Jonathan, I could do this for a living; no doubt about it. Working with the pups somehow makes the rest of life all go away (all the stress and worry over work or deadlines or life issues).
And, it's terrific for blood pressure!
But we'd need more land and more kennel space. So now we're looking at only one or two litters a year. And it works, since I work from my home office most of the time.
Our long-term goal is to eventually move into doing this full time in about ten years when hubby moves into retirement. We'll see how things unfold.
For now, I relish the short puppy seasons we'll have. :o)
And David, the cuteness factor goes a long way! You just can't help smiling with these little guys. And they're only getting cuter!
The puppies are adorable and I would love one. In response to what Jonathan said, there are many, many labs in shelters and rescues because puppies grow up to be adult dogs.
Hi Joan, That last deleted post was only me, i made a big sp in the middle of it! What i was attempting to say was that the varying degrees of colour are really showing now the gang are getting bigger- i had never heard of fox red 'til i started visiting this site, but then i only ever have black and chocolate labs,i really like it though but i don't think i've ever seen it over here(Eng) is it quite rare?
You're absolutely right. Breeding should be left to responsible breeders only. Who are responsible breeders?
--those committed to improving the breed and willing to do the research necessary to ensure betterment;
--those willing to invest in breeding-quality labs with championship bloodlines for their breeding stock;
--those willing to invest in proper preventative and interventive health care for both dam and pups;
--those who clear all their dogs using professional, board-certified elbow, hip, and eye screenings, and who use only dogs whose screening come back with good or better ratings;
-those who guarantee (by mutually signed contract) the health of their pups against hereditary disease or defect;
--those who responsibly obtain the pups' early puppyhood medical care through a licensed veterinarian providing proper worming, immunizations, microchipping for identification, and the like.
--those who don't over-breed their dams;
--those willing to invest in the care, training, and time necessary to properly socialize the pups and stimulate their development;
--those willing to invest in educating and equipping new owners with puppy-raising resources
--those willing to survey and research potential puppy owners to screen out inappropriate homes
--those who obviously love and take great care of their dogs, whether breeding or not
--and those who are also committed to their dogs for life (meaning any dog purchased from them can be returned to them any time for any reason at any age).
Responsible breeders do ALL of these (listed above).
We do, too.
And if we move into doing this more than twice a year, you can be certain we won't compromise on any of these standards.
Lest anyone is tempted, responsible breeding is expensive (you don't make money -- just look at the list above), exhausting (for at least two months, if all goes well), incredibly time-consuming, difficult (so much can go wrong), and requires boatloads of time beyond puppy care (reading and staying current on health issues, research, and techniques, in particular). It's also incredibly risky (all kinds of problems can arise for dam or pups and you have to be prepared to deal with these, not just intellectually, but emotionally and financially as well).
All that is to say, Snag0011 makes a great point.
And we're doing all we can to be a responsible breeder -- we're even striving for beyond responsible; we're shooting for exceptional.
Fox red is the least common of the yellow color spectrum for Labs and was at one time rare. But it's been increasing in popularity in the States in recent years.
It is, however, by no means common. You still don't see many fox reds around, even here (many people don't even know fox-red is allowable by breed standard for Labs). That's part of why we invested in Ridge as our stud (that, and his excellent pedigree, his strong field work and aptitude, his intelligence, and his strong people-pleasing nature -- since we're working toward developing solid hunting retrievers).
It is still within conformity to the AKC Lab breed standard (which is stated this way: "Yellow--Yellows may range in color from fox-red to light cream, with variations in shading on the ears, back, and underparts of the dog."
I just love the fox-red color. :o)
In fact, I think we're keeping the little girl pup from this litter with the black ribbon (our only red female). :o)
We'll have to see how she develops otherwise, of course. But we're watching her closely!
Hey, did you know that in England for a dog to become a bench show champion it also has to have a working certificate? (meaning it has to also be actively working, too!)
I just thought that was way cool. You English know what you're doing over there!
9 comments:
OMG they're adorable. If only I worked from home and had a huge yard, I'd be breeding labbies.
So cute...
Jonathan, I could do this for a living; no doubt about it. Working with the pups somehow makes the rest of life all go away (all the stress and worry over work or deadlines or life issues).
And, it's terrific for blood pressure!
But we'd need more land and more kennel space. So now we're looking at only one or two litters a year. And it works, since I work from my home office most of the time.
Our long-term goal is to eventually move into doing this full time in about ten years when hubby moves into retirement. We'll see how things unfold.
For now, I relish the short puppy seasons we'll have. :o)
And David, the cuteness factor goes a long way! You just can't help smiling with these little guys. And they're only getting cuter!
Thanks for commenting!
Joan
The puppies are adorable and I would love one. In response to what Jonathan said, there are many, many labs in shelters and rescues because puppies grow up to be adult dogs.
Breeding should be left to responsible breeders.
Hi Joan,
That last deleted post was only me, i made a big sp in the middle of it!
What i was attempting to say was that the varying degrees of colour are really showing now the gang are getting bigger- i had never heard of fox red 'til i started visiting this site, but then i only ever have black and chocolate labs,i really like it though but i don't think i've ever seen it over here(Eng) is it quite rare?
So adorable!! I have been following your blog for months and I really enjoy it!
Snag0011,
You're absolutely right. Breeding should be left to responsible breeders only. Who are responsible breeders?
--those committed to improving the breed and willing to do the research necessary to ensure betterment;
--those willing to invest in breeding-quality labs with championship bloodlines for their breeding stock;
--those willing to invest in proper preventative and interventive health care for both dam and pups;
--those who clear all their dogs using professional, board-certified elbow, hip, and eye screenings, and who use only dogs whose screening come back with good or better ratings;
-those who guarantee (by mutually signed contract) the health of their pups against hereditary disease or defect;
--those who responsibly obtain the pups' early puppyhood medical care through a licensed veterinarian providing proper worming, immunizations, microchipping for identification, and the like.
--those who don't over-breed their dams;
--those willing to invest in the care, training, and time necessary to properly socialize the pups and stimulate their development;
--those willing to invest in educating and equipping new owners with puppy-raising resources
--those willing to survey and research potential puppy owners to screen out inappropriate homes
--those who obviously love and take great care of their dogs, whether breeding or not
--and those who are also committed to their dogs for life (meaning any dog purchased from them can be returned to them any time for any reason at any age).
Responsible breeders do ALL of these (listed above).
We do, too.
And if we move into doing this more than twice a year, you can be certain we won't compromise on any of these standards.
Lest anyone is tempted, responsible breeding is expensive (you don't make money -- just look at the list above), exhausting (for at least two months, if all goes well), incredibly time-consuming, difficult (so much can go wrong), and requires boatloads of time beyond puppy care (reading and staying current on health issues, research, and techniques, in particular). It's also incredibly risky (all kinds of problems can arise for dam or pups and you have to be prepared to deal with these, not just intellectually, but emotionally and financially as well).
All that is to say, Snag0011 makes a great point.
And we're doing all we can to be a responsible breeder -- we're even striving for beyond responsible; we're shooting for exceptional.
Thanks for the comment.
Joan
Hi Kate (wave from over the ocean),
:o)
Fox red is the least common of the yellow color spectrum for Labs and was at one time rare. But it's been increasing in popularity in the States in recent years.
It is, however, by no means common. You still don't see many fox reds around, even here (many people don't even know fox-red is allowable by breed standard for Labs). That's part of why we invested in Ridge as our stud (that, and his excellent pedigree, his strong field work and aptitude, his intelligence, and his strong people-pleasing nature -- since we're working toward developing solid hunting retrievers).
It is still within conformity to the AKC Lab breed standard (which is stated this way: "Yellow--Yellows may range in color from fox-red to light cream, with variations in shading on the ears, back, and underparts of the dog."
I just love the fox-red color. :o)
In fact, I think we're keeping the little girl pup from this litter with the black ribbon (our only red female). :o)
We'll have to see how she develops otherwise, of course. But we're watching her closely!
Hey, did you know that in England for a dog to become a bench show champion it also has to have a working certificate? (meaning it has to also be actively working, too!)
I just thought that was way cool. You English know what you're doing over there!
As always, great to hear from you!
'Til nex time,
Joan
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