Locating the Right Breeder

When you decide to get a new Labrador Retriever puppy, the first choice you will face is where to get your puppy from.  No matter how hard you try, it’s nearly impossible to know whether or not the puppy you are buying will grow up to be healthy and strong.  In order to even assume that your puppy will grow up to be healthy, you’ll need to trust the individual you get your Labrador from.

There are three options available to you, in terms of breeders.  You should carefully think about each one, as they all will vary.  Below are the three options you have to choose from, and a little bit of information to help you make this very important decision.

Dealer or pet shop?

A pet shop is simply the worst place that you can get your Labrador Retriever puppy.  The puppies they have for sale here are bred poorly, and raised in poor locations to say the least.  At these types of places, the puppies are thought of as a profit and nothing more.  There is little to no emphasis on quality here either – as pet shops prefer quantity over qualify.

Due to the way the puppies are bred and raised, pet shops make quite a bit of profit.  With there being so little that goes into the breeding and care of the puppies, pet shops make a lot of money.  They mainly rely on impulse buying, not giving you a lot of time to evaluate the puppies that they have for sale.  If you’re looking for an addition to your family, and a puppy that you know is healthy, you’d be better off looking somewhere else for your puppy.

Backyard breeders

Backyard breeders are considered to be yet another poor choice for your puppy.  Almost all backyard breeders are people who own a few Labradors and find it to be fun to breed their female for the fact of having puppies, or breed her once or twice before they decide to go ahead and get her spayed.  Backyard breeders don’t look for quality or go out of their way to care for their litters, as they are more or less breeding to make money – and nothing more.

Normally, backyard breeders know very little about the breed in general, and even less about how to properly care for their Labrador Retrievers.  Backyard breeders normally aren’t familiar with the problems associated with breeding, and most could care less.  Their only goal here is to breed Labrador Retriever puppies.  Once the puppies have been bred, their remaining goal is to sell the puppies as fast as they can – for the highest possible price.

Hobby breeders

A hobby breeder is the ideal way to get your Labrador puppy.  Hobby breeders are loyal, committed, and think of their pups as more than just a hobby.  Although they do make money breeding, they could honestly care less.  Hobby breeders care more about the quality of their puppies than anything else, and they commit themselves to helping you get the best Labrador Retriever pup possible.

Hobby breeders accept responsibility for each one of their puppies, and they stand behind each and every one of their pups.  If you want the best pup you can get for your money, you need to visit a hobby breeder.  They very rarely produce poor quality Labrador Retriever puppies, as they care a lot about quality.  If you get your Labrador puppy from a hobby breeder, you can rest assured that you getting a healthy puppy from the start.

Is Breeding Golden Retrievers Complicated?

For beginners, breeding Labrador Retrievers is nearly impossible.  Breeding can be very complicated, although it can be easy as well.  You should never attempt to breed unless you know a lot about requirements for hobby breeders, as it is simply unfair to the breed if you have a litter of puppies that simply aren’t what they should be.  People who look to buy Labrador Retrievers only want top quality, which is why you shouldn’t attempt to breed just have a puppies or make a few bucks.

Breeding Labrador Retrievers is a very serious hobby, one that should be left to those who know how to make the right choices.  There is a certain amount of cost and care involved with breeding, especially if breeders are going for a certain quality.  There is also a lot of responsibility involved as well, which can take quite a bit of time to say the least.

Motivation for Breeding

Breeding can help to fulfill the need of a Labrador, although the dog still has no knowledge of it missing, no regrets, or no guilt towards living a life without having been breed.  A pregnant Labrador Retriever female doesn’t gain anything in regards to health, as it instead causes problems.  Labrador females that have been spayed on the other hand, cannot be bred.  If you have chosen to have your Labrador spayed, always remember that she will be unable to breed.

When looking to breed, quality breeders will have a lot of choices in front of them.  They will need to determine the pair, such as the mother and the father.  To get the highest quality possible from the litter, the breeder will need to determine the traits of both dogs, temperaments, and how well they seem to react to one another.  The breeder will also need to determine in either of the dogs have any type of health problems, to prevent any diseases or ailments from being passed on to the litter.

Breeding Complications

Sometimes, when breeding Labrador Retrievers, the mother of the litter will prove to be unfit, which requires more work for the breeder.  If the mother isn’t doing her job of nurturing her young, the breeder will need to do it for her.  This can be the most time consuming aspect of breeding, as the breeder will have to feed the young and make sure that they turn out as healthy as possible.

Labrador Breeding Costs

Aside from that, breeders also face quite a bit of costs as well.  The prices for daily care, food, and vet bills can be very steep to say the least.  When you crunch the numbers, you’ll quickly realize that breeders don’t make much money at all when they sale.  Most breeders do it for a hobby, not looking to make money.  Quality breeders on the other hand aren’t concerned with money at all, as they are more concerned about the quality of their litters.  Quality is better than quantity, as even the best breeders out there have problems selling puppies from time to time.

Breeding Labradors – Do Your Homework or Use a Professional

Although breeding is fun for hobby breeders, it is something you really shouldn’t be doing if you don’t have the experience.  Although your Labrador may get pregnant by a dog of a different breed without you knowing it, you should do your best to avoid it at all costs if you can.  A pure bred Labrador Retriever should be bred only with dogs of her breed, to help preserve the breed and keep their bloodline going.  If you have thought about breeding in the past – you should really study long and hard before you actually make a reality of it.