


I breed mostly blacks, no chocolates, and occasional yellows. If you are interested in being added to my puppy or available adults list, please read the ALL information below and fill out the puppy buyer questionnaire at the bottom!! I have taken the time to provide a lot of information and have posted many pictures so you can see typical LegaSea puppies. I do have a "real job" and dogs to tend to, so please understand that I may not be available upon initial inquiry... email is always the best way to contact me for initial inquiries, but phone calls are welcome!
This will be the only litter we raise in 2012 with the next litter planned for mid-2013:
Twister has a litter of 7 puppies sired by BISS Ch. Saddlehill Late Knight Scramble born January 23, 2012
Puppies just hours old:
Click on the 'play' button on the lower left hand corner to see the webcam (if you click on the big 'play' button in the middle it will take you to the UStream website instead):
All puppies spoken for at this time, however, I may have one or more available after structural evaluations.
Email me or fill out a questionnaire to get on the list and/or come out to visit the crew!
Please feel free to email for references to other local breeders with puppies. The following breeders have pups or older dogs available:
Ann Garmon (Anthem Labradors) in Northern Illinois has a 13 month old black male pup sired by Dapper available: www.anthemlabradors.com "Bart" would make a wonderful obedience dog and has basic training.
Whether you get a pup from LegaSea or another breeder, please take the time to download and read two free booklets offered by Ian Dunbar, Before You Get Your Puppy; and After You Get Your Puppy
I only have one to three 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 on the bed until they're housebroken!).
Temperament and health are first and foremost in my breeding program. While they will bark at the doorbell, my adult dogs are therapy dogs and they greet strangers with wagging tails and a toy if they can find one. I absolutely will never breed a dog with anything less than the perfect Labrador temperament as I 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 my home.
All of my dogs are shown in AKC conformation events and worked in AKC performance events (hunt tests, obedience, agility, tracking or rally). All of my breeding dogs are not only sound (i.e. have above mentioned clearances) but they are usually titled in either performance or conformation events, and ideally are championship pointed if not already a champion prior to breeding. It is very important to me that all breeding dogs conform to the AKC Standard for the Labrador Retriever -- brains and beauty!
Each breeding is carefully planned and anticipated for weeks prior to arrival. A whelping box is set up in my bedroom and pups are born and live there for the first two weeks, then moved to the sunroom for the first four to five weeks of their lives. From days 3 to 16, they are exposed to
Early Neurological Stimulation. 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 climate controlled garage to sleep in an indoor pen. All of our puppies will be exposed to children, adults, the vacuum cleaner, the garden hose, a couple doggy doors and even the swimming pool before they leave my home!
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. Between eight and nine weeks of age the pups are all vaccinated for Distemper, Adenovirus-2, Parvovirus and Parainfluenza (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. Dodds' 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 give an intranasal vaccine for Bordetella/Parainfluenza 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. 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 my
puppies begin to go to new homes the after a minimum of 9 weeks, and more often
10-11 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 or crate pad 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 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:
I keep puppies at least 9 weeks and preferably closer to 10 weeks old. The following articles from Gun Dog Magazine will help to explain why I like to keep them until that age:
Producing Behaviorally Sound Dogs
ALL of our puppies are sold on an
AKC limited registration which means the puppy cannot be bred or shown in conformation but may compete in obedience, agility, hunt tests or any type of performance event. This is just one way that the AKC has helped responsible breeders fight against overpopulation of dogs and irresponsible breeding. All show quality puppies will remain here at LegaSea.
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.
All of our puppies are sold for
$1600-$1800, depending on the litter but regardless of whether or not they are show quality. Older puppies and healthy adults are sold for no less than 'puppy price'. 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!!
WE DO NOT SHIP PET PUPPIES AND DO NOT SELL TO OTHER BREEDERS.
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 and Recommended puppy items
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It takes a village and four mothers are definitely better than one! They are three weeks old and have moved into their big pen and Diva's daughters, Gussie, Halle and Twister help care for their 1/2 siblings!!!




Day two at the milk bar... got this down pat!






Once they move outside, they have a variety of toys, tunnels, slides and
obstacles in the puppy pen-- the big dogs check it out!

Dapper shows off his bed and toys in the dog yard:

Some pictures of other LegaSea bred dogs growing up....





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