Lab pups, where to buy?

McCracken

McCracken

Logan Can't See This
Joined
Jul 9, 2005
Location
With your mom at a nice seafood dinner
I'm looking for an addition to the family in the form of a Lab. I can google and I have found them at $800 and above. I'm looking for one around the $400-$500 range. I had a black lab when I was just starting college and I paid $75. She was awesome but I know that's been a while and inflation is a bitch. So now I'm on the hunt for a yellow female. Any help is appreciated.

PS - I'll also accept Goldadors and possibly Labradoodles.
 
ProbablyBroke said:
Rescue the ugliest dog you can find.
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Amen. That's what my wife did, and I'd say it worked out pretty well for her. Still not sure why she picked me though.
 
ProbablyBroke said:
Rescue the ugliest dog you can find.
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Thanks but I want a lab. I'm not against rescue dogs but this is what the family decided and my little girl is looking forward to a "laboratory" dog.
 
As someone who has raised and bred Labs and has trained, trialed and shown 3 separate National Ribbon winners...

Answer the difficult question first: "What do you want out of this family member?"
A $2,000 lab makes a HORRIBLE pet. If bred and trained right they are a retrieving machine. They have and show little affection and attachment and they are miserable if they arent working.

Do you hunt? Will this dog need to spend time in a duck blind? Does he need coat properties to jump into sub zero water?

Again, Im not discouraging a Lab. But saying I want a Lab is like "I want a 4wd"
Ok. Great. Now what are you going to use it for?

If you just want a furry family member who can fetch a stick on command, play with the kids, slobber on you and make your heart smile...and chew up EVERYTHING in sight on site.

Then find a reputable breeder to ensure you arent supporting a puppy mill, and enjoy your pet.

Now a few breed specific pointers.
Since you said yellow - white and silver are NOT recognized standard colors. Silver almost universally are not pure bloods and have been mixed with Wiemers. This doesnt make them bad, just not Labs. Dont pay $400 for a mutt. BTW a Weimy/Lab combo has a hard lie ahead of it. WHite is a defect. A healthy proper Yellow lab will be broom straw color.

If you want a long time friend make sure you get a dog that is Hip, Heart and Eye certified. These certs cost about $200 per pup (for the 3) So anytime you by a lab for less than $250, just know that it isnt, even if the breeder says it is. Hip displaysia is a debilitating disease for a lab and a huge financial burdern to correct for their owner. I have a black lab with corrected hips. I made the choice to pay. Many wont or cant make that choice. It can be a terrible decision to find out your 3 year old is ill and either needs to be put to sleep or have several thousands of dollars worth of surgery done to it.

Will post more later. Running into a meeting.
 
You can get a Rescue dog that is a lab;

LabRes

But Puppies are not so easy to get via rescue organizations...
 
Our last dog was a purebred black lab. She was the greatest dog either of us ever had, she was awesome in every way. We lost her right after Christmas last year, she was old and we had to put her down. We got a new dog from the lab rescue, but a lot of them aren't purebred. Ours looks to be a Lab/Beagle mix. It is like we got the bad sides of both breeds with our new one. She chews like a lab and she barks/bays like a beagle. Plus she gets a scent and runs off and there is nothing you can do about it. It isn't that she is a horrible dog, and we still love her, but I really wish we had another purebred. Our next dog will definitely be another female black lab.
 
Ron said:
As someone who has raised and bred Labs and has trained, trialed and shown 3 separate National Ribbon winners...

Answer the difficult question first: "What do you want out of this family member?"
A $2,000 lab makes a HORRIBLE pet. If bred and trained right they are a retrieving machine. They have and show little affection and attachment and they are miserable if they arent working.

Do you hunt? Will this dog need to spend time in a duck blind? Does he need coat properties to jump into sub zero water?

Again, Im not discouraging a Lab. But saying I want a Lab is like "I want a 4wd"
Ok. Great. Now what are you going to use it for?

If you just want a furry family member who can fetch a stick on command, play with the kids, slobber on you and make your heart smile...and chew up EVERYTHING in sight on site.

Then find a reputable breeder to ensure you arent supporting a puppy mill, and enjoy your pet.

Now a few breed specific pointers.
Since you said yellow - white and silver are NOT recognized standard colors. Silver almost universally are not pure bloods and have been mixed with Wiemers. This doesnt make them bad, just not Labs. Dont pay $400 for a mutt. BTW a Weimy/Lab combo has a hard lie ahead of it. WHite is a defect. A healthy proper Yellow lab will be broom straw color.

If you want a long time friend make sure you get a dog that is Hip, Heart and Eye certified. These certs cost about $200 per pup (for the 3) So anytime you by a lab for less than $250, just know that it isnt, even if the breeder says it is. Hip displaysia is a debilitating disease for a lab and a huge financial burdern to correct for their owner. I have a black lab with corrected hips. I made the choice to pay. Many wont or cant make that choice. It can be a terrible decision to find out your 3 year old is ill and either needs to be put to sleep or have several thousands of dollars worth of surgery done to it.

Will post more later. Running into a meeting.
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Good points made. I read up on the Silvers and I don't want to go that route. I want a friendly family dog I can train and that will play with my little girl because our dachshund is an asshole. Btw, I love him for that. He's more my dog anyway :flipoff2:
 
Ron said:
WHite is a defect. A healthy proper Yellow lab will be broom straw color.
Click to expand...

THIS, you can tell them too by the color of their nose. They are known as lemon labs and are about as dumb as a sack of hammers. And hyper. One of our friends has one that she rescued, she knew he was a lemon going into it but he was unwanted and she's a sucker for labs. That dog is the worst and not a damn thing she can do because he's too stupid to learn. :lol:
 
And since it's on topic...
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I picked both our labs up at wake county shelter. They are mixed obviously. Black lab is mostly lab but with collie. Yellow is a lab/pit mix. I trained the black one myself and is a fine hunting dog. Yellow one is good for nothing except love and attention. Just my .02
 
^^^ I got one of them thar meth labs!

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Best dog ever....lab mix with maybe pit we think.

Edit....and very, very protective too....don't think I've ever seen a pure lab that wouldn't quickly go from aggressive/protective (as much as they can be) to accepting a treat or belly-rub.
 
I am going thru the same thing too. I have always had pitbulls and love them. we put ours down last November and the kids have been wanting another dog. I have been looking at labs the last few months. believe we are going to get a chocolate lab and surprise the kids. have been looking at tons of websites from va and nc. I was at my land the other day and remembered the guy 2 farms down raised labs. I took a ride over there and checked them out.
I love hunting but do not plan on hunting the dog. not a duck hunter. will use him though to help retrieve deer and just be a companion in the woods when I just ramble around. I just need to decide between a male or female. I want a male, because of the looks. blocky head and size. kind of thinking of female though, as I hear the listen better. we will see. hope you have luck finding 1. jesse :beer:
 
Best dog I ever had my Zeus boy black lab and had dick like a horse . Female dogs would line up at our door for years to get the hammer shit u not. Died last year the Same day my grandfather passed he would keep him when we went on vacation and always wanted him to stay. Guess there up there catching bass chilling by the water he didn't want paw to be lonely is what I figured he was only 8 years old he took a big shit laid down at my feet and was gone. I fucked up and bought a pit female she is gorgeous but Annoying as hell. By the way any one want a one year old yellow pit?
 
We have a golden retriever which is basically a blond,long haired lab.EXCELLENT dogs,ours is suppose to be full blooded but came w no papers and was free from some old guy on the local swap n shop radio show.She turned 12 this month and is a big part of our family.
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CAROLINA ROCKRUNNER said:
Best dog I ever had my Zeus boy black lab and had dick like a horse . Female dogs would line up at our door for years to get the hammer shit u not.
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That's quite a shining endorsement there :lol:.I'm sure he would rather not have to explain to his daughter why her dog is rubbin it's pee pee on another dogs but.
 
Hell he made some pretty pups guy at the end of street sold plenty from his female black lab he knew what he was doing free pure breed dperm for free. Hell I let him get a nut every time they showed up it was like college for me never pass one up even if she was troll once u get married you wished you would of fucked that fat girl one more notch in the belt.
 
highcj5 said:
I am going thru the same thing too. I have always had pitbulls and love them. we put ours down last November and the kids have been wanting another dog. I have been looking at labs the last few months. believe we are going to get a chocolate lab and surprise the kids. have been looking at tons of websites from va and nc. I was at my land the other day and remembered the guy 2 farms down raised labs. I took a ride over there and checked them out.
I love hunting but do not plan on hunting the dog. not a duck hunter. will use him though to help retrieve deer and just be a companion in the woods when I just ramble around. I just need to decide between a male or female. I want a male, because of the looks. blocky head and size. kind of thinking of female though, as I hear the listen better. we will see. hope you have luck finding 1. jesse :beer:
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Couple things here.
Block versus round head is a genetic/lineage deal not a male vs female.
It is the English vs American standard debate. Its pretty controversial in the Lab and field trial/show world. Breed standard says a male shouldnt weigh more than 75 lbs. "American" Labs frequently get over 100lbs.

Listen better male vs female is rubbish. With the lone exception of partially trained male dogs and local bitches in heat. He will get distracted like a teenage boy at the swimming pool.

I will never have a "properly" trained dog again. Too much work. Breaks too much spirit. Too sad. Im an old softy.
Now a properly mannered dog, absolutely. Thats a must. And a different story.

Regardless of size, sex or color. Check out the tail of the PARENTS of any pup you are considering. The tail needs to flare significantly in the last 3-4" at the hip bone. A "whip" tail is a sign of a number of deficiencies and is best to avoid.
Coat is another tell tale. If the adult's coat is ragged or wiry, the dog's nutrition is poor. (If its a full blooded lab other breeds and mutts/mixes with other breeds will vary greatly) Malnourished dogs have unhealthy pups.
Every time.


Last thing here about personality. Just like we all have different personalities, so too do dogs. There isnt a good or bad, per se, but there is a good and bad "fit"

Do you want a chill companion who will lay at your feet while you rock on the porch? Do you want a rambunctious lovable nuisance who never says enough?
Spend some time with a litter of pups. They will grow up but their personalities wont change. A breeder who wont let you "pick a pup" I personally wouldnt do business with.
 
I've had labs nearly all my life.
Had to put down my 16 yr old Chocolate a little over a year ago. Pure breed, no papers but that was OK she was fixed, and could not read. Best damn friend I ever had.
I have a Black lab now, got him when he was one. Owner didn't want to spend time with him. He's smart, he's lively, and an awesome pet.
I also have a yellow lab, Got her when she was 6, also fixed, listens better than 99% of children, gives me no issues, like all the rest, very loving.

My experience is, if you want a Lab, color don't matter, but I do have the best experiences with the females, they are calmer and listen the best. Have them fixed as soo as they are old enough. Spend time with them just like you would your child. Learn their language, they will tell you when they need to potty and mine know when 8am is and when 5 PM is. They always tell me when it's time to eat! Put them into a routine, then you will know what to expect,and so will they. Include them in as much family things as you can.

They are damn good dogs for sure. High energy when younger, and mature gracefully. An excellent choice for a pet for your daughter! Give your child responsibility, and they will bond.
 
upnover said:
I've had labs nearly all my life.
Had to put down my 16 yr old Chocolate a little over a year ago. Pure breed, no papers but that was OK she was fixed, and could not read.
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That's OK. I was hoping she could just chill while I told her stories about my youth.
 
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