What goes into breeding a litter of Lab puppies? 

First, a responsible breeder will wait until their female is at least 2 yrs. old before breeding her in the first place. Next comes the health clearances that should take place BEFORE she is bred.  The minimum tests done should include an OFA clearance of their hips and elbows (when you see an ad that says the pups are OFA certified, you need to ask if he means the puppies or parents).  Also ask what the results from the OFA x-rays and the OFA number so you can verify it.  Remember, puppies prior to 2 yrs. of age CANNOT be OFA certified, only two yr. old or older parents can be.  You want to make sure that BOTH the male and female have at least a "good" rating.  Then there is the eye CERF test.  This should be done every two years minimum and can be done on any puppy that is at least 8 weeks old. 

These are the two tests you want to make sure have been done correctly.  There are others but, the OFA and CERF are the two most common and the minimum a breeder should have.

Don't forget to ask what shots have been given and when they were done. That goes for de-worming, dew claw removal and maybe even a micro-chip for protection against theft! 

All of this costs money, takes time and will exclude some Labs from ever being bred.

Responsible breeders do not sell their puppies for more money because it is their livelyhood but, mostly, to  recover basic expenses incurred while raising and training their adult dogs.  For example, to get a dog to an AKC Master Hunter title costs the breeder about $20,000!  That's right!  That is for one dog to be MH titled.  Then, there is the ongoing expense of keeping their adult dogs healthy from year to year. 

By the time a breeder pays ongoing expenses from year to year, and then the added cost to train, compete, title and  advertise them, breeders are lucky to break even.

So, trust me, most breeders are not in it for the money.  Most responsible breeders are in it for the love of the breed and to maintain those characteristics that should  be present in a properly bred Lab. 

The question you have to answer is this:  should you take a chance on the $250 Lab I found advertised in the newspaper or, or would you rather purchase a puppy from a breeder I found online that has done the necessary steps to provide a strong, healthy, and guaranteed animal?  

Triple Diamond Kennels strives to improve their lines as much as possible when doing a select breeding.  For our litters this year we have chosen Merganser's studs, Abram's Tank SH and Radar O'Reilly MH.  The studs we have chosen have both field AND show lines in their pedigrees to give us the hunting ablility we are looking for as well as the blocky head/body style we want in our labs plus the mild temperaments most people are looking for.

We also look to bring other characteristics to our kennel by breeding with studs that have qualities our bitch's may not have or may not have enough of what we would like to see in our lines. 

All of this takes considerable research, phone calls, kennel visits (when possible), attending hunt tests and shows to see the studs  we are thinking of using so that we may provide our clients with the very best Labrador Retriever possible!

We trust you will appreciate the work that goes into breeding a high quality healthy litter of puppies, not bred to the Lab next door because he is a friendly good natured dog!