Labrador Retriever Breeders in Iowa reviewed

Labrador Retriever Breeders in Iowa: Dusty Road Labradors

This Labrador Retriever Breeder in Iowa is located in Louess Hills (Southwest Iowa). They are an AKC Breeder with H.E.A.R.T. and all their labs come from bloodlines with many Champions, according to their website. Health is a high priority for this breeder. All of their breeding stock are hip, elbow and eye certified and screened for EIC, CNM, DM and PRA-prcd. They are also CERF certified for eye health. Their Labradors boast calm temperaments and make for excellent family pets and companions. All the puppies are raised surrounded by family and are well-socialized by the time they go to their new homes.

If you are interested in this breeder, please visit their website to learn more about them and their dogs.

Labrador Retriever Breeders in Iowa: Shadowmyst Labradors

According to their website, this Labrador Breeder in Iowa strives to breed a perfect Labrador that has it all: great temperament, gorgeous appearance, intelligence and soundness. All of their breeding dogs are genetically tested to ensure healthy litters. This includes OFA certification for hips and elbows and other health tests. Shadowmyst Labradors are a member of Midwest Labrador Retriever Club of Iowa. If you are interested in learning more about this breeder and their dogs, please visit their website.

Labrador Retriever Breeders in Iowa: Flair Labrador Retrievers

This Labrador Breeder in Iowa is located in West Iowa and breed English Type Labs. Their labs can boast excellent trainability, intelligence and good temperaments. In their breeding, this breeder focuses on preserving the correct structure and health of the breed. They do thorough genetic testing on all their breeding dogs, including screening for EIC, PRA-prcd, CNM, MCD and others. All their dogs are OFA cleared for hips and elbows.

If you are interested in getting a puppy from this breeder, please visit their website.

Labrador Retriever owner review from Gabrielle and her lab Tessa

What can I tell you about Tessa? As all Labrador Retrievers, she is extremely smart. The downside to that is that she seems to need a”strong hand” – a confident owner, to direct her in her decisions, because she tends to like to make her own decisions which sometimes don’t coincide with what we want her to do. She is a little stubborn and likes to challenge our authority, especially mine. She is definitely more obedient with my husband though.

She is quite a large dog, and very active. She can be pretty clumsy. We had sprains and strains due to her “activities” in the dog park and she has tumbled down the stairs a few times because she’s so eager to go down when one of us comes home.

Until I was about 30 years old, I had never even thought that I’d ever have a dog, in fact, I would say I was definitely NOT  a dog lover. I was a little afraid of dogs and also thought they were smelly and messy and that houses with dogs in them are never cozy or clean.

Oh, how I was wrong.

When I met Peter, my now-husband, he was an overall perfect man, except for one thing. He had Tessa, a 3-year old Labrador Retriever. What was I supposed to do – give up on a perfect man because of this one imperfection?

My love for Tessa definitely didn’t happen “at first sight”. But I liked her quite a bit right away. She was very cute and affectionate. She was curious about me and paid a lot of attention to me which was almost flattering to be honest. She would watch me carefully and often come to me for pets and treats and generally was a really nice dog. For a few months, I was still not sure about her and her place in my life. But after that short “getting to know you” period, I couldn’t imagine her not being in our life. So, when we finally moved in together, it felt absolutely natural for me that I now seemed to have a dog.

What can I tell you about Tessa? As all Labrador Retrievers, she is extremely smart. The downside to that is that she seems to need a”strong hand” – a confident owner, to direct her in her decisions, because she tends to like to make her own decisions which sometimes don’t coincide with what we want her to do. She is a little stubborn and likes to challenge our authority, especially mine. She is definitely more obedient with my husband though.

She is quite a large dog, and very active. She can be pretty clumsy. We had sprains and strains due to her “activities” in the dog park and she has tumbled down the stairs a few times because she’s so eager to go down when one of us comes home.

We walk Tessa several times a day, usually around 3 times, two of which are smaller walks. But she does need at least one long walk a day, which needs to include activities such as running around the dog park etc. If you don’t have much time in your day to devote to your dog, you probably shouldn’t get one!

Tessa is not always very friendly to other animals, even though she is very affectionate towards people. We think that she might have gotten frightened by another dog when she was a puppy, so now she doesn’t trust dogs too much. She also doesn’t like cats and will bark her head off when she sees one, and would definitely chase a cat if we let her. We are doing some training with her at the moment, trying to get her reactions to other animals to calm down a little. We even had a consultation with a dog behaviorist. We are expecting good results but it may take some time.

Of course, as with any dog, we have to regularly do some grooming such as trimming her nails and brushing her coat as well as regular baths. We are also watching out for fleas, ticks and parasites which is very important to look out for if you have a dog. Plus, of course, I still want my house to be as hygienic as possible. Tessa is NOT allowed in our bed, or even on the sofa where we watch TV. I do still have my limits! 🙂

Other than that, I found dog ownership quite rewarding, particularly being Tessa’s owner. Although at this point I see her more as part of my family, really, not just a dog that we own. She brings joy and love into our every day that I haven’t even known was possible to feel for a dog. I am very happy that life brought me not only my husband but also Tessa and taught me to love dogs, at least this particular dog.

Labrador Retrievers are a wonderful breed even for a first-time dog owner like I am. They are gentle, affectionate, very intelligent, easy to train, although they can be stubborn too. Overall, they are a great family dog and you probably won’t regret adopting a Lab!