Buying a Labrador these days
Discussion
We lost our Labrador during lockdown 1 and with a new build starting in the spring I'm thinking it 's probably a good time for the family to become five again. Plenty of 1 to 1 time with a dog and training etc.
Had a quick google and it looks like a bloody minefield out there! Being rural, it used to be just ask a couple of gamekeepers who had a littler or a spare gun dog and £400 later you had your dog. Now its silver this, foxed that and £4k please.
To be honest, everything I've found just looks like a bunch of chancers looking for some numpty with more money than sense.
Local gun shops are all closed so that's out. I won't actually go shooting but I've always had dogs off the gun as they're so good for training.
Anyone have any ideas that isn't just word of mouth?
Had a quick google and it looks like a bloody minefield out there! Being rural, it used to be just ask a couple of gamekeepers who had a littler or a spare gun dog and £400 later you had your dog. Now its silver this, foxed that and £4k please.
To be honest, everything I've found just looks like a bunch of chancers looking for some numpty with more money than sense.
Local gun shops are all closed so that's out. I won't actually go shooting but I've always had dogs off the gun as they're so good for training.
Anyone have any ideas that isn't just word of mouth?
Very sorry for your loss - we lost our old girl back in June last year and although I hadn’t planned to replace her quickly I found it difficult to cope without her so we started searching.
Everything you have said pretty much applies to what we found last year. My wife spent three weeks on the internet , day after day, re-checking every hour, covering all the puppy and re-homing sites. As you say the internet is full of chancers and the most ridiculous pricing we have ever seen.
Finally, at the back end of July, a re-home turned up (1 year old male black lab), he had some behavioural issues but nothing I couldn’t sort. In this particular instance my wife was 3rd on a waiting list that rose to a couple of hundred in the space of a few days for this one dog - absolutely nuts!!
Sorry about going on a bit but I’m afraid your experiences are shared and there doesn’t seem to be any way around it - but it does appear that persistence pays off in the end.
Btw don’t bother with RNIB, you probably won’t get a reply (We didn’t) as I suspect this is the first stop for many new potential dog owners.
Good luck
Everything you have said pretty much applies to what we found last year. My wife spent three weeks on the internet , day after day, re-checking every hour, covering all the puppy and re-homing sites. As you say the internet is full of chancers and the most ridiculous pricing we have ever seen.
Finally, at the back end of July, a re-home turned up (1 year old male black lab), he had some behavioural issues but nothing I couldn’t sort. In this particular instance my wife was 3rd on a waiting list that rose to a couple of hundred in the space of a few days for this one dog - absolutely nuts!!
Sorry about going on a bit but I’m afraid your experiences are shared and there doesn’t seem to be any way around it - but it does appear that persistence pays off in the end.
Btw don’t bother with RNIB, you probably won’t get a reply (We didn’t) as I suspect this is the first stop for many new potential dog owners.
Good luck
I suspect you could be right about rehoming later this year but it’s been almost a year since lockdown 1 and that puppy boom and nothing g yet.
To be honest I’m not even sure I’d want to rehome a dog that’s been “trained” by the people who simply must have the next big thing. I’ve seen how they train their humans never mind their bloody dogs!
To be honest I’m not even sure I’d want to rehome a dog that’s been “trained” by the people who simply must have the next big thing. I’ve seen how they train their humans never mind their bloody dogs!
Are you aware of this forum? It might be worth asking about breeders
https://www.gundogtrainingforum.co.uk/phpbb/index....
https://www.gundogtrainingforum.co.uk/phpbb/index....
LaurasOtherHalf said:
I suspect you could be right about rehoming later this year but it’s been almost a year since lockdown 1 and that puppy boom and nothing g yet.
To be honest I’m not even sure I’d want to rehome a dog that’s been “trained” by the people who simply must have the next big thing. I’ve seen how they train their humans never mind their bloody dogs!
I have found that a very young dog (up to the age of one) is still ‘pliable’ enough to develop in the direction you want - although I suspect much will depends on how robust any training has been up to this point. I suspect that any young dogs coming up for re-homing (as former lockdown purchases) will have habits to change but not much ‘hard’ programming - as I’m not sure the morons that took them on would have had the patience for it.To be honest I’m not even sure I’d want to rehome a dog that’s been “trained” by the people who simply must have the next big thing. I’ve seen how they train their humans never mind their bloody dogs!
LaurasOtherHalf said:
We lost our Labrador during lockdown 1 and with a new build starting in the spring I'm thinking it 's probably a good time for the family to become five again. Plenty of 1 to 1 time with a dog and training etc.
Had a quick google and it looks like a bloody minefield out there! Being rural, it used to be just ask a couple of gamekeepers who had a littler or a spare gun dog and £400 later you had your dog. Now its silver this, foxed that and £4k please.
To be honest, everything I've found just looks like a bunch of chancers looking for some numpty with more money than sense.
Local gun shops are all closed so that's out. I won't actually go shooting but I've always had dogs off the gun as they're so good for training.
Anyone have any ideas that isn't just word of mouth?
Apart from contacting breeders, and going through the normal channels your in the same boat as everyone else. They all have time on their hands and want a dog due to lockdown. Had a quick google and it looks like a bloody minefield out there! Being rural, it used to be just ask a couple of gamekeepers who had a littler or a spare gun dog and £400 later you had your dog. Now its silver this, foxed that and £4k please.
To be honest, everything I've found just looks like a bunch of chancers looking for some numpty with more money than sense.
Local gun shops are all closed so that's out. I won't actually go shooting but I've always had dogs off the gun as they're so good for training.
Anyone have any ideas that isn't just word of mouth?
You might get lucky and find a normal seller, but you might need to wait another year before prices settle down.
LaurasOtherHalf said:
We lost our Labrador during lockdown 1 and with a new build starting in the spring I'm thinking it 's probably a good time for the family to become five again. Plenty of 1 to 1 time with a dog and training etc.
Had a quick google and it looks like a bloody minefield out there! Being rural, it used to be just ask a couple of gamekeepers who had a littler or a spare gun dog and £400 later you had your dog. Now its silver this, foxed that and £4k please.
To be honest, everything I've found just looks like a bunch of chancers looking for some numpty with more money than sense.
Local gun shops are all closed so that's out. I won't actually go shooting but I've always had dogs off the gun as they're so good for training.
Anyone have any ideas that isn't just word of mouth?
I'll email you. I have lots of contacts with labs/guns etcHad a quick google and it looks like a bloody minefield out there! Being rural, it used to be just ask a couple of gamekeepers who had a littler or a spare gun dog and £400 later you had your dog. Now its silver this, foxed that and £4k please.
To be honest, everything I've found just looks like a bunch of chancers looking for some numpty with more money than sense.
Local gun shops are all closed so that's out. I won't actually go shooting but I've always had dogs off the gun as they're so good for training.
Anyone have any ideas that isn't just word of mouth?
On of my mates even owns The Black Labarador
seanyfez said:
Very sorry for your loss - we lost our old girl back in June last year and although I hadn’t planned to replace her quickly I found it difficult to cope without her so we started searching.
Everything you have said pretty much applies to what we found last year. My wife spent three weeks on the internet , day after day, re-checking every hour, covering all the puppy and re-homing sites. As you say the internet is full of chancers and the most ridiculous pricing we have ever seen.
Finally, at the back end of July, a re-home turned up (1 year old male black lab), he had some behavioural issues but nothing I couldn’t sort. In this particular instance my wife was 3rd on a waiting list that rose to a couple of hundred in the space of a few days for this one dog - absolutely nuts!!
Sorry about going on a bit but I’m afraid your experiences are shared and there casinos review casentlacoupe-lefilm.com doesn’t seem to be any way around it - but it does appear that persistence pays off in the end.
Btw don’t bother with RNIB, you probably won’t get a reply (We didn’t) as I suspect this is the first stop for many new potential dog owners.
Good luck
Beautiful dog!Everything you have said pretty much applies to what we found last year. My wife spent three weeks on the internet , day after day, re-checking every hour, covering all the puppy and re-homing sites. As you say the internet is full of chancers and the most ridiculous pricing we have ever seen.
Finally, at the back end of July, a re-home turned up (1 year old male black lab), he had some behavioural issues but nothing I couldn’t sort. In this particular instance my wife was 3rd on a waiting list that rose to a couple of hundred in the space of a few days for this one dog - absolutely nuts!!
Sorry about going on a bit but I’m afraid your experiences are shared and there casinos review casentlacoupe-lefilm.com doesn’t seem to be any way around it - but it does appear that persistence pays off in the end.
Btw don’t bother with RNIB, you probably won’t get a reply (We didn’t) as I suspect this is the first stop for many new potential dog owners.
Good luck
Shameless cutting and pasting myself from the other thread - and because very similar situ.
GF and I moved in to a new home, new village in March before Lockdown 1. I Conveniently just lost my best pal, my Lab, the week or to before. The steps and wooden floors throughout would not have been his ideal. The GF lost her Choc Lab the Oct before.
A fella in the lane had a new bounding pup and we asked about.
Meanwhile GF was looking on the internet sites you probably have mentioned.
As you say OP. local knowledge and the local shoot have it seems a regular three or four litters always available here.
The first litter dog we had a shout on never lined, the next did in December. I put our name down for two - not knowing the price admittedly and all shy talk regarding that.
Meanwhile an ex-in law messaged saying like you they were trying everywhere to find a pup, and looking at £3k budgets ! So I got her and her friend on the list and sorted too.
<paste> & update: Arrival on Sunday : £3k for the pair
Don't get me wrong a rare moment of stillness from the monkeys.
We bought two from the same litter (against advise from many
) because the long game plan is two, to entertain / company for each of them. One, then another was the original idea.
When we saw the mother she was pretty small.
We figured no point buying one small lab and another lab a year later likely to be a lot bigger so - all in and two.
We (SWMBO) was instant on two girls (shes had only girls before) I was relaxed and have had a lad before.
But the litter of ten had only two girls, one didnt surive :-( so hence one of each. The boy is Capt Chillout.
This all through the village network up here, where there is three gamekeepers often popping out litters - so only downside is they spent the first 8 weeks of their lives out in the pheasant sheds, - so zero toilet training in reality.
All good fun :-)
Yep - they wear each other out....
Snow day today
GF and I moved in to a new home, new village in March before Lockdown 1. I Conveniently just lost my best pal, my Lab, the week or to before. The steps and wooden floors throughout would not have been his ideal. The GF lost her Choc Lab the Oct before.
A fella in the lane had a new bounding pup and we asked about.
Meanwhile GF was looking on the internet sites you probably have mentioned.
As you say OP. local knowledge and the local shoot have it seems a regular three or four litters always available here.
The first litter dog we had a shout on never lined, the next did in December. I put our name down for two - not knowing the price admittedly and all shy talk regarding that.
Meanwhile an ex-in law messaged saying like you they were trying everywhere to find a pup, and looking at £3k budgets ! So I got her and her friend on the list and sorted too.
<paste> & update: Arrival on Sunday : £3k for the pair
RS Grant said:
PushedDover said:
Amazing looking pups... what a size of paws they've got for puppies too!! 
We bought two from the same litter (against advise from many
) because the long game plan is two, to entertain / company for each of them. One, then another was the original idea. When we saw the mother she was pretty small.
We figured no point buying one small lab and another lab a year later likely to be a lot bigger so - all in and two.
We (SWMBO) was instant on two girls (shes had only girls before) I was relaxed and have had a lad before.
But the litter of ten had only two girls, one didnt surive :-( so hence one of each. The boy is Capt Chillout.
This all through the village network up here, where there is three gamekeepers often popping out litters - so only downside is they spent the first 8 weeks of their lives out in the pheasant sheds, - so zero toilet training in reality.
All good fun :-)
Yep - they wear each other out....
Snow day today
Lost our rescue lab, Bonnie, on 27th November last year, now resting forever in the garden. Puppy prices are a joke. Registred with numerous rescue centres, a shortage because of Covid. We've gone after a few, but demand is apparently ridiculous.
Edited by robinessex on Friday 5th February 16:06
There's pretty much no labs on pets4homes less than £2,000. Some of the adverts suggest the breeder will still be able to pick and choose who gets one at that price.
Which is not a bad thing, given that there are also adverts for 4 month old pups needing to be rehomed "through no fault of their own", but the owner still looking to recoup their £2,000.
(We paid £750 for ours 2½ years ago. I'd hate to be looking for one now!)
Which is not a bad thing, given that there are also adverts for 4 month old pups needing to be rehomed "through no fault of their own", but the owner still looking to recoup their £2,000.
(We paid £750 for ours 2½ years ago. I'd hate to be looking for one now!)
Ours was £550 cash with a bag of feed thrown in, champion lineage right back to the duke bringing his ancestor in from Labrador in the early 20th century!
Trained on the gun, I didn’t have much to bargain with as he was going in horse and hound the following month, I thought that was a fortune!
What a beast though, never needed a lead just walked on my left for life. I could put a Sunday lunch down in front of him and he wouldn’t touch it.
Trained on the gun, I didn’t have much to bargain with as he was going in horse and hound the following month, I thought that was a fortune!
What a beast though, never needed a lead just walked on my left for life. I could put a Sunday lunch down in front of him and he wouldn’t touch it.
Please do your research (goes for any breed). You should familiarise yourself with the difference between working and pet/show lines and also the genetic flaws - so any breeder you buy from should be able to provide health testing certificates and hip and elbow scores etc.
You really need to minimise your chances of joint issues with labs so do spend some time looking around the Lab forums, speak to different breeders and owners and ASK about health concerns with the breed generally, so that you know what to ask a breeder. I am sure the breed club will have some good advice.
Good luck
You really need to minimise your chances of joint issues with labs so do spend some time looking around the Lab forums, speak to different breeders and owners and ASK about health concerns with the breed generally, so that you know what to ask a breeder. I am sure the breed club will have some good advice.
Good luck
LaurasOtherHalf said:
Three grand for a couple of pups, mental!
AgreeMine last time round were £400 each.
But that was 15 years ago
And very much mimicked your experience with behaviour and amazing dog
Today - and prices. Well we are where we are.
Edited by PushedDover on Saturday 6th February 12:36
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