Sight Un-Seen

[Sankers]

Hello, I am new here. Right now I have a 8 year old CLF. Been a great hunting companion and family dog. My training experience is fairly minimal. I am looking to expand that and get another dog. The more I research and learn, the guiltier I feel about my dog now. She is by no means a bad dog/hunter, but could have been much more.

Anyway, I am looking for a new pup and been researching breeders and dogs. I think I have settled on a litter, from a breeder that I have friends who have gotten dogs from in the past, but I am a little hesitant to not see the parents. Any thoughts or words of wisdom to pass on on this subject.

Rob

[YardleyLabs]

I think the reality is that there is no good answer to your question. As a general rule, I would prefer to spend some time with the dam and to have at least seen the sire run and to have seen some other pups that he has sired. Titles on the parents provide you with some more objective measurements with respect to hunting skills and trainability. Health certifications through OFA, CERF, etc., along with vet examinations of the pups, give you some objective measures of health. Even if I were buying "just a hunting dog", I would want to see titles throughout the pedigree and a full battery of health clearances. However, I would still prefer to see the mother, meet the breeder eye to eye, and know a lot about the sire. I was tricked once by a "breeder" that was actually fronting for a puppy mill and am determined never to repeat that mistake.

Having said that, I sell pups to many people that I have never met and who have never met me or my dogs. I spend a lot of time and effort trying to make sure potential buyers have a good understanding about any pups I have and satisfying myself that they are able to provide a good home for my pups. Hopefully, all those activities help to make te process easier for the purchaser and the pup by helping to prevent mistakes.

[Joe Brakke]

Also, know what temperament you are looking for. For a house and hunt dog you need a balance of drive and a good temperament. Understand that there are bascially three directions (or more if you count in pointing Labs) in the breeding of Labs. There are show lines, field lines and dual purpose lines. Picking a pup from either line will require differenct criteria. (i.e. taking the hard driver pup out of the Show line vs. the middle of the road pup of the Field line). Let your breeder know what your plans are. If you have the b@lls to go after field trialing vs hunt test or other measures, let them know. The respectfull breeder will pick the pup for you or have a strong recommendation. They know them best at 8 weeks because they have spent the last 2 months caring for them. Also, if the breeder is more interested in how you will care for this pup its whole life, and do not be offended if they look you over hard, then you know this breeder is carefull about where these pups end up. The true test is if they have a "take back clause" in the sale agreement. This normally will be a breeder that cares about each pup and the breed! All of the above recommendations from Yardley apply in my book too.

[jimboburnsy]

Also, if the breeder is more interested in how you will care for this pup its whole life, and do not be offended if they look you over hard, then you know this breeder is carefull about where these pups end up.

I would actually be a little sketchy about the deal if I didn't feel like I was being investigated as much as I was investigating.

[Sankers]

Thanks for the replies. I understand that you are at the mercies of the breeder you go with so you need to trust the breeder. That was on the top of our list, someone who cares for there pups and is concerned they are going to a good home. I was just wondering if there was something I was not thinking about.

[firehouselabs]

"paint" them a picture of exactly what you want in a dog. Be realistic and understand that the majority of the time that he/she will not be in the field hunting but in the house as a family dog. Give the breeder an idea of what your agenda is with the dog, your schedule, your families schedules, kids, other dogs, cats, etc... Are you sending pup to pro-trainer or are you going to do majority of training yourself, what is your confidence level with training a dog, do you have a support system to fall back on (area trainers or training partners), and what is the dog going to be doing during the off season.
The more information that the breeder has the more likely that they can match you up with the right pup. A GREAT breeder will tell you if none of the pups meet your criteria and may be able to point you to a litter that does.