Lab or Golden

[joshua_g_25]

I am starting to look for either a Lab or Golden Retriever. I am looking for a duck dog that is also at home being inside with the family. I have a 3 year old and a 6 year old so the dog will have to be great with children. There are numerous littters for sale around the house but I do not know if I should get them, (alot of cost savings) or should I buy from a breeder? How do I know that a breeder is reputable? How much shoiuld I be looking at cost wise for a started dog, training etc any input would be much appreciated.

[labmom]

Good question for a beginner! Please buy from a reputable breeder. You will end up paying more for a quality puppy but it is worth every penney. First, you won't be supporting a bad back yard breeder, and second, you will get a healthy puppy. Any reputable breeder will provide you with a puppy purchase contract and a genetic health guarantee. The parents should have their hips and eyes certified at a bare minimum. Read this link... very good!
http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/paying.html
You can also visit my website and go into the information page. It has a link about finding a reputable breeder. Do your research. Paying a little more for a healthy puppy now will save you a lot of money (from vet bills) and heartbreak in the future. Good luck!

[joshua_g_25]

Thank you for the information. There are a few that say they are AKC registered but it is just fly by the night people. There is a Kennel by the house but I am skeptacle due to him having about 80 puppies a year. After talking with the guy I found out that the pups are line bred a while back so he said it should not affect the pups. They are very light yellow actually white pups. But anyways I am still torn between a Lab and Golden Retriever any help in that department?

[DakotaRidge]

Buying from a reputable breeder increases your chances of having a healthy puppy. A kennel that has 80+ puppies a year I would be careful of. That could be boarderline puppymill. You would really have to do some checking into with that guy.

To try to answer your lab or golden question, it just depends mostly on personal preference. Some also depends on what type of cover you will be hunting. Think about burrs and stickers in the golden's coat. Also, with goldens there is a distinct difference between show coats and field coats. The show coats are a lot longer and seem to attract more problems while the field bred goldens tend to have a shorter coat to help alleviate some of the coat issues.

[joshua_g_25]

I am glad you brought that up, I went look at a few litters of Goldens and did notice a difference between the pet/show and the ones that are hunted. I am still torn on which dog I should get. I mostly duck hunt in the marshes of South La, I do some dove and rabit hunting so I guess I have to do more research.

[Dogtrainer4God]

Go with a Lab, they are the easier trained of the two breeds, would be able to handle the heat better in LA with their short coat, and would pick up the birds the quickest!

There is definitely a different between the show vs field lines in that you are much more likely to get a good hunting dog out of a field bred litter than from a show dog. They were bred to stand on a bench and look pretty, a pup from Hunt test or field trial titled parents were bred to retrieve and hunt.

Do your research, find a good breeder who does the health screenings AND trains his dogs.

Hope this helps!

[joshua_g_25]

Thanks for the help I got a Choc Lab pup this past week and both parents hunt so I am happy