To get an 8 month old pup as family dog?

[Labadabado]

We have been offered an 8 month old labrador pup from a well regarded breeder. She kept 2 on with a view to finding the best to show and this one now needs a home. Full health tested parents, grandparents, great grandparents etc etc. However, the pup has predominantly lived outside and hasn't grown up with children. Breeder has said she has a wonderful easy going temperament and is good with all people and dogs. She is clean and happy in a crate. She is fit, healthy and has a sound temperament according to breeder who is v v well regarded (one of the best). In many ways this suits us so much better but I have 2 primary age children so good with kids is top priority. Would anything about the above put you off? Should we be worried about the fact pup hasn't grown up with children / has mainy lived outside? Although was born in the home? Just giving it some thought! Thanks!

Yeah I would be a little concerned about those things. Has the puppy been socialised and trained? Would the breeeder take her back if you had problems?

Pup hasn't been trained but she has just done everything all the other dogs do so hasn't been just left outside (as she would need to be well socialised to be a confident show dog etc). But they don't have children so little exposure to them. Apparently she is extremely loving, easy going, with a truly lovely temperament so the breeder has said she would not have any worries about her going to a home with children. I don't know! Won't be making any hasty decisions and breeder has welcomed us to come up meet pup, walk her, chat everything through if we were interested.

And yes, she would take her back if it didn't work out for any reason.

She will be having a litter at the end of the year so we have a choice of perhaps having a pup from that litter and we aren't in any rush at all, just thinking through this option.

I would go for a pup from the litter. I would question if the breeder is saying the truth or if perhaps someone returned the dog if it was a difficult one. But of course what the breeder says might be true and she really was selecting a show dog. However, with such a big decision, I wouldn't take the chance. We had our puppy from 8 weeks and now she is 16 months. She is a dream dog from day one and I am happy we got to shape and train her from a young pup. We were lucky though, as ours was an extremely smart and easy dog.

Thank you! No, she 100 percent kept 2 bitches from the litter and ran them both on, no question about that. I think we may wait for a pup. I just hoped to escape the tiny puppy stage!

But you are right, we can know the socialisation is done really well if we get the pup from 8 weeks! I just remember how not fun taking them out every 30 minutes is.....!