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If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

I want a puppy. I found a litter. Where do I start?

66 replies

MyVIsForVendetta · 31/07/2025 11:06

I’ve owned dogs before but for the first time I want a puppy.

I have not owned a puppy before, previous have been rescues.

I have found a reputable person with both parents seen in excellent condition and ticks lots of boxes.

I will take the dog to puppy training classes and read lots of books as I did before when I got my very first dog.

There is someone home 24 hours a day.

I know I will need to toilet train it as well and I’m also aware that it’s harder than looking after a newborn for the first few months.

please can I have any further advice, any good books (it’s likely to be a Labrador)

and no judgement on the fact that I am this time choosing to go for a puppy over a rescue.

OP posts:
LandSharksAnonymous · 31/07/2025 11:22

The below may/may not be helpful 😊

(A) Mum and dads health scores. Full Health tests should be done and verified and the breeder should want to show them to you. A 'vet check' is not a health test. If you go on the KC website and look at litters where parents are fully health tested, that'll give you a good idea of what you should expect. If there are no health tests, or not full health tests, walk away. Things like dysplasia, for example, can cost £10s of thousands over a dogs life and limit that dogs life (as well as what you can do with that dog).

(B) Be confident you are happy with that particular litter and the litter is right for you. Not all litters will suit everyone. Some labs are working lines - not many people can handle a working line Labrador. It's like having a duracell bunny on crack. Show lines can still be a hard work, but they're going to be more like a normal Lab (mostly) than a Border Collie.

(C) Easy-Peazy Puppy Squeezy (or whatever it is called) is very good if you're a first time puppy owner.

(D) Labradors are particularly mouthy. You really need to be aware of that. An adult dog is in no way comparable to a retriever puppy. They mouth hard. They don't understand their own strength and that means they can, on occasion, break the skin. So if there are small children in your home, or likely to be around, you need to be aware of that. It won't be done viciously, but it will happen. 10 - 20(ish) weeks will be particularly bad.

(E) Training begins day 1. Lots of people like to fuss puppies, and that's great, but puppies are surprisingly intelligent. I have a litter atm (not yet 7 weeks) and many are already showing signs of being able to head home completely house-trained and/or clean. So, don't wait until puppy training classes. Begin on the day you bring the puppy home - that way, when you do go to puppy training classes, your puppy will not be learning commands for the first time but instead be trying them for the first time in a distracting environment.

(F) Be prepared for the puppy to either sleep in your room, or for you to sleep on the sofa for several weeks. Some advocate leaving a puppy overnight from day one. I would not do that - you could accidentally install severe separation anxiety in the puppy. It's easier to train in good behaviour, through positive reinforcement and association, than it is to manage bad behavioural issues.

I hope that's helpful 😊There's a couple of posters who have young labs ATM, so they might be able to be more specific in their advice.

And absolutely no judgment from me over getting a puppy (although, admittedly as a breeder I would be very hypocritical if I did judge)! Puppies are a clean slate - unless the breeder has really cocked up - and that's what a lot of people need and want.

MyVIsForVendetta · 31/07/2025 11:52

That’s SO helpful!!

Thank you!

Here is there health scores and more info, it seems pretty good??

I want a puppy. I found a litter. Where do I start?
OP posts:
SpanielsGalore · 31/07/2025 12:01

I'd start by finding a different breeder. Their licence says they have 12 breeding bitches. Are you sure it isn't a glorified puppy farm?

SpanielsGalore · 31/07/2025 12:06

This makes interesting reading.
www.labradorforums.co.uk/threads/lynsted-labradors.133564/

OlderGlaswegianLivingInDevon · 31/07/2025 12:06

I don't know how @SpanielsGalore found that info, but WOW 12 breeding bitches, that is a lot of puppies every year.
What happens when the breeding bitches are too old to breed, how long do they breed their bitches for.
Do they also have the male dog/s ?

How much is puppy ?

SpanielsGalore · 31/07/2025 12:10

@OlderGlaswegianLivingInDevon I looked on their website.

I want a puppy. I found a litter. Where do I start?
OlderGlaswegianLivingInDevon · 31/07/2025 12:11

Wow ( again ) I just read some of the comments on the above link.
one word

RUN.

OlderGlaswegianLivingInDevon · 31/07/2025 12:12

@SpanielsGalore I wasn't able to make the photo any larger so couldn't read the smaller details, but your link was enough !

LandSharksAnonymous · 31/07/2025 12:13

SpanielsGalore · 31/07/2025 12:01

I'd start by finding a different breeder. Their licence says they have 12 breeding bitches. Are you sure it isn't a glorified puppy farm?

100% agree!

@MyVIsForVendetta you should run away from this litter, incredibly quickly. Not only are they a puppy farmer, their dogs are also not fully health tested.

Rule of thumb: Snazzy website, multiple breeding bitches, a licence to breed multiple dog breeds, no dogs over 5 = puppy farm.

SpanielsGalore · 31/07/2025 12:16

OlderGlaswegianLivingInDevon · 31/07/2025 12:12

@SpanielsGalore I wasn't able to make the photo any larger so couldn't read the smaller details, but your link was enough !

I clicked on the photo and it showed the kennel name at the top and bottom of the page. Didn't take very long to discover it is somewhere to avoid. I imagine they get around a lot of the breeding restrictions by simply not registering the liters.

OlderGlaswegianLivingInDevon · 31/07/2025 12:17

I prefer to buy from breeder who only breed one breed of dog.

Out of goodness knows how many dogs I have had, I have only bought pedigree puppies three times, all the others have been rescues.

I only bought pedigrees as I wanted a specific breed i.e. a Rottie so had to be very careful ! and Japanese Chins.

Hellohelga · 31/07/2025 12:19

SpanielsGalore · 31/07/2025 12:01

I'd start by finding a different breeder. Their licence says they have 12 breeding bitches. Are you sure it isn't a glorified puppy farm?

On the website they have two bitches - custard and cream, and one stud - duke. The licence may be for 12 but they have tow bitches so hardly a puppy farm.

OlderGlaswegianLivingInDevon · 31/07/2025 12:19

@MyVIsForVendetta

Where are you looking for puppy adverts ?

SpanielsGalore · 31/07/2025 12:23

Hellohelga · 31/07/2025 12:19

On the website they have two bitches - custard and cream, and one stud - duke. The licence may be for 12 but they have tow bitches so hardly a puppy farm.

If they only have two bitches, how have they got three litters advertised for sale?

LandSharksAnonymous · 31/07/2025 12:24

@Hellohelga that may be the case, but they also breed Jack Russels. People who breed seriously, for the good of the breed, do not have multiple types of dogs. Those two girls are also the only ones KC registered, they may well have others that aren't - particularly given they have three litters up, all of different ages. How can a breeder have three litters up but only two bitches?

It only takes an ounce of critical thinking to work out what's going on here. Multiple dogs that are not registered, also being bred from.

Also, their dogs (being frank) are in terrible condition. They're not chunky (as some labs are built to be) but fat.

SpanielsGalore · 31/07/2025 12:27

@LandSharksAnonymous I read it as Custard and Cream are new additions to the breeding programme. The other dogs are not shown. They've been breeding for years, so obviously have other dogs.
And I agree about appearance. Duke is not a shining example of a healthy lab.

Hellohelga · 31/07/2025 12:28

OlderGlaswegianLivingInDevon · 31/07/2025 12:17

I prefer to buy from breeder who only breed one breed of dog.

Out of goodness knows how many dogs I have had, I have only bought pedigree puppies three times, all the others have been rescues.

I only bought pedigrees as I wanted a specific breed i.e. a Rottie so had to be very careful ! and Japanese Chins.

All their dogs on the Kennel Club website are Labradors. Their kennel name is Lynsted so all their dogs are called Lynsted something eg Lynsted Beauty. If a dog is called for example Lady Meg of Lynsted that’s not one of theirs. That’s how kennel names work. All the boxers and jack russels are the second type so not theirs.

SpanielsGalore · 31/07/2025 12:31

@Hellohelga That means they didn't breed those dogs. Not that they aren't breeding from them.

OlderGlaswegianLivingInDevon · 31/07/2025 12:36

@MyVIsForVendetta

have you been on the Kennel Club website, it does give info on how to choose a puppy / questions to ask a breeder and other info.

I would start there and read as much as you can, then maybe come back to ' us ' with alternative puppies...

Hellohelga · 31/07/2025 12:37

LandSharksAnonymous · 31/07/2025 12:24

@Hellohelga that may be the case, but they also breed Jack Russels. People who breed seriously, for the good of the breed, do not have multiple types of dogs. Those two girls are also the only ones KC registered, they may well have others that aren't - particularly given they have three litters up, all of different ages. How can a breeder have three litters up but only two bitches?

It only takes an ounce of critical thinking to work out what's going on here. Multiple dogs that are not registered, also being bred from.

Also, their dogs (being frank) are in terrible condition. They're not chunky (as some labs are built to be) but fat.

I read it that there is one current litter Aug 2025 and the other two are prior litters still on the website but you could be right.

SpanielsGalore · 31/07/2025 12:41

@Hellohelga If they only have three dogs, why do they need 5 members of staff?

Hellohelga · 31/07/2025 12:46

@SpanielsGalore the non Labradors with name containing Lynsted haven’t had any litters and are spread over a number of years. So Tiny Tim of Lynsted is a yorkie bred in 1982 from a stud dog and a dam who had just one litter. There no indication it’s connected to these labrador breeder.

OlderGlaswegianLivingInDevon · 31/07/2025 12:48

staff = kennels = business/BIG business !

I think we are all in agreement that you do not want to buy from this breeder.

ParvuliThankYouDebbie · 31/07/2025 12:51

I’m confused by the comment
’its likely to be a Labrador’
If you’ve found the breeder and know the parents are tested, how come you’re saying ‘likely’?

Hellohelga · 31/07/2025 12:53

OP they say they sell black nd chocolate puppies but they don’t have any chocolate bitches. You can’t get chocolate pups from a yellow bitch - though you can get black. So where do the chocolate ones come from? So I think they must have dogs other than the three KC yellow ones on the website.