The unfortunate thing is that when a pup gets to this age if no formal training has been given it can be quite hard to instill. There is a huge difference between the temperament of say a field type golden to a show golden and I should imagine the same can be said about a lab. Really dont want to put a 'downer' on what you think may be the dog for you BUT unfortunately the Accredited Breeder Scheme is not all it is cracked up to be so dont be fooled by that. In Wales alone we have some 'puppy farm' breeders that have managed to get onto the scheme, so please dont be to hasty and dont take the kids (if you have any older ones) cos you will end up with what may become a nightmare puppy for you.

Why not ring the Lab club in your area they usually have puppy lists and also will know of pups that have been run on by breeders and perhaps havent made the grade for the showring, see if they give you the number for the breeder in question. I would worry about how many litters she has had since the yellow has been born. We only breed a litter when we want one for ourselves so maybe only have 1 litter every two years.

We have all probably confused you more than when you asked the original question but, you seem to have done your homework in great detail, I would hate you to fail the distinction at the final paper.

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Thanks for the advice Tashi. I spent a couple of hours last night going on to advice sites / vets / animal health sites and i've written down a whole load of questions to ask when I get there. The first one of course is the litters thing, how many how often etc. If the pup is socialised and how etc. The breeder is not going to be able to pull the wool over my eyes that easily. Fortunately for me i'm rarely ruled by my heart and I trust practically no-one so I should be ok. I don't plan to get it today either way so i'll be back on here tonight with the answers to the questions I got.

Also expect to be grilled by the Breeder,they will ask about lifestyle,why you want a lab etc...

Check the KC Registration against the Pedigree,making sure dogs names are matching up,also the tests of both Sire and Dam should be on the registration.
Look for clean ears,bright eyes,check for fleas or mites in the coat etc,ask to see vet card with innoculations,worming etc.....

If your not sure do not buy,there are plenty of Lab pups around from good Breeders with health tested stock.

Good Luck!!!

Agree with all that and if this pup is not the one for you I have a very good friend in labs in this area and she will tell me which are the best ones in your area to approach!!

Best of luck anyhow.

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Well I finally made an advancement today and went to see the little chap. Armed with the advice from you all I went in looking like I knew what I was talking about and got ready to give her a good grilling. It was actually nothing like I was expecting, she said to ask anything I wanted and we talked about all sorts (dog related that is) for an hour before I went anywhere else. Sallyanne, some of your questions didn't even need asking because she just came out and answered them. First she took me through the paperwork. She showed me the KC reg with the sire and dam on it. The sire was a hip 5/5 and the dam 4/6. There was also the 5 generation thing showing the 18 champions on it. She showed me all the docs for both its parents. Showed me their individual hip/elbow tests, their eye tests (which were recent as she said she got them done every year to 18months) and even the tests of each of their parents parents, both who were also under 10 total. As far as the 3 litters in 6 months goes. She has 3 seperate bitches who all had a litter at about the same time. She chose one male out of the first litter to keep for stud and the rest went, then when the other two bitches had their litters, they were all black males too. From what I can gather, she was getting short on yellows so decided she didn't need another black stud after all. I saw the dogs innoculation cert but it has only had parvo so I need to get it booked into the vets for when it comes home with me to get the other jabs. She showed me all the dates for worming etc and what brand the pup had. She showed me what food it had had and when (brand/amount/times etc). After she showed me all that she took me to see its father and mother, then its grandmother, (its grandad was owned by someone else and not there) then its aunties. She said I should make a decision based on everything else I had seen because if I saw the dog first it could cloud my judgement. And finally she took me to see him. I have to say that after getting my last heinz 57 terrier cross when it was about a year old, this puppy was enormous compared. Big fluffy paws and a very handsome chap. The socialising bit wasn't bomb proof because they live in the sticks. It's fine with cats, kids, cows (or coos as some dodgey looking farmer said), tractors, cars and other dogs and she said it lived in the house when it was very small but now it's in a barn with older collies. I did say I wasn't taking it straight away though so she wanted to know what I would call it and she's going to start calling it by that name (it didn't have one before) and she's going to get it into a collar and used to a lead ready for me. At the very end of it all she said that if I had any problems what-so-ever with the dog or it had any medical problems to just take it back and she would give me a full refund. Easier said than done when it's part of the family but a little extra trust gained by the breeder I think. So I think I did you proud Sallyanne considering most of the questions I got answered came from you in the first place. She did show me loads of other docs and told me loads of other things about the breed and what to do next regarding health and all that but I just wrote the important stuff down. So if there was anything I didn't mention above, I probably asked and just can't remember now. So, does it sound ok now? Does he sound like a reasonably safe purchase?

Big fluffy paws are you sure it is a lab????????????????

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Wow!
Sounds like a safe bet to me,I also liked the fact the documents and other relatives were seen before you saw the pup.
I'm glad I was able to help,even though Labs arn't my breed so to speak
With socialising I'd recommend puppy classes asap.

So come on then what are you calling him?

bless !!!!! he sounds lovely only you can descide if he will be right for you labs are very friendly dogs so even though he hasnt had much in the way of in house living he will soon adjust and as he may not of had much in the was of basic obedience it may take a while for you to teach the basics , but if your happy with the way he looked and happy with what the lady had to say then i would go for it , but dont forget you wont be able to take him to public places till both sets of vaccinations have been done usualy 2 weeks apart . good luck remember to post some pics of the lad and let us know what you call him
Andrea

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I've now stuck his first baby pics on my posts. I took some pics today and he looks completely different now but they're on my phone and i'm way too tired to be bothered with all that. My 5 year old son came up with the name Monty. Easy enough to say and not a name that's going to embarrass me when I shout it. My last rescue dog was called Zena and I hated shouting that! Will get some pics sorted for next week of him. Now I have the dilema of deciding what type of lead, collar, bed, toys and all those other things. Got to get some shopping done ready for him.

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We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals

I have a Staffie so we buy Kong toys these toys are durable and virtually indestructible. The Kong company often hold competitions too. Our little chap is a member of their hall of fame.

I prefer dog beds that are virtually indestructible. You may find a young dog will chew soft fabric beds and destroy them within days. I have a large petmate dog bed which stands on legs off the floor. Its made of strong material and the base is slightly padded. As a pup I put blankets in now he has a quilt.

Collars and leads are a personal thing I prefer the material collars. Pets at Home sell them with soft edging. I'm a person ruled with my heart not my head. Hey ho each to their own

Love the picture he's really cute, I hope you have as much enjoyment with your little chap as we do with ours.

Sue