question for breeders

[sheltieluver]

Gauge is now over two and I've been wanting to add anothe lab to our family for a while now. I started researching breeders. I wanted to wait til Gauge was mature so when I found a breeder I wasn't ready to be placed on a list yet.

My friend who is a breeder was at a show and another breeder was asking about handling classes that are held at my work that my friend is part of. This woman is a lab breeder and very local to me. My friend was very impressed wit their dogs and sent me their info. My question is what makes on breeder better than the next both these breeders show in multiple venues and have clearances etc done on their dogs. I'm not on a wait list yet.

Also how long is an average wait list? I don't mind waiting tho with all these adorable lab puppies coming into my work lately im getting puppy fever lol.

If you want to know the breeders names please feel free to pm me.

[dxboon]

If both breeders do all the necessary clearances, both prove their dogs in conformation, obedience, etc. then you might look at other factors like how long they've been breeding and showing, how are they doing with their dogs - any titles?; what bloodlines they are using, and important IMO, which breeder do you feel more of a rapport with?

Wait lists are dependent upon many things, and whether you want something very specific. It can be a few months to a few years if you are looking for a specific pairing of pedigrees.

[Sam I Am]

^ Fully agree with dxboon.
If you are looking for a show or field prospect, then there are differences among breeders that go beyond doing clearances, proving in conformation/field/etc.
However, if you are looking for a pet, find a breeder that does the reputable things (clearances, proving their dogs, etc.) that you feel comfortable with going to with questions throughout the dog's life. Ask about their dogs' temperament. Ask to see their contract and make sure the terms are ones that you are willing to hold up to. You can even ask if they have any references from prior puppy buyers.

[Lobo]

I just went through all of this when looking for Romeo. We are not show people and the only factor important to us is the dogs health and we were not size or color specific. I started looking in Feb / 2014 and had a very hard time at first until I found this forum and was helped by several members. I then became VERY lucky and found a great breeder in Austin Texas that had a litter on the ground. She has been breeding Labs for decades and has many accolades and show winning dogs under her belt. I was able to get on the list to buy one and waited until they were old enough.

Otherwise it looked like we were in for a very long wait unless I could find a breeder that would sell to someone from out of state. The worst was the amount of calls and emails that I had to make to find our breeder and again I just got lucky. I have never found out the reason why but most of the breeders I called refused to pick up the phone, return calls or return emails. I had made out a long letter stating we were very good Labs owners with decades of experieince and that we had CASH $$$$ money ready to go and would travel anywhere in the lower 48. All I got were crickets. Not to waste the effort I made sure to save that list since if they could not respond simply return an email to a potential life long customer then they certainly would not be a good breeder for us.

I have since found that there is a somewhat secret circle within the breeder/show people and once I learned where to go and who to talk to I now know where and what to do when looking for a Labrador puppy.

[JenC]

I think the "better breeder" is the one you have the better rapport with, given that the clearances and "being involved" with the dogs is about the same. Or if you absolutely fall in love the with momma dog, then I would wait for the dog from the momma you prefer. For a pet person, pedigree really might not come into play, but you will need to rely on the breeder as a resource for the life of the dog, I would pick the breeder I clicked with the most.