Pedigree Question

[MNwalleyehunter]

Guys I'm new to the dog buying process. I'm getting a AKC lab pup, is there a way I can get its parents pedigrees?? Like I said I'm completly new to the dog buying process as this is my first dog ever. I'm really excited to get him!

Thanks for the help,
MNwalleyehunter

[stinkycat]

Guys I'm new to the dog buying process. I'm getting a AKC lab pup, is there a way I can get its parents pedigrees?? Like I said I'm completly new to the dog buying process as this is my first dog ever. I'm really excited to get him!

Thanks for the help,
MNwalleyehunter

Absolutely! Ask your breeder for a copy of the pedigree. I would not buy a dog with out one. If they won't give you one then I would go else where . IMHO

[AllenW]

There is no gurantee that because a dog has a pedigree that's its a good dog, that being said, Stinkycat hit it, yes you should get a listing of the dogs parents and grandparents at least, also check for prolems in both the dog lines and the breeders dogs they're selling.

There's a reason many have negative opinions on pure bred dogs and its mostly because of pi$$ poor breeders, and there's a ton of them out there.

If you know the breed, do some studing on what the dog should look like, temperment, abilities and problems you may encounter such as hip displasisa, temperment, diseases the breed is noted to carry, etc.

Joining the local Springer/Lab/whatever club and asking a few questions never hurts

Spend some time looking into what you want, your gonna spend a bit of money and end up with a life long friend or demon.

Also the "I can't deal with the dog so I'll give it to a good home" rarely happens, usually the dog will end up in a pound.

Sounds like your off to a good start, good luck in finding your friend..:)

Al

[Super Jigger]

Buy a dog that you can register with the AKC. Any dog that is is a "pure bred dog." A good pedigree really ups you odds of getting a good dog. It is not a guarantee, but it is a much better place to start than a back yard breeding.

Being that you are new to the process, figure out what you want that dog to do and then start asking questions. Do you want to hunt pheasants? Well, I can tell you that all labs are not created equal in that department. Do you want your dog to run a straight line for 400 yards and mark triples at 300+ yards, then you would want a strong field trial or hunt test breeding. One good thing about those dogs is you know they have some talent.

Ask about the temprament of the parents (especially if you have kids), what are they good at (ducks, pheasants, hunt tests, field trials, grouse, etc...), their size, drive, is it a repeat litter and if so, how did the previous pups perform, has the sire been bred before and the results, and most importantly now days - the health guarantee. Make sure the parents were both screened for EIC, hips, eyes, elbows, etc... Stay away from the EIC carriers or those blood lines (do your research on-line). Believe me when I tell you that a few hundred or more up front is well worth it to get a pup from parents that have been screened for all of the health issues. It could save you thousands down the line. Lastly, you will be able to tell right away if the breeder cares, or if they are in it just for the money. The pups should be clean, smell good, look good, and be well socialized. I prefer black first, and yellow second on dog color, but that's just my personal preference.

Once you get the dog, it's time to start thinking about training, but that's a whole other story. Good luck and enjoy it. If you do it one at a time, you really don't get that many dogs in your lifetime.

[Carbide Doc]

There are 2 different "sub" types of Labrador Retreivers eligible for registry in the AKC. One type is the "show Labs" and the other is the "field Labs." Show Labs are big bodied and short legged and the field Labs are long legged and have a long bodies . I personally feel after having owned 16 of both types, the field Labs typically have a more intense retrieving ability and are more nimble under foot that the English short and stocky show Labs.
Show Lab Retreivers are NOT the type of dogs that are field trialed and the field trial dogs will NEVER see an AKC show ring. The VAST majority of AKC Field Lab people hate the AKC show lab people and vice versa. Many AKC sporting breeds are split like this including, Irish Setters, English Setters, and English Pointers, are among the others with a GREAT BIG split between field and show types.

The best Lab I ever owned had a mixed pedigree of both types and had the nice looks of a show Lab with the retrieving ability and running grace of the field Lab. There are very VERY few "DUAL Champion Labs, which means the Lab has won a show championship AND a Field Championship. The most Dual Championship numbers belong to the German Shorthair followed very closely by the Brittany, with both breeds NOT having the split between show and field breed types as compared to the LAB.

If you see an AKC pedigree with a "CH" in front of the dog's name, this means the dog has won an AKC SHOW Championship. If you see a dog with a FC or FLDCH, AFC or Amateur Field Champion on front ,this means the dog has won a FIELD championship. An Amateur means the dog won a Field Championship but was handled in field stakes not open to professional trainers.

A Lab that has won the requirements of an AKC Field Champioship is indeed one valuable and talented dog.

To complicate things there is another organization called the UKC that has hunting Retriever trials of which those dogs are put through hunting type tests which produce great dogs. A LAb that has recieved an "Master " Hunting Title is hugely valuable and is extremely talented. Unfortunately there is no competition to see who has the best dog between the AKC Lab field people and the MAster hunter LAb people that I am aware of.

My advice........get a Field type Lab. The show type Labs generally have a high percentage of being "2 bricks short of a full load" because their owners aren't hunters. I'm not saying they don't make nice pets but a field Lab will make a nice pet AND have hunting and field ability.

I have to make this description "nice" because I have lots of good friends on both sides of The LAb Retreiver fence but they tolerate me because spend most of my time running and judging field trial English pointers and Brittanys among others.

[Mike W1]

Make sure that the parents and grandparents are certified clear of hip and eye dysplasia. The one is I believe OFA. Won't eliminate those problems 100% but it'll cuts the chances of those problems greatly. A good breeder will guarantee the pup against those things. Course once a dog makes it to our house he's in for life no matter what!

[2Labs]

Make sure that the parents and grandparents are certified clear of hip and eye dysplasia. The one is I believe OFA. Won't eliminate those problems 100% but it'll cuts the chances of those problems greatly. A good breeder will guarantee the pup against those things. Course once a dog makes it to our house he's in for life no matter what!


Yup.

Hip dysplasia and eye problems (macular degeneration -- Progressive Retinal Atrophy) are problems in the Lab lines.

I picked up my currently 9-year-old female Black Lab as a 4-month-old pup that a Vet Tech had to give away (she had a 3-year-old child, a 1-year-old child, and another child on the way and felt overwhelmed by trying to train her first-ever dog so we got the pup "free").

Well, my faithful companion of 9 years is now going blind due to PRA. It is a genetically inherited problem. Her parents should never have been bred.

When I noticed this summer my female's eyesight was failing, my vet sent me to an eye specialist vet. The specialist confirmed the failing and said my female will be totally blind in 2 years. He said the science has progressed to the point where experts with current tools can look into the eyes of a pup and see if that pup will go blind and be able to tell you by what age that will happen.

Sad day for me when I learned all this as my dogs are part of my family. But, I am hunting her as much as I can as long as she can go because she loves it so much. By the time she is blind (age 11) it would be time for her to ease up and maybe retire anyway. So, while I am torn up about the PRA, the situation is not as bad as it might have been.

BUT, check the certification for hips and the eyes and make sure the breeder has done his homework. The Tech I got my female from hadn't checked that, apparently.