Singleton puppy....

[JmcNY]

Hello,

I am new to this board, so I just found out I am first in line for a yellow lab pup. So excited but nervous because it turns out she was the only puppy born. I have been reading negatives on this. Breeder will be having her join up with the other litter just born after she is weaned off of her mom. Hoping this will help with socialization.

Wonderimg if anyone has a singleton and can let me know if they are any different from any other puppy? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance

J

[JenC]

As long as the breeder knows what they are doing, the pup can be raised just fine. It's not going to affect YOU. If the breeder is less than reputable though, it could be a problem. Do they do all the clearances and show or do something with their dogs other than breed?

[POPTOP]

Hello and Welcome!

I would think a singleton could also have some advantages, like more puppy training time by the breeder. Not a lab, our GSD, Archie, was a singleton. He's fabulous.

[Meeps83]

Thor was a singleton, I believe. Maybe she'll be on soon to give you the positives and negatives.

Welcome me to the board!

[JmcNY]

As long as the breeder knows what they are doing, the pup can be raised just fine. It's not going to affect YOU. If the breeder is less than reputable though, it could be a problem. Do they do all the clearances and show or do something with their dogs other than breed?

Thanks for for your response, he is a very reputable breeder, I do not believe he shows any of the dogs though. I know a few people that have gone with him and his dogs are wonderful. Also read a lot of reviews on him. I even was able to see his inspection report. That's as far as I know.

He seems to be doing the appropriate things to make sure the pup thrives. I am just hoping the pup will have some good socialization with the litter that was born 3 days before she was. He makes videos every week to show how the puppies are doing. Stops those at 7 weeks and they we pick them up at 8 weeks. I am going to see how this next 7 weeks go. He has already sent me a few pics of her. Hoping that continues. Says she is a good size very healthy and strong. We will see!


Thanks Again!

J

[JmcNY]

Hello and Welcome!

I would think a singleton could also have some advantages, like more puppy training time by the breeder. Not a lab, our GSD, Archie, was a singleton. He's fabulous.

Go to hear!! I was hoping people that had the experience of having a singleton would let me know! From what I read they have a tendency to be bold and spoiled. They never had to fight over anything because they didn't have litter mates. Hoping for the best!! So excited to meet her! It's gonna be a long 8 weeks!!

thanks for the response!!

J

[JmcNY]

Thor was a singleton, I believe. Maybe she'll be on soon to give you the positives and negatives.

Welcome me to the board!

Thank you!! glad to be here!! Ohhhh, I hope she sees my post!! I would love her input!!

Thanks for the response!!



J

[MightyThor]

Thank you!! glad to be here!! Ohhhh, I hope she sees my post!! I would love her input!!

Thanks for the response!!



J

Thor wasn't a singleton, he was the only boy of a small surviving litter (3girls and him). It was unusual for us since we were first in line for a male from that litter so we knew from the day he was born that he was ours (our breeder usually pairs later once personalities are known).

I like that your breeder will have another litter for the puppy to be raised with. Our breeder does all of their litters during a small window of time since they also run a farm and do their breeding in the farm's off season. I think that helped Thor since he still got to be around a bunch of other puppies and adults other than his three sisters.

our breeder also does a lot of human socialization. They have kids who participate heavily in the breeding program so when the pups get older they bring them to school to play with kids. We were told that by the time we picked him up at 8 weeks he had been played with by 20+ kids, dressed in doll clothes, and wheeled around in a baby doll stroller. ALL socialization helps!!

[MightyThor]

And now I'm thinking back to the day we picked him up and laughing. The breeder had been telling us stories about him being the mellow one of the litter and how the girls were little terrors. We were first on pickup day to get him out of the way before the girls were picked up. When we walked into their facility a whirlwind of puppy flew by - it was Thor with his three sisters hanging off of his collar. He was HUGE compared to the three girls but he wanted nothing to do with their crazy antics so he was just dragging them along. As soon as I picked him up he identified me as his protector and proceeded to spend the next hour hiding from the three girls behind my legs (while we did paperwork, knowledge transfer, etc). The girls continued to run around and wrestle among themselves. One of his sisters is still known as 'Crazy Daisy'. When we brought him to puppy kindergarten he was extremely shy, but he broke out of it very quickly! The kindergarten helped him out of his shell quite a lot. Now every dog he meets is his best friend.

[Labradorks]

Thanks for for your response, he is a very reputable breeder, I do not believe he shows any of the dogs though. I know a few people that have gone with him and his dogs are wonderful. Also read a lot of reviews on him. I even was able to see his inspection report. That's as far as I know.

He seems to be doing the appropriate things to make sure the pup thrives. I am just hoping the pup will have some good socialization with the litter that was born 3 days before she was. He makes videos every week to show how the puppies are doing. Stops those at 7 weeks and they we pick them up at 8 weeks. I am going to see how this next 7 weeks go. He has already sent me a few pics of her. Hoping that continues. Says she is a good size very healthy and strong. We will see!


Thanks Again!

J

You need to get health certificates for the parents - eyes, heart, elbows, hips. A good breeder should do something with their dogs -- conformation, field work, obedience, therapy dog, etc. It'll also help you determine what type of temperament you're going to get. A conformation bred dog will typically be quieter. Not lazy, just typically has a better "off switch", whereas a field bred Lab (and often what's called a pet bred Lab) will require much more exercise and have a different temperament. There is a huge difference in temperament between the different types of Labs. It depends on your lifestyle, for the most part, as to what type of Lab you should get. Do you want a dog that requires one hour of exercise per day or three?

However, even if the breeder does not show or do anything with his dogs other than breed them, you NEED those health certifications. If he does not have them, he is NOT a reputable breeder as a reputable breeder would NOT breed a dog that had the diseases that the certifications help to identify. While the parents may be healthy now, they could be carriers of certain diseases or have something that will crop up later in life.