Recommend a Lab/Retriever breeder?

[EJSG19]

We're looking at getting a puppy. Golden retriever or possibly a black or chocolate lab, but the Goldy seems to be top preference.

Wondered if there were any Breeder's in the area to lean toward, or to avoid (information on both would be appreciated).

Needs: Strong bloodline - don't want hereditary health issues like heart problems or hip problems.
Breeder who does what they say they did - don't want the "Yup, all shots are taken care of" when they really weren't.
Price - Well, I know you get what you pay for, but if one person charges $400 and another $800, and you're getting the same quality of dog, I'd consider that info pretty handy.
Registered paperwork - I don't know the terminology, but I figure if I'm going to pay for what should be a good dog, I want all the right documentation to go with it.
Dog - Needs to have energy, but also the brains to control that energy when needed. Nothing worse than a lazy bird dog. Nose - well I don't know if there is any way to test that. From what I know, you either get a dog with a good nose or you don't. But if family history has made good bird dogs, that helps.

It'll be a family dog first and foremost, and I will be working with it to become a bird dog. (I understand family dogs aren't usually the best bird dogs, but bird hunting with it is second priority.)

I wish it could be trained to bark when anyone comes around the house, but I'm not holding high hopes for a golden retriever to be much of a gaurd dog.

So, any recommendations would help us out a lot in our search. Thanks.

[yukonjasper]

A good start is to visit the Game Fair in Anoka - coming up soon. Lot's of breeders and trainers show up there and many people bring their dogs and are eager to talk about where they got them from and where they were trained. The breeders are always happy to discuss traits etc. and will take the time to answer your questions.

I'll be headed down the same road soon as my Lab Yukon is getting on in years and I know the inevitable is coming. Best dog on the planet, I doubt I'll find another even close.

Good luck.

[Stradawhovious]

From what I have been told, you will have health issues with most purebreds. It's the nature of the beast. I personally prefer a little mud in the water. I have had a few dogs that have been pretty close to urebred, but muddied just a bit who have led long, healty lives. That said, forget about the Labs, get a Gordon Setter. Smarter and better looking.

How will Sammie feel about all of this? I know how much she loves dogs......

[EJSG19]

From what I have been told, you will have health issues with most purebreds. It's the nature of the beast. I personally prefer a little mud in the water. I have had a few dogs that have been pretty close to urebred, but muddied just a bit who have led long, healty lives. That said, forget about the Labs, get a Gordon Setter. Smarter and better looking.

How will Sammie feel about all of this? I know how much she loves dogs......

I want a dog who hunts birds, not dirty socks! Hank is loveable I'll give your dog that.

Sammie will either take to the young little puppy like a mother to an orphan, or else Sammie will likely get retired I mean given to a good home.

Unfortunately I learned of the Game Fair in Anoka too late, and I've got plans when that happening. Would have been great to be able to go though.



(totally kidding on the cat, she is a **** head but I'm quite fond of her) Plus she bit Strad, so you know her head is on straight. Strad had it coming...

[ex-LT]

A good start is to visit the Game Fair in Anoka - coming up soon. Lot's of breeders and trainers show up there and many people bring their dogs and are eager to talk about where they got them from and where they were trained. The breeders are always happy to discuss traits etc. and will take the time to answer your questions.

I'll be headed down the same road soon as my Lab Yukon is getting on in years and I know the inevitable is coming. Best dog on the planet, I doubt I'll find another even close.

Good luck.

He just missed Game Fair. It was August 7-9 and 14-16.

[yukonjasper]

Game Fair, I guess I did too, unfortunately. I thought it was usally around the middle of August. Too bad, that is one good time and a great way to research dogs - breeds, breeders, trainers and training techniques - all in one place and all focused on you face to face.

I will likely pony up for a Started or Finished dog. I don't have the time to train the dog the way it deserves to be trained and I don't know that I can deal with the Puppy destruction etc.- that is a huge consideration for me. I know, you end up with a dog that may not completely bond with you, but I don't think that will be a problem.

If your interested, check with Trainers who do field trials. They have a number of dogs every year that "wash out" and are available. Well trained, but have some sort of flaw in the retrieve that causes issue for the field trial but wouldn't be a problem for normal hunting situations. The cost is steep, but your getting a highly trained dog with lots of hours into them.

Good luck.

[mnglocker]

These guys are pretty well known in the upper midwest: http://labsunlimitedkennels.com/index.html

[EJSG19]

Thanks mnglocker. I will check in on that site occasionally, looks like they don't have any puppies at the moment, but may soon.

At the same time, if anyone prefer's a good Veterinarian over another, that'd be good to know also.

[mnglocker]

Thanks mnglocker. I will check in on that site occasionally, looks like they don't have any puppies at the moment, but may soon.

At the same time, if anyone prefer's a good Veterinarian over another, that'd be good to know also.

Rockford Road Animal Hostpital, Plymouth MN. 763-559-7554.

Dr. Brewer is a Lab nut, he has 3 or 4 and he hunts them all.

[justaguy]

The purpose of a purebred is to breed the traits out of the blood line that are not wanted. Temperament and health issues included. Find a breeder that isn’t in it for the money and has champion blood lines. The champion blood line didn’t concern me so much because my dog doesn’t hunt. But it let me know that the breeder wasn’t feeding me a line of **** and knew what they were doing.

Ask them a lot of questions. Ask if something comes up will they take the dog back and find it a new home? A good breeder that will take the dog back at anytime for any reason cares about the animal. Ask if they make you get the animal spied or neutered. Most reputable breeders require this and won’t let the laymen breed their dogs. Ask if they have a health guarantee. My dog has lifetime replacement guarantee on hips, eyes, and elbows. Do they micro chip their dogs? Ask to meet both or one of the parents, and see what size and temperament they have. Are the animals certified free of heritable orthopedic disease by the OFA and have their eyes checked free of hereditary eye disease on an annual basis so they can be certified by the CERF. How many litters a year do they have? These are only a few questions you should be asking. The breeder should also be asking you questions and finding out what your expectations are.

As far as it being trained to bark and be a guard dog. The training is all on you and dogs can be trained to do anything the owner wants. You just have to take the time, or pay someone else to take the time. A lot of people like my dog and want a lab after being around him. I’m surprised when I have to explain to them he didn’t come trained, it took classes and work to get where he is now. Not that my dog is the best trained, but I don’t have to worry about him running off if I open the door or jumping up on people. People see well trained dogs and want one and don’t realize or do the work to have a well trained dog.

At a minimum plan on taking the dog to some kind of “puppy kindergarten” or “preschool”. It is the start to training but mostly it socializes the dog with other dogs. Training classes help train you and the dog. The better trained the dog is the more enjoyment you will both get out of it. The more realistic you are about yourselves and raising, training, and caring for a dog the easier this all will be.

Read HowTo Raise a Puppy You Can Live With by Rutherford and Neill, an Alpine Production.

Remember what you paid for this information.

[EJSG19]

[quote="justaguy"]

...Dog advice...

quote]

That response has to be worth 175 Clout at least.

Thanks, you bring up a few points I hadn't yet considered.

[EAJuggalo]

My parents have been taking their dogs to Diamond Lake Animal Hospital on 58th and Nicollet for over 10 years.

[EJSG19]

Justaguy,

couple questions: Less litters per year would be desired right? More = lower quality potentially?
Whats the micro chip for? ID purposes?

If they are AKC registered, what else would you want to make sure about? Does that even mean anything beyond that they are registered?

[lenny7]

I went through getting my first hunting dog last year and learned a ton in the process. Some points I'll make:

A great local forum regarding hunting dogs:
http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/forums/36/1/Hunting_Dogs
THe only thing is they're really uptight about posting links to anything.
Also, anything posted by LABS4ME should be read. I don't know him personally, but he provides a lot of info and insight. He's also a breeder, and one I would check out if I were in the market.

Good info on health tests you should require (OFA, CERF, EIC, etc) is here:
http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/u ... /1486697/1

An excellent place for veterinary care:
http://www.smithveterinaryhospital.com/

Dr. Fran Smith is the president of the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA), she breeds labs, competes in hunt tests, dog shows, etc. She is also a hunt test judge. See her bio for more info, but the gal knows dogs.

I actually see her cohort, Dr. John Lawrence who, I think, is Fran's SO. He also does hunt tests, field trials, judges, and is an avid hunter. He's been a wealth of information for me about not only regular dog care, but taking care of your dog in the field and even training.

AKC Registration doesn't mean anything other than the parents are purebred and the owners have sent in the paperwork and fee. When you get your dog, the breeder can either allow you to register your pup, or allow a limited registration which means you can register you pup, but any offspring cannot be registered. It's sort of a quality control measure I suppose. I have the paperwork for my dog but I haven't sent it i yet. I'm not sure if I will.

If anyone tells you that one color lab is better than, or have a different personality or qualities, you can immediately discount anything else they say about dogs.

Regarding bloodlines, in my opinion you don't want a dog that is heavily titled on parents lines. Dogs bred for the field trial circuit are not necessarily what you want as a family pet. NOt saying that they wouldn't work out, but you have better odds if both lines haven't been bred as field trial dogs. That's strictly my inexperienced opinion.

If you want a great nose, get a pointer. If you want a good nose in a retriever, research the parents and talk to the breeder. I got lucky and got a lab that not only seems to have a pretty good nose, but he's a pointer as well.

Most labs and goldens, if properly trained, will make fantastic family pets. They're the most popular breed for a reason. SOme will say that the breed qualities have been degraded and watered down with indiscriminate breeding because of that popularity. That may or may not be true, but it's pretty damn easy to find a breeder that is in it for all the right reasons and is working on improving the breed.

Firm, consistent obedience training is the key to an enjoyable pet and is the keystone to a great hunting dog. Do not shortchange the obedience training.

Pick the litter yourself and let the breeder pick the pup for you, or at least let him give you input. If the breeding is right, I don't think you need to worry too much about picking "the best" pup of the litter.

If you don't have the facilities to properly introduce your dog to gunfire and live birds, strongly consider taking him in to a trainer that will do that for you. From what I've seen, you'd be looking at a 2 to 3 week session costing $400 to $600. When complete, your dog will get VERY excited about hearing gunfire because he knows it means birds. I used Cannon River Kennels and have nothing but great things to say about them. I took my pup out to SoDak two weeks later (at only 7 months old) and received lots of compliments about his drive and desire. He was very serviceable bird dog after just those two weeks.

I also sent my their for the intermediate program which included obedience training, collar conditioning, and force fetching. Now I can't wait to get back out there and see what he can do!


Well that was more than I had planned to write....

[lenny7]

Justaguy,

couple questions: Less litters per year would be desired right? More = lower quality potentially?
Whats the micro chip for? ID purposes?

If they are AKC registered, what else would you want to make sure about? Does that even mean anything beyond that they are registered?

I'm not justaguy, but if I may....

A breeder that got his bitch knocked up as soon as he could after the last litter is in it for the money. I don't know what the proper time period is, but she needs to be allowed to recuperate.

Microchip is for ID purposes. The Smith Vet Hosp. has a day or two every year where they offer it for $40 or so. Otherwise it's $80. If your dog is lost and found by someone else, just about any vet can wand it and found out all the info to get it back to you, assuming you kept the info up to date.

AKC registration is something you want in the parents, but in and of itself, it doesn't make a dog better or worse. A mutt can certainly be a great family pet and a great hunting dog, but you increase your chances with purebreds from quality breeders.

Another good way to evaluate the breeders is to ask them why they bred a certain dog and bitch. His answer will tell you a lot, both about the breeder, and about the litter.