We only have a couple litters a year and all of our pups are born and raised in the home and are treated as family members, just as the adult dogs are (except they don't get to sleep in the bed until they're housebroken! :) ). A whelping box is set up in the living room, where the pups are born and kept for the first four to five weeks of their lives. When they are old enough, they are moved outside to a puppy yard or into a pen in the garage every morning and left out for the day with plenty of visits from mom, other adult dogs in the home and humans, as well as swimming time in the pool  when the weather is good.  Each evening, they come back into the house or into the garage to sleep in an indoor pen.  All of our puppies will be exposed to cats,  children, adults, the vacuum cleaner, the garden hose, a couple doggy doors and even the swimming pool before they leave our home!  We believe in "The Rule of 7."  Pat Hastings, AKC judge and author of The Puppy Puzzle offers these hints for socializing very young puppies:

     By the time a puppy is 7 weeks old it should have:

• Been on 7 different surfaces, such as: carpet, concrete, wood, vinyl, grass, dirt, gravel, wood chips, newspaper, etc.
• Played with 7 different types of objects, such as: big balls, small balls, soft fabric toys, fuzzy balls, squeaky toys, metal items, wooden items, paper/cardboard items, milk/soda jugs, etc.
• Been in 7 different locations, including: front yard, backyard, basement, kitchen, car, garage, laundry room, bathroom, crate, kennel, etc.
• Been exposed to 7 challenges, such as: climbed a box, climbed off a box, gone through a tunnel, climbed up steps, climbed down steps, climbed over obstacles, played hide and seek, gone in and out of a doorway with a step, etc.
• Eaten from 7 different containers: metal, plastic, cardboard, paper, china, pie plate, frying pan, etc.
• Eaten in 7 different locations: crate, yard, kitchen, basement, laundry room, bedroom, x-pen, etc.
• Met and played with 7 new people, including children and the elderly.

I prefer to keep puppies until they are close to 10 weeks old.  The following articles from Gun Dog Magazine will help to explain why I like to keep them until that age:

Another Look at the 49th Day

Giving Pups a Head Start

Producing Behaviorally Sound Dogs

 Temperament and health are first and foremost in our breeding program.  My adult dogs are therapy dogs and they greet strangers with  wagging tails and a toy if they can find one.  Both of the one year olds are well on their way to the same.   We absolutely will never breed a dog with  anything less than the perfect Labrador temperament as we hope to keep puppies out of every litter.  All of the stud dogs chosen are observed in conformation and performance activities, and then met in person and meet the same standards as dogs in our home.  We only breed to dogs over the age of 2 with OFA Hips, Elbows, and preferably Heart clearances, ACVO/CERF annually, and Optigen testing for our Optigen PRA Carrier girls.  I take the entire litter in  to a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist (ACVO) between 8 and 9 weeks of age (or later) to have them screened for retinal folds and  examination results will be provided in the puppy packet.  I encourage puppy buyers to freely communicate with me throughout the life of their dog, as I can only improve the breeding stock with feedback about the entire litter, rather than just the one or two that are in breeding homes.  If at any time during the dogs' life, he or she is diagnosed with a hereditary disease, including allergies, joint problems, eye problems, thyroid problems, or temperament issues, I would like to be notified.  

All of our breeding dogs have had all of their joints x-rayed clear of any hereditary joint disease.  All breeding dogs are certified by the Orthopedic Foundation of America (OFA) on their hips and elbows after 2 years of age and have received a permanent OFA number.  These numbers are all verifiable online and should not be confused with "preliminary" ratings that are given prior to 2 years.  My oldest stud dog was also x-rayed by the Wind-Morgan program and his hips, elbows, shoulders and hocks are free of hereditary diseases. Our dogs all have their eyes certified clear  by a board certified Veterinary Ophthalmologist (ACVO) annually and the results are registered with CERF (Canine Eye Registration Foundation).  Our dogs also have their hearts cleared for any hereditary heart disease by a board certified Veterinary cardiologist and have their eyes cleared through Optigen for absence of the gene that causes Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA).    All Optigen PRA Carrier bitches are only bred to Optigen Normal/Clear dogs to ensure that all resulting puppies are genetically free from being affected by PRA.  While genetics cannot be predicted and we cannot guarantee that puppies from cleared parents will be free from orthopedic disease, we only breed dogs who have all of the above mentioned orthopedic clearances.

The pups are started on a de-worming program at 2 weeks of age and are de-wormed at 2, 4, 6, 7, and 8 weeks with Nemex, as needed.  A slight modification to Dr Jean Dodds' minimal vaccination schedule is used at LegaSea.  At eight weeks of age the pups are all vaccinated for Distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza and parvo (DA2PP) virus with a high titer vaccine by Intervet. They  should continue to receive DA2PP vaccines every three to four weeks until they are 16 weeks and then they should receive their rabies  vaccination no less than 3 weeks after the last DA2PP.  Dr. Dodd's vaccination protocol will be in the puppy packs for you and your veterinarian to discuss.  If you live in close proximity to other dogs, I also vaccinate for Bordatella at 8 weeks.  The first dose of Heartgard Plus will be given in the puppy packs,  and during flea season, puppies are given their first dose of Advantage at 8 weeks.  All puppies will be examined by my vet and a health certificate will be provided with all vaccination dates, de-worming, fecal and physical examination records.

At seven weeks your puppy will also be microchipped with an Avid FriendChip. This is a safeguard to help you get your dog back should it  ever be lost or stolen and also to help keep our dogs out of shelters or rescue groups.  By working with Lab Rescue, I have seen cases of dogs  reunited with families YEARS after they are lost, due to the identification by the microchip.  All of our chips are pre-registered and we will also be  contacted in cases that our dogs are in need of re-homing.  Complete paperwork will be in the puppy packets and AKC now has a place to enter the microchip number on the registration forms as well.  

All of our puppies go to new homes between 9 and 10 weeks, after de-worming, one DA2PP vaccination, microchipping, a well-puppy vet check and a

 ACVO eye examination.  Puppies will go home with a 5 pound bag of food, toys, treats, and a blanket that smells like the litter in addition to a very large puppy packet with a full pedigree, copies of health clearances for both parents, and many articles and tips for raising a puppy.  I do not take deposits prior to 6 weeks of age, but please email me for a puppy questionnaire and to set up a time to talk  about what you are looking for in a lab.  I will place you on a list and keep you updated as the puppies grow, and will send you photo albums of the  litter each week.  We usually select our pups at seven or eight weeks and will determine at that time if there will be any show quality pups that will stay here and/or go  to other breeders. Most litters only will contain 1-3 show quality pups.  I keep one or two show/breeding potentials from each litter, regardless of sex or color, so many times puppies will become available after the litter evaluation around 8 weeks of age.  The pet puppies are usually able to leave between 9 and 10 weeks.  I  will let you know when you can come visit the litter and ultimately take home your puppy.

All of our puppies are sold on an AKC limited registration which means the puppy cannot be bred or shown in conformation but may be  shown in obedience, agility, hunt tests or any type of performance events.  This is just one way that the AKC has helped responsible  breeders fight against overpopulation of dogs and irresponsible breeding.  Show quality puppies are not sold to individuals that we do not know.  If you are interested in showing dogs, please email me and I will let you know about upcoming shows and our local club functions so you can learn more about the fancy first.  I have placed show potentials in homes that weren't quite ready and am hesitant to do so again!

All puppies should be checked by a Veterinarian within 72 hours after getting home (Sunday not included in the 72 hours) If there is any  medical problem with the dog not specified in the contract, you may return it for a full refund or a different puppy if one is available, within 24 hours with a letter from the Veterinarian describing the condition. I will take back a dog we have sold at any time in its life and require that we be given  first right of refusal if you must dispose of your dog for any reason at any age.  I know that sometimes circumstances require the re-homing of your  dog and if you ever need to place one of our dogs, we require that we are notified, as there is often a list of families looking for adult dogs as well.

  All of our dogs are house dogs and we also require that all of our puppy-buyers allow their dogs to sleep in the home, crate train puppies, and take every puppy to a beginning obedience class. I have found that this combination makes for well-behaved, happy, healthy pets.  Furthermore, my contract specifically states that dogs shall not be left outside for over 12 hours a day, and shall not be tethered in the yard.

All of our puppies are sold for $1400, regardless of whether or not they are show quality.  A lot of money and sweat equity goes into each litter, even before the litter is conceived.  All of our bitches are proven in the show ring and in performance events and are mentally and physically sound and healthy.  We rarely use local stud dogs and have costs associated with breeding via artificial insemination, and the meticulous care for our puppies and dams in the home as described above.  The relationship with your dog and breeder will hopefully last 12 to 15 years.... please shop wisely!!  This link will give you some good ideas regarding puppy prices.

WE DO NOT SHIP PET PUPPIES.  ALL PUPPY BUYERS MUST VISIT OUR HOME AND PICK UP PUPPIES IN PERSON.

WE PREFER TO PLACE PUPPIES WITHIN A 6 HOUR DRIVING RADIUS.

If you are interested in purchasing one of our dogs, please fill our a puppy buyer questionnaire or email me for more information!

Thanks!

Carrie Eberhardt

Recommended Labrador books

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