LABRADOR RETRIEVER PUPPIES - FAQ
Questions and Answers about our Labrador Retriever puppies
Questions and Answers about our Labs Q: Why is there such a difference in price between non purebred labs,? Purebred labs and quality bred purebreds. Will you negotiate the price?
A: We do not negotiate the price. When making a decision as to what quality of chocolate lab puppy you and your family want to become attached to for 10-15 years, our view is that the focus should be made on the quality of the puppy and the breeding stock it comes from. We see time and time again people spending one thousand to fifteen hundred dollars on their lab puppy in order to save some money only to incur hundreds of dollars in Veterinary bills. One neighbor had made a $500 purchase of a Lab Shepard mix. He didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a dog. His puppy was only 10 weeks old when he had to bring it to the vet to be treated for mange.
Another had his puppy for only 2 years. The puppy he bought for the lowest price he could find was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia. He had to put his family pet down. Then break it to his children. He had no written guarantee to go back to the seller with and was once again looking for a new puppy.
The price we charge for our chocolate Labrador retriever puppies will likely end up cheaper in the long run for you. We back our puppies with a 4 year written Puppy guarantee. This covers all major organs not just hips, elbows and eyes. It is one of the longest around. We also offer a money back guarantee if your dog develops one of the genetic diseases we screen for. Since we don’t breed dogs who both carry copies of these genes, it is not possible for your dog to develop the disease. Having that piece of mind is invaluable.
More Labrador Retriever Puppy FAQ
Q: Why should I buy a purebred with "papers." I don't need the papers, so what's the difference?
A: For a puppy to be sold as a purebred, it must be eligible to be registered with the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC). This is the law in Canada. If a breeder claims that the puppies they are selling are purebred, you are legally entitled to a CKC Registration Certificate at no extra cost. The sale of purebred dogs is governed by the federal Animal Pedigree Act (APA).
Selling a puppy without papers automatically makes it non-purebred. If a certificate of registration is not provided by the seller within six months of the date of sale, the buyer can lay an Information Charge against the seller for violation of the APA.
Article 64. (h) of the APA states: “No person shall offer to sell, contract to sell or sell, as a purebred of a breed, any animal that is not registered or eligible to be registered as a purebred by the association authorized to register animals of that breed.” The penalty for violation of the APA is a fine of up to $50,000.00. If your puppy is not registered, it cannot compete in any purebred competitions (obedience, draft work, showing, etc,).
More Labrador Retriever Puppy FAQ on papers
Any offspring from a non-registered dog are not considered purebred. If the parents are purebred Labrador Retrievers, there is no excuse for selling unregistered Labrador Retrievers. Registering a litter is inexpensive and easy to do. If puppies are being sold unregistered, ask to see the parents registration certificates. Also, make sure the owner has the breeding rights for the parents. A Reliable and Reputable Breeder will NOT sell unregistered puppies. Choose your breeder carefully as you won’t want to support a “puppy mill.”
As well, some people choose to breed purebred dogs when they do not have the breeding rights to those dogs. A person without breeding rights cannot register their puppies as purebred. They will attempt to sell the puppies as “purebred without papers.” Most of the time, these people are not interested in the health, genetics, temperament, etc.. They are only interested in making some quick cash. Often, buying a puppy from one of these backyard breeders will require you to go by their word of mouth. They will have no papers either to give you or back up what they are saying. Dogs as these are normally just bred for the money, not specific characteristics that will help to strengthen the breed.
Labrador Retriever Puppy questions answered
Q: I have a four hour drive to your kennel. Will you deliver my new chocolate lab puppy? Will you fly my puppy?
A: We frequently have families drive as far as 10 (each way) to purchase our chocolate lab puppies. If you cannot drive to us to pick up your puppy, the easiest way to reach us is to fly into Windsor airport. You can then rent a car or have us meet you at the airport. We are about a one hour drive from the airport. Most airlines charge $50 to bring your puppy in the cabin with you. This is also better for an 8 week old lab puppy than placing it in cargo on the airplane. The Flight, car and cost of carrying on the puppy will likely be the same as the puppy flying cargo. However, it has someone with it the entire time. While we prefer for you to visit us to pick up your puppy, we have a puppy delivery service to an extent.
Training is available for your Labrador Retriever puppy
Q: Will my Labrador Puppy be trained?
A: Training will have started, but there will be much more work to do. Training programs for your puppy are available here. We are with our mothers during the birthing process. So from the very start, our chocolate lab puppies are getting use to human voices. The puppies open their eyes after a couple of weeks. They begin using sight in addition to their sense of smell. Around week 5 when weening begins the puppies use a spot to pee. Also, a spot to sleep and play. This is the start of their potty training.
We have had some clients say that they have trained their puppies within a week of taking them home, others take a bit longer. This however is not usually due to the puppy, it is due to the difference in training among owners. Some are better than others when it comes to training their puppies. Dogs are pack animals. In a pack there is one leader and the rest are followers.
The more successful you are in your home at making sure all of the adults and children train your new puppy in the same manner, the easier it is for your new puppy to understand what is expected from her. Our puppies are incredibly intelligent and have a strong desire to please you. We strongly suggest everyone taking home a new puppy subscribe to www.puppytrainedright.com . This site is specifically designed to walk you through the process of getting a new puppy. Everything from preparing the family, the home, to obedience training such as not jumping up, teaching to sit, and so on, to potty and crate training and socialization is covered. Upon placing a reservation for one of our lab puppies you are given a code for a generously discounted membership.
Doing what is right for your Labrador Retriever puppy
Q: Do you remove the dew claws?
A: No, we do not remove the dew claws from our chocolate lab puppies. We believe along with many vets that it is unnecessary. The primary purpose for removal is to prevent injury in rough country retrieving. A good many of our chocolate lab puppies won’t rough country retrieve (around 95%). Of those 5% who do, probably 90% will not ever experience a dew claw injury. The vets we have consulted regarding this have said that a dew claw injury is not serious. You should also know, dew claw removal is done in a barbaric way. Shortly after birth, the claw is simply snipped off with a pair of pruning shears and we should add without any type of anesthesia.
Q: What is your return policy?
A: First we have to say that we make every effort to screen our families so that we place dogs in good homes. Before you make a deposit on a puppy, you should do your research on the breed. The cost of raising a dog for 15 years and how you are going to train are also of importance. With that being said, We will take any of our dogs back should extenuating circumstances present themselves. This is not limited to but includes things like if you are unable to care for your dog due to insufficient income or perhaps the outcome of an accident or some other life-changing event. In order to reinforce the need for families to “think” then “act” when buying a puppy we have created a non refundable deposit policy. Please do not make a deposit and then do your homework.
We take our Labrador Retrievers back for life regardless of reason
These are living creatures not shoes at Walmart, you should never buy any animal, or place a deposit on one with an intention of just changing your mind, or talking to your spouse later. We also do not provide refunds if you make the choice for any reason to return your dog to us.
There is a huge amount of work in taking back a puppy which could include, paying for its 10 week shots and vet visit and de-worming, paying to register the puppy into our name, then paying again to register it to someone else, cost of food, cost of spaying/neutering when age appropriate, heart worm and other medication, and likely the most important thing for a new puppy is providing the required exercise, care and affection, and stability in training so that it develops properly. If we have to take a puppy back, it is placed in a new home for just the cost of spaying/neutering to the new owners.
Safely Breeding our Labrador Retrievers based on current research
Q: How often do you breed your Labrador Retrievers?
A: You will find a great number of opinions out there on this topic. Some say to breed every other year, some say two litters back to back and then a rest, some say fewer etc…. How we make our decisions of when to breed a mother is based on their age and health. The fact is that the uterus is healthy when the mother is pregnant and giving birth. When the mother is resting and not carrying puppies, her uterus is inactive and less healthy.
This medical fact lends itself to consecutive births with a rest afterward. Consecutive births also reduce the risk of mastitis (an infection in the mothers teat) caused by a milk duct blocked by bacteria. Mastitis is serious and can result in loss of the mother and nursing puppies. We have experienced this and it’s a nervous time while you are placing hot cloths on the mother every 2 hours while trying to squeeze (milk) the infection from the breast.
Over 16 years of Labrador Retriever Breeding Experience
A different puppy is placed on the breast every feeding in an attempt to get the milk flowing again while the mother is put on a regimen of antibiotics and probiotics. So to answer the question of how often we breed our Labrador Retrievers, once they have reached an acceptable age, skipped their first and in many cases second heat, and we are comfortable that they are mature enough to raise a litter, we decide to breed them.
For example, our oldest girl has not been bred for 20 months while some of our middle aged girls have been bred back to back and then rested for more than a year. We want the safest, healthiest courses of action for our girls and that changes based on their age and health. Breeding every other heat just doesn’t take into account the factors of individual mothers and what is best for their health.
Q: Do you have your kennels inspected?
A: Yes we do. We decided early on that the best thing for our dogs is to have a Veterinarian come right to our home to provide care for the dogs so we pay extra for a home visit anytime the dogs need shots. The same for the litters of our puppies, our Vet comes to our home to complete a health examination, microchip the puppies and give them their shots. As a result, the Vet inspects the kennel 6-8 times a year.
