Jarrahgum Labradors

What are our “show bags”?

With each puppy you will receive a ‘show bag’ of goodies. This consists of a small booklet on the care of your new puppy including some basic training tips, also advice on feeding, their vaccination certificate as well as a form for Pet Medical Insurance (your choice whether to join). You will also find some toys, as well as a soft toy for your puppy to cuddle which has the scent of the other puppies in the litter as well as a rug with the scent of their mum. These will all help your puppy not to stress too much during those first few days of adjusting to his or her new home. You might like to bring a rug or puppy’s bedding with you to rub over mum and siblings so that it has the familiar smells which will also help with your puppy’s adjustment.

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Vaccinations?

All puppies receive a full vet examination and first vaccination as well as full worming treatments before leaving for their new homes.

DNA testing?

Now that DNA testing is available, responsible breeders can make sure that none of their puppies will inherit the many diseases common to Labradors.

Alison does everything she can to make sure that all her puppies have the best chance for a happy, healthy life, so all her breeding dogs are DNA tested so that none of her puppies will inherit any of those diseases.

Hip Dysplasia?

All large breed dogs are prone to hip dysplasia, therefore it is important for prospective parents to be x-rayed and certified clear of hip dysplasia and given a ‘hip score’. By having prospective parents hip scored it enables breeders to choose to breed from only those with low scores which reduces the chances of producing puppies with hip dysplasia. The highest possible score is 106.  The lower the score the better. 

Other factors that can cause hip dysplasia are diet and exercise.  It is important to make sure your growing puppy receives enough calcium for growing bones and protein for growing muscles.  During growth spurts, the bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons can sometimes grow at different rates in young dogs, so it is very important not to overexercise your pup.  Just gentle playing with your young pup in the garden and in the house is enough for the first few months. When you start going for walks with your pup, walk at your pups walking speed and don’t let your pup run for prolonged periods.

Delay teaching your pup to fetch a ball until 12 months old as the running and sudden stop can cause damage to the joints and can lead to dysplasia. Also don’t let your pup run up and down stairs or jump from heights.  All these things can help to reduce the risk of your puppy developing hip dysplasia and other complications common to large dogs.

Should I get a Lab?

Owning a Labrador Retriever is a very big commitment and needs great consideration.

Labradors are very people friendly animals and love to be with humans. They do not like to be left alone all day or left outside when the rest of the family is inside.

Labradors flourish when allowed to be inside the house with the rest the family and whose owner puts in the time and effort into training their Lab.

Here are some important things you will need to consider before committing to owning a Labrador Retriever:

• Do you want another member to add to the family? – someone who will need you for the next 12 to 15 years?
• Do you have the time to spend with your dog? – are you at home during the day?
• Will you be able to take your puppy/dog to dog training lessons?
• Will you be able to take your puppy/dog for regular exercise once old enough?
• Will you be able to afford the vet bills?
• Will you be able to tolerate heaps of dog hair on the floor and on your clothes?
• Will you be ok with all the destruction that comes with a Labrador puppy?
• Will you be able to tolerate some of your favourite plants in the garden being dug up?
• Are you prepared for many household items to be chewed/destroyed? Things such as shoes, socks, furniture, remotes; pretty much anything within their reach! Some puppies take a couple of years to grow out of this!

These are important, and if you are hesitant on any of them you really do need to reconsider.

When Labradors are left at home alone during the day they usually become bored and will likely turn to destroying the garden, barking, tearing clothes off the line and being a real nuisance! This is caused not by a ‘bad’ dog but by an unthinking owner.
If you are at work all day you might want to consider instead to get a couple of cats who are much more independent!