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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Is this a good breeder or not? Labs
not sure how to make the link unclicky
Edited: brassbridge dot com
I came across them when I was looking up the local lab rescue yesterday. Their puppies are $1500.
Re: Is this a good breeder or not? Labs
Yuck; they "feed and recommend Pro Plan." Even the "performance formula" of Pro Plan is disgusting. The first ingredients are: Chicken, corn gluten meal, brewers rice, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), poultry by-product meal (natural source of glucosamine), whole grain corn, corn germ meal...
(ETA: I'm no breeder expert, so I don't have much else to offer in that regard.)
My Lunch Blog
I mostly just lurk here but have to weigh in. These are the breeders I got my lab from. They are absolutely wonderful and in no way a backyard breeder. They are very involved in showing and the regional Labrador club. Their facilities are clean and well kept. We went to interview them in person before we purchased a puppy from them. We met the mother (who is now 6 and has been spayed and retired), and she was the sweetest lab you've ever met. They have great dogs, very happy labs, healthy, and fit the breed standard. They sell their pups on a limited registration with the AKC. The dogs they breed have health clearances. They focus a lot on temperaments when they breed.
Yes, they do have some things that stand out as bad - they have about 3 litters a year, and they recommend Pro Plan as PP have pointed out, but many vets also recommend crap foods. There is no requirement for a neuter/spay in their contract, although it is a limited registration.
We could not be happier with our dog, who is now almost 3. He was a very healthy, happy well socialized puppy. I have had labs all my life and he is the closest to the breed standard, both in looks and temperament. He is very sweet and has the "on/off" switch. He will go when you want him to, or lay by your feet looking for belly rubs if you just want to chill out. He was never skiddish or scared. He has had no health problems, vets always comment on how gorgeous of a lab he is.
In short, yes there are some things that could be "red flags", but they are by no means a backyard breeder. No breeder is perfect. They truely care about the health, temperament and well-being of the pups they breed and of the dogs they own. Please let me know if there's any other questions I can answer for you.
If we decide to get another lab, we will get it from them, even though we now live a 11 hour drive away.
Thanks for the feedback. I doubt that we'll get a dog from them, as much as I want a puppy, it's just not practical for us right now since both DH and I work outside the home full time and we're just not sure we are 100% ready for a second dog. I'm also thinking about fostering so I can get an idea of how Kovy will do with a second dog but I'm pretty sure I would be a foster fail so I haven't gotten too far with that yet!!
AJ- this description fits our lab perfectly. It's part of the reason we are hesitant to get another lab, he's so good I'm afraid we'll end up with a devil dog. Would love to see some pictures of your pup.
He is very sweet and has the "on/off" switch. He will go when you want him to, or lay by your feet looking for belly rubs if you just want to chill out
All things considered, I think they look pretty good. I agree with PP, you can probably nitpick things with any breeder, but for the most part these people look pretty responsible.
I don't think three litters a year is necessarily bad as long as the individual females aren't having a more than one litter every couple years. I mean, if you have a girl who just turned two and passed her clearances, and a five year old who hasn't had a litter in two years, and maybe a three year old who hasn't been bred yet, I don't think there's anything irresponsible about breeding them all within 12 months as long as you can provide proper care for all the pups.
One note on the waitlist thing - I see that mentioned a lot here in regard to breeders, and honestly, the really good ones don't have a waitlist. A waitlist implies that you put your name behind a bunch of other people, and the breeder just goes down the line until it's your turn and then you get a puppy. It doesn't always work that way. Our breeder had a two-week old litter on the ground and more than a dozen prospective homes for them when I first contacted her, but we still got one of 8 puppies because she thought we were the best fit for him.
I've had the devil lab... she was about 5 when she finally calmed down! In general, the taller, leaner labs tend to be more wild, but the shorter, stocky ones tend to be much calmer. I love all of them though, labs are such awesome dogs.
As requested here's some pictures of our boy:
Interesting. Boston is a super tall lean lab and he's always been pretty chill since being a puppy (from what I hear, we adopted him when he was 4). I wonder though if part of his chillness was from undiagnosed arthritis that might have slowed him down some. We have him on some excellent supplements now and he acts more like a puppy as an 8 year old than he did when he was younger! :-)
Labs are just about the best in dogs in the whole world (minus the shedding and drool). We love our guy so so so so much!!!!
AND, your dog is gorgeous!!!!!!!
He is a gorgeous pup! We got ours at 8 months old and I imagine he looked just like that as a pup. Even as adults, they look very similar. The family we got him from had two brothers, and they looked very different.
ETA: that first pic makes me really really really really want a puppy.
All I have to say is that I have total lab puppy fever! I got mine when he was 9 mons so while he was still a puppy I never saw him as a little guy. He is the greatest, laziest dog ever. We never had any "lab" issues with him(health or behavior), so I am totally afraid that our next one will end up being Marley-like!
I know that it is totally out of the question to get a puppy right now, especially if our Bulldog ends up needing CCL surgery.
The shedding!! I've always heard labs are moderate shedders. If that's true I want to know what makes a heavy shedder... My black coats especially are covered in fur all the time.
My lab doesn't really shed that bad and he isn't a drooler at all. Plus, he is a light shedder compared to our bulldog who is just ridiculous.
Wow, I never would have guessed bulldogs as bad shedders. I can never pet Max without getting a ton of fur - we brush him a lot and he's on a good food, just a shedder apparently! Can I ask what color your lab is? I've always heard yellows shed constantly where blacks are more fall/spring shedders. I have no idea on whether this is true or not since I've only had yellows. At least I can tell my coats apart from everyone elses, haha.
Max doesn't drool either, but when he takes a drink he won't lick his lips, so he walks around dripping everywhere and then proceeds to wipe his mouth on someone's legs. So pleseant...