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Puppy Selection
This is the fun part! You are an active participant and hold the final decision as to which puppy you want. Through the use of descriptions and photos, we will help you with your selection.
Here’s how it works:
During your communications with us, we take detailed notes as to what you desire in a pup. We are with the pups every day, and can easily use your notes to narrow the search. We then e-mail you the photos and speak with you about the temperament of individual pups. Each one is microchipped, so there is no doubt as to proper identification. Once your selection is made, we then take the puppy to the vet for a thorough physical.
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You will find that professional breeders have a keen eye regarding each and every pup. The enormous amount of time spent with them will outweigh any benefit you may have of seeing them in person, though you are always welcome to do so. Even if you spent all day with them, you would not have a true picture of temperament. Don’t rely on the books that promote puppy testing as the way to go. (Some books recommend flipping the pup on its back, or holding it down, to see if this is the “correct” pup). These methods fail miserably, unless in search of a field trial dog, and performed on numerous occasions by professionals.
In the event a pup is not desirable, (that has never happened) we will be glad to float your deposit to any other litter. We want you to end up with the pup that will make you happy.
Keep in mind that many environmental issues will influence the attitude of your pup. For example, crate training tends to produce a hyper dog with little self-control. We will be glad to work with you regarding the best methods for producing a mentally healthy Labrador.
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Seeing the parents
Photos of the parents can be found under virtual kennels. You will see a link that says “Take a look at the parents”. You can also come for Lab Jamboree, held every six months, to meet the parents. (We have some of the parents present at each event). You can rest assured that if the Sire and Dam did not meet our strict criteria for health, temperament, and looks, we would not have them as parents.
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Your New Puppy
So, what will your first days with your new pup be like?
Crying - As they will miss their kennel mates for the first few nights, you have two choices. Sleep with them, or endure five or six nights of them crying themselves to sleep. If you take the latter route, I don’t recommend responding to their howling, or they will have you trained! One night soon, they will figure out that the howling is keeping them awake, and quit.
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Call of Nature - As far as housebreaking, I often have new owners ask me how we managed to train them at such an early age. We don’t. They will naturally want to go on something organic (like grass or straw). Place a patch of straw outside where you want them to go, and get them familiar with the location. Then it will be up to the humans to read the proper signals! You will not want to punish accidents – just reward good behavior.
Digestion system - Puppies have an extremely sensitive stomach. Switching too fast or slamming to another food can cause diarrhea (in some cases with blood) vomiting, and in extreme cases, death. If a puppy gets a hold of bark, leaves, paper towels, etc.. They can have an upset stomach (when a puppy digests a foreign object, they could develop diarrhea, and in some cases you may see a little blood in the stool (At least this is an all natural material). This is normally caused by the foreign material (the bowel of a puppy will bleed very easily ( the saying is "trash mouths (meaning they will eat anything) and baby stomachs (meaning very sensitive) ", unlike humans the severity of this is low. Should this occur, don't be alarmed.
Diet - I highly recommend spending the extra money, and using a super premium. You will either spend the money in a good food now, or in vet bills later. I use a super premium all natural food that was developed by leading canine nutritionist Dr. Tom Willard, PhD . We believe strongly in quality nutrition. The convince factor is excellent. JaxMax.com has the ability to schedule re-occurring deliveries on a time frame you can decide on and modify. This food is not available in stores, and probably will never be (as this food does not have sugar and fillers to drive consumption) . It sure beats lugging heavy bags of who knows what home! Most foods (yes, even some of those highly advertised brands) use the cheapest ingredients and fillers. They are also notorious for advertising high protein. What they usually fail to mention is the lack of digestible protein. After all, your dog can’t tell you. (Another advantage to using a food with little or no fillers is less dog mess in the yard). www.JaxMax.com
Toys - Everyone loves to shop for their new puppy! Some things you have to watch out for are buying "contaminated-products". The leading pet supply warehouses that allow pet in the building, can lead to the spread of the deadly puppy virus known as Parvo. If you would like to purchase you puppy chew toys and pet paraphernalia, you can go a couple of different ways.
1) Purchase from an online store ( For this reason, we have established partnership with www.JaxMax.com for our customers).
2) Purchase from a retailer that does not allow pets in the building.
3) You can sterilize the products you already purchased with a 15% bleach solution. ( Note: This increases the risk of you puppy catching a virus ).
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Disposition
Labs are particularly known for their love of humans, and thus make great family dogs. I recently read that DNA research shows their closest relative to be the dolphin. This is not surprising, as they share the same fun loving spirit, and need for social activity. One of our female labs was sold to the owner of a private school, where she attends class regularly. Many days I have walked in and seen two or three children reading, with their heads propped up against her, or cuddled around her during naptime. They are chewers by nature, but with some gentle guidance will learn what is OK to chew. The worst thing you could do is to punish them for this act. Simply take your television out of their mouth, and replace it with a piece of wood. They will need attention, such as walking, or swimming. They traditionally show a love of water and retrieving. You and tennis ball will be their best friends. As they have a need for space and exercise, they are not ideal apartment dogs. To put one in an airline kennel while going to work, or tethering one to a chain is unthinkable. top
Obedience Training
There are a couple of routes to take here. You can send them to obedience school, or train them yourselves. You can train them as a gun dog for serious hunting, or as a family pet with a few simple commands. You can customize your own program. I use a great book called WATER DOG by Richard A. Wolters.
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Inside or Outside?
Of course, your dog will almost always want to be with his/her human family. The ideal situation is for them to have a choice. As they have thick coats, they can cope with fairly cold weather, as long as you will provide them with a draft free place. For summer, a child’s pool will earn you doggie licks!
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