Labrador Retriever Breeders in Upstate New York – Old House Labs

This Labrador Retriever Breeder in Upstate New York is located in Mt.Morris, NY.  According to their website, they offer Red, Yellow and Chocolate labs of Champion Bloodlines. Their dogs make wonderful family pets but can also be trained to excel in various activities such as hunting/fieldwork, agility and others. All their breeding dogs are OFA, EIC, CERF and CNM certified, which helps ensure the genetic health of the puppies. If you are interested in this breeder, please visit their website.

Labrador Retriever Breeders in Upstate New York – Meadowbrook Labradors

This is another Labrador Retriever Breeder in Upstate New York. According to their website, they offer high-quality labs with a focus on solid temperaments and sound structure. Their labs excel in the ring as well as fieldwork and are great family pets too. This breeder takes great pride in their labs’ health. All their breeding dogs are thoroughly screened for elbows, eyes, hips and undergo many genetic and health tests. All the puppies are hand raised in the house, surrounded by loving family, and are well-socialized by the time they go to their new homes. If you are interested in this breeder and their puppies, please visit their website.

On the Bluff Labradors

This breeder is located in Germantown, NY. According to their website, they have been working with Labrador Retrievers for almost 50 years! They are committed to producing true style Labradors that conform to the standard and are of sound body and mind. Theirs are intelligent, well-mannered dogs with well-preserved hunting abilities. They also make for wonderful family pets and companions. This breeder’s breeding program is thorough and selective, with carefully planned litters from parents with excellent health and genetics. They carefully research the best bloodlines for every litter they produce. If you are interested in this breeder and their puppies, please visit their website.

Labrador Retriever Owner Breed Review – Nancy and her Lab Toby

If you are thinking of getting a Labrador Retriever puppy and don’t have at least 3 hours a day to spend with the dog – please forget about it! Just don’t do it.

We got our puppy mostly because our kids have been begging us about a dog. I guess we also wanted to have someone to protect us and the kids when we venture out on our long hikes, as well as a companion to share the trips with.

You will fall in love with the puppy at the first sight. But it’s important to remember puppies come with a lot of responsibility and a lot of work. You need to know what this breed is like and what you can expect from this dog.

After a few months of waiting for the puppies to grow up a bit, we were able to bring Toby home. He howled and cried all the way home in the car. I guess he was lonely, scared and didn’t know what was happening to him.

We did make a few mistakes from the start with Toby – a few things we could have been smarter about. For example, it is important to teach your puppy to sleep in their own bed. Even if you think they are cold and lonely. They need to know their place. Unless you are OK with them sleeping in your bed with you, it’s very important not to let them do it, otherwise, it’s very hard to teach them to stay where they are supposed to stay. Otherwise, you will have a problem when a 50 lb dog insists on getting in your bed to sleep with you.

Chewing was a problem as it often is with puppies. We supplied plenty of toys for Toby. But don’t expect your puppy to actually chew and play with the toys you give them. In our case, Toby’s main chew toys were our clothes, rugs, kitchen rags, and pretty much anything he could find. Just not the toys that we got for him specifically to chew.

As Toby grew older, our walks were becoming longer and longer. They weren’t always enjoyable, especially at the start, because Toby tends to pull the leash every time he is excited about something, and he is always excited about something. We tried to train him with the help of some books and some online dog training courses, but nothing really helped too much. Although he did learn a lot of commands which was great. The other thing is he tends to only listen to me and nobody else in the family like I am his only owner. He also took quite the liking to chewing his leashes. You wouldn’t believe how many leashes he destroyed. Eventually, he seemed to grow out of it a bit, but will still occasionally chew on his leash when we aren’t looking.

Feeding was another challenging aspect with Toby, especially at the beginning. We tried many different brands, from regular ones to premium brands, and still it was challenging to find a brand that agreed with him. Until we did, we had to deal with explosive diarrhea and vomiting on a regular basis.

One thing to point out here is, if you are the type of person that really prefers cleanliness or are a germophobe, do not get a Labrador, or any dog at that. You will have to clean up poop, vomit and other bodily fluids on the regular. It’s like having a small baby – a lot of hands-on, dirty work. Your house will never be as clean as it was before you get your dog.

On the plus side, our Toby grew into a gorgeous dog. He is tall, muscular and his coat is luscious and shiny. He attracts lots of attention when we go for walks. We met lots of people that way!

Labs love water, and so does Toby. He loves lakes, rivers, puddles, anything that has water in it. He’ll spend hours and hours in the water if we let him (which we do).

Unfortunately due to my health, I had to spend a while in a hospital, and here is what you need to remember. You better have someone to leave your dog with in case of emergencies or even just vacations. This is your constant responsibility. When I got ill, it turned out that we had absolutely no one to leave Toby with. My husband works long hours, and neither of us has family nearby. Our kids couldn’t really take care of the dog obviously, because they were way too young and besides, it wasn’t their job.

So, after a lot of heartache and tears, we had to make a decision to re-home Toby. My health situation looked like it was going to be long-term (and it was!) and we simply couldn’t continue taking care of Toby. It took us a while to find a wonderful couple who dreamt of a Labrador Retriever for a while and who seemed like perfect new owners to us. Indeed they are wonderful and we know they are taking great care of Toby. It wasn’t an easy decision at all, but we know it was the correct one.

All in all, Labrador Retrievers are wonderful family pets. They are loving, affectionate, devoted dogs that will bring lots of joy into your life. But, as with any dogs, there are definitely downsides to owning a dog and lots of responsibility that comes with it. You need to be sure you are ready for that responsibility.