Choosing a Lab breeder ...

[hayewe 0]

Hi everyone -

 

I'm new to the board. I am involved in a different working breed, however, a friend of mine asked me to help her find a good Lab breeder. She is looking for a pup for her family. So then the question of what makes a good breeder comes into play. I don't know if it's different with labs, but here's a few things I've learned over the years.

 

When looking for a pup from the working breeds, it's not about whether you're going to do with the dog what it was originally intended to do that determines how important it is that the breeder be active in maintaining the working ability in the breed. My friend's thought is ... "well, I don't need to go to a working breeder because I'm just looking for a pet." I think differently than that. I would not support a "pet" breeder of a working breed. Nor would I want to contribute to a puppymill, backyard breeder, or high volume breeder's operation. A breeder's responsibility is doing their part to maintain the breed as a whole. Is it unreasonable for me to steer her towards a breeder whose first priority is the working ability in the dogs, and also who hip and eye tests their dogs? She sent me to a website ... www.stargatekennels.com. To me, there are tons of red flags, not the least of which are all of the known puppymill advertising sites listed there. On top of that, I don't see that they do anything with their dogs other than breed them. She asked if they hip or eye test, and she got some story, but that the bottom line was no, they don't test. She was told that of the 1000 puppies they've bred, the rate of health problems was 1.2% or something. 1,000 puppies? The sheer number made me cringe. Considering they charge $750 per pup, I don't understand what it is you're paying for. If they are not laying out money in trial entry fees or anything to campaign their dogs, and they are not laying out the money on health testing, exactly what is it that you're paying for? The kicker was ... she told me she needs to make a decision by tomorrow because he could deliver the pup to her because he's going that way or something. Preying on the impulse buyer. To me, was another red flag.

 

Considering labs are not my preferred breed, I may be way off the mark here. Can someone please fill me in on what to look for when looking for a lab puppy? And if anyone knows of a reputable breeder in California, please let me know.

 

Thanks!

Jodi