An ethical Labrador breeder is actually harder to spot than you might first think, as some non-ethical breeders are getting very clever at giving the right appearance when you meet them. However, there are a few clues that will help you decide.
Firstly, what is an ethical breeder and what then is a non-ethical breeder? We are talking really about puppy farming, which is big business and is simply there to make money and has little to no consideration for the dogs in its care, which means that they could be sick or carrying diseases which are passed on to the puppies, which for obvious reasons isn't good. However, any animal cruelty shouldn't be ignored, and the fact that a puppy farm treats its breeding bitches so badly should be enough to put anyone off that actually cares about animals. If every one stops buying their dogs from puppy farms they will be forced out of business leaving only good ethical breeders left, which really is ideal.
An ethical breeder will have no qualms about you visiting their house and looking at the care they are providing for their bitch and her litter, and letting you spend time and ask questions so that you can make an informed decision if this is the right place to buy your new puppy. Remember though that they want the best for their dogs so they are going to be asking questions of you, and you should also be honest with them. If you already have a dog you should make them aware of this, and they may ask you to bring him so that they can make sure it isn't going to show aggression to a new puppy. They are also going to have experience of introducing puppies to dogs so it could be really helpful to you in this respect.
Be honest with the Labrador breeder about the lifestyle you lead, as they are better placed than you to know whether a Labrador could really be happy with this lifestyle. If you work all day and the dog will be shut up for more than 4 hours on a daily basis this really isn't a good breed. Labradors have energy and are very intelligent which means that this much time away from people is going to leave it bored and destructive and then your house can suffer, which means the dog gets told off - and sadly it is your fault.
A Labrador breeder will also be able to provide you with information about the pedigree of your dog, and include information about vaccinations, worming treatments and other important details that you need to know about. This is normally called a puppy pack. This also includes a sample of the food they are using and general information about the welfare of a puppy that you may find very useful. A good breeder may well become a friend and will be delighted to receive updates of the puppy as it grows up. Some also have open days and parties to get their dogs back together again, which is great fun.
Tim Williams is a Labrador retriever enthusiast. He owns and maintains Labrador Retriever Answers, a resource for all Labrador retriever lovers and where you can find more essential advice on choosing an ethical labrador breeder and other great lab advice.
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