Questions You Should As Your Labrador Retriever Breeder
You need to ask your prospective Labrador Retriever breeder a lot more questions other than how much they cost. Because Labs are the most popular breed in North America, there are (sadly) many people who breed Labs for quantity rather than quality. With a pre-written list of questions for your Labrador breeder, you can help avoid those breeders that shouldn’t be within a mile of a puppy.
Although you will think up many more questions depending on your unique home situation, these are the three main questions you need to ask. Always ask when you can visit the kennels, meet the parents, see the contract and meet the breeder. The first two will quickly let you know if you are dealing with a puppy mill owner. Since you can’t legally shoot the puppy mill owner, you can at least not give them any money.
It is absolutely vital that you are able to visit the kennels of any Labrador Retriever breeder. Even if you are at a show and there are literally a littler of pups for sale, resist the temptation and schedule an appointment. The environment your puppy will be raised in will tell you a lot about the health and mental stability of your future puppy. You also should be able to meet dogs related to your puppy.
Take a good sniff when you are at the kennels. It should smell okay, perhaps be a bit musty, but should not smell overpoweringly like decaying meat or like dog poop. Labrador Retrievers need exercise and so should not be kept in crates all day - especially stacked crates. It is okay if they live in outdoor kennels with runs. You need to see how the dogs react and if they are clean and perky. This is a good indication that your puppy will be raised in a good environment.
They are a breed that can do as well outside as inside. It is not okay if they live in stacked crates. That’s a sign of someone who doesn’t care about the quality of dogs he or she breeds.
If there is no contract, then you should not have anything to do with this so-called Labrador Retriever breeder. There should be health certificates of the parents to see, including hip dysplasia scores as well as a contract.
A contract also can help eliminate a lot of future headaches. It should list what the breed is responsible to provide and what they are not. They might even have clauses such as you having to go to them first if you are no longer able to keep the adult dog.
Expect to have to provide a letter of character reference from your veterinarian and to have your home checked out. The breeder should love his or her puppies more than money.