Breeding English Labrador Puppies

English Labrador Puppies are simply the cutest pups on the planet. We love their wide heads, short snouts, thick bodies and otter tails! Add to that the amazing disposition, loyalty and fun they possess and you’re in for a real treat.

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So what is it like in the day of a breeder?

Breeding changes your entire lifestyle. There is very little use making many plans because Mother Nature holds the final key as to when a dog is bred, when they whelp, what interventions they need, and more. Breeders often spend their holidays breeding dogs or whelping litters or running to the vet for one need or the other. (Thank God for great veterinarians!)

Let’s assume there are no special circumstances. What does every day look like?

Dogs, like humans, often whelp (the official term used for doggy birthing) in the middle of the night. This means a great breeder will have very disrupted sleep the nights before because they are up checking on their pregnant dams, then very long nights whelping. Because a labrador can go 1-2 hours between pups, and the average litter size is 6-8, you are whelping puppies for almost an entire day! Both breeder and dam are exhausted by the end, but the sweet newborn pups are entirely worth it!

Pure bred lab puppies — Newborn Labrador Puppies

After sleepless nights, then what?

A good breeder has a pretty intensive vaccination and deworming protocol that protects your pups against the biggest illnesses for little puppies, while not risking treatment-overload, making the parasites and other germs resistant to treatment. This is a difficult balance and one we worked hard to find. We are thankful to have a custom-made deworming and vaccination protocol outlined for us by an expert in the industry. Kindred Pup uses a variety of educational systems and schools-of-thought, including the famous Puppy Culture program to help us with our puppies. We are ever thankful for the expertise of those who have gone on before us!

In addition to deworming and vaccination protocols, it is of vital importance that your breeder keep the whelping area immaculately clean. This is no small feat, given that dogs and puppies can create a mess very quickly! This requires near constant attention! Germs are not the only risk; a puppy raised in a messy environment will have a much harder time being house-broken. A great breeder sets the foundation for a great puppy! BE PICKY HERE! You will never get those first 8 weeks back! Puppy Culture and other similar programs are important, but only if implemented properly!

Weaning the pups

Ok. You’ve started with great breeding dogs. You’ve paired them in a way that enhances the traits you are looking for in your program. You’ve whelped. You’ve napped. You’ve cleaned, scrubbed, cleaned again. Now they are getting older and transitioning to time away from mama.

You need a breeder who understands academically the needs of young puppies, but who can also read the signs of readiness in person. This sounds like a no-brainer, but in the breeding world (as in other fields) you tend to have “book smart” breeders who go “by the book” without actually assessing what is happening with the pups as they go, OR you have “fly by their seat” breeders who just trust their gut. Either way, this is not the best system. You need academic knowledge, experience and judgment to raise a litter well. Again, Puppy Culture and other systems work well, if implemented with wisdom and knowledgeable care.

A great breeder will gauge a pup’s readiness for social interaction, time away from mom, time away from littermates and different challenges to help them gain the confidence they need for their future lives. (You know how we feel about confidence, right?!)

The right food. The right timing. The right challenges.

Puppies learn to play at different ages, and being ready to provide them the activities they need is super important! This sweet puppy is so excited to meet her new toy!

We try to introduce pups to various activities and training, but the first of which is recall. They don’t always have it down by the time they go home, but they have a great head-start leaving Kindred Pup!