Good labrador breeders in East Anglia

[MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig]

We're looking for a pup around spring time. I think for that to happen we'd need someone with a bitch that's pregnant about now but anyone that's any good will probably already have a full waiting list. Have asked around lots of people in our shooting community, have got emails links from the Kennel Club, the gun dog clubs and the local breed club. Just thought it would be worth a mention on here as well in case anyone knows of anything.

Could probably go further afield, just thinking about going to look at pups, having to go back to collect and any breeder support. It seems so difficult now. When we got our old boy we asked a couple of people and someone knew of a litter just down the road where the chap had a waiting list of eight or so and the bitch had ten puppies! I think we struck lucky there. Well I know we did, my old boy was fabulous.

I think one of the doghouse regulars, daisydotandgertie, has bred labs so might be worth getting in touch with her

good luck with your puppy search

Cheers bas. Seems such a minefield now!

I didn't see that message, what went on there?

Do you want to message me daisy?

Good to see you getting back in the saddle so to speak.

Have a look on the kennel club website, there used to be a list of kc approved breeders you could narrow to area.

I posted the details of a breeder, but decided it was advertising and asked MN to delete which they kindly did.

OP what sort of lab are you after and what do you hope to do with it?

Hi Percy! Lovely to see you, thanks for popping by. We're getting there slowly.

daisy thanks for your help. You can pm me if you want to.

We're not into showing or trialing or anything, we just want a family pet that we can also train to the gun to pick up for us on the shoot. We lost our old boy last month and now we're thinking about looking for the next one. We had a working cocker and the original idea was to hunt him in the beating line but he was so lary he flushed too much out. So we switched to picking up and he was bloody brilliant. He could mark anything and find anything. I did KC obedience with him, and a bit of agility, but his main love was picking up for us. Pigeons, pheasants, anything really. He could even manage a goose bless him.

We said we'd have a lab while we still had him, wanted one of each, but didn't get round to it and then he suddenly became ill and that was that. Suspected liver tumour. So now we've got to deal with the grief of losing him as well as what should be an exciting search for our new dog. He was our first child, he was.

Obviously we want a pup with a good working pedigree but I've also read that working labs tend to be smaller and leaner than the chunky show types and as it will live indoors we don't anything too big. Would depend on the parents really I guess.

So that's it, in a nutshell. Have tried Kennel Club lists, Champdogs, local gun dog people, the local breed club, etc. Putting lots of feelers out!

I think that's probably the best way, putting out feelers. A friend of mine has had a lovely chocolate lab but the breeder is local to me I think (staffs).
I'd guess your local gun people would be more in the know.

God I've tried a lot of people.

Most of the ads on Champdogs say waiting list full. The ones that don't just email back with sorry, list full. I even had one suggest I stick to one or two local breeders and wait and see. I want a dog this year not next year!

And it's a national website. I can't travel hundreds of miles just to find a dog. We're not going to take it trialing or show it. I just want my next dog!

How is the labrador the nations most popular dog? Where are they finding them?

I think I'm going to start answering ads in the paper at this rate. This is hard.

To be honest I did a 300 mile round trip for Murphy, sometimes the right dog isn't necessarily in the right place

He was very worth it though.

Really? Christ.

Perhaps I'd better start looking further afield. Dh isn't keen. He came home tonight and said a mate from work has a friend with a lab-springer cross. I don't want a lab-springer cross. He'd take a puppy off a bloke in the pub if I let him.

Yeah my dh raised an eyebrow. I asked if he "fancied a run out" and said it "wasn't that far" best road trip we ever made though.

Something will turn up, told you fate has a way of working things out.

There is a breeder on champ dogs in colchester and i know she was hoping to had a mating took

Not quite as far as sisters of percy but we have a 200 mile round trip to collect our puppy end of month

I know there are puppies available on the website I suggested - and they're all fabulous breeders and the breeding lines involved will produce fabulous dogs. They'll be a journey, but it'd be worth it.

I had to travel as a couple breeders was flat no when i said am in a wheelchair as they worried about managing and squashing a puppy /toilet training /walking etc and wasn't even willing to meet me to see or ask any more questions

but found lovely one who had reservations about the wheelchair fair enough but was willing to actually meet me saw me in a manual chair indoors and we walked one of her dogs with me in my powerchair( off road style ) so not limited much and from that was apologetic for asking. but more than happy to me have one of her puppies when born

I drove 220 miles & waited 4 months to get our dog - think you just have to do the miles to get the right one.

It's good to see this thread!! And, by the sound of it, there's sill a number of reputable breeders out there with full waiting lists. Sometimes, looking a Pre-loved, you wonder if this is the case.....

Good luck, I hope you find your new lab puppy, however far you have to travel.

my friend at work breeds working labs , expecting litter very soon. I live in New Forest though...nice day trip :)
I travelled from here to Lowestoft for my puppy !!!!

ggirl I'm about 20 miles from Lowestoft!

daisy we're possibly on the list for one stud litter from your friend. It's only about an hour away from us. Dh isn't keen on reds but the litter might produce some yellow so we'll wait and see if we even make it on to the list.

catapult gosh sounds like you had a hard time, glad you found one in the end. I'm on the notifications for Champdogs so hopefully if your friend in Colchester puts an ad up I'll get an email.

I'm not the world's most patient person.

Harrumph - what's wrong with red labs? Our first ever dog was a fox red lab and she was fab (apart from being a walking dustbin that is ...)

I live in Hertfordshire and went to preston for Labrador number one, and then up to Driffield in Yorkshire for our current bitch. She is worth it! But goodness it was a long day. We left home at 8am, and got back at nearly 11pm. We stopped off to visit family/have a rest stop about halfway down, but it was an awfully long drive!

To be fair, both our dogs were bought with showing in mind and I liked their dams/sires and breeders so was happy to travel. Unfortunately the right dog is rarely on the doorstop (i keep saying this at the min as we are looking at stud dogs and they are all a fair old way away!)

Sorry bas, I don't know what's wrong with reds either it's a mystery to me too. He's just being odd. My best mate has a red and she's a lovely little dog. Mind you if I did end up with a red knowing my mate she'd be jealous!

I think if you're looking for a dog for trialling or showing then it's worth going the distance. We only want a family pet to do a bit of picking up so it doesn't really matter, to be honest. I just want to do it properly.

Not sure I agree with you on that one. 'Only' wanting a family pet in no way negates the need to look for a good breeder.

Anyone looking for a labrador should be looking for one which has been properly bred, by a knowledgable and committed breeder. A breeder who has spent years learning the breed and has ensured all relevant health tests have been done, the dam and sire have the right temperament and conformation, the pups are properly socialised and carefully cared for. A breeder who will be available for the entire dogs life for advice and support and who will refund your entire purchase price and take the dog back at any point in the dogs life should your circumstances change.

That's why you travel.

20 Miles from Lowestoft Adora you should be having a black lab and calling it Shuck

Well yes alright daisy, point taken. I just meant I'm not going to travel half way round the country and spend thousands buying the best dog possible to have it sit at home and do nothing. It would be a waste and a loss to the breed, trials, etc. Obviously I want a well bred and cared for dog, I'm not daft. I can probably find one a bit closer to home though.

When my cocker was young a chap I went gun dog training with said he'd give me two thousand pounds for him. He said he'd make a fantastic little trials dog, but not to worry, he was happy with me and that was all that mattered.

Yes, that is all that matters, no he is not for sale. Sorry.

perc no a big black hairy wolfhound.