Labrador breeders

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shepherdlover
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Labrador breeders

Post by shepherdlover »

hey everyone

as im still deciding what to get my sister is getting a lab and has chosen the breeder but I want to see what you think of her as I don't think my sister should get a pup from her for several reasons but im no expert and just want to know what you think.

she's going to JimJoy Labradors (uk) here's the link http://www.jimjoylabradors.co.uk/

see what you think.
JudyN
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Re: Labrador breeders

Post by JudyN »

I'm no expert either, but for starters I'd be asking how many litters they produce a year, and what early socialisation they do. A bit of hunting revealed they also breed Manchester Terriers: http://www.eaglespur.co.uk/ And if you look up the address on Google Earth, you'll find a property with a lot of outhouses, presumably kennels. If they are producing as many puppies as this hints at, chances are the pups will have spent little if any time in a house, won't have met a whole range of people of all shapes and sizes, and so on and so forth.
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shepherdlover
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Re: Labrador breeders

Post by shepherdlover »

hi everyone

this is why I wanted to ask what you thought because I have spoken to one of the puppy buyers and she told me that her lab from there is healthy and has had no problems but when you go to where the kennels are there is litter after litter and I have a gut feeling that its a puppy farm and I really don't want my sister to get her lab from there.

dose anyone know of good breeders in the uk?
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Nettle
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Re: Labrador breeders

Post by Nettle »

Get a copy of Shooting Times and look at the gundogs for sale there. Now, some working-bred gundogs are too driven to go to pet homes, but others are just lovely, and as long as you avoid the 'big name' kennels that breed for field trials, you can source some home-raised litters from a favourite old ladydog bred by someone who wants a pup for themselves and is selling the rest. Also Horse and Hound often have puppies advertised from family pets. You can access these online.

Tell your sis not to be in a hurry - this is a big investment and it's worth waiting for the right dog.
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Maxy24
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Re: Labrador breeders

Post by Maxy24 »

Yeah these guys don't give me a great feeling. The health testing appears to be there (assuming you trust their claims) but they feel rather commercial. They don't mention doing any screening of potential owners (basically fill out an inquiry and they'll tell you when to come get a puppy) and while they go on and on about "proven bloodlines" but don't appear to do anything with their own dogs to prove their temperament. They say their pups are kept in impeccable conditions but never mention them living in the house so my guess is they are kennel raised puppies (which isn't my preference, but some people don't mind). They show all of their studs in "The Boys" section but not their females which leads me to believe they may have a very large number of girls. So no, they don't give a good first impression, my guess would be they over breed and breed mainly for money, but you'd have to actually talk to them or visit to know for sure what's going on.
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Re: Labrador breeders

Post by CarolineLovesDogs »

ashlandkennel wrote:
DennisCanfield wrote:Let her do whatever she want to do let her buy whatever she wants to buy :P
exactly, i agree with dennis :) let your sister decide that what she wanted to buy but i suggest yellow Labradors would be the best choice
With all due respect, I think a bit of guidance would be great as her sister seems to be open to it. Making a misinformed decision about a breeder can lead to you buying an unhappy, unhealthy and behavioral disaster of a puppy, not to mention contributing to horrendous puppy mills which treat animals like crap.
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Nettle
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Re: Labrador breeders

Post by Nettle »

Yes: we need to buy a dog using our head not our heart. Heart will come later.
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shepherdlover
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Re: Labrador breeders

Post by shepherdlover »

Hi Everyone

thanks for the comments she (my sister) did go down to JimJoy labs and I went with her and she did have a lot of females and the puppies were lovely however she did not like the luck of the mums and I say mums as she has 4 different litters at the moment. :roll:

so my sister has decided to not go to them. she wanted me to ask if any of you know of good breeder in the uk.

also I want to ask which one do you think is easier to train/live with as I think its the German Shepherd and my sis is 100% sure that the lab is easier. which one do you think?
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Nettle
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Re: Labrador breeders

Post by Nettle »

Labs as a breed are healthier which is a big plus (unhealthy dogs or those in pain will not be easy to live with) but they have their health issues also, so care is needed when choosing a breeder. They can also have behaviour issues too, which are different from the challenges GSDs offer but equally need good early training and attention if we want a pleasant adult dog. All breeds have behavioural areas of which we need to be aware, but these differ between breeds. There are also matters such as coat shedding and grooming needs - labs are world champion coat shedders - it's all about what we feel happiest to manage.

It would be useful if your sis were to list what she wants, what she doesn't want, what she can't stand, what she feels she can tolerate to work with. For instance, my favourite types of dog have a huge prey drive and are not effusive with their affection, which some folks wouldn't want to deal with. I can't bear drooling dogs but dogs that shed don't worry me. I don't like busy or clingy dogs. Those are some of the traits on my list - your sis and you can have fun listing hers and yours.

We can't choose a breeder for you, but we can tell you what to look for and bravo to your sister for her strength of character.
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minkee
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Re: Labrador breeders

Post by minkee »

Nettle wrote:Get a copy of Shooting Times and look at the gundogs for sale there. Now, some working-bred gundogs are too driven to go to pet homes, but others are just lovely, and as long as you avoid the 'big name' kennels that breed for field trials, you can source some home-raised litters from a favourite old ladydog bred by someone who wants a pup for themselves and is selling the rest. Also Horse and Hound often have puppies advertised from family pets. You can access these online.

Tell your sis not to be in a hurry - this is a big investment and it's worth waiting for the right dog.
I think this is some really good advice for finding a good lab pup. Breeders that advertise online or have slick websites are more likely to be "in it for the money" or running it as a business as those jimjoy ones seem to be. If you can find someone who's breeding their own dog because it's such a good specimen and exactly what they want from a dog then that's half the battle right there! Then you need them to have found the right stud, have been responsible in checking everyone's health, and to be prepared to raise them exceptionally well in those crucial first 8 weeks.

Good luck! And seriously well done to your sis for resisting temptation in the face of all those little puppers!
shepherdlover
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thank you nettle

Post by shepherdlover »

hi everyone

my sister took on nettles advice to write a list of what she wanted in a dog and in the end it turned out that the lab was not the right dog for her she did some research and the rough collie (lassie) was the closest she met with some owners and breeders and learned the pros and cons of the breed and decided that the breed was right for her and one of the breeder knew of a litter that was due to go to there new homes and she visited the litter liked what she saw asked all the right question's and the puppies were also eye tested at 7weeks and last week she brought lily home and she a bit of a shock in terms of being a puppy as she is not interested in mouthing us she is not hyper and she just loves to be cuddled, playing and she loves learning new things and she way more laid back compared to the German shepherds we were brought up around. the owners did tell us that collies are very mellow but me and my sister did not believe them so my sister is super happy as that's what she wanted.

and thank you nettle your advice was great thank goodness she learned that the lab was not for her know before she got one.
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Nettle
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Re: Labrador breeders

Post by Nettle »

My pleasure, and I'm so happy for your sister too :)

If you could spare us a photo, we are all suckers for puppy photos :wink:
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