The Truth Behind Well Bred Puppies
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I am often asked by puppy families why there is such a varied adoption fee for Lab puppy's from various
different breeders. The truth is and I have 28 years of experience in which to glean from.....
There are litters that are just bred for the heck of it, from people who have absolutely no knowledge of
genetic's or hereditary factors and just how carefully each of these must be researched. Why is research so
important, well if you end up with a pup with special needs from a breeder who took no responsibility it' will
become painfully clear soon enough.
I've had 2 different families that opted for a more careless breeding approach and in each case, I was then
contacted to help with their special needs puppy. Why did they contact me? Well, for one, the "breeder" of
their pup wouldn't return their phone calls and abandoned them and regardless of their choices I am whole
heartedly dedicated to the Labrador Retriever, when one of them has a need, regardless of whether or not I
bred that pup/dog I will always do what I can to help. In this case I was able to located a very reputable
veterinarian and find a training group that could assist her to learn how to provide a quality life for their pup,
who ended up being deaf and was diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia a few months later.
The Science behind responsible, ethical breeding....
There are several things that MUST be considered when contemplating a breeding, such as the reason for the
breeding(which in our case is for ourselves, looking to better improve with each generation while maintaining strict
health standards, superb intelligence and providing the perfect family companion). Each prospective breeding
means that approx. 100 hours of research has gone into the possible predicted outcome of this breeding.
Researching both the Sire and Dam genetic background, sometimes you find that the genetic match will not be
desired, so then you start all over again. A research of the pedigree's of Sire (sire's litter mates, half litter mates, full
litter mates and any offspring that may have been produced, and any half litter mates, full litter mates that you may
be able to research, just try to imagine how many dogs you are researching and this is just for the Sire that you are
looking to use)...then you have the Dam and again you must research (Dam's litter mates,half litter mates,full litter
mates, and any offspring that she may have produced and any of their half litter mates, full litter mates etc..)
Why is this so important? If you don't know your breeding backwards, forwards and sideways... you have NO idea
what you may be bringing forward with your own puppies and those puppies become the loved family companions.
It is important to do our best, we cannot always control mother nature and yes there are somethings that couldn't
have been avoided, just as we as humans deal with special health needs of our own sometimes.In those cases a
responsible breeder will offer emotional support and will do what he or she can to assist you within reason. I often
hear, "We are not looking for a show puppy", and that is perfectly fine, what you may not know is that correct
conformation goes WAY beyond just looking good. It is important that correct structure be an important part of a
breeding program. Why? because structure has everything to do with development and movement. If a dog isn't
balanced this affects growth, if a dog doesn't have proper angulation it will stress the joints during growth. To make it
simple, if the "parts" don't work right they are going to wear and develop abnormally, increasing the risk of abnormal
development in hips and elbows and let's not forget that too straight angulation in the rear is one of the leading
causes of torn ACL. ACL surgery is expensive!! In our history we have never had a torn ACL and we pray that with
each careful breeding we can continue this !!
Now that you know the research involved, lets begin with the pre-bred care of the Sire and Dam....
Pre-breeding Care for Sire and Dam
Before you ever breed either male or female there are strict guidelines for care that MUST be followed. The care for
intact males and females is different from those that have been spayed or neutered. The physical demands are
greater than for those that aren't intact (spayed/nuetered). Just as the nutrition and physical maintenance of a
professional athlete are greater than those that prefer the couch potato lifestyle...lol
Each of our Males and Females nutrition program is specifically designed to meet their needs. While most dog foods
are adequately balanced, I do not feel that most meet the extra nutritional needs required for Labs that enhance a
breeding program and are in professional competition. This is just my humble opinion and other's have disputed my
theory and continue to do so, and with the greatest of respect I will continue to follow my own nutritional program. It
makes sense to me that a professional athlete's diet would be quite different than my own because of the greater
physical demands.
So therefore each male and female has careful attention paid to their health and well being, as well as the state of
mind (happy labs)! While I will not outline our specific program here, as I am aware of "copy-cats" who would use this
information as a false-storefront on their own image, basically just copying and pasting my information for their
marketability.
There are three areas of nutritional support we focus on...
Inner Health,~~~ such as bodily organ and reproductive support as well a proper bone and joint development.
Outer/Epidermal Health~~~ This would focus on skin, coat, ears, nails,eyes, mouth.
Psychological Health~~ The intelligence,trainability, soundness,temperament and overall happiness of our Males and
Females.
Summarize Nutritional Investment for our Labs? Approx $100.00 each month for each "kid" :)
We make sure that each of our males and females are properly socialized, and complete obedience training. Then
according to their interests and talents we have fun training for competition in several different venues. We enjoy
romps in the river or group walk around the 100 + miles of trails located around our property. There is never a day
that goes by that each individual "kid" doesn't recieve attention and love from our family.
As far as Training, we feel that this is important for their care. Each Sire or Dam has approx. 6 months to 2 years of
training behind them with daily interaction to maintain training. To summarize the expense? $8400.00 in training for
each and every one over the course of 2 years...maintaining the training? priceless... my calculator doesn't go that
high... lol
Dilute Colors
There are No dilute colors of Labrador Retrievers, there are no slivers, champagne,peach, apricot
etc..Black,Chocolate and Yellow are the only colors of the Labrador Retriever .The AKC Standard states "The
Labrador Retriever coat colors are black, yellow and chocolate. Any other color or a combination of colors is a
disqualification. A small white spot on the chest is permissible, but not desireable. White hairs from aging or scarring
are not to be misinterpreted as brindling. Black-Blacks are all black. A black with brindle markings or a black with tan
markings is a disqualification. Yellow - Yellows may range in color from fox-red to light cream with variations in
shading on the ears, back and underparts of the dog. Chocolates can vary in shade from light to dark chocolate.
Chocolate with brindle or tan markings is a disqualification."
No where does it say Silver,Champagne,Charcoal, Apricot or any other color..no where.
To say anything else is a way to scam you out of your money. I have a published book with a history of Labs dating
back to the late 1800's and there are NO dilute colors. Do not be misled of fooled by the weak explanations by those
trying to sell you a dilute puppy. I would be happy to share with you the history and proof of true Labrador Retrievers
and welcome a visit anytime!
Competition with our Labs
We feel that EVERY Breeder should be involved in competition with their dogs. There are times for some that waiting
because of personal reasons is completely understandable, however those that have been raising Labs for years
with no involvement in competition are just breeding to be breeding puppies and are not proving or excelling with
their dogs in any other venue. There are some that choose to purchase finished Champions for their breeding
program .The dogs accomplishments in relation to the person purchasing the dog had nothing to do with the
Breeder that worked hard to earn them, in other words alot of times others will "purchase" titles for their program
instead of earning them with the dogs they produce or finish themselves. This is acceptable in certain cases on a
limited basis,however there are those that NEVER earn the accomplishments for themselves, but rather continue to
reap the benefits of the hard work of true Breeders dedicated to the time and expense of proving their breeding
programs. Another important point, is to learn whether the dogs bred by the Breeder you are talking have earned
any titles of their own! Find out whether the puppies being produced by the Breeder are accomplished. It takes time
to produce Champions in any venue, so those new to breeding might not have earned these accomplishments yet.
The involvement in competition showcases and manifests the talent of the dogs being bred, validating their
worthiness to produce offspring, in addition to proper health clearances and speaking of health clearances....
Health Clearances
OFA Hips and Elbows Fee: $40.00 each dog
Veterinary Expense for Hips and Elbows
(Each registry OFA and Penn-Hip charge fee's in addition to the veterinary fee's paid at the time of x-ray)
OFA Hips and Elbows $240.00 each dog
PennHip $240.00 each dog
Heart $30.00 each dog
Cerf-Eyes $35.00 by Board Certified Opthalmologist each dog
Cerf Fee's to submit $
CNM $58.00 each dog
EIC $58.00 each dog
Optigen Fee: $195.00 each dog
Blood Draw for Optigen Veterinary Expense $58.00 each dog
Thyroid $85.00 each dog
Competition Expenses
Entry Fee's---- $28.00 for each dog each day of competition 2-4 day competition.
Motel---$130.00 w/pet fee each night of competition
Gas----ridiculous, :), lol ,lol
Food--- 2 -3 meals a day = $45.00 a day for each day of competition
Approx. Expenses for each event $300.00 - $500.00 (number of events attended each year...36 = $14,400.00 each
year)
Breeding Expenses
Progesterone--$60.00 each test (3 -5 tests)
AI Kits--$60.00 per kit
Stud Fee $800.00 - $1200.00+
Collection Fee's for Stud-- $150.00
Shipment Fee's of Semen-- $40.00 overnight
AI Services for each individual insemination-- $150.00 each insemination
Nutrition
Approx. $100.00 each month each dog
Whelping Expenses (birthing a litter)
This can be extreme in some cases. There are times that something unexpected can happen and you are running
your girl into emergency vets and the expense can be $3,000.00 to $5,000.00.
Normally for what we call a "text-book" whelping..ya right.. lol
The expenses are usually about $1000.00 and that is IF you get a "textbook" whelping!
This is just a small glimpse of some of the surface expenses that go into each well-bred puppy. The hours put into
re-search and care are absolutely mind blowing and uncalculatable.
Breeders do without so their "kids" can have, Breeders stay home when friends are skiing Colorado, Breeders hands
usually look about 10 years older than what they actually are, Our back usually are constantly hurting. So why do we
do this, because our hearts are in our breeds, We BELIEVE it's important to do our best. We take great pride when
our families call to thank us for "the best dog they have ever had", we then have attained success. This is an
investment of the heart, just as it is for our families..and there is nothing we will protect more than the things we love.
So why are there price differences in puppies? When you put nothing into a puppy, you ask nothing for it.......
This is more than just breeding Max and Molly......
Any responsible breeder will be glad to show the research done on each breeding that takes place. This isn't
something that can be faked...if you have doubts about your Breeder, ask to see proof! It's your heart
involved.......don't settle for less.
Thank you,
Tina and the "kids"
Pridezion Labrador Retrievers
360-785-4838
This document is the property of Pridezion Labrador Retrievers and it is not to be used without our permission.