I am buying a Chocolate Lab this weekend. We have been to the kennels and picked the pup. I was unable to see the parents but the are going to be available to see when I pick the pup up tommorow. The pup has not had its first vaccination and is not KC registered, but it does have a pedigree.

I just wanted someone to confirm that this is OK as it is my first dog! These were the only chocolates available in my area and she had two sets of pups, I can't find the kennels on any website. Will my baby be ok or do I have to think again?

Gemma

Hi Gemma , maybe you would like to Register with us and then you can reply to anyone that answers your questions?

Have you paid a deposit? What age will your pup be tomorrow .....do you want to show your pup? Have the parents had eyes and hips tested and have you seen evidence of this? All of these are important questions ....

Melody :)

Hi,

The pup is 10 weeks and she has said that I can check all the paper work out tommorow when I collect him

I have paid in full for him and I don't have any plans to show him, he is just a family pet...

Gemma

Hi Gemma ...with Labradors , it is very important to make sure that the parents have had hip and eye health checks done ..otherwise there is a risk of the pup developing Hip Dysplacia when older ...hopefully one of the Lab people will see this topic and be able to give you more useful advice than me ...

Family pet or not I am sure you would like to know he is going to have a pain free life :)

Melody - Welcome to the Forum by the way :)

Melody

Absolutely!! Thank you so much for your help.

Now I just need someone to advise me what sort of hip score they should have. I will ask the lady tommorow

Thanks again

Gemma

The breed mean score is 16, so ideally you will be looking for a score well below this number in both parents :-) Did the breeder offer you a reason why the puppies are not kennel club registered?

Thank you. Should there be some kind of paperwork to show scores? (sorry to sound ignorant) The breeder merly stated that they would not be kennel club registered when I asked the question.. I was surrounded by very soggy pups leaping at my legs at the time and got distracted, it wasn't until we got home that i went over the visit in my head!

Sorry all to butt in, but as I'm up early thought I would post in case summer has to leave to go to the kennel. Yes, the parents must have been hip scored and if they have, ask to actually see the paperwork for the scoring, dont just take her word for it. parents must also have a clear eye test, the paperwork for that should say NAD - no abnormality detected. If the parents dont have an acceptable hip score of 16 or less ( it will be broken up into two numbers i.e. 7/7 or 5/6 ( one number for each side) and the parents dont have a clear eye test, then dont buy this puppy. Any puppy you buy should come with free insurance from the moment you buy it too, this is really important as you cannot insure the puppy until you have had it for 2 weeks, and if there is any thing wrong with it you will be up the creek without a paddle.
Breeders that do not KC reg their puppies are not reputable breeders in my eyes, the pedigree will not be worth the paper its written on. They will probably be "registered" with the Dog Lovers registration Club which is what all the puppy farmers use as there are no rules to protect the bitch from being over bred/bred too old. They dont even have a data bank of pedigrees of dogs they have "registered". I would ring them for the hip score/eye test results before you leave today, it will be very hard not to take a puppy home if you are actually there.

hi
i would be very worried if i hadn`t seen the mother at least of the puppy how do know what you are buying?
and as everybody else has said yopu must make sure the parents are hip scored and eye tested and you need to see the BVA documentation for that dont take the breeders word for it.
I wouldn`t buy a puppy that wasn`t KC reg even just for a pet, good breeders always register there puppies! you are entitled to a refund within the first seven days and personally i would get back your money and find a good breeder! you may lose a few quid wich the breeder may retain for readvertising but in the long run it could save you thousends and a lot of heart ache
good luck

Hi,
I hate to say it but I think you might be buying from a puppy farmer from what you have said.If the breeder can not help you with all the above mentioned things such as hip scores/eye tests, I would be tempted to ask for a refund and if they refuse then to put it down to experience and walk away. There are lots of Labrador people on here who will give you all the help you need to find a suitable pup.I think the breeder is relying on the fact when you have the pup in your arms and ready to go you won't care about any of the important stuff.
I don't want to offend anyone, this is just my opinion
Amy

Hi Summer,

I ditto what everyone else has said and hope it all goes OK and not a expensive lesson for you. It is vital that tests and evidence of them can be seen, KC reg is a must. The biggest problem I can see is none of the above being there and you have paid in full. Most breeders will not take the full money from you before you pick up pup , a deposit is generally all that is required. The money issue is raising alarm bells in my head but I wish a successful ending.

Pamela

hi Gemma
everything you are being told is commom sense the hip scores should be as low as possible 0-0 being best
Labrador breed clubs will put you in touch with good litters of choc lab puppies i would ask for a refund and walk away .

Dave

Have you got him?? What happened

Sorry to appear nosy

Hello,

Sorry to make a controversy but I think that if Gemma doesn't go alone and takes some other people she knows who have experience with dogs then she can make an informed decision at the time. If she doesn't know anyone who knows dogs, how about asking the breeder if she would mind a vet checking the pup in both their presence to get an informed opinion from someone who can ask the right questions before she takes him home. I feel that if she can see the parents and has seen all the documentation, then the pup doesn't neccesarily have to be KC registered.

As you said Gemma, you don't want to show him or anything, you just want a healthy pup and thats the main thing.

I also disagree with the above who suggested that she should walk away after paying for a pup.

There has to be a better solution than that. Each situation should be taken one for one although everyone agrees that the health of the puppy is the important part.

If you haven't already got him...call the vet, explain and ask for some help....

PS..this is not meant to offend anyone or start an argument...just an opinion I thought I'd write to Gemma in trying to think of a way to handle her particular situation.

Sorry Franc, but if the parents are heal;thy and pedigre, whyd is the pup unregistered???

If it is because the parents are unregistered then there are no health tests, and with Labradors being one of the breeds often affected by Hip and Elbow problems, breeding fr4om untested stock is unethical and foolhardy. There are no guarantees with living cretures but at least load the dice in your favour.

The pup may not be purebred, one or other of the parnets may be stolen, the bitch may have had too many litters, or be too young.

People who breed and sell in this way prey on the gullible, impatient and ignorant (as in lacking knowledge) puppy owner who can't resist a cute bundle.

People are entitiltled to the best that it is possible to bred in terms of health, tempoerament, conformation and breed type.

If all that is wanted is a non descript pup as a pet, then the dogs homes are full of them. When you want a pedigree dog you are entitiled to want the real thing, with everything that goes with it. this being knoiwn heritage.