go through a pregnancy or not. He will ask for a complete examination from the vet before making any decision.
3. Ask the breeder to show you the place where they raise their Labs
This is mostly found that the Labrador who is raised inside the breeder’s home is more likely to settle easily and confidently in your house.
It happens because the dogs are already familiar with a human’s lifestyle. It makes them used to the sounds of washing machines, vacuum cleaners, televisions, and other noise-making appliances.
And even if the breeder raises his dogs outside his house in the kennels, he must allow the dogs to spend some time inside his house too. And also the puppies raised in the kennels need to be taken outside a few times a day.
Good Breeder chooses good breeding options
Just how things like good care and test are important, breeding choices of a breeder matters too.
A good breeder will consider many factors which help to find out which breeding choice is wise or unwise. For instance, a breeder needs to check that the mating dogs’ sire and dam are not related as far as possible.
You must know that to keep dogs healthy, it is necessary to maintain the genetic variation.
Moreover, breeder also checks the temperature of the dam and sire, because it affects the future of their puppies. Temperature affects the possible future life the puppies are going to live, whether they will become someone’s pet or a working dog.
It is equally important to see the willingness of the female dog. That means, if the female dog feels stressed or anxious, or nervous about the pregnancy, then the breeder must not mate them.
Information and after care of the dogs
A good breeder will always provide you lifetime support if you buy their puppies. They will provide you with written information about your puppy as well as they will answer all your queries.
And they will also provide an easy way for you to communicate with them.
You will find that most of the reputed breeders give you an option of returning the animals. So just in case you are not able to take care of the animals anymore, you can give it back to the breeder.
How to buy Labrador puppy from a good Lab breeder?
There are multiple ways to find a good Labrador breeder.
You can find breeder advertisements and puppy advertisements on the internet as well as in newspapers.
You can also reach out to Labrador breed clubs. These clubs keep contact with local and regional clubs and breeders. They will assist you in connecting with a local breeder and from there you can start your research.
Many Labrador breed clubs have a presence online. So you can find their websites and contact them.
Before searching for a puppy, find a good breeder first
It is always better to find a good breeder than to find a good Labrador puppy. Most of the time you have to wait before getting the right puppy. Sometimes the puppy isn’t born yet, so you have to make a booking in advance.
Conclusion
The conclusion is that you don’t have to become an expert to find a good breeder, you just have to do your research first, before making any important decision. You have to make sure that the breeder is trustworthy, and provides you with every needed assistance with your puppy. So, this is the end of this article, and if you find this information helpful you can share it with others in need.
Table of Contents
