I think it's important to have a family history whether the dog is intended to be a family pet,show dog or working dog.Without this you have no knowlege of health testing,genetic and hereitary conditions,dogs been bred with iffy temperaments etc.....
You don't know how many times the bitch has been bred,you have no way of tracing previous litters and seeing the progency produced,puppy farmers use this tactic of not registering litters and produce litter after litter with no regard for the health and welfare of the bitch,any pups produced or the welfare of the breed.They see £ signs,thats all they are interested in.

All dogs/pups produced from good reputable recommended breeders are or should be bred as pets first,anything else afterwards is a bonus.I would rather pay a little extra money for a pup and ensure it has parents with solid temperaments and free from hereditary and genetic conditions.

Im sure this will have given Chris lots to ponder over lol ultimately where from and what dog he buys will be of his choosing all you need to do is make sure you let us see the little one when you get it .

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Exactly and thats what forums are about,giving advice,differing opinions etc...

And of course we want to see pics of the new addition.

Hi

I am currently watching my lab deliver her pups...6 so far all chocolate...

We have never had a lab before but my god she is the best dog ever. We bought her as a pup 2 and half years ago and have not regretted it one bit. she is so friendly, loyal and loving and loves retreiving as labs should do.

I would recommend a lab to anyone. I have watched them at work as drug dogs and also working in the fields. They adapt to well to been kept out doors or in, but love to be in front of a warm fire having a cuddle.

Oh my god how cool , it must be so lovely watching them be born let us know how she does and good luck !! i would be tempted to say save one for me but ive only got 2 two seater sofas so i woud,nt have anywhere for a third to sleep lol
Andrea

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You're all fantastic and your advice is helping enourmously. I've done a good years worth of research and still, the practical advice straight from owners answers questions that have been lingering for months. There has always been something else in the back of my mind though that worried me and because of this, things have changed slightly overnight and I wonder what your thoughts are on this. I've only ever had rescue dogs and as a consequence, the youngest was a year old when I got her and needed no vetinary attention at all other than the normal yearly stuff. That means, I have absolutely no experience what so ever with the very young pups of about 8 weeks old. What I ideally wanted was a pup a few months old that was getting the hang of the ropes but still young enough to quickly get the hang of my ropes, if you know what I mean. To use a comparison, I wanted it at the child equivalent of starting to toddle not a learning to sit unaided. I'd be panicking every five minutes and phoning the canine equivalent of the NHS. So i've also been looking for older pups and have come across one that dare I say, i'm going to see tomorrow. Don't worry though, cute as they are, it hasn't taken me a year to get this far by beeing ruled by my heart and not my head. So here is the low down. It's a 6 month old black lab dog exactly as I wanted. It's KC Reg. 18 FT CH in pedigree (whatever that means! if you can help), it's grandfather is Rod Wallace of Leadburn (whatever difference that makes!). It's Parvo vaccinated and microchipped. It's still with both parents who are hip scored and eye tested. It's from a breeder who is in the Kennel Club Accredited Breeder Scheme and Council Licenced and she breeds labs and collies. I asked her why she still had this one and her answer was something along the lines of... she had a litter and chose this dog to keep for stud then in very close succession she had another 2 litters of labs which were both predominantly black males. She said had it been a yellow male or bitch then she would be keeping it but didn't need/want (can't remember it was a bad line to talk to her) any more blacks. She may be spinning me a complete yarn there and I might find it has 3 legs and only one eye! Does that sound about right for a breeder? She says it will make a lovely family pet or to train for field. She also says that it's happy playing with her 2 year old grandchild and it has been in the house. She didn't say it was house trained and looking at the pictures on her site it looks like one big happy canine family in a very large barn. She also says that it's a very good quality dog. So, that's what I know so far. What do you think to that and is there anything I should watch out for? Tashi thanks for your advice, i've already sized up and prepared for the grate for my 4x4, an indoor kennel, bed, blankets, toys, collar and lead so i'm on my way. I've had a longer pregnancy than an elephant with this baby! Andrea, squeeze a 3 seater in, you know you want to! Nicky, hope all you pups are all beautifull and healthy, and also 'come on the Toon!'

The thing I would be concerned about is why 3 litters in 6 months,
FTCH is a Field Trial Champion with working lines.
Personally I would be iffy with this Breeder,3 litters in 6 months,and usually Breeders focus on one Breed only....

If you are viewing make sure you see all paperwork and ask questions.If there is anything you are unsure about ask or walk away......

the FT Ch means Field Trial Champion so means it is basically from working stock so may not be the solid sort of lab and more of the lean leggy type. Please do go with an open mind and let us know how you get on

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My worry with a six month old is how much has it been out and about, and how much has it seen, if it hasn't been out much, it may have a bad reaction when experiencing new things, but when you see him chances are he with look confident in his own environment.

Thanks for your comments Tashi & Jenny, i'll try and look with my eyes and brain only and consider what you have said. Sallyanne, you've landed on the point that made me wait a year. I know nothing about dog breeding. What questions should I be asking and what answers is it I should be getting? And there was me thinking a lab was a lab and as long as I got a pure lab with a pedigree, all would be ok.