drifter Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Hi, I'm a newbie here so please be gentle! We are planning to purchase a labrador puppy (our first) and I'm hoping for some advice. Pups are 3 weeks old. Dams hips are 8:10, sire 1:1. Both elbows 0:0, PRA clear by parentage. Are these hip scores OK? I rang another breeder who said that they were slightly higher than normal but not really a concern, and I also rang a vet who said he wouldn't be worried by these scores. I guess I just wonder whether others agree with this. The breeder says that the dam has had a previous litter with no known problems. One of her pups was scored at 5:5. Anything else I should be looking out for? I'm trying to do the right thing and going with a reputable breeder but how do I know if they are?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest english.ivy Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I've never bought a Labrador but the dams hip score does look high and alarming to me. You're being very smart and questioning it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 maybe post in the lab sub-forum in general? I don't know much about hips but one thing is that they should be balanced (so a score of 8:10 is better than a score of 0:6 for example). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 (edited) I'd read the health info on the Lab breed page here on DOL, ring the Lab Club of Qld if they have a puppy enquiry person and ask lots of questions in the Lab thread. There is also a Lab thread in the dog breeds 101 forum. With a breed average of 16, the bitch has a higher score than that. Personally I'd be looking elsewhere. Edited April 1, 2011 by poodlefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drifter Posted April 1, 2011 Author Share Posted April 1, 2011 I'd read the health info on the Lab breed page here on DOL, ring the Lab Club of Qld if they have a puppy enquiry person and ask lots of questions in the Lab thread.There is also a Lab thread in the dog breeds 101 forum. With a breed average of 16, the bitch has a higher score than that. Personally I'd be looking elsewhere. Great- thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirst_goldens Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 yeh i would agree with calling breed clubs and asking their opinions different breeds have different averages and what not on scoring like PF mentioned the average is about 16 so hers is higher but this doesnt mean the pup will have issues... On the same page.. the dams and sires scores could both be 00 and ur pup could get HD... u need to educate urself on the pups environment and how it can effect scores and hips... im sure being a good breeder they would supply info in ur puppy pack I would def call around before writing this breeder off sometimes breeding with a slighty higher score on one parent is worth it for gaining strength and quality in the overall dog - better to have a slighty higher score in the hips then to lack bend in stifle and correct fronts - its not a show dog i know but well conformed dogs are less prone to issues as they are balanced. IMHO i wouldnt make any harsh decisions based on what u here from us lol I would have lenghty chats with this breeder about ur concerns.. also contact other breeders - dont disscuss this issues as some will just bad mouth eachother lol but ask them about their dogs and scores and all about their puppies then u have a few to compare and see how ur breeder compares to the rest - they may well raise their pups more to ur likeing or treat their dogs better then the others... they may well turn out to be horrible as well but u wont know till u compare! Good luck and enjoy ur puppy whoever u get it from!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 (edited) 8:8 isn't good, but it isn't a disaster. Personally, I wouldn't breed from an 8:8, but it wouldn't scare me in a pet. I would not expect to see an 8:8 get arthritic in old age (ie, not show clinical HD) . . . and one vet's 8:8 reading might have been a 4:4 from another vet or from the same vet with a better positioned set of X-rays. HD is only somewhat hereditary. I can't remember where I saw it, but I remember a statistical study that showed that the chance of getting 'excellent' hips from a dog and bitch who both have 'good' hips wasn't a whole lot higher than the chance of getting an 'excellent' from two 'excellents'. If you really like the dogs otherwise, I try to get a read on the grandsire/dam and any siblings. If you can chase down information on the oldies in the line, and they are moving freely at 10 . . . and if there are no siblings or previous pups from the same dam who have had really bad scores, I wouldn't worry. As for other things, TEMPEREMENT. Some Labs are mellow from an early age. Some are lunatics through to old age. Health testing is a good thing . . . but when measurements are taken on only two health parameters, they tend to be weighed too heavily into the equation. Edited April 3, 2011 by sandgrubber Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drifter Posted April 3, 2011 Author Share Posted April 3, 2011 Thanks for your replies. Your answers are similar to what I was told by the vet. The breeder has been lovely and very willing to answer all my questions and by the sounds of it breeds dogs with great temperaments which, when it comes down to it is most important to me. She tells me that none of their dogs have ever had HD which is comforting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olivebaby Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 We just got a black lab. Well she is 4 months old now and just gorgeous. She came from a breeder an both parents had very low scores. I don't know much about this yet but I wanted to be on the safe side. I am glad I did because she is just the most amazing and beautiful little girl and we are thinking of breeding from her. But if you just want her for a pet im sure those scores would be ok. You could always look around at other pups with lower scores? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonecutter Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 Welcome drifter Temperament I would hold as key in addition to health Someone else mentioned that some labs are super chill and others just hyper! (same with Spitzes) Olivebaby - is she on the main register? Are you planning to show her as well? I have a pup on the main (our breeder is very ill and originally we were allocated a pup from another litter and Ziva was to be kept for breeding) and am feeling very apprehensive about breeding her and trying to keep her confined when she's in season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katie P Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 Hopping onto the Lab thread and asking for other breeders and recommendations couldnt hurt also! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunny Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 (edited) Olivebaby, how funny if we bought from the same breeder! Matilda is black as well, same age and her parents scores were like 0/0 and 1/1 or something like that...we bought her from Victoria. (We are in WA). Drifter, when we decided to buy a lab puppy, I spoke to breeder in Perth who was fantastically helpful. Told me what to look for and ask for and said if a breeder said 'oh that doesn't matter' then to walk away from them..she went into plenty of detail and explain the xray scoring, genetic testing and even arranging travel! I felt quite happy about asking lots of questions when we did contact the lovely lady we bought Matilda from. Edited May 27, 2011 by Hunny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olivebaby Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Hello stonecutter. Olive is on the main register. I paid the extra from the breeder to have those papers. We are not going to show her though. I wish we could because she is an absolutely stunning lab but I just don't have the time orthe knowledge to do it all... It's a bit of a full time job isn't it? We are hoping to breed. Maybe just one or two litters depending on how it all goes but she is still very young so we have time. Yes keeping her locked away will be hard. I am a first time puppy mum so I hope I will know when she is on heat so I can keep her imprisoned! Hunny, we got our girl from NSW and we are also in WA, in Perth! Where are you? How are you finding it all? Does she go through the night yet without wee'ing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonecutter Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 I am considering showing - but it seems really scary! I think if we do decide to have a litter - I'd want her to get her title first to prove her conformation and build her reputation so that we can find great homes for her pups. I'd go back to her breeder for assistance. The biggest consideration is finding homes - our breeder accepts any pups back that can't stay in their forever homes - so we would have to be certain that we could/would do the same to some or even all of her pups so they don't end up in a shelter or in the trading post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drifter Posted May 27, 2011 Author Share Posted May 27, 2011 Thanks for all the replies. After a long discussion with our breeder (as well as the local vet, state labrador club and another breeder ) we decided to go ahead with our puppy purchase from her. Our beautiful girl Daisy came home with us last week and is now 10 weeks old. She is adorable, patient and sweet. She is also a weeing, pooing machine who chews everything she can get her teeth into! We all love her to bits and are so glad she's now a part of our family. Hope the photos work- my first attempt with photobucket :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonecutter Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Gorgeous!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olivebaby Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 She is gorgeous!!!! congratulations and enjoy, they grow up way to fast :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zayenah Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Daisy is adorable, congratulations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmoothieGirl Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 She's beautiful, she has a really feminine look about her too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Whoa! Look at those dark eyes and nose! Wonderful contrast with her light colour. She's really sweet looking. I hope she's a good girl for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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