You want the healthiest, happiest pet you can find, even if you’re not going to be formally showing your dog.  Breeders which are AKC registered can help you be sure you’re getting an animal that won’t have any genetic personality or health problems, and has been taken good care of.  But you’ll need to do a little sifting to find the right breeder.  Also, beware of places offering AKC lab puppies that won’t show you the parents’ registration and health records – they might not be the real thing.

Too many people ignore common sense when they decide to buy a puppy.  They end up getting the one that’s the cutest, or the one their kids like best.  But there’s more to adopting AKC lab puppies than just loving the dog.  You need to make sure you do your homework beforehand, make sure that you’re the right kind of household for a Labrador, and be certain that the puppy you get is right for you.

Be willing to talk to breeders and ask lots of questions.  A good breeder will know that there’s no such thing as a stupid question, and will be happy to answer your questions.  Check out a few local dog shows in your area to start meeting breeders and their animals.  You can also get in touch with the AKC club in your area to find out who they recommend for people wanting to adopt AKC lab puppies.

Don’t bargain shop for your dog.  Even if conformation to show standards isn’t important to you, you should make sure you pay enough to get a good quality puppy.  “Bargain AKC puppies” are often being bred by puppy mills that neglect the health and genetics of their breeding animals.  That leads to problems down the road.  If you can’t afford AKC lab puppies, adopt from your local humane shelter, rather than from a cheap breeder.

A puppy from a real AKC registered parent will be healthy and in good condition.  The breeder should let you meet the puppy’s parents and other relatives, and be willing to show you around.  Steer clear of breeders who are unwilling to answer questions, won’t show you their facilities, or seem impatient and in a hurry to get you to leave.  Your Labrador retriever puppy should be the friend that stays with you for a lifetime.

Both kinds of lab have a solid coat (sometimes with a few white hairs) and come in yellow, chocolate, and black in all kinds of shades.  However, there are differences between them, too.  English Labrador retrievers have shorter bodies compared to American labs, a heavier build, and a more docile temperament.  These animals are very blocky for labs, while the American type is more likely to have a tall body type.  While no Labrador retriever should ever be lanky, like a Doberman or Weimeraner, these are less solidly built dogs.

English Labrador retrievers are also called show, bench, and conformation type Labradors.  American Labrador retrievers might also be called field or working dogs.  Both types of animals are found in the UK and in the US, so the names “English Labrador retriever” and “American Labrador retriever” are somewhat misleading.  They only refer to the original stock that developed the line – Labradors have been bred in England for nearly two hundred years now.
There are different standards for each type among registration agencies.  The AKC holds that field or American type labs still have to conform to standard lab standards, and that overly long noses and legs, thin heads, or very slight frames are not considered a good conformation.

It’s important to remember that most agencies don’t differentiate formally between the types.  No one has standardized a way to tell an English Labrador retriever from an American one, or a particular way of judging them.  The two kinds just come from different breeding lines originally.  There’s a third line that’s not common in the Northern Hemisphere – the Australian line of Labrador retriever.  These dogs are often, but not always, built more like the English Labrador retriever than the American type.

So, which is better?  It all depends on what you want.  English Labrador retrievers are a more placid dog that’s been bred as a pet or show dog for a longer period of time.  American labs have spent more of their existence being bred as working dogs, and have a few more traits that make them good for this use.  They’re also more energetic.  Both types are friendly, active pets that make great family or work dogs.  It’s all a matter of what shape and personality you prefer.  Meet a few labs, and see how you feel.

First, realize that your lab wants to please you.  If you’re having trouble getting your dog to follow your instructions, it’s not because your puppy wants to disobey.  Labs are dogs that love being part of an active family, thrive on attention, and live for a kind word.  If training a Labrador is going badly, it’s probably because your dog is too confused to understand what you’d like done.

These dogs are very intelligent, gentle, and outgoing.  However, they can get over enthusiastic.  They can also grow to be pretty big, making it extremely important to teach them boundaries when they’re small.  Sure, that lovable puppy isn’t big enough to do any damage, but now’s the time when your pet is learning.  How much of a problem will you have with training a Labrador when your pet weighs sixty pounds and has already learned that it’s okay to sit on your lap?  Start early, be firm, and stay consistent.

Remember to keep your lab occupied, too.  Training a Labrador that’s distracted, lonely, or wants attention can be a lot harder than it needs to be.  These smart dogs are easily attached to you, and can get lonely or bored if you don’t have the time for them.  They make such great hunting dogs because they want nothing more than to be by your side, being active and helping you do things.

If you don’t spend much time at home, don’t play with your dog, and are too busy to be attentive, you’ll have a dog that will be hard to train.  Your pet might even be destructive, because it’s the only way to get your attention.  These dogs are often going through separation anxiety or other stresses.  They don’t want to be bad, but they do want you to pay attention to them.  Correct the problem, and you’ll probably see the bad behavior go away.

Don’t be harsh when training a Labrador.  That sensitive temperament means that yanking on the leash, yelling at your dog, or hitting your pet are all a bad idea.  They’ll teach your dog to be afraid of you, not help with training.  Instead, you need to show your pet that a behavior is bad with a firm no and eye contact.  Then, you have to help your pet learn the right behavior.  After all, it’s pretty confusing if you’re only ever told what you’re doing wrong.  When your dog does well, use lots of praise as a reward.  You’ll soon find that training a Labrador isn’t as hard as you thought!

Labrador retrievers originally came from Newfoundland in Canada.  This breed is descended from the St. John’s water dog, also the ancestor of the dog we now call the Newfoundland.  Labrador retrievers were used to help pull in nets from the water.  These original dogs were black – yellow and chocolate labs developed later.  The black Labrador dog was written about as early as 1814, and was common in England by 1870.

Black Labrador dogs are fairly large.  Males weigh as much as ninety pounds, with females as much as seventy.  There are some labs that weigh even more, but they’re considered faulty by AKC standards.  There are two main lines of labs – conformation and field.  The conformation dogs are stockier and shorter.  They’re also calmer.  Field labs are bred to be lighter and taller, and are more likely to still be working dogs.  These animals have longer noses and narrower faces, and can be less placid than their cousins.

If you decide to adopt a black Labrador dog, you’ll need to know a few things.  For instance, a black lab will shed at least twice a year, and some will shed all year long!  This may mean a lot of combing.  The coat is relatively waterproof, and can seem greasy.  There’s even hair between the toes, which helps these dogs with swimming.

You’ll also need to offer these dogs plenty of attention.  A black Labrador dog doesn’t want to be ignored – he or she wants to feel like part of the family.  That means that you’ll be dealing with a lovable, attentive dog who wants you to feel the same way.  These dogs are intelligent, so if you find them to be a nuisance, they’ll figure it out pretty quickly.  Eager to please, these dogs love energetic play and lots of interaction with their owners.

A black Labrador dog needs plenty of regular exercise.  Most will need at least a half to a full hour daily – half and hour in the morning and half in the evening is a great way to split this up.  Make sure you vary the exercise, offering walks, games of fetch, obedience training and more.  This keeps your pet from getting bored.  A bored lab can turn out to be pretty destructive.

Remember to think about future health problems, as well as your new pet’s current needs.  Just like other breeds, black Labrador dogs have a few diseases they’re genetically prone to.  Preventative care can keep your pet from getting hip dysplasia and other major health problems.  Of course, you can also decrease the chance of these issues by making sure that you choose a responsible breeder.  Any puppy you adopt should have parents with no health problems, and should get a checkup immediately after you take it home.

They should feel chunky, as this is a medium to large size dog, so you wouldn’t expect to get weedy puppies, as this does not bode well. The mother must be there. Never, ever buy a puppy if you cannot see the mother as this really is a bad omen. They are not old enough to be away from their mother until 8 weeks, so if you are visiting them before this then you would expect her to be there. It is less important that you see dad, although the breeder should have a good knowledge of the dad and be able to show you his papers. A good breeder will be friendly and patient and be able to answer all your questions about the puppies and the mother or the father, so be suspicious if she doesn’t know, and do not be surprised if they ask you questions too.

A healthy puppy shouldn’t have any sore spots, so gently feel his legs and body and make sure he doesn’t yelp or moan. See him walk and make sure his legs all seem to work and he isn’t lame in any way. His eyes and nose should be clear, with no discharge or sign of infection and he should really be a little feisty. Hopefully he will have been handled by children, but do ask and if possible have your children hold the puppy. Sit smaller children down and put the puppy on their lap as you don’t want the puppy to be dropped accidentally. This is very unfair and could badly hurt the pup.

Chocolate Labs for sale are a popular thing so do not be too disappointed if you call a breeder having seen an advert and be told they are all reserved. If you like a puppy be sure to reserve the one you want as they are very saleable, especially from a good breeder. Don’t buy a dog from the side of the road or a car park. Some well meaning breeders will offer to meet you if they are a long way from you, but this really isn’t the best way as you cannot see the puppies in the breeders home and cannot really be sure that this is a good breeder. You will feel more pressured for time and are likely to end up feeling obliged to take a puppy as they have driven to meet you.

It is a huge shame that not all dog breeders are in the business for the right reasons. This is to produce a sensible sized litter of puppies that are hand reared; healthy dogs that will grow into excellent companions that will love you for years to come. Sadly, some places that offer Labrador puppies for sale are just in the business to make money. Their bitches have not seen the light of day, have never been in a house, and are not walked and exercised but instead spend their days in pens as breeding machines. No sooner has one lot of pups left the breeder, and the poor dog will be expected to be pregnant again as soon as her body will allow it. This does not lead to healthy puppies, as the mother’s body will be tired and beaten and will not have the required amount of nutrients to support the healthy growth of puppies. Sadly puppy farmers are clever, and will have a very normal home set up for you to see the puppies in and any problems or potential problems can be well hidden. However, many are not so clever, and if you are taken to a small pen where the bitch remains hidden at the back of the pen, you must immediately be suspicious.

You may well be saving a couple hundred dollars this way, but in the long run this is really not worth the pain and problems a badly bred dog can cause you. The vet’s bill you may need to pay to have some of these problems sorted can soon out weigh this saving. The mum should be a well loved dog who clearly has a relationship with her handler and is not fearful of the handler, and who is seen moving and seems healthy whilst you are there looking at the puppies. Be equally suspicious of a breeder who will not let you see the mother, especially if you are choosing a puppy that is up to about 10 weeks old as there really is no reason to have separated them before you purchase the puppy. If you cannot see the mother then you really do not want to buy your Labrador puppy from them as this is just not right and potentially means that this is not a reputable breeder. This really is important.

Officially, silver Labradors are a a lighter shade of chocolate lab.  They can be registered with the AKC as pure chocolate labs, but some believe that this color couldn’t have been developed without genes from some other breed, such as the Weimeraner.  There is no kennel club that recognizes silver Labradors as a legitimate color all its own.

Some breeders might claim otherwise, but they’re either mistaken or trying to get more money for this unusual color.  It’s true that these are animals with beautiful coats, but they’re not registerable as silver, and are not worth large amounts of money.  If you encounter a breeder selling silver Labradors at a high price, move on to the next one.

Just what makes these dogs silver in color?  There are many complex combinations of genes that make up an animal’s coat color.  All dogs have every one of these genes, but some are switched on and others are switched off.  A silver Labrador is recessive for black, resulting in a chocolate coat.  It also has a gene that can dilute the coloration, called the D gene.  This appears in the homozygous recessive form, and is written as dd.

Dilute chocolate Labradors are silvery brown, while dilute black labs are slate grey, which is also called blue.  Weimeraners are typically dilute, and have a mousey grey coat.  Because of this, some people believe that Wiemeraner genes may have been introduced to encourage the presence of the dilute gene in Labradors.

Silver Labradors can be traced back to just two US kennels, originally, and from there back to a kennel that produced pointing and retrieving dogs in the 1920s and 1930s.  As far as we can tell, these breeders stumbled on this interesting looking color, and breeders since then have kept it going.

While there’s nothing wrong with breeding a nonstandard dog for its color, there is something wrong with what many breeders are doing.  They’re deviating from the breed standard and claiming that their animals are still show quality.  They’re also frequently skipping the health clearances on their breeding animals, and rarely participate in competitions to prove the quality of their dogs.  This can signify a breeder that’s simply out to make money, rather than improving Labrador retrievers as a whole.

Some silver breeders have also cited DNA testing for silver Labradors supposedly done by the AKC – something that this organization hasn’t done and doesn’t plan to do.  After all, the AKC doesn’t write the breed standard.  Plus, DNA testing can only really tell us about the parents of a dog.  There’s no “purebreed” DNA test around yet.

So, what does that mean about buying a silver Labrador?  Most of the time, these dogs aren’t the best bet.  You can’t enter blue or silver labs in conformation events, they’re often from poor or unknown breeding stock, and while their genetic background is interesting, it isn’t incredibly special.  While a silver lab is attractive and an interesting novelty, it’s not worth paying a lot for.

However, if you have a decent size house and someone is around for most of the day, the puppy will get regular exercise, be well loved and cared for, then a good Labrador breeder will be more than happy to sell you a puppy. You also have the right to ask questions of them, and again you shouldn’t be afraid to do so. It is important to know that this puppy has been bred in excellent conditions and that the mother has been looked after. Puppy mills abuse their bitches and a dog should never, ever be purchased from such a place. There is a difference between a well cared for breeding bitch who has one litter a year, lives as part of a family and gets proper care and attention, to a puppy mill bitch who lives in a cage, isn’t allowed a human contact and relationship and is badly neglected in terms of love and care.

True Labrador breeders will have a love of dogs and really enjoy what they do. The puppies will be well handled and socialized almost from the moment they are born, and nothing is too much trouble for their puppies. They may own both parents, or they may buy in a stud service, but the mother will be their dog that they take great care of and respect her place as their breeding bitch. Ask them if the puppies are ready to stop feeding from the mother, and what food they have been introducing them to. Most breeders will have a puppy pack for you that includes some food so that you can keep the food consistent, or if it suits you to change it do so gradually to avoid upsetting the pup’s tummy.

You are quite within your rights to see the pedigree papers, and you can see the blood lines. In many cases you will not see the dad as he may well be owned by someone else; however, in some cases they will have both the parents, but without doubt you really need to see the bitch, as in most cases you are going to be making your first visit to the pup while it is still dependant on her, so it would be suspect if she wasn’t around to be seen. Sadly these sorts of things have to be looked at, as a few non-reputable breeders and the people in puppy mills have ruined the experience for some people and now more checks need to be carried out to make sure you are buying a healthy puppy.

There is a worldwide campaign to stamp out puppy farms or mills, where breeding bitches are kept in cramped conditions, starved of human contact. These are not animals to be envied. Their sole purpose in life is to provide the puppy mill with as many puppies as possible, and should they fail to do so they are shot. Simple as that. However, puppy mills offer their dogs cheaper than a reputable breeder and the first time dog owner is easily hooked. What you won’t see if you got to a Labrador puppy mill is the mother. You will be asked whether you want a male or female pup, and a selection will be brought out to you. If this happens, walk away. A breeder who gets upset or defensive if you ask questions should also raise alarm bells for you, and again think twice before you buy a puppy as a good Labrador retriever breeder will know the answer to any common question about his pups and his parent dogs and will be more than happy to answer you.

Puppies that come from farms or mills are in real danger of having serious illnesses and diseases and are very unlikely to be given the required vitamins and vaccinations needed by a new puppy, so you are storing up future trouble from buying a puppy from this condition, and any financial saving you made buying the pup will soon be gone in vet bills when it all goes wrong. A pet shop is most definitely not a Labrador Retriever breeder either, so never ever buy a puppy in a pet shop as again these are unlikely to have been born in proper circumstances and are more than likely to have come from a puppy mill. The only way that the campaign can work to stamp out these awful places is for all of us to stop using them.

You may also consider adopting a dog from a welfare shelter before you go out and get a puppy. There are hundreds of needy dogs in welfare care that would love the chance to find a family and have a home for life, and some of the labs they get are very young. You can adopt with confidence as they will have been checked by a vet for any conditions you need to worry about.

Labrador puppies sales are always going to remain high, as this versatile breed is still used in sports in the United Kingdom, with this highly intelligent dog being able to go and pick up birds that have been shot by guns. In both countries the Labrador makes an excellent choice for a seeing eye dog to work for a blind person as they are so quick to learn, and pick up the skills needed well. More importantly they are reliable, which is obviously vital if they are going to be trusted to safely lead their owner and avoid any potential dangers.

They are also a good size dog, not being too big, yet a nice size to enjoy as part of the family. If well trained they are safe for a younger person to walk without fear of being pulled over by the dog, or that it will try and jump at another dog or small child. Older children can easily be involved in the care of the Labrador.

If you decide that you want to get any puppy for your family you should be doing a lot of research and learning about the breed. There will be lots of information on this website that will tell you about the Labrador Retrievers so you can see if this really is the dog for you. Do take this seriously as fundamentally breeds have traits that cannot be changed, and if you do not choose wisely you are going to end up with a dog that is not right for you.

Do try and do a lot of research about places that offer Labrador puppies for sale as there are sadly still puppy farms out there that do not consider their dogs’ welfare. The only way we can put a permanent stop to them is to stop buying from them, so that they are not making any money. They may well offer a cheaper puppy, which will entice you, as a pedigree puppy is not cheap, but sadly if it is not well bred then it could suffer from many health problems. Puppy farms are best avoided in favor of reputable breeders.