The "Next" Dog

[MtnElk]

As some of you know, we lost our beloved black lab, Annabella, in March. While I am not quite ready for another, the girls are and so I have promised to start looking for the next one. @Gerald Martin had a great litter, but just a little too early for me.

But I am finding the process a little daunting. For one, Annabella was - by not just my scoring - the perfect dog. I'm slightly concerned that I am going to have a hard time not comparing her to the next, which is concerning to me, because my only objective when I picked up Annabella on 1/28/2010 was to "get a dog". So I was easily pleased then.

Additionally, the dog search is quite different than it was in late 2009 / early 2010 when I last went on a search. For one, AKC no longer lists certified breeders - for privacy reasons or some shit. Which changes things a lot. Unless I am missing something, I do not see how I am able to verify if a breeder is in fact, current with AKC, etc by checking their name against a database.

I do not need a champion dog or anything special, but I want at least a 24 month guarantee on typical lab stuff and AKC certified.

If anyone has a great lab breeder they love west of Chicago... let me know. Willing to travel for the right setup.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Glad to see you're getting back in the saddle. Don't worry about "living with a ghost." That pup will become your focus. It will all be as it was when you first got Annabelle. And she would be happy that your girls will be happy again. You waited too long.

Good luck with your search. With the exception of my very expensive Fr Britt, all my six other Labs have been from "garage floor" breeders and they all worked out great. Only Sophie had any significant health issues and she lived to age 14 with epilepsy and no meds (averaged two seizures per year). My current Lab Ellie will be having ACL surgery in a couple of weeks but that's probably my fault for not restraining her from jumping over the tailgate. I don't put that on genetics.

The best dog I'll ever own was half Lab and half golden. Ethyl just looked like a small black Lab. People who didn't like dogs loved that one. And in the field she was a guided missile. Something to keep in mind.

 

[MTelkHuntress]

I was in the same boat not too long ago. I spent hours and hours trying to figure out what to look for in breeders today, and it was a bit overwhelming. My first dog ended up being from a local couple that only ever had one litter with their dogs. The pup I got from them ended up being the best dog I could have asked for. Also a "perfect dog". I too had the same worries about comparing the new pup to the previous one but in the end, I don't compare them at all in the sense as who is better. They are just different and I love them with every piece of my heart. Occasionally I'll note the differences between them but it's never in a negative way.

I only know golden breeders but I hope you find the pup you're looking for. One thing I also looked for in a breeder is testing the genetics of the parents, just to make sure certain genes aren't being passed on that are totally avoidable. Good luck with your search.

 

[thomas89]

Entry Express still lists litters. Several in the Midwest region there around you. Most are health tested and have a health guarantee like you're looking for. Sure they are more competitive style litters, but there are several levels of competitiveness and the price differences that come with them.

 

[AlaskaHunter]

Last fall I was in the same boat...my lab was 7 years old so time to get a lab puppy.
For labs with a pedigree with field trial or hunt test accomplishments and health guarantees,
pups typically ran $1800 - $2200.

Typical for me, found a breeding I liked out of Idaho, but bitch did not get pregnant.
Then found a breeding I liked in Washington state. Put down a $500 deposit, and number 2 on the list for a female.
Once again a failed breeding.
Third time was the charm and got a pup out of a breeding in Idaho after putting down a deposit and number 2 on the list.

I was looking within driving distance to our winter home in Montana,
I looked for a lab pup primarily from 2 sources:
https://www.retrievertraining.net/forums/lab-puppies-classifieds.31/
https://huntinglabpedigree.com/HuntingDogPuppyfinder.asp

Good luck with your search for your next puppy.

 

[LuketheDog]

As some of you know, we lost our beloved black lab, Annabella, in March. While I am not quite ready for another, the girls are and so I have promised to start looking for the next one. @Gerald Martin had a great litter, but just a little too early for me.

But I am finding the process a little daunting. For one, Annabella was - by not just my scoring - the perfect dog. I'm slightly concerned that I am going to have a hard time not comparing her to the next, which is concerning to me, because my only objective when I picked up Annabella on 1/28/2010 was to "get a dog". So I was easily pleased then.

Additionally, the dog search is quite different than it was in late 2009 / early 2010 when I last went on a search. For one, AKC no longer lists certified breeders - for privacy reasons or some shit. Which changes things a lot. Unless I am missing something, I do not see how I am able to verify if a breeder is in fact, current with AKC, etc by checking their name against a database.

I do not need a champion dog or anything special, but I want at least a 24 month guarantee on typical lab stuff and AKC certified.

If anyone has a great lab breeder they love west of Chicago... let me know. Willing to travel for the right setup.

Forget the lab, we need another guy with a corgi around here...

 

[birdman27]

Forget the lab, we need another guy with a corgi around here...

I have the corgi, he is just too lazy and dumb to go hunting with me.

 

[MtnElk]

Forget the lab, we need another guy with a corgi around here...

 

[FI460]

No help with labs but I'll echo what a few others have said about comparing the puppy to the perfect dog. The heeler in my profile picture was absolutely perfect, to the point that I don't think she was actually a dog. That was an angel or something crazy.

My new puppy is a bit more of a challenge but a great little dog that I adore. She'll get there, I can see the progress every day. When I was looking at breeders I started with the ones doing the right health testing, genetics, BAER, etc. I called and talked to a few of them. That really helped narrow things down.

 

[Dinkshooter]

No help with labs but I'll echo what a few others have said about comparing the puppy to the perfect dog. The heeler in my profile picture was absolutely perfect, to the point that I don't think she was actually a dog. That was an angel or something crazy.

My new puppy is a bit more of a challenge but a great little dog that I adore. She'll get there, I can see the progress every day. When I was looking at breeders I started with the ones doing the right health testing, genetics, BAER, etc. I called and talked to a few of them. That really helped narrow things down.

A heeler has more brains in its poop than any lab that ever lived. I'm not a big dog person, but I've never understood the lab obsession unless you're 100% gonna make it hunt.

 

[FI460]

A heeler has more brains in its poop than any lab that ever lived. I'm not a big dog person, but I've never understood the lab obsession unless you're 100% gonna make it hunt.

Preaching to the choir bud.

But I also get that heelers aren't for everyone. They're a different type of dog. Some people want a lab to retrieve their birds, or maybe just be a big loveable lug with their kids. Me personally, I like a dog that takes a little taste of some heels.