Sweet Pea turns 10 at the end of March and my wife and I have been thinking of adding another black female lab.
With retirement effective on January 3, another would give me another reason to get out and walk a dog.

We have looked at the Puppyspot website. Anyone with experience with them? Is it a legit business or is it a puppy mill front as one friend alleges?

We have looked at websites for Arizona breeders and have noticed a number of them are requiring contracts which specify new owners must buy food or supplements from the breeder for a year or two. What is up with that? Most are pushing NuVet.

Our interest is in a smaller size lab, American as opposed to an English.

Would love to hear others experience.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Hunthelp,

Try gundog.com. They have link on side for pointers and retrievers. Then you can search the state to see what they have. Pretty reputable site. Got my male that way pedigree also there to make sure not puppy mill. Good luck.

You might look into getting your lab from your stste’s department of correction.
The Texas system has a breeding and training program at the unit where I do volunteer work. The dogs are well cared for and the ones that don’t quite measure up for some reason are available for adoption for something like $50.
Some of the dogs are returned to the training unit simply because the designated handler at the receiving unit didn’t know how to work with the dog.
You would miss all the chewing, house training and cuteness, but you could be rescuing a good dog that just didn’t do well at finding contraband or tracking.

You can look here too:

http://www.retrievertraining.n...ssifieds-Lab-Puppies

The breedings here tend to be field dogs which will generally means they tend to be smaller (but more typical of the AKC standards) a lot more energetic and enthusiastic to work but still good house dogs. The show lines and field lines might as well be two separate breeds at this point as they couldn't be more different.

Wherever you go, make sure the parents have health clearances for hips, elbows, eyes, CNM and EIC at a minimum.

quote:

Originally posted by Sportshooter:
You might look into getting your lab from your stste’s department of correction.
The Texas system has a breeding and training program at the unit where I do volunteer work. The dogs are well cared for and the ones that don’t quite measure up for some reason are available for adoption for something like $50.
Some of the dogs are returned to the training unit simply because the designated handler at the receiving unit didn’t know how to work with the dog.
You would miss all the chewing, house training and cuteness, but you could be rescuing a good dog that just didn’t do well at finding contraband or tracking.

Hey sportshooter, how would one go about getting more information on how to adopt one of those dogs?

quote:

Hey sportshooter, how would one go about getting more information on how to adopt one of those dogs?

Google TDCJ to get the phone number for the Wynne Unit in Huntsville. Give them a call and ask to talk to whoever is in charge of their K9 program.

My information didn’t come from anyone on the unit’s staff. It was from an offender whose job was to care for and help train the dogs.

Thank you. I’ll do some checking

Check out Wildrose Kennels if you want a truly fine Lab. We have a lot of experience with puppies from these lines and they are superior dogs as hunters and companions. You can see their breeding schedule on their web site and specify which pairing you want a pup from. There is a waiting list for the pups. Here is the web site.
http://www.uklabs.com/

If you’re willing to come pick one up in NC, I’ve got a great breeder. My 18mo yellow male follows the English lines, doesn’t look like he’ll break 60# in his lifetime (though that wasn’t my expectation when we were looking), is a smart and wonderful dog and can hunt. Went to SD with home for pheasants in October this year and was awesome. He’s sleeping next to me on the couch as I type this, a great dog. Email in profile if you want information - but the breeder will not ship (nor should any breeder ship a pup in my opinion).

quote:

Originally posted by HayesGreener:
Check out Wildrose Kennels if you want a truly fine Lab. We have a lot of experience with puppies from these lines and they are superior dogs as hunters and companions. You can see their breeding schedule on their web site and specify which pairing you want a pup from. There is a waiting list for the pups. Here is the web site.
http://www.uklabs.com/

Funny you bring them up. They are known for their high caliber dogs, and for excellent training. They don't come cheap, but are excellent with British Labs.

quote:

Originally posted by slabsides45:

quote:

Originally posted by HayesGreener:
Check out Wildrose Kennels if you want a truly fine Lab. We have a lot of experience with puppies from these lines and they are superior dogs as hunters and companions. You can see their breeding schedule on their web site and specify which pairing you want a pup from. There is a waiting list for the pups. Here is the web site.
http://www.uklabs.com/

Funny you bring them up. They are known for their high caliber dogs, and for excellent training. They don't come cheap, but are excellent with British Labs.

Yes they have a careful breeding program of calm, mid sized tractable dogs with great genes and hunting ability. I think their secret is continually importing top quality breeding stock from Ireland and Scotland

One thing I cannot say enough good about is that they use positive reinforcement training (no shock collars or whips, etc). It's becoming rare nowadays to find quality dog trainers who don't just hurt the dog when they don't conform. Based on their history and reputation, I'd say it is working at Wildrose.

I will say I use a shock collar on my two dogs. It is set at the lowest level, and I have placed it on my neck and wrist and shocked myself up to a level 4 (which I have never used on them). It really isn't painful. You could easily ignore a level 1 continuous shock if you desired, but my pups do not. Proper use of an electronic collar is not cruel. And when trained, is rarely needed anyway.

That said, Wildrose does have an excellent reputation, and I would definitely consider their dogs.

A friend of mine has a litter that will be ready to go in a couple of weeks. If you send me an email I'll connect you.

Thanks for all of the replies.

I fly to Dallas Saturday and then will drive to Texarkana to pick up a pup from a breeder located via gudogs.com. I fly back Sunday, so you should expect photos of Lucy Monday.

Again, thanks.

Glad to hear you found one. I just picked up another Lab he is wonderful. I have chocolate 6 months old and now a 4.5 month old black. Look forward to seeing pics of your new pup.

Now the fun begins.

Sorry about being late to this, but there is a breeder near Albuquerque (Socorro NM) that has some great Labs. You should get another : )

I flew to Love field Saturday, where my sister picked me up. We drove to the breeder in Texarkana to pickup Lucy.

We then drove to my sister's place in Gun Barrel City.

My sister was prepared to leave the house and spend the night in the travel trailer parked out side. But, she didn't need to..Lucy slept most of the night with only one potty break.

We flew home yesterday. Again, Lucy slept the entire flight.

Here is 10-week old Lucy:

What a great looking dog! I hope you have many, many happy years together!

Congrats! Lucy looks like a sweet pup. She'll be a loyal companion.