Choosing your Labrador Retriever or Flat Coated Retriever

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Purchasing your first Labrador Retriever or a Flat Coated Retriever can be a life-changing decision. Choosing the right dog will help ensure your life changes in a good way.

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There are a few sensible precautions you should consider before seeking out one or more Labrador or Flat Coated Retriever breeders.

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You should avoid the easiest choice, even if it is the dog of a friend litter, or even because the breeder is known and lives close by.

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The first decision to make is to choose what type of Labrador Retriever or Flat Coated Retriever you want to have and for what purpose. A dog for companionship, for exhibitions, hunting, agility or even obedience are the main reasons for choosing this new member of the family.

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Of course, choosing one Labrador Retrievers or Flat Coated Retrievers is much more than just weighing the pros and cons. More than just a «balance», it is a very personal decision and sometimes you will have to use your feeling and instinct, but always with an awareness of the responsibility, which is the introduction of this new member into the family for life. Whatever you do, try to resist buying a dog without proper care.

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Do your research, look for Labrador or Flat Coated Retriever breeders, recognized by the Clube Português de Canicultura and who mainly have the various health tests carried out, such as, for example, hip dysplasia exams, elbow dysplasia exams, eyes and DNA screening of the main genetic and hereditary diseases.

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Unfortunately, the vast majority of Labrador Retrievers and Flat Coated Retrievers breeders do not have any exams done, so you should always ask and see the exams before booking your puppy, exams that should always accompany the puppy upon delivery.

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Choice of Labrador or Flat Coated Retriever breeder.

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Choosing Labrador and Flat Coated Retriever breeders is not an easy task. There are breeders of Labrador Retrievers and Flat Coated Retrievers, of all shapes and sizes.

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The best Labrador and Flat Coated Retriever breeders are specialists dedicated to the breeds, who produce a few litters of high quality Labrador or Flat Coated Retriever puppies per year for their own kennels. They are breeders who usually present their dogs in canine morphology shows with success. On the opposite side, there are Labrador and Flat Coated Retriever breeders, who are simply breeders of puppies, without any concern for the health and well-being of the puppies or their mother and seeing this big difference is not always simple. There are also cases of owners who simply decided to have a litter of their bitch, in some of these cases, they can be excellent puppies, but in most cases, the important guarantees described here are not offered.

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The key to a good Labrador litter
 

Give preference to a quality bitch with excellent results, in the various health exams, also use a compatible quality dog, with equally excellent health results, but mainly to have quality assistance throughout the pregnancy and after delivery, that is, during the first 10 weeks of puppies lives.

 

The bitch must have a purpose beyond raising puppies, as show, working dog, but preferably as a family companion dog. Do not choose puppies from bitches solely for breeding.

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It is worth planning ahead, and doing a careful research and booking one of the Labrador or Flat Coated Retriever puppies, before birth, you can follow the whole process in a more objective way and avoid the impulse.

 

You should also visit Labrador Retriever or Flat Coated Retriever breeders, to photograph the puppies and monitor their growth, this way you will become aware of the type of breeder you have chosen, as well as learn more easily all the teachings that the breeder gives you.

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Visiting the breeder before booking your puppy is also a good practice, as this will clear up all your doubts about the best choice and the one that offers you the most guarantees.

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Your Retrievers Ancestry

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Before buying a puppy, Labrador Retriever or a Flat Coated Retriever puppy, always check its ancestry, many of the puppies are announced as descendants of champions, but most of the time this descent goes beyond many generations, that is, the champions are beyond the 3rd or 4th generation, which means absolutely nothing and is just a way to commercially promote the Labrador litter or the Flat Coated Retriever litter
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The genetic influence of a champion, beyond the 3rd or 4th generation, is very small especially if the male and female are not of the same or compatible lines.

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We continue to see ads for litters with champions of everything and anything, good Labrador breeders and Flat Coated Retriever breeders have current champions and often, they do not need to refer to champion dogs, which in addition not being their property, end up being in the dogs pedigree to take advantage, only commercial, of these titles.

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There are excellent Labrador puppies, with and without champions in the pedigree, with and without champions in the first or last generations, but if you are looking for a descendant of champions or if you value this fact, do not be influenced by litters in which the champions are beyond the 3rd. generation. Ask for help or look for more information on this subject

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Male or Female?​

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Until very recently, male dogs were more popular than female dogs. Fashions come and go, and at the moment, female dogs seem to be preferred by anyone looking for a Labrador Retriever puppy or a Flat Coated Retriever puppy.

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Will hear various arguments as to the temperament differences between them, but most of these contradict each other, it is really a matter of personal taste.

 

The main disadvantage of a female dog is heat, which appears twice a year, from 8-12 months of age until the end of her life and this can be inconvenient in some cases.

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Most people just prefer one sex or the other and I really do not know why.

 

If you are not sure whether you want a dog or a bitch, keep an open mind and you will have more choices in the litter.