How much should a lab puppy cost

[googgly]

from a good breeder?

Sorry, that should have been

Well, it's a dirty job

We have a Lab, he cost us £300 i think a couple of years ago and is the picture of health. He wadnt hip scored though, we hadnt done our reaserch at the time. He's been given the all clear by the vet though, i am not woried about him now really.

I would say you really dont need to spend 6 or 7 hundred quid to get a good dog, It was Df that wanted the Lab, i'd have been happy with a heinz 57 from an accidental mating of the dog up the road.

Labs are inherently one of the most unhealthy breeds going.

Seriously don't get a pedigree if you are worried about illness. I work at a vets and the majority of dogs with serious and very expensive illnesses are pedigrees.

What Loola says about pedigrees being generally more unhealthy is true.

You only need to look at the difference in insurance premiums between pedigrees and crossbreeds to see that.

My other dog is a Heinz 57 who we got as an adult from a very reputable rescue centre. They had behaviour tested her and she is as bombproof as any dog can be with children. On the other hand I've had pedigrees and mutts from pups who were, quite frankly, nutters. And others who were fantastic, too!

Then again, a great deal depends on the environment, training, experience of the owner etc.

So please don't rule out an adult rescue dog, but do look long and hard at how much time and effort you are able to put in.

we have a very big dog (bullmastiff) and one from a champ line is £1k. ours was less as he is not kC reg - but is the picture of health and great with the kids. i was not looking for a show dog - so didnt want to spend £1k but did meet both our dogs parents and the family had children - far more important IMHO.

I meant that I wouldn't get a lab puppy from the pound because of illness, but would only get a pedigree from a breeder I believed had done hip scores etc. Prob is also that dh is really fussy - pound has a lab/beagle cross (my 2 fave dogs in one!), but dh doesn't like it. Sigh.

Get the lab/beagle cross.

Rehome the DH

It is likely to be very healthy from the pound/rehoming centre - it will have had every check known to man. What is the reasoning for you thinking it would be unhealthy? (thin skin ointment available on request if that is also considered rude)

I agree with Bella, rehome the DH. Or as I do wait until DH is in the USA working (about 40% of the time) and have it ensconsed by his return .

Bella wrt an earlier post

So please don't rule out an adult rescue dog, but do look long and hard at how much time and effort you are able to put in.

Out of genuine interest, are you saying that an adult dog is harder to train than a pup or was the training comment directed at whatever aged dog OP gets?

To explain (before I go bankrupt sending out ointment ) I have only ever rehomed 2 adult dogs and they were easy (an ex racing greyhound, docile as a lamb but anxious and ate the inside of nmy car whilst I was paying for petrol, and an Afghan who was failry sane for an affie).

We are considering a dog next year (not had one since before DD was born) am really torn re the adult/pup dilemma. Obviously all dogs are different, but interested in your opinion.

Hey there Marmaduke

No, I meant whatever dog you get but especially a puppy. I agree that rehomed adult dogs without issues are probably the easiest to take on, but of course it depends on how good the rescue centre is and also choosing the right dog. I will risk having to send ointment out here myself, but I think a certain amount of experience comes from being around dogs or owning them and so it is easier to pick out the adult dog in the rescue centre who will make you a good pet. That is not aimed at anyone on this thread

Forgotten the original thread here....

Googgly - I interpret what you said about not wanting a lab from the pound due to illness as meaning you wouldn't know the parents hip scores etc., in which case I agree.

Beagle/lab cross sounds perfect!

we paid £550 two years ago and £650 last year. (one choc, one black) needed puppy/s used to a home environment with small noisy and unpredictable children so decided that using kc reg list of litters was the easiest option (dd2 has a disability so we needed to ask lots of q's etc). yes we could have got a 'cheaper' puppy both times without doubt, but we're happy with the two we have now. (south east btw)

Bella - that is exactly what i meant, I realise I didn't say it very clearly. I wouldn't get a pedigree dog from rescue as I wouldn't know anything about the parents, and it could be a pedigree from a puppy farm or wherever with all sorts of problems. If I was getting a random dog from rescue I'd prefer a mutt with a tough constitution.

The dcs are the big issue for me. The smallest is 2 and he's not a gentle child, so I'm happiest with the idea of a puppy who's not fazed by the rambunctious activity levels chez nous. I'm concerned that an adult dog might freak out pretty fast!

Thanks Bella, for clarification of that.

I am a home checker for a large rescue charity, but mostly am not rehoming dogs with serious behavioural issues - these are often fostered first or sent to well known homes who are used to dealing with such issues..

I have owned/lived with dogs for 28 of my 37 years so am generally able to work out if a person suits a dog or vice versa. Am hoping comment wasn't at me but am often when I visit people who want to adopt and they are clearly in unsuitable accomodation or jobs to allow them to have a dog.

OP Go for the Beagle/lab cross you know you want to!

It's okay, googgly - Marmaduke often gets the wrong end of the stick, don't you Marmaduke

We will of course get flamed now for suggesting it's a bad idea to get a pedigree from a pound but all I am saying is you are probably more likely to get health problems with a pedigree than a crossbreed.

TBH I just think you are (successfully) building a strong case for that lovely beagle/lab cross that's caught your eye

x post with Marmaduke - defo not aimed at you!!!!

You've been hanging round us thin skinned people too long, you know!

We bought a labradoodle yesterday for £350, not sure if that helpful at all though.

Googgly, I got a puppy in your situation too. I've had rescue dogs in the past, they both had behavioural issues which took a long time and a great deal of hard work to resolve, incidentally, I don't think you can tell how a dog will be in a home from its behaviour in a rescue centre, our second was very calm and quiet in the centre(suffering from depresssion), after a few months in our home he regained his confidence and became a lively bouncy dog, albeit still with some issues.
We got a puppy as DD was almost 2 and I wouldn't trust a rescue with a young child. And although puppies are hard work in my experience its easier to house train a puppy than an adult dog.(although I'm sure there are some rescue dogs out there that are perfectly well trained with no issues - we'll get rescues again in the future).
We've just got a second puppy (our first dog is now a relatively sensible 20mth old). I have 1 expensive pedigree and 1 cheap cross breed. So far they are both happy and healthy although the crossbreed was much cheaper to buy and cheaper to insure.
Labs are lovely, I would go for one from a working strain rather than a show strain as they are often a lighter build and generally healthier (as they aren't as inbred and aren't just bred for looks but are bred for appearance and trainability). That is just my experience from the ones that I know locally(I'm in the South west).
I hope you have fun with your puppy

Helpful and lovely, Madame. How is Elvis the girl puppy anyway

Seriously, WRT dogs & small dc, you have to separate them anyway. As I've said I have the soppiest dog imaginable but I wouldn't leave her unsupervised with a small child, ever. Small children can do freakishly nasty things to dogs when your back's turned and even the nicest dog can be pushed to its limits. You will probably find that finding a rescue dog whom the pound is happy to rehome with small children is tricky - they are understandably cautious.

Oh, and BTW, Marmaduke - I have had/lived with dogs for 41 of my 41 years, been a vet nurse, been a home checker too.

So, if you need any advice....

Just could not resist it - sorry

Crate of ointment for the lady in the corner, please!!!

Bella, I will be stalking you for advice next year when we get our gundog pup , so you may regret saying that! I'm glad you have got over my initial rudeness. (That is like me saying sorry)

Disclaimer, although I know I should get a rehomer BUT, like Romy, I have a DS with SN and personally I think it is easier for a pup to get used to odd bits of equipment, noises etc than an adult dog.

With you all they way on NEVER leaving a child and dog unsupervised. Although will be taking my pup to the loo with me next year, rather than DS - far more peaceful!

My brother cost around £380. Working, farm bred.

Apology accepted, Marmaduke. I do realise how utterly painful it was for you to do that

You're a softie at heart really, I can tell.

But hey guys, look! BongelA, a lab who can type!

Definitely true what they say about the working ones being more intelligent

LOL @ typing lab!

Worth way more than £380 imho

Please can someone gently explain what hip scoring is? Thought it was something to do with
Sienna and Kate

Lab pups seem to have dropped in price recently round here - now about £400 in local paper - and it's a very lab/4WD type area.

Sienna and Kate - lol.

Basically (I gotta go in a mo) they x ray the dog to see the hip joints and compare that to a template to determine how out of alignment the joint is. This then translates to a 'score' where low is good, high is bad. But, this genetic component only accounts for 30% of the risk - diet and exercise (not too much too young) make up the rest.