price of a black lab

[ridgefire]

i am possibly looking for a black lab for the boy for christmas but curious what i should expect to be paying for a halfway decent dog. i would want something that is a pet first and then possibly used for hunting if we ever got around to training it. that being said, do you think i would be better off looking for a dog that has papers or just buying something from the paper or from the pound. thanks.

[lokidog]

Carpsniper's got some pups available X-mas time.  His listing is under Sponsors. 

[carpsniperg2]

the avg price of akc labs is around 500.00 depending on the breeders and the lines. i would make sure you get a akc dog. you want proven lines, that do not carry hip and elbow defects. a lot of dogs that come from the pound, can already come with problems. i would suggest a new pup to introduce into your family. that way you have a fresh pup to grow and learn with him.

thanks lokidog.

[ladyelkslayer]

I've seen labs anwhere from $200-500.  I would try to get a papered lab, just to avoid any problems. Would definatley recommend getting a pup, nothing beats the puppy breath, and the whole puppy stages, especially for a kid. Also its easier to train a pup to follow rules, then to try and retrain an dog.

[Stilly bay]

shop around. $1000 has been what I paid for the last two. but I was very concerned about hips, eyes, elbows and good breeding practices since the first lab I bought was for $ 400 out of a back yard breeder and it was a total train wreck.  were talking hip dispayia and it went blind after it was a year old.

all dogs are a gamble you just have to stack the odds in your favor.  to me its worth it to get healthy dog from a good breeder who cares and stands by his dogs.

[whitey]

My Cooke Canyon Labs have been great and I think I paid 650.00 for My last one.Well worth it.

[Ellensburg]

my friend is having a litter soon. I think they only charge 150

[bigdave]

I love labs....however, in my opinion, they are WAY over-priced for a guy who wants mainly a companion/house dog. I was in your same situation a couple of years ago. Good luck.

By the way, I ended up with a lab mix and he is a great dog with a great nose on him.

[BIGINNER]

THERES A COUPLE ACK LABS FOR SALE ON GIANTNICKLE.COM FOR $175    CHEAP PRICE,  CHECK IT OUT,

[400out]

Hey beginner how did your hunt go yesterday?

[BIGINNER]

Hey beginner how did your hunt go yesterday?

I ENDED UP GOING TO MY MOMS HOUSE TO BLOW OUT THE SPRINKLERS, AND ENDED UP STAYING THERE FOR A WELCOME HOME PARTY FOR MY SISTERS NEW BABY,.....  SO HOPEFULLY I WILL GO TONIGHT 

[Happy Gilmore]

Base line COST for a puppy who has been to the vet a few times, had shots, had dew claws removed, had second series of shots and check-ups is not much less than $200 each in vet bills. If much less than that, I'd say people have not had pups to vet for multiple health checkups and have done shots themselves. Doing it yourself is fine but, I'd say if you're buying a pup you better buy it from someone who has been around a long time and had many healthy litters with lots of references. Not to mention AKC registration, not a requirement....doesn't really mean squat but, usually is a sign the person is serious about dogs' health and IMPROVING the breed.

Chit happens and people have litters by mistake that can be great, healthy dogs. I just don't agree with breeding if the dogs' health isn't proven and genetic disorders have been ruled out prior to breeding the dogs. Call me a snob, that's fine but, I've seen dysplastic dogs from backyard breedings, ones with cataracts at a couple years old, seizures and heard stories of pups with exercise induced collapse. These can largely be avoided by proper preparation PRIOR to breeding. Tests for eyes, hips, elbows, EIC etc. on each dog prior to breeding will cost over $1,000. Before a GOOD breeder breeds a litter, they'll have $2,000 into tests on the parents. When the pups hit the ground and before they go to a new home, they'll have well over $100 into vet bills per pup.

Shouldn't pay less than $500 for a pup with parents who have good health clearances and pups who have been cared for properly.

[6 Point]

Just got a pup from OakHaven Kennels in Dallas Oregon  for $1000 and at 12 weeks she is making 75 yd retrieves on pheasant dummies  with feathers.  Is adapting well to the house, cage and truck.  They had 3 left the other day.  Dad is Downtown Doadie Brown with 35 Titles and Mom has 19.

[Stilly bay]

Happy nailed it!


this made me think of a funny anecdote a trainer friend related to me back in the day.

"good dogs are like good weed. sure you could score some really good stuff cheap from some random dude, but its rarely gonna happen, at least a little more often than winning the lotto. for the really good chit you have to go to the guy with the best rep, pay the high price and then just enjoy the ride."

[bigdave]

Happy.....Thanks for a well laid out explanation why a good healthy hunting Lab costs so much.

Dave

[SnowDog]

One more thing to consider before you get a field trial bred lab is how much "energy" you can deal with in a dog. Many of the performance bred dogs are a real handfull if you do not have time for training and excersize each and every day. I read a recent post on one of the other gun dog forums about a guy that purchased a pup from super strong field trial lines and after over $3K in vet bills, he had to give the dog back to the breeder, because he did not have to time to keep the dog physically and mentally excercised. The dog got bored and ate rocks that led to many costly surgeries and was not much fun as a pet for his family.

Back to the topic, I agree that $500 - $700 is the right price range for a good quality lab pup. Do your homework and visit a few breeders before you make a decision.

Cheers!
SD

[Happy Gilmore]

matter of factly, every dog training chat room I frequent REQUIRES people posting litters in the classifieds have proof of their OFA(hips) Cerf(eyes), EIC and DM if it applies. It is important. I have a 4 year old Chesapeake, she is from good bloodlines, she "should" have good hips, eyes and elbows because her parents were good BUT, it doesn't guarantee the pups will. I haven't done them yet so, I haven't bred her yet. Having both parents checked should be required especially, if you're charging money for pups.

I'm sure folks have great dogs who don't have any health clearances but, for a pet who I'm going to keep for 10-15 years I'm going to try and make sure those years are healthy years and I don't have a prematurely sick dog.

It just isn't responsible to breed dogs without having done your homework first. Doing homework on breeding includes making sure you've taken responsibility to breed properly and have all the health checks done on the dog FIRST.

[Happy Gilmore]

I know of about 4 litters coming up varying from show dogs to upper level hunt test/hunting dog breedings.

I think all 4 will be on the ground in the next two-three weeks.

[Malardman]

My Cooke Canyon Labs have been great and I think I paid 650.00 for My last one.Well worth it.

Alice and Doug are great with their Dogs, and he is a great trainer, I have not seen them in a couple years now though, man I should give'em a ring!!

[mjbskwim]

I'll tell you what,some purists think you have to spend HUGE money on dogs to get a great hunting dog.
Buy a certain breed for one type of hunting and another for the other type of hunting.....
"I have a blah blah blah Field champ stud from who's what Kennels in nevermore,best kennels in the world,American English with German ancestry!"

And if you are entering AKC or other sanctioned meets and trial comps,maybe this is necessary.

My hunting dog,that I use for all my bird hunting,is a Rotty/Lab? mix,with some type of wired hair in there for good measure.

She retrieves all birds and rabbits too (well she eats the small rabbits) $50

My "hunting breed" is a GSP/lab and is by far as good and hard of hunting dog as I have ever seen.But she was gun shy before I adopted her and I stopped hunting for a couple years,so I never worked with the gun shyness.
Pound puppy So $125

The former wood shop teacher from Clover Park HS used to hunt pheasant with a blind poodle and his friend used a Jack Russel.

In other words,if you want your boy to enter competitions and all,maybe you want an AKC dog,from an AKC breeder,if you have the money

But for just shear fun and enjoyment,you can find a hunting breed and it will probably hunt perfectly fine.
Heck a guy I worked with took his Springer pup out for his first hunt and it retrieve a bird WITHOUT ANY TRAINING,what so ever.
And it will cost a lot less

As far as health concerns,there is a Golden breeder in Tacoma that produced 2 dogs from a litter that didn't develop hips.So you really need to look over the paper work form both parents.

Most hunting breed dogs will hunt just fine.And you can spend big money on a dog that may not.You don't need to spent huge money to find fullfilment with a dog for your son.

Side note.
I don't really like the way some breeders can destroy less than perfect puppies.
Flame all you want on that,it's a fact that most do.
Just sayin'


Good luck