Labrador Breeders in Michigan: Chocklabs Kennels

This Labrador Breeder in Michigan is located in Williamsburg, MI. According to their website, their focus is breeding quality Labs with thorough attention on health, personality and socialization. Their goal is to produce great family companions as well as dogs that can excel in hunting and other endeavors. Their breeding dogs are health tested and OFA, OFEL, CERF, PENNHIP and OPTIGEN certified. If you are interested in this breeder and their dogs, please visit their website.

Labrador Breeders in Michigan: Dark Water Labs

This is a small family kennel based out of Waterford, Michigan. They are a Proud Member of Huron River Labrador Retriever Club and Michigan Flyways Retriever Club as well as a member of BRED WITH H.E.A.R.T. According to their website, their labs are not only wonderful family companions but also excel in conformation, hunting, rally, obedience and other endeavors. If you are interested in this breeder, please visit their website.

Cherryacre Labradors

This is another Labrador breeder in Michigan, located in Dexter, Michigan. They are a small breeder of English Style Labs and have been breeding Labradors for over 17 years. According to their website, this breeder focuses on breeding perfect Labradors in full compliance with the breed standard in terms of the health of temperament and body. This breeder is a member of the Huron River Labrador Retriever Club and an AKC Breeder of Merit. If you are interested in their dogs and puppies, please visit their website.

Labrador Breeders in Michigan: LaPoe  Labradors

This is a small Labrador Breeder in Michigan located in Claire, MI. They have been breeding Labradors for over 10 years and are a Bred with H.E.A.R.T member.  If you are interested in this breeder, please visit their website.

Labrador Breeders in Michigan: Labrador owner breed review (Tara and her Lab Ellie)

When my husband and I decided to get a dog, we have just recently moved into our new house and haven’t had kids yet. To be honest, I wasn’t completely sure I wanted to get a dog. We didn’t have a very large house and I have never dreamt of owning a dog. I also wasn’t all that eager to have to constantly take care of someone other than my husband 🙂

But, like many men, my husband has always dreamt of having a dog, ever since he was a child. (He never had a dog growing up.) He had hundreds of dog pictures on his phone and his computer, he couldn’t stop talking about having a dog, etc. Finally, I gave in. We began to discuss breeds and agreed that Labrador Retriever would probably be our best choice. Of course, I was still not fully on board at that point, and was quite worried about some of the downsides of the breed that we could encounter.

It was hard to find sincere reviews on the internet when it came to this breed. Mostly we just saw a lot of generic articles on where the breed originated, etc. I had to talk to Labrador owners on Facebook and other forums to find any honest information. It turned out that Labradors aren’t these plush soft stuffies that exist to please their owner at all times. They can be quite a complicated and demanding breed and lots of people actually can’t handle their dogs once they are out of the cute puppy age. (Speaking of which, puppy age can be terribly difficult with labs).

All that said, we still decided on getting a Lab puppy, and we brought Ellie home within a year of starting our research. Here is what you need to be ready to if you decide to adopt a Labrador Retriever.

Labradors are very active.

Yes, sometimes they sleep through a large part of the day, but as a rule, you will have to take your Lab out at least twice a day for a very active walk. It won’t be enough to just walk either. Activity is absolutely necessary. It could be running in a park, playing with other dogs, playing fetch – anything active, the more the better. We are talking every day, in any weather. No matter how tired you are, no matter if you had a bad day at work, your Lab will need their two hours of activity per day or they will become unhappy and possibly destructive.

If they are left without company for too long, or haven’t had enough exercise and fun, Labs become bored, frustrated, sad and anxious. In that state, they often become destructive. This is not really their fault, it simply means you are not meeting your dog’s needs!

A bored and frustrated Labrador can destroy your house! In our case, Ellie destroyed our wallpaper in two of the bedrooms, tore off and chewed up the curtains and spoiled quite a few pairs of shoes. I am not even talking about chewed-up books, newspapers and quilts.

A crate can help, especially when your pup is still young. Crate it actually very good for when you need to leave home and need to keep your pup safe as well as keep your house safe from your pup. But more importantly, you need to be able to spend a lot of time with your dog, especially when they are still young.

Training your Lab

They say that Labradors are easy to train. I found that it’s partially true in that our Lab is very smart and can easily understand what we want from her. However, motivation is a whole different matter. She is often completely unmotivated to do whatever it is we ask her to do. I would say, going to puppy classes or even working with a professional dog trainer could be a very good idea, since they know how to motivate a dog correctly and could help you avoid mistakes that would further affect your dog’s behavior.

The first year of the puppy’s life can be quite difficult for the owner. They are pretty much uncontrollable off the leash and constantly pull at the leash when you are out for walks. They have to be almost constantly watched in the house too if you don’t want them to get in trouble or ruin something in the house.

Financial sides of the question

Apart from the dog themselves, you will have to invest in various accessories such as collars, leashes, dog beds, toys (the neverending toys!), etc. Vet bills are a separate expense which can be quite hefty if there is something wrong with your dog’s health. Sometimes when I stop to think how much we have actually spent on Ellie’s various needs, I almost think it would be easier (and cheaper) to have a child!

Health issues

Our Lab is fairly healthy (compared to some other dogs we know). The main issues we have with her health are her digestion and allergies. She seems to have a very weak tummy so we have to deal with vomiting and diarrhea on a regular basis. She is also allergic to many different types of dog food and many brands. It was hard to find a brand and type she can eat without issues.

Outside of this, we love Ella very much. She is a member of our family, pretty much like a child to us. My husband is absolutely smitten with her despite any issues we may have. We are happy to have her. She brings lots of love and joy to our life every day. But I think, for any prospective Lab owner,  it’s important to be prepared for the downsides of the breed as well as the upsides.