Poorly chicken

[hillfamily]

I'm going to look at some Lab puppies this weekend and I would like some additional advice on what I should be asking

 

They come from a family home, where both the mum and dad live and I will be seeing them.

 

The mum and dad are both KC registered (although I am well aware that doesn't necessarily mean much) and they are all tested.

 

I will be checking the environment they are kept in, checking the pups for any obvious signs of illness, bright eyes etc

 

Thank you for any advice you can give...and yes I will post pics when I have chosen one

[Old Speckled Hen]

You've just about covered it all.

 

Make sure they have been wormed. In an ideal world the mummy dog (blimey my original word was censored by some automatic checker thingy) should have had panacur throughout her pregnancy but that is expensive and many people don't.

my advice is to pick a confident puppy, not the one hiding at the back because you feel sorry for it.

 

No breeder should disagree with you having your vet check the pup over the next day and offer a sale or return based on that examination.

 

Best of luck and post some pix

[hillfamily]

Thanks OSH

 

The mum has been wormed and so are/will the pups

[BeckyBoo]

I think an important question to ask is "can I take him home now" or "how many can I have?"

 

BeckyBoo

[Redwing]

I agree about getting a nice confident puppy

 

Ask about feeding, they should say that they will send you home with the food the pup is already on so he/she doesnt get a tummy upset

 

If you choose a pup make sure it is marked so that it doesnt get resold and to ensure you end up with the one you picked

 

It sounds exciting

[hillfamily]

Thank you Becky :D

 

I shall only be getting one and I have to wait until mid October to bring it home

[hillfamily]

Thanks again Tasha :D (and for your book advice )

 

I get a bag of the food the pup is on when I collect it

 

And I will be making sure it's marked with a huge X so it doesn't go anywhere other than home to me

[Couperwife]

I shall only be getting one and I have to wait until mid October to bring it home

 

yes, we have heard that one before havent we

 

oooh, a puppy, how lovely (how much do you like your settee )

 

cathy

x

[Gamebird]

I would want to know the hip scores of his/her parents. I am presuming both parents have clear eye tests at the time of breeding. However, I would also want to know if the parents have been screened for progressive retinal atrophy which is a simple DNA test. Not all breeders do this but it's worth asking about. Hopefully the result for each parent will be Clear in which case your puppy will be Clear as well.

 

If you know the exact registered name of each parent you can check their health screens on-line here

 

How exciting. Do you have a name yet?

[hillfamily]

I shall only be getting one and I have to wait until mid October to bring it home

 

yes, we have heard that one before havent we

 

It will only be one...honestly

 

oooh, a puppy, how lovely (how much do you like your settee )

 

cathy

x

 

It's alright, the sofa has already been ripped by the mogs...a few teeth marks and some chewing will add to the distressed look

[Lesley]

We asked the breeder to put a tea-towel in with the litter to use as a Mummy Rag - we brought it home with Jazz and put it in her box with her, she was no problem at all at night.

[hillfamily]

I would want to know the hip scores of his/her parents. I am presuming both parents have clear eye tests at the time of breeding. However, I would also want to know if the parents have been screened for progressive retinal atrophy which is a simple DNA test. Not all breeders do this but it's worth asking about. Hopefully the result for each parent will be Clear in which case your puppy will be Clear as well.

 

If you know the exact registered name of each parent you can check their health screens on-line here

 

How exciting. Do you have a name yet?

 

Thanks Gamebird...some good advice

 

The Parents both have clear eye tests and I have their registered names so I will check out their health screen tests online and I will ask about the progressive retinal atrophy when I go for a viewing at the weekend

 

We are going to call him Sam

[WarrensWorld]

The Puppy will choose you.

[hillfamily]

We asked the breeder to put a tea-towel in with the litter to use as a Mummy Rag - we brought it home with Jazz and put it in her box with her, she was no problem at all at night.

 

I was going to take an old fleecy jumper of mine to leave at the weekend and then bring back when I collect him so he has the scent of his litter

 

I just have everything crossed that something doesn't go wrong and I get there at the weekend and discover that she forgot what I wanted and has reserved them all to other people ... wish I wasn't such a paranoid worrier I have been looking into this for so long and have been let down once before

[hilda-and-evadne]

If you know the exact registered name of each parent you can check their health screens on-line here

 

What a useful source, I didn't know about that.

 

I am a bit vague about this but shouldn't the puppy have had its anti-distemper jabs? I thought of this only because, when my Sealyham came to me, I discovered that the breeder had "economised" by not vaccinating him. So I had to arrange this, and until he had had the second jab he couldn't go out in the street unless I carried him.

[Chook n Boo Mum]

We asked the breeder to put a tea-towel in with the litter to use as a Mummy Rag - we brought it home with Jazz and put it in her box with her, she was no problem at all at night.

 

I was going to take an old fleecy jumper of mine to leave at the weekend and then bring back when I collect him so he has the scent of his litter

 

I just have everything crossed that something doesn't go wrong and I get there at the weekend and discover that she forgot what I wanted and has reserved them all to other people ... wish I wasn't such a paranoid worrier I have been looking into this for so long and have been let down once before

 

This is what I was going to suggest...even my DD (9) has told her little classmate who's getting a lab pup in a couple of weeks time...for her 10th birthday can you believe ....to get the breeder to put a towel/rag in the pen with mum & babies so he has a familiar smell to take with him, bless her

 

When you get home, it may help to have the radio playing quietly in the background at night as Sam will be all on his own for the first time in his short life (I slept on the kitchen floor with our new babies - each time we got one, though that's a personal decision only you can make ), some people find a ticking clock and maybe a wheat bag/water bottle for something warm to snuggle into are helpful too.... Have you got a crate for him? Ours has been invaluable, the dogs still go in there when they want some peace and Daisy sleeps in there & is shut in when we go out...saves all sorts of destruction ...just got a cheque from the Bank of England to replace the £20 note she ate & reappeared a few days later .puppy proof chewing toys will save your fingers too

 

Good luck Pam, when are you open for cuddles, I can't resist a puppy snuggle

 

Sha x

[Gamebird]

I am a bit vague about this but shouldn't the puppy have had its anti-distemper jabs? I thought of this only because, when my Sealyham came to me, I discovered that the breeder had "economised" by not vaccinating him. So I had to arrange this, and until he had had the second jab he couldn't go out in the street unless I carried him.

They don't usually have their first injections until they are 8 to 10 weeks old (depending on the vet). So it's usually up to the new owner to organise that. There is then a follow-up injection about 2 weeks after the first and then the puppy is considered safe to venture further than their own garden.

 

Having said that I think a lot of people (me included) take their puppies to puppy socialisation classes in between the two injections.

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Forgot to add, when you leave the little one in his crate, leave a "grubby" ie not washed tshirt/ old jumper of yours in with him so he has something of "you" to snuggle up to..also reminded of that by DD !!

 

Sha x

[hillfamily]

Thanks Sha for the advice, muchly appreciated :D

 

And of course you can come over for puppy cuddles :D

 

I'll email you later with a few questions if that's OK

[hillfamily]

I am a bit vague about this but shouldn't the puppy have had its anti-distemper jabs? I thought of this only because, when my Sealyham came to me, I discovered that the breeder had "economised" by not vaccinating him. So I had to arrange this, and until he had had the second jab he couldn't go out in the street unless I carried him.

They don't usually have their first injections until they are 8 to 10 weeks old (depending on the vet). So it's usually up to the new owner to organise that. There is then a follow-up injection about 2 weeks after the first and then the puppy is considered safe to venture further than their own garden.

 

Having said that I think a lot of people (me included) take their puppies to puppy socialisation classes in between the two injections.

 

I can either have my pup after it has had it's first vaccinations or have it a week earlier and take it to my own vet for it's first vaccinations...which is what I am going to do as I would prefer it to have all it's jabs with my vet who is great

[hilda-and-evadne]

They don't usually have their first injections until they are 8 to 10 weeks old (depending on the vet). So it's usually up to the new owner to organise that.

 

My dog left his breeder and came to me (unvaccinated) when he was four months old ... Not sure why the breeder still had him and his litter sister and brother (who went on to be champions) at that age.

[The Dogmother]

Great news Pamster

 

Everyone has already given the advice I was going to impart.

 

Ruby chose me - the pup I originally liked in the photos was very timid; Ruby came up and sat in my lap, chewed my thumb and went to sleep. That was what I was looking for.

 

Remember to watch out for the puppy sighs:

 

PUPPY SIGHS

 

"We have plenty of puppies, if that's what she's looking for,"

 

"I know. We have seen most of them," she said in frustration.

 

Just then the young child came walking in the office.

 

"Well, did you find one?"

 

"No, not this time," she said with sadness in her voice.

 

"Can we come back on the weekend?"

 

The two women looked at each other, shook their heads and laughed.

 

"You never know when we will get more dogs."

 

Her mother had already started down the hall lo leave just as another volunteer handed one last puppy to the little girl.

 

"Oh, yes," said the girl after a moment.

 

"This is the one. This is my new puppy!"

 

A cheer went up from the volunteers. Startled by all the commotion, Mom came running.

 

"This is the one, Mom," her daughter told her.

 

"What? Are you sure? How do you know?" she asked.

 

"It's the puppy sighs!"

 

"Yes, it the same size as all the other puppies you held the last few weeks," Mom said.

 

"No, not 'size,' 'sighs.' When I held him in my arms he sighed," she said. "So?" "Don't you remember? When I asked you one day what love is, you told me, "Love depends on the sighs of your heart. The more you love, the bigger the sighs!"

 

The two women looked at each other for a moment. Mom didn't know whether to laugh or cry. As she stooped down to hug her child she

did a little of both.

 

"Mom every time you hold me I sigh. When you and Daddy come home from work and hug each other you both sigh. I knew I would find the right puppy if it sighed when I held it in my arms," she said.

 

Then holding the puppy up close to her face she said, "Mom, he loves me. I heard the sighs of his heart."

 

Close your eyes for a moment and think about the love that makes you sigh. I not only find it in the arms of my loved ones, but in the caress of a sunset, the kiss of the moonlight and the gentle brush of cool air on a hot day.

 

They are the sighs of your heart. The more you love, the bigger the sighs.

 

"SIGHS OF THE HEART" ~ by Bob Perks

 

It'll have to meet up with Ruby for playtime - she loves puppies.

[hillfamily]

That brought a tear to my eye Clare...I will have to save that

 

Yes we will have to meet up so Ruby and pup can play :D and Charlie was only saying the other day how she hadn't seen 'her little sister' for ages

 

I will impart more info when I have been to see them on Saturday

[The Dogmother]

We'll have to get together then!

 

Rubes was playing with a border collie pup just this morning.

 

Think of all that exercise you'll get Pam; loads of lovely long walks.

 

Look online - the AA do printable walks in all areas, we've enjoyed loads of them.

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Claret, I can't see now to type............ that is gorgeous!

 

Pam, be careful about overwalking the tiddler, labs are notorious for leg & hip problems, though I was very careful with Poppy & she had to have both knees operated on either side of her first birthday , Jess our rescue girl had (according to the vet on physical evidence and tales of the previous owner) been encouraged to jump up high & landed hard/awkwardly many times & had to have a cruciate (sp?) op about 3 years ago....no probs now but just don't encourage him to jump, it's not worth the pain in later life .......Daisy has done her own thing & kept up with the other girls ever since we got her and so far has had no leg probs...except she doesn't seem to like to sit still for long she's much rather be out walking, running or swimming.....fantastic swimming pool for pooches near us, my 3 love it, started out as hydrotherapy for the big girls with their ops, and is now a fortnightly treat!!

 

Sha x