Labrador puppy help

[Whatthefudgeisgoingon]

Hi everyone,
Myself and my partner are looking to get a Labrador puppy. We are both familiar with the breed however have no idea where to start when it comes to deciding on breeders etc.
Those of you that have / had labs.. is it worth paying the extra for kc registered and a litter who’s parents hip/ elbow scores are known.
Obviously I understand labradors are prone to problems in their hips and it would be good to know that the parents scores are low but the more I read about it the more confused I get!
Thank you in advance :)

[PoohBearsHole]

In answer to your question, go with a Kc registered breeder. This doesn’t mean they have to be a “breeder” but a Kc registered dog gives you peace of mind.

[Dementedswan]

There are quite a few Labrador breeders out there. Start by visiting the kennel club site, also search for breeders online.

Make sure your chosen breeder has had extensive testing done on the parents. A reputable breeder will be more than happy to show you all the paper work. Make sure the paperwork matches the dog.

Labs are lovely dogs, mine's fast asleep after a wet walk.

[Dementedswan]

It will be more expensive to buy a well bred pup however you will potentially save thousands of pounds in vet bills in the future.

[Whatthefudgeisgoingon]

Thank you very much for your responses! Dementedswan I’m going to need a picture pretty please!

[Dementedswan]

Here he is!

[BorderlineExperimental]

KC registration alone is no guarantee that a dog has been bred by a decent breeder. The conditions that must be met for someone to register a litter of pups are pretty basic and there are no requirements at all in terms of health testing or the conditions the pups have been bred in.

You absolutely want to get a puppy from a breeder who properly health tests the parents. As a minimum they should be doing the tests listed here. I’d recommend having a read of This article which gives a pretty good basic overview of health testing for labs.

As well as health test results you want to check the inbreeding coefficient of any litters you’re interested in. This article explains what that is and why it’s important. In short health testing helps breeders avoid heritable health conditions that can be tested for (which is only a small percentage of those present in the dog population) and keeping inbreeding coefficients low help avoid those which can’t be tested for (or are, as yet, unknown) as well as helping to slow the inevitable loss of genetic diversity that comes from having completely closed studbooks.

You can find out the COI of a litter as well as look up the health test results of individual dogs by using the KC’s Mate Select tools.

[Whatthefudgeisgoingon]

Dementedswan what a beautiful boy! They are just the best dogs in the world aren’t they

[Whatthefudgeisgoingon]

Borderline thank you so much I will have a read through! Really appreciate that

[Dementedswan]

Hes just amazing! Very calm and gentle, so patient with the dc.

[Wolfiefan]

Show labs and working are very different. Contact the breed club about a breeder. Never shop online. You absolutely want those tests done.

[Dementedswan]

I agree wolfie, mine's from working lines. Bred for temperament and calmness . Hes definately laid back! Don't get me wrong, he's young so has moments of silliness but as long as he's exercised he spends most of the time either asleep at my feet or cuddling in.

[Whitney168]

Those of you that have / had labs.. is it worth paying the extra for kc registered and a litter who’s parents hip/ elbow scores are known.

Absolutely, yes, and recommended eye tests - although you must also recognise that hips/elbows are also strongly affected by food and environment. Stack the odds in your favour (for a comfortable life for your dog and reduced vet bills for you), but then follow the instructions from a reputable breeder on rearing too.

Re. KC registration, there are literally no good reasons why a pedigree puppy should not be registered, and many bad ones for why they might not be.

[Whatthefudgeisgoingon]

Whitney I didn’t know food would have an effect? Obviously I understand the basics ie don’t overfeed your dog and don’t feed it rubbish but could you please explain? Thank you

[Whitney168]

Obviously you don't want pups overweight, but in general, you also don't want foods that 'grow pups on too quickly' - preferred foods are often quite breed specific.

Assuming you choose a reputable breeder, just follow their advice and continue to feed in the way that they have (hopefully) reared generations of healthy dogs on.

[missbattenburg]

To elaborate on the food/growth point (in case it's useful) this is about making sure the puppy does not grow too heavy or too heavily muscled on a underdeveloped skeleton.

If you ask the growing bones of the puppy to support too much weight or to provide a framework to over-developed muscles then they will not be up to the job and be strained as a result.

The ideal is slow and steady growth that allows the bones time to develop before they are asked to support developed muscles or fat.

Large breed dogs require slightly different ratios of calcium and phosphorous (among other things) for this to happen - which is one of the reasons why there are breed specific puppy foods.

Provided you feed a high quality food and do not allow your puppy to become overweight (even a little bit) then growth should happen at a safe rate.

[wheelwarrior]

Yes it is worth it .Something to consider show lines people tend think as calmer less walking and can be wrong

My boy is from show lines but both his ps5rents worked and on a average day we do 10-15 miles all weather's (I knew what chances are as breeder interviewed me )
But age 4 other than when ate something very dodgy and was staggering which meant rush to vets.He is very healthy more so it seems than the working lines see round here.