We are looking for a short haired Lab pup. We have just lost one of our Retrievers to a tumour and want to get Millie our other Retriever, a companion. It is time to go back to Lab's. We are not fussed about breed lines etc and in fact would be interested in a cross providing that Lab is the dominate strain!

Please contact us:

Jane & Barry Tabor
Broughton,
Stockbridge
Hants

Tel: 01794 301514  email: barry@fordsprings.com

Unfortunatley I am not a breeder although I think you should try a chocolate labrador. They are fabulous companions and are very cheerfull dogs. I have two myself. Two boys!
Thanks Claire.

Hi Jane and Barry, to locate a well bred and hopefully healthy Labrador from a reputable breeder, you would be best advised to contact one of the 13 regional and national Labrador breed clubs. Have a look at the Kennel Club website, www.the-kennel-club.org.uk Choose the breed standards button from the menu down the left hand side. Click on gundog group and then Retriever (Labrador). At the bottom of the breed standard is a list of the breed clubs with contact details.

May I offer a little unsolicited advice? Please don't buy a puppy that is not registered with the Kennel Club. There are other registries around but they are of no value. You also need to be aware of the inherent health problems in the breed, always ask every breeder that you speak to, to see the certificates for the parents hip scores, and eye test results. Labradors, like a great many other breeds, can suffer from hip displasia, and only dogs and bitches that score below the breed average should be bred from. The average hip score in Labs is 15. The score is made up from the two figures given for the left and right hips added together. 4/7=11 5/3=8 for example. The eye certificates should show that the parents are 'unaffected' by the diseases tested for.

I realise that all this sounds very complicated, and you may feel that as you want a dog as a pet and not a show specimen, that these things might seem unneccessary. Quite the oposite in fact. As you will be spending a fair amount of money for a pet to share your life for perhaps the next 15 years, you need to do what you can to ensure that you pet is going to have a long and healthy life.

By the way, I don't agree with Claire. The Chocolate colour has been badly exploited by some bad breeders meeting the demand created by fashion for a 'chocolate' dog. Naturally in many cases quality has suffered, and the chocolate coloured dog now looks like a separate breed altogether. I truly believe that this would never have happened if the colour had been called simply brown, of even liver, as in other brown breeds. I'm not saying that ALL chocolate Labradors are poor quality, but you will need to search much harder for a quality chocolate than for either of the other two colours, if you decide on a chocolate.

I hope you find a puppy soon,
Dawn R.

Well said Dawn, excellent advice.

Thanks Kay, whilst I don't have a Labrador any more, the breed couldn't be closer to my heart. I started my show handling career as a teenager in the early 70s, handling a Charway Labrador. My good friend Janice Charlton, now Pritchard, showed litter brothers bred by Janice in 1971. They were Ch Charway Nightcap, and his brother Charway Nightjar. I have some lovely memories of those early days. My current breeds are Irish Setters and American Cockers, but I still keep half an eye on the Lab scene.

Dawn R.

I agree with nursery, chocolate labs are wonderful,i have one myself,but there are very few good quality ones around and at the end of the day,colour shouldn't matter so long as your dog is healthy, blacks and yellows are just as nice!!!!!