I have been thinking of getting a lab bitch puppy for a few weeks now, and yesterday I rang a man advertising in the local free ads paper he has labs of all 3 colours. the ad said POA so when I asked about the prices I was surprised tofind they were very different depending on colour. he said that blacks are £275 yellows £350 and chocolates £500. I asked him why the prices varied so much and he was very specific he said its becose blacks are more lively and demanding so people tend to use them for working, shooting etc yellows are more docile and friendly and chocolates tend to suffer less heredritary problems. he also said that chocolates are better value for money as the puppies sell better if I wanted to breed from them. he said he had 2 chocolate bitch puppies and would do me a special deal if I bought both the price would be £450. I'm not sure about the price, it seems a bit odd to me that the price should be so different for each colour, I'd like to get proper advice from someone who breeds labradors and who knows a lot about the breed.

I'm afraid I would leave well alone. He is obviously pushing the price up to the max he thinks he can get. No mater on anything else all the puppies cost exactly the same to breed. All being from the same sire and dam (unless he has more than one litter) would inherit the same characteristics. If he has several litters available at the same time then I would be wondering if he is farming puppies?

When it comes to ease of training, taken as a whole, there is no difference in the training of blacks and yellows whereas Choc's appear consistently more flighty.

Regards, John

I'm not in Labs - John is, so listen to his advise, but I would add, for any breed, I would stay away from any breeder who:
1) Encourages you to buy for breeding
2) Encourages & even allows you to buy 2 puppies from the same litter.

Guest Please do not give this person the time of day. A few people differ their prices depending on colour and sex but I agree with John, they all cost the same to rear and have the same parents, therefore the price should be the same. I would expect to pay anything from £450 - £600 for a quality Lab. Please also ensure that any breeder that you choose to contact has any breeding dog  hip scored and eye tested.

Guest, i'll think youll find the chocs + blacks might be frm the same litter, but the yellows didnt.
this really makes me mad because people like this make us lab owners and breeders look like we r  stupid.   Debbie or John am i right? or wrong? Julia

Dear Guest,

WELL DONE! for taking the time to come on Champdogs to ask for advice before making a decision.
There are lots of very experienced lab owners on here so you've come to the right place.
Please, please walk away from this man!
As John has already said, it sound highly dubious to me that all of these pups are from the same litter, and if they're not, then I would wonder WHERE he has got all of them  from.
Buying a puppy should be a great, enjoyable thing to you, both for you and for your new family member but buying without being able to see the parents, or at least the bitch, and checking all the relevant health checks have been done, and are in order, could be setting you and your pup up for some serious heartbreak in the future.
  This is a member of your family for the next 13-15 years, it makes sense to do everything as well as you possibly can in the beginning.  Although the prices seem very cheap, especially for the black pups, buying from a registered, experienced breeder really makes the best sense in the long run. Yes, you may pay a bit more depending on the 'lines' of the puppy, but you are buying not only a puppy, but the backup and advice of someone who has probably spent years building up the breed that they love.

There are THOUSANDS of labradors registered each year, please take a little time to find the best one that you can- you've already made a big step in asking for advice.... I think you really know in your heart that this is not the best way to go.

I am sorry that this post is so long, but we're all so passionate about our breed!

Please let us know what you do, we're always here for advice.
Ali :)

 

Hi Julia sorry only just noticed your post. You can get all three colours in one litter, it will depend on what colours the parents carry. It is not 'desirable'  to have yellow from chocolate because you tend to get brown points, rather than black.
Debbie