Anybody heard of this breeder? (Lab)

[YodelDogs]

Originally Posted by noludoru

The pictures of their dogs are of labs without a uniform head shape who are 10-25lbs overweight and out of shape. The "show" pictures show relatively uniform Labs in good condition. I am a bit suspicious.

Actually, their dogs are underweight for the AKC show ring. Today's show Labs are seriously obese and their dogs are better conditioned. That right there is enough for them to do poorly at AKC shows. (To be honest, I prefer the more moderate type on this site than the dogs in the show ring.)

This is what a typical AKC Lab champion looks like.



I did a search on OFA and they do have a lot of dogs in the database. (I could not check individual dogs because the site kept freezing up.) They do a lot of health testing even though details are not on their website.

The AKC site was not working right so I could only check a few of their dogs. A couple of those I checked had been shown and others had not. They have a few photos of their dogs hunting and TDI on their site though.

If I was looking for a pet and not a show dog then I would give them a call. If they lived close enough then I would visit them. If I liked what I saw then I would keep in touch until I was ready for a puppy.

[*blackrose]

Yes, they didn't just offer me a pup. I was speaking with the son at work and he put me in touch with them. I chatted with them briefly a few months ago and I didn't really get any giant red flags from them. They did mention that their website needs updated, as they haven't kept up with it for the past few years (nor have they been actively breeding for the past few years). Which could be why the photos and such seem to be outdated.

I was very into Labs for about 5 years. I went out to breed events and researched and contacted breeders like crazy...I am from MI and I never heard of this breeder. Not to say that I couldn't forget, but I didn't recognize their website or any of their dogs' names. They are not breeding with the lines I recognize - from AKC show, UKC show, or field lines.

This was my main interest in asking. So thank you for that information!

I likely will pass on a pup, but I'm not entirely crossing it off my list. I want to do some more investigating first, and go out to meet them and their dogs. Either way, it may not be possible for me to have a puppy at the time this breeding will be ready. I won't know that for a few weeks yet.

[Kilter]

http://www.marshmuttmanorlabs.com/
http://www.paradocslabs.com/home.cfm

Personally I'd go to either of those first, at least to compare. The other guys, most of their show pictures look like they are quite old/dated, nothing new, no 'latest show brags' and even hips and eyes aren't all that's needed for current testing. Why not go to a breeder who at least has all the health testing done?