# Breeding Question



## Eric Hustad (Feb 25, 2002)

Ok our 2 year old red lab is in heat and we are thinking about having her bred. The only thing is how do you go about doing that?? Does anyone have any names from around the Fargo area with studs etc. Never have done this before so any help is much appreciated....


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

unless you've already done so you might be getting a little ahead of your self, prior to breeding hips, eyes and other certifications should be done especially with labs.

Otherwise its a health crapshoot.

Browndog could probably give you a lot more detail I'm kind of old school and not up to speed with all the current lab stuff and this list is long.

I don't breed dogs, I don't have the expertise it takes to do it correctly.


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## gonedoggin (Mar 20, 2008)

I really hope you'll reconsider. Breeding dogs indiscriminately is irresponsible and cruel. It would be much better to leave the breeding to those who want to take the time and effort to become knowledgeable about the breed, (there's no such thing as a red lab btw) and the strengths/weaknesses of a line before they make the decision to create pups.

The world doesn't need more puppies that will likely end up being euthanized when they stop being cute.


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## dblkluk (Oct 3, 2002)

You wouldn't ask your accountant to rebuild your transmission would you?

Leave the breeding of dogs to the pros.

Its a yellow lab..no such thing as a "red lab"


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## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

Eric Hustad said:


> Ok our 2 year old red lab is in heat and we are thinking about having her bred. The only thing is how do you go about doing that?? Does anyone have any names from around the Fargo area with studs etc. Never have done this before so any help is much appreciated....


Hey Eric

All good posts so far...

Anyone that is considering breeding their dog, and who hasn't bred dogs before, should go find a local breeder in the area first. There is so much that goes into the process, and it is no small feat to bring a successful happy litter of pups into the world.

The first question I had when I read your post an hour ago, was "Is it trained, what are it's credentials/titles?"

Now the reason I ask, is that is the question anyone who is serious about finding a quality lab hunting partner is going to ask. I know it was the first question I considered when starting to look for a lab. I spent around 2 months looking at different kennels before getting my pup in August/September of this year. As a prospective new puppy buyer, I wanted to make sure that whatever pup I chose from a litter came from a place that is insistent on top notch service and quality for their pups.

I also wanted to make sure that as a "layman" buying a pup, that whomever I worked with on the breeder side, had all the knowledge and experience to take care of all the 101 little details that a new owner maybe might forget to do... (Shots, deworm, OFA, Hips, vitamins, AKC registration, micro chip, dewclaws, puppy food brand etc etc...)

The place I chose walked my wife and I thru the process from A to Z, and had everything sitting out in order, with a complete personalized file for my little guy. They left nothing to chance, and took every pain to make sure I had every question answered, and that they covered every "next step" I would need to do upon leaving.

After doing business with them, I left knowing how much I didn't know.

I guess that is what I'm trying to convey. There is a TON of stuff to consider regarding choosing who to get a pup from.

If you are looking to get into it, I'd suggest you first call around and see if you can team up with someone in the business who is looking for new bloodlines for their litters. If however, noone is interested in breeding your dog, it might not have sufficient credentials/bloodline to garner interest. That might be an indicator to how much interest might later exist when the pups arrive.

I do know from my recent experience with a top notch breeder, that going forward, I will never buy another pup from anyone of less experience. After seeing the quality and professionalism from a top kennel, sportsman should not settle for any less...

My :2cents:

take care,

Ryan


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## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

Here's the article I was looking for earlier that really talks about it from the buyer's point of view:



> *http://www.gundogmag.com/training/pickpup_082106/*
> 
> Picking A Gun Dog Puppy
> 
> ...


Hope this helps...

Ryan


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## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

Great article Ryan...Thanks for posting!!! :beer:


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## cedarsedge (Sep 21, 2006)

I would also add if you haven't checked for EIC, don't breed. If both dogs are carriers of EIC, you could have some affected pups.

Dan


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## Eric Hustad (Feb 25, 2002)

Thanks for the help guys. It was an idea we had because of her going into heat but sounds like there is a lot more to it. We got here from a guy who breeds them up in Hillsboro and she is a beautiful dog who is just a big teddy bear with our 3 year old twins. They call her color Fox Red and that is why we call her a red lab. We also have a black lab that came from a huge kennel in the cities and she is machine, but we also had a black lab growing up that we got from just a farm who didn't really raise labs and she was a great hunter etc. Again thanks for the info and we really need to do some thinking about this from what you guys have said.


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## Chaws (Oct 12, 2007)

Also keep in mind that unless your female is a direct offspring of at least a Field Champ on one side, you're not going to be increasing the quality of the labrador breed. Even though the color, which is still Yellow, is desirable, that should be the least of your worries when breeding dogs.

This day and age, there is almost zero profit in selling pups, especially labs because of the flooded number of back yard breeders that are out there. Costs involved with ensuring a dog is fully checked out and registered before breeding is very expensive. Here's a generalized break down.

Hips and elbows x-rays and then OFA fees = $350
CNM and EIC = $200 plus vet fees and shipping those samples.
Various health checks and blood draws for testing required by stud owners = $200+
Stud fee = $600-$1500
If the ***** won't stand for the stud dog insemination would be required which is another couple hundred plus collection costs to retrieve semen from the male.

Once pups are born, say 8 pup litter. Can be 1 can be 14.
1st vet checkup = $150
3 Days old, dewclaws removed = $150
Worming and first round of shots = $200
Microchip each pup = $45 each

In the event your female has issues and requires an emergency c-section you're looking at possibly upwards of $1000... that could be if there was even only 1 puppy in there.

When you see pups going for 100, 200, 300, you can see that either short cuts were taken, or the proper care was not given for quality breeding.


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## cedarsedge (Sep 21, 2006)

Excellent post Chaws

Dan


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## stonebroke (Dec 16, 2004)

Interesting post... It will never cease to amaze me how people put far more effort and require much more of a prospective gundog than the do the person they marry. We see a pretty young thing, fall head over heels, and then could care less about her parents or grandparents, any genetic health problems she may have (ok, or he), etc. and don't give a second thought to having kids. Yet, let someone even suggest that they want to breed their dog and have a litter of pups and they get educated in a hurry....


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## TPL (Oct 7, 2008)

It's not enough to rely on the pedigree to determine if a dog is a candidate to reproduce as was alluded to in a previous post. A proven pedigree is a factor in the equation but equally important is the ability and accomplishment of the individual dog. A good number of offspring from dogs whose pedigrees are filled with FT winners don't amount to much at all. For those of you looking for a stud dog or planning to buy a pup, look at the pedigree to determine if your chances are good that'll you get a dog that will be capable of doing what you want, but also, it's vital to see the parents/stud work. There is alot to chose from out there, take the time, see the product of the previous breedings, do it right.


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