BUYER BEWARE!!
This page is to inform buyers of what to be aware of when looking for a breeder. There are many breeders that sound and look good, but are actually breeding irresponsibly. I've created a list of things that I look for when I am purchasing new breeding dams and sires, and thought I'd share it here because the general public doesn't always know what to look for. You will find much of this information dispersed throughout my website, but I thought I should compile it all in one place for the education of all puppy buyers. I hope you find it informative and use these questions on your search, regardless if you get a pup from Gypzy's Labs or elsewhere.
This page is to inform buyers of what to be aware of when looking for a breeder. There are many breeders that sound and look good, but are actually breeding irresponsibly. I've created a list of things that I look for when I am purchasing new breeding dams and sires, and thought I'd share it here because the general public doesn't always know what to look for. You will find much of this information dispersed throughout my website, but I thought I should compile it all in one place for the education of all puppy buyers. I hope you find it informative and use these questions on your search, regardless if you get a pup from Gypzy's Labs or elsewhere.
Ask these questions of breeders that you contact. For more general information about Gypzy's Labs and Labrador Retrievers, see our "Frequently Asked Questions" page, just scroll past the questions that are on both pages.
I'm going to add this to the top of the list as it hurts my heart whenever I hear it.
I found a puppy that is living in deplorable conditions, should I buy it and save it?
By buying that puppy you are supporting the puppy mill financially. You may be saving one puppy, but you are ensuring that 1000 more will be born into the same conditions. You also likely won't be able to afford the lifelong vet bills that come with such a pup. Please do not buy from a puppy mill, instead get pictures if you can, post them, share them, leave reviews, and report them to the SPCA or the police/RCMP. In doing so, you will be shutting them down and saving every single puppy and dog that is in that mill.
If I place a deposit for a specific litter or month, am I guaranteed to get a pup from that litter or within that timeframe?
The answer should be, "No." Followed by an explanation on why they are fairly certain you will be getting a pup. Examples of this would be... this is her 3rd litter and she has had 10 or 11 pups in her previous litters or we have 3 litters due in that timeframe, etc.
Breeders cannot guarantee how many pups will be born or survive, even X-rays and Ultrasound are often inaccurate! A breeder I mentor had X-rays taken and was told she was having 5-6 pups and ended up having 11. I had Ultrasound taken and was told “At least 4 pups” and ended up having 10. No one can advertise that placing a deposit will 'guarantee you a pup' from the next litter. It will increase your chances but there are no guarantees in nature. Also ensure that your deposit is refundable should you not get a pup from the promised litter.
At Gypzy's Labs, we don't have deposit lists for each separate litter, there's just one deposit list. You may specify that you want a pup from a specific litter, but if we got to your name prior to that, we would email to see if you wanted a pup from a sooner litter. If you prefer to wait, that would be fine also.
Basically, we take the "average" number of pups per litter and apply those who have placed deposits towards our estimated expected litters. We do this so interested buyers (and we) have a general idea of the timeline for when to expect a pup. We try to estimate it low, so that people aren't waiting longer than expected, but only God gets to decide on how many pups are conceived in each litter. So the "Sold Out" litters aren't necessarily sold out. We won't know for sure until the pups are born and we know how many are in the litter.
We do it this way because dogs are only pregnant 63 days. We have no way of knowing exactly when future litters will be due until only 2 months in advance. If we assign people to a specific litter at a specific time, people get upset if it doesn't happen. There are many reasons why it could change, for instance, a litter doesn't happen or it's late, a pup dies in a previous litter, a previous litter has only a few pups, a dam has an emergency C-section and spay and won't be having her expected future litters. If any of these situations were to occur, we would have to move previous deposits to "your litter". People get very upset because they have planned their whole life on the belief that they are getting a pup in January and then have to wait until March. (That being said, if you did have to wait longer than you were told, you would be entitled to a refund because we didn’t have a pup for you in the timeframe expected.)
Also, people are never upset if we get to their name earlier than expected. This could very well happen because we average our litter sizes low. So, if a female has a litter sooner than estimated, has a larger litter than the "average" (which my girls often do!), someone forfeits their deposit, someone decides to wait for a future litter, we buy another breeding female, or CNIB Guide Dogs doesn’t have enough puppy raiser homes and can't take their full litter, then people are happy to get one sooner than expected. And we like when people are happy!
Is my deposit refundable?
Most breeders do not refund deposits because if we were to offer refunds, it would be no different than going on the waitlist of several kennels. Breeders ask for deposits as a sign of a commitment to getting a pup from us. It helps us to plan ahead on when to breed and which parent pairing to use based on the traits, characteristics, and colours desired by those that have placed deposits. However, there should be an exception to this rule, the deposit should be refundable if a pup of the requested sex and colour is not produced for you in the timeframe that was promised. If they offer no exceptions to the rule, you may want to question yourself to see how long you're willing to wait. It could be years at some smaller kennels.
What is your price? Is the deposit included as part of the total? Are there taxes or other fees?
Some breeders charge more than their listed price once they add additional CKC registration fees and vet bills. We have even seen one kennel add 8-weeks of boarding fees at $40/day to the total cost. Some do not include the deposit as part of the total price. Ask about the taxes and other unexpected fees!
Is there an application or questionnaire to be filled out prior to placing deposit?
If a kennel does not require an application, questionnaire or some other screening process, we can guarantee this breeder does not care about the welfare or future of its pups. They likely do not have a "take-back" policy either. At Gypzy's Labs, we send a questionnaire to be filled out prior to accepting a deposit, to ensure the buyer has thought about the future of the pup. We prefer to screen people BEFORE we accept a deposit rather than screen them out after they have fallen in love with a pup.
Do you have a "take-back policy?
The answer should be yes. But even if you get a yes, ask a few more questions about if there will be a boarding fee charged to you and what exactly will happen to the dog if it is returned. I have heard one breeder say, "We'll take it behind the barn with a rifle." That is not how you treat a dog you have raised with your heart. Gypzy's Labs has a "take-back" policy, where if for any reason you are no longer able to care for your dog and are unable to find a good home for it, we will take the dog back and house it until we are able to find a suitable placement for it, at no additional cost to you.
Are your dogs CKC registered?
The answer should be yes. Some breeders sell "purebred labs without papers", or "CKC registration available upon request". If it isn't registered and thus won't have a pedigree, it's not a purebred. It may have pure bloodlines and the parents may be purebred, but the pup is not! The term purebred means that the dog is registered and has a traceable pedigree. "In Canada, all purebred dogs come with a Purebred Dog Certificate of Registration issued by The Canadian Kennel Club – without this certificate, they can’t legally be sold as purebred. The certificate indicates, among other things, the dog’s registered name, breed and date of birth, as well as the names of the dog’s sire and dam. The breeder is responsible for registering the puppy and forwarding the certificate to the new owners within six months of the purchase date – they cannot charge additional fees for this service."-CKC website. As a CKC registered breeder, we are required by the CKC to register every pup from every litter, no exceptions. To do otherwise, is to risk losing membership and kennel registration. Some breeders will charge an extra fee for the registration, some will give you the form and have you send it in and pay for it yourself, and some will register the pup to themselves under a legal name they have chosen and will charge an extra fee to transfer ownership to the buyer (or will leave it up to the buyer to transfer ownership or not) or will charge an extra fee for the entire registration. This is against CKC bylaws. It is legal to register the pup under a legal name that the breeder has chosen, many breeders have a theme that they use for each litter, but the transfer of ownership is to be submitted and paid for by the breeder. We register the litter, but wait to register the individual pups so that your pup's legal name will be the name of your choosing attached to our kennel name (Ex. Gypzy's Zofi). Our CKC registration and transfer of ownership are included in the price as they legally should be.
May we see the 4-generation pedigree of the litter we are getting a pup from BEFORE we place deposit?
The answer should be yes! Some breeders will even have the pedigrees (family trees) posted on their websites. (We are working on that aspect of our website as well, but it involves a complete redo of the "Our Dogs" page.) Some breeders only purchase the 3-generation so that related dogs in the 4th generation don't appear on the pedigree. Some purebred dogs are inbred (Brother: Sister, Father: Daughter, Mother: Son), others are linebred (Cousin: Cousin, Uncle: Niece, Grandfather: Granddaughter, or any relative within 3 generations of each other). This is legal within the CKC Bylaws! All labs are related to each other coming from the originals from Newfoundland, however compared to other purebred dogs, Labrador Retrievers have the most diverse bloodlines. According to research (October 2019) by Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, the Labrador Retriever breed as a whole has the least occurrence of this. The research showed that "the distribution of alleles was a result of near-random selection." They also compared the Labrador Retriever genetic diversity with randomly selected village dogs (mutts) and found only a .5 probability density difference between the two groups. Here is a link to the research if you enjoy reading scientific articles like I seem to. LOL.
https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/canine-genetic-diversity/labrador-retriever
However, the problem with mutts is that there are no pedigrees for you to look at to see if there was any inbreeding or linebreeding in your pup's immediate past. With purebred dogs you can look at the pedigree and see if there are any relations. You still need to do your research, particularly in the show field, as many breeders do inbreed and linebreed to retain traits that will win ribbons without any concern given to the genetic diversity of the lab. You may here the term "acceptable inbreeding co-efficiency" from breeders that do linebreed. This is a pre-determined percentage of relations that have been deemed as "low-risk" in the occurrence of genetic diseases being passed to the offspring. We do not agree with inbreeding or linebreeding! At Gypzy's Labradors, we study pedigrees to be sure there are no related ancestors at least 4 generations back, but preferably 6-8 generations back. Some of our dogs we have tracked their parentage back to the original Labradors imported to the UK from Newfoundland! You can trace most dogs further than the usual 4 generations on huntinglabpedigree.com by typing in the name of the dogs listed on the fourth generation of the pedigree. It makes it much more difficult to find breeding dams and sires from other kennels, but we feel genetic diversity is worth the time and hassle of finding dogs that are not closely related to ours and also don't have close relations in their ancestry.
May we visit our pup? How involved may we be with our pup before it comes home?
Many breeders do not allow visits at all until the pups are ready to go home, others allow a visit for choosing day only, others allow more often. Most often the reason given for 'no visits' is that the pups are not vaccinated and they don't want viruses coming into the kennel. At Gypzy's Labs, we recommend weekly visits starting at 3 weeks of age. All visits will be held outdoors as much as permissible by age of the pup and weather to help protect against viruses, but our dams are kept up-to-date on their vaccines. Pups do acquire immunity through their mother's milk. We encourage weekly visits because we prefer that our pups be socialized and introduced to as many sights, sounds, and people as possible, and bond with their new owners before going home. We know the risks and have rules in place regarding visits to aid in mitigating them.
Do you send pictures, videos, or updates?
Some breeders don't send any photos, some send one, some send bi-weekly, some send weekly. Gypzy's Labs sends weekly pupdates starting at conception with information about the development of the pups in utero. Once they are born, we continue these weekly pupdates and include pictures and videos. We often send out "bonus" pics and videos throughout the week when we get a good shot. We feel involving our buyers in the entire process aids in the bonding of human-to-pup and we also get to know our buyers well, which makes it that much easier to let the pups go at 8-weeks-old. We also update those on our deposit list about their position on the list and expected upcoming litters regularly. We usually email after every litter, unless we have a couple due around the same time, then we wait until the second litter is born.
Do we get to choose our own pup?
Some breeders place their pups in the homes that they feel are most compatible. This may mean that you will be passed over for several litters while 'better-suited' homes that placed deposits after you are chosen ahead of you. I have heard of this method being used to put priority on homes that have paid more or are friends of the breeder. One family was told they were getting a pup, were sent pictures and videos of the pup bi-weekly, then at 8-weeks, when they drove 2 hours to pick up their pup, they were told that the pup was not suited for them and it had been sold to someone else! This is a rare occurrence, but ask about how exactly the process works. Some people prefer to have their pup chosen for them, and it is often a good match and a sign that the breeders spend time with their pups, but it is something to ask questions about. At Gypzy's Labs, we allow our buyers to choose their own pup. We do offer our insights and make suggestions based on your lifestyle to help you make your decision. Choosing is done in the order that deposits are received, if you're last on the litter you won't have a choice, but if the pup isn't a good match, you may choose to wait for the next litter. Choosing is done around 5 weeks of age. This allows for the pup's personality and characteristics to develop. You may choose earlier than 5 weeks, if you prefer, so long as those ahead of you have chosen.
Where are the pups housed?
In the house, with access to a yard, is best for socializing and rearing pups. Some breeders keep their pups in fenced-off cement kennels which can be easily sprayed down with sanitizer to protect against parasites, bacteria, and viruses. Some breeders only allow their pups to go outside after they have their vaccines at 7 weeks. Some will keep the pups in the house for a few weeks then move them out to a kennel once they are older. We know the risks associated with having pups go outside and have visitors, but we prefer that our pups be pups and be well-socialized prior to going to a strange, new world. Our pups are housed in our home, with routine access to the outdoors, familiarizing them to household routines, sights and sounds. We use blenders, run vacuums, use power tools, mowers and generators, play music and movies to familiarize the pups to as many voices, tones, and pitches as possible. Since some of my pups go to Canada Border Services Agency as detector dogs, to hunters, or as therapy dogs, right from birth we make all kinds of noises, similar to those that inmates would use to try to spook a dog, loud gun shot-like noises, and noises a therapy dog might come across. My neighbours must think we are nuts when we're outside yelling, stomping, clapping, and banging lids while the pups happily eat their lunch. We also have tractors, motorcycles, and transport trucks go by on our road, we even occasionally get "racecars" flying by at 160+km/hr! Starting to socialize to sound at birth, while their ears are still closed, makes for pups that barely startle once their ears open. We also hold the pups in as many uncomfortable positions as a child would and handle them as a vet would. every week they get their teeth, ears, belly, and back end “checked" and we begin nail trimming and filing when they are young. At 4 weeks, they start spending the night in crates and start potty training. 83% of our pups sleep through the night and over 55% never have a potty accident in their new homes. You may hear a breeder say their pups are started housetraining because they have a doggy door in the kennel and the pups use it. Those pups know to go potty outside, but they have not been taught how to hold their bladders or bowels if there is no access to the outdoors available and it will require a significant amount of training to teach them this. Pups that grow up in a house are taught routine potty breaks and to hold it.
What testing have you done on your adult dogs?
You want to find a breeder that does extensive testing. It scares me when breeders tell me that they don't test their dogs because they are 'healthy'. Dogs that are healthy (not affected by a disease) can still be a "carrier" of one copy of the disease's gene. This dog will be healthy and will not have the disease that it carries. The problem arises when this healthy untested "carrier" dog is bred to another healthy untested dog that is also a "carrier" of one gene of the same disease. The pups could inherit two genes of the disease (one gene from each parent), have the disease, and die. That's why DNA testing is so important, in my opinion, even more so than hip, elbow, shoulder, and eye testing. Untested healthy dogs can carry the DNA for diseases and give the disease to their offspring if bred to another 'carrier' without anyone knowing about it. Some breeders will tell you they have done the Embark testing for 210 diseases. Only 18 of the 210 Embark tests actually apply to the Labrador Retriever breed. Others use Paw Print which only tests for 15 diseases known to Labrador Retrievers. Many breeders do not use the Orivet Extensive Full Panel DNA testing which now tests for 20 diseases and 11 traits but rather only do DNA testing for a few select diseases. Centronuclear Myopathy, Cystinuria, Degenerative Myelopathy, Exercise Induced Collapse, and Progressive Rod Cone Degeneration are the most commonly tested, other breeders don’t do any DNA testing at all. Ask which DNA tests have been completed on both parents so you know which diseases your pup might inherit. Ask to see the results, we have found dogs that are listed as 'clear' on their kennel website, but the test results show 'carrier'! I have also been told by breeders that their dogs are 'clear/negative' of all diseases, but when asked, they couldn't produce results because they never tested their dogs. We do the Orivet test for 20 diseases and 11 traits, we also do PennHip, OFA elbows and OFA shoulder X-rays. We also test OFA thyroid. OFA heart, OFA eyes, and brucellosis are also tested yearly. Many breeders will test heart and eyes while the dog is still a pup, get a clear test then never test again. These two tests need to be completed yearly to ensure heart and eye issues don't arise at a later age.
Do you do OFA Hips or PennHIP? You want a breeder that does PennHIP. The PennHIP method surpasses other diagnostic methods in its ability to measure hip joint laxity and accurately predict the onset of the osteoarthritis (OA) of canine hip dysplasia (CHD). Osteoarthritis is also known as degenerative joint disease (DJD). PennHip rates 3 different positions of the hip while OFA only looks at one position. You still need to be careful though and ask what the dogs Distraction Index is. I saw one breeder advertise that her dogs hips fell within the 90th percentile of all labs. That sounds great, but 90% of all labs fall within the 90th percentile. That's what the 90th percentile central range means.
Based on testing of 41,034 Labrador Retrievers as of May 2023, the Labrador Retriever breed average was 0.45 Distraction Index. Anything higher than 0.45 DI should not be bred.
If the breeder only does OFA, you want an "Excellent" rating. A study showed "a direct comparison of OFA scores and PennHIP Distraction Index. It it was reported that 52% of hips scored OFA excellent, 84% of hips scored OFA good, and 94% of hips scored OFA fair had joint laxity in the osteoarthritis-susceptible range and would not be bred based on PennHIP testing. Said the other way, 48% 'excellent', 16% 'good', and 6% 'fair', had hips that would pass PennHIP testing and be suitable for breeding.
Do you offer a health guarantee? How long do you guarantee? Do you offer a replacement or a refund?
Anyone can offer a guarantee without having any testing done! Ask to see their testing results, do not assume they have them. Some breeders offer a 1-year health guarantee; Hips and Elbows cannot be certified through OFA until the pup is 2-years-old, so a 1-year guarantee is useless! Many of these breeders that offer a 1-year guarantee do not have any testing done on their dogs. Make sure testing has been done and request a 26-month guarantee from birth or a 24-month guarantee from go home day. Some breeders' guarantees do not offer any reimbursement of money and require you to return the pup in order to get a "replacement". I don't know about you, but I'd find it very difficult to return a dog when it fails its hip or elbow test after 2 years of loving it, just to receive a replacement pup from the same diseased bloodlines. Ask to see the guarantee, you want one that offers a monetary refund to cover medical expenses, not an exchange. Refunds of medical expenses up to the purchase price is common in reputable breeders. You also want to find a breeder that has a history of producing quality, healthy labs. Hip and Elbow Dysplasia and Shoulder Osteochondrosis can skip generations, so a clear test for the parents is not the only determining factor for choosing a breeder. There are some breeders that have done the testing, and their dogs have passed, yet have produced affected pup. Still, they continue breeding their stock because they have "tested well", regardless of the end result. You want to find a breeder that keeps in touch with their progeny and knows their ailments. See our "Health Guarantee" page for our LIFETIME DNA, 26-MONTH HIP, SHOULDER, ELBOW, EYE, and 3-DAY PARASITIC GUARANTEES, and a list of ailments our pups have had.
Does your health guarantee have exceptions or clauses?
We have seen breeders that have a 'no stairs until the pup is a year old' clause on their hip and elbow guarantees. That means you are required to carry a 60-70lb dog up and down stairs in order to validate your health guarantee! In the wild, pups are climbing hills and logs and whatnot as soon as they can walk. Our pups learn to climb one step at 4-weeks-old in order to get back inside after going potty. We definitely would advise against taking your dog to the stairs on an escarpment or mountain and run laps up and down it at any age, but there is no reason a pup can't climb stairs as part of a normal life. We would go behind/in front to mitigate any fall risk when first learning just as you would for a toddler. We are really curious to know who started posting the 'no stairs' advice on the web and which research they based this advice on, because no one is citing any and we can't find any research. It seems to be advised most often on breeder websites that, when contacted, don't have any testing on their dogs. So, it seems to be "pass the buck" advice. (Ie. If anything goes wrong with their pups, they can say that it's not their bloodlines, but rather it's because the pup climbed stairs and hills.)
We have also seen breeders that have a clause that requires you to remain on a certain brand of food or vitamin in order to validate your health guarantee. Pups will remain genetically healthy regardless which food or vitamins it consumes; food does not affect genetics! There is nothing wrong with suggesting certain food or vitamins, but receiving a guaranteed commission from suppliers should not be part of any health guarantee. (We personally use and recommend TLC Pet Food, https://tlcpetfood.com/nutrition/gypzyslabradorretrievers/ but you are NOT required to use it in order to validate your guarantee. You may choose to feed your pup whatever you decide is best.) See our "Health Guarantee" page for our LIFETIME DNA, 26-MONTH HIP, SHOULDER, ELBOW, EYE, and 3-DAY PARASITIC GUARANTEES.
Do you offer trial health insurance?
This is not a deal breaker if they do not. Every pet health insurer offers a free trial, so if you would like to use a different company than what is offered or they don't offer any, please do your research and sign up for a trial. Some companies are: Pet Plan (they have 13 different insurers listed on their website, including Pets+Us), Pet Secure, and Trupanion. We offer a 30-day trial health insurance with Trupanion because they have no yearly limits and a low deductible.
Do you breed silver, charcoal, or champagne labs?
Ask this question even if you are not interested in these shades. If a breeder does breed them, it raises a big red flag as to their standards for health and inbreeding. These shades have a genetic mutation causing the dilute coat. With this mutation and the inbreeding done to retain the dilute colour comes a higher risk of health issues and a shorter lifespan. We have researched this extensively, as we were considering breeding these colours when we first heard of them, but found there was a lot of inbreeding and a lot of health concerns because of it. We continue looking, but we have yet to find a breeder of these colours that is able to show us that the 4 generation pedigree for the sire and dam don't have any shared bloodlines in it. we personally prefer 8 generations without any shared bloodlines. The last person that contacted us to offer us their silver male for stud services had the same 6 dogs 41x in his 8 generation pedigree, one of which was a father bred to his own daughter! When we spoke to our vet about breeding these colours, we were told we could find a new vet if we did. If you’re sure you want one of these colours, we would advise BEFORE you place a deposit, you go to visit the kennel in person. We have seen lots of unscrupulous breeding practices and puppy care at kennels that breed these colours, and have reported them. Request to SEE the health clearances and guarantee, DNA testing, and pedigrees to ensure they are healthy and are not inbred. Most dogs can be traced farther than 4 generations via huntingdogpedigree.com. If you find one that has no shared relations let us know! If you decide you don’t want a mutated gene, we have some beautiful Reds and Whites. Red is just the darkest shade of Yellow and White is just the palest shade of Yellow; no genetic mutations required. ;)
Do you keep in touch with your buyers?
The answer should be yes. A breeder that does not communicate well or takes a long time to respond to your questions likely does not keep in touch after the pup goes home. If a breeder doesn't keep in touch, they have no way of knowing if their past pups are healthy. Gypzy's Labs keeps in touch weekly through pupdates from conception to 8-weeks-old. We also respond to emails within 24 hours in most cases. After the pups go home we keep in touch through Instagram @gypzyslabs, but we also email to check in within a few days of the pup going home and a month later when the CKC certificate comes in. We also send out Birthday greeting emails at 1, 5, 10, and 15 years of age just to see how they're all doing. We also ask that owners contact us if their pup has any health issues. By doing this, we're able to keep track of our pups and can truthfully say none have had any inheritable diseases, and very few have had any other ailments. These are listed on our "Health Guarantee" page. We're always available should you have any questions or concerns about your pup, and always love getting pictures and Pupdates!
We hope this information is helpful to you in your search for a lab and answers many of the questions you may have had for us. Feel free to peruse the rest of our website, especially our "Frequently Asked Questions" page for more information.
I'm going to add this to the top of the list as it hurts my heart whenever I hear it.
I found a puppy that is living in deplorable conditions, should I buy it and save it?
By buying that puppy you are supporting the puppy mill financially. You may be saving one puppy, but you are ensuring that 1000 more will be born into the same conditions. You also likely won't be able to afford the lifelong vet bills that come with such a pup. Please do not buy from a puppy mill, instead get pictures if you can, post them, share them, leave reviews, and report them to the SPCA or the police/RCMP. In doing so, you will be shutting them down and saving every single puppy and dog that is in that mill.
If I place a deposit for a specific litter or month, am I guaranteed to get a pup from that litter or within that timeframe?
The answer should be, "No." Followed by an explanation on why they are fairly certain you will be getting a pup. Examples of this would be... this is her 3rd litter and she has had 10 or 11 pups in her previous litters or we have 3 litters due in that timeframe, etc.
Breeders cannot guarantee how many pups will be born or survive, even X-rays and Ultrasound are often inaccurate! A breeder I mentor had X-rays taken and was told she was having 5-6 pups and ended up having 11. I had Ultrasound taken and was told “At least 4 pups” and ended up having 10. No one can advertise that placing a deposit will 'guarantee you a pup' from the next litter. It will increase your chances but there are no guarantees in nature. Also ensure that your deposit is refundable should you not get a pup from the promised litter.
At Gypzy's Labs, we don't have deposit lists for each separate litter, there's just one deposit list. You may specify that you want a pup from a specific litter, but if we got to your name prior to that, we would email to see if you wanted a pup from a sooner litter. If you prefer to wait, that would be fine also.
Basically, we take the "average" number of pups per litter and apply those who have placed deposits towards our estimated expected litters. We do this so interested buyers (and we) have a general idea of the timeline for when to expect a pup. We try to estimate it low, so that people aren't waiting longer than expected, but only God gets to decide on how many pups are conceived in each litter. So the "Sold Out" litters aren't necessarily sold out. We won't know for sure until the pups are born and we know how many are in the litter.
We do it this way because dogs are only pregnant 63 days. We have no way of knowing exactly when future litters will be due until only 2 months in advance. If we assign people to a specific litter at a specific time, people get upset if it doesn't happen. There are many reasons why it could change, for instance, a litter doesn't happen or it's late, a pup dies in a previous litter, a previous litter has only a few pups, a dam has an emergency C-section and spay and won't be having her expected future litters. If any of these situations were to occur, we would have to move previous deposits to "your litter". People get very upset because they have planned their whole life on the belief that they are getting a pup in January and then have to wait until March. (That being said, if you did have to wait longer than you were told, you would be entitled to a refund because we didn’t have a pup for you in the timeframe expected.)
Also, people are never upset if we get to their name earlier than expected. This could very well happen because we average our litter sizes low. So, if a female has a litter sooner than estimated, has a larger litter than the "average" (which my girls often do!), someone forfeits their deposit, someone decides to wait for a future litter, we buy another breeding female, or CNIB Guide Dogs doesn’t have enough puppy raiser homes and can't take their full litter, then people are happy to get one sooner than expected. And we like when people are happy!
Is my deposit refundable?
Most breeders do not refund deposits because if we were to offer refunds, it would be no different than going on the waitlist of several kennels. Breeders ask for deposits as a sign of a commitment to getting a pup from us. It helps us to plan ahead on when to breed and which parent pairing to use based on the traits, characteristics, and colours desired by those that have placed deposits. However, there should be an exception to this rule, the deposit should be refundable if a pup of the requested sex and colour is not produced for you in the timeframe that was promised. If they offer no exceptions to the rule, you may want to question yourself to see how long you're willing to wait. It could be years at some smaller kennels.
What is your price? Is the deposit included as part of the total? Are there taxes or other fees?
Some breeders charge more than their listed price once they add additional CKC registration fees and vet bills. We have even seen one kennel add 8-weeks of boarding fees at $40/day to the total cost. Some do not include the deposit as part of the total price. Ask about the taxes and other unexpected fees!
Is there an application or questionnaire to be filled out prior to placing deposit?
If a kennel does not require an application, questionnaire or some other screening process, we can guarantee this breeder does not care about the welfare or future of its pups. They likely do not have a "take-back" policy either. At Gypzy's Labs, we send a questionnaire to be filled out prior to accepting a deposit, to ensure the buyer has thought about the future of the pup. We prefer to screen people BEFORE we accept a deposit rather than screen them out after they have fallen in love with a pup.
Do you have a "take-back policy?
The answer should be yes. But even if you get a yes, ask a few more questions about if there will be a boarding fee charged to you and what exactly will happen to the dog if it is returned. I have heard one breeder say, "We'll take it behind the barn with a rifle." That is not how you treat a dog you have raised with your heart. Gypzy's Labs has a "take-back" policy, where if for any reason you are no longer able to care for your dog and are unable to find a good home for it, we will take the dog back and house it until we are able to find a suitable placement for it, at no additional cost to you.
Are your dogs CKC registered?
The answer should be yes. Some breeders sell "purebred labs without papers", or "CKC registration available upon request". If it isn't registered and thus won't have a pedigree, it's not a purebred. It may have pure bloodlines and the parents may be purebred, but the pup is not! The term purebred means that the dog is registered and has a traceable pedigree. "In Canada, all purebred dogs come with a Purebred Dog Certificate of Registration issued by The Canadian Kennel Club – without this certificate, they can’t legally be sold as purebred. The certificate indicates, among other things, the dog’s registered name, breed and date of birth, as well as the names of the dog’s sire and dam. The breeder is responsible for registering the puppy and forwarding the certificate to the new owners within six months of the purchase date – they cannot charge additional fees for this service."-CKC website. As a CKC registered breeder, we are required by the CKC to register every pup from every litter, no exceptions. To do otherwise, is to risk losing membership and kennel registration. Some breeders will charge an extra fee for the registration, some will give you the form and have you send it in and pay for it yourself, and some will register the pup to themselves under a legal name they have chosen and will charge an extra fee to transfer ownership to the buyer (or will leave it up to the buyer to transfer ownership or not) or will charge an extra fee for the entire registration. This is against CKC bylaws. It is legal to register the pup under a legal name that the breeder has chosen, many breeders have a theme that they use for each litter, but the transfer of ownership is to be submitted and paid for by the breeder. We register the litter, but wait to register the individual pups so that your pup's legal name will be the name of your choosing attached to our kennel name (Ex. Gypzy's Zofi). Our CKC registration and transfer of ownership are included in the price as they legally should be.
May we see the 4-generation pedigree of the litter we are getting a pup from BEFORE we place deposit?
The answer should be yes! Some breeders will even have the pedigrees (family trees) posted on their websites. (We are working on that aspect of our website as well, but it involves a complete redo of the "Our Dogs" page.) Some breeders only purchase the 3-generation so that related dogs in the 4th generation don't appear on the pedigree. Some purebred dogs are inbred (Brother: Sister, Father: Daughter, Mother: Son), others are linebred (Cousin: Cousin, Uncle: Niece, Grandfather: Granddaughter, or any relative within 3 generations of each other). This is legal within the CKC Bylaws! All labs are related to each other coming from the originals from Newfoundland, however compared to other purebred dogs, Labrador Retrievers have the most diverse bloodlines. According to research (October 2019) by Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, the Labrador Retriever breed as a whole has the least occurrence of this. The research showed that "the distribution of alleles was a result of near-random selection." They also compared the Labrador Retriever genetic diversity with randomly selected village dogs (mutts) and found only a .5 probability density difference between the two groups. Here is a link to the research if you enjoy reading scientific articles like I seem to. LOL.
https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/canine-genetic-diversity/labrador-retriever
However, the problem with mutts is that there are no pedigrees for you to look at to see if there was any inbreeding or linebreeding in your pup's immediate past. With purebred dogs you can look at the pedigree and see if there are any relations. You still need to do your research, particularly in the show field, as many breeders do inbreed and linebreed to retain traits that will win ribbons without any concern given to the genetic diversity of the lab. You may here the term "acceptable inbreeding co-efficiency" from breeders that do linebreed. This is a pre-determined percentage of relations that have been deemed as "low-risk" in the occurrence of genetic diseases being passed to the offspring. We do not agree with inbreeding or linebreeding! At Gypzy's Labradors, we study pedigrees to be sure there are no related ancestors at least 4 generations back, but preferably 6-8 generations back. Some of our dogs we have tracked their parentage back to the original Labradors imported to the UK from Newfoundland! You can trace most dogs further than the usual 4 generations on huntinglabpedigree.com by typing in the name of the dogs listed on the fourth generation of the pedigree. It makes it much more difficult to find breeding dams and sires from other kennels, but we feel genetic diversity is worth the time and hassle of finding dogs that are not closely related to ours and also don't have close relations in their ancestry.
May we visit our pup? How involved may we be with our pup before it comes home?
Many breeders do not allow visits at all until the pups are ready to go home, others allow a visit for choosing day only, others allow more often. Most often the reason given for 'no visits' is that the pups are not vaccinated and they don't want viruses coming into the kennel. At Gypzy's Labs, we recommend weekly visits starting at 3 weeks of age. All visits will be held outdoors as much as permissible by age of the pup and weather to help protect against viruses, but our dams are kept up-to-date on their vaccines. Pups do acquire immunity through their mother's milk. We encourage weekly visits because we prefer that our pups be socialized and introduced to as many sights, sounds, and people as possible, and bond with their new owners before going home. We know the risks and have rules in place regarding visits to aid in mitigating them.
Do you send pictures, videos, or updates?
Some breeders don't send any photos, some send one, some send bi-weekly, some send weekly. Gypzy's Labs sends weekly pupdates starting at conception with information about the development of the pups in utero. Once they are born, we continue these weekly pupdates and include pictures and videos. We often send out "bonus" pics and videos throughout the week when we get a good shot. We feel involving our buyers in the entire process aids in the bonding of human-to-pup and we also get to know our buyers well, which makes it that much easier to let the pups go at 8-weeks-old. We also update those on our deposit list about their position on the list and expected upcoming litters regularly. We usually email after every litter, unless we have a couple due around the same time, then we wait until the second litter is born.
Do we get to choose our own pup?
Some breeders place their pups in the homes that they feel are most compatible. This may mean that you will be passed over for several litters while 'better-suited' homes that placed deposits after you are chosen ahead of you. I have heard of this method being used to put priority on homes that have paid more or are friends of the breeder. One family was told they were getting a pup, were sent pictures and videos of the pup bi-weekly, then at 8-weeks, when they drove 2 hours to pick up their pup, they were told that the pup was not suited for them and it had been sold to someone else! This is a rare occurrence, but ask about how exactly the process works. Some people prefer to have their pup chosen for them, and it is often a good match and a sign that the breeders spend time with their pups, but it is something to ask questions about. At Gypzy's Labs, we allow our buyers to choose their own pup. We do offer our insights and make suggestions based on your lifestyle to help you make your decision. Choosing is done in the order that deposits are received, if you're last on the litter you won't have a choice, but if the pup isn't a good match, you may choose to wait for the next litter. Choosing is done around 5 weeks of age. This allows for the pup's personality and characteristics to develop. You may choose earlier than 5 weeks, if you prefer, so long as those ahead of you have chosen.
Where are the pups housed?
In the house, with access to a yard, is best for socializing and rearing pups. Some breeders keep their pups in fenced-off cement kennels which can be easily sprayed down with sanitizer to protect against parasites, bacteria, and viruses. Some breeders only allow their pups to go outside after they have their vaccines at 7 weeks. Some will keep the pups in the house for a few weeks then move them out to a kennel once they are older. We know the risks associated with having pups go outside and have visitors, but we prefer that our pups be pups and be well-socialized prior to going to a strange, new world. Our pups are housed in our home, with routine access to the outdoors, familiarizing them to household routines, sights and sounds. We use blenders, run vacuums, use power tools, mowers and generators, play music and movies to familiarize the pups to as many voices, tones, and pitches as possible. Since some of my pups go to Canada Border Services Agency as detector dogs, to hunters, or as therapy dogs, right from birth we make all kinds of noises, similar to those that inmates would use to try to spook a dog, loud gun shot-like noises, and noises a therapy dog might come across. My neighbours must think we are nuts when we're outside yelling, stomping, clapping, and banging lids while the pups happily eat their lunch. We also have tractors, motorcycles, and transport trucks go by on our road, we even occasionally get "racecars" flying by at 160+km/hr! Starting to socialize to sound at birth, while their ears are still closed, makes for pups that barely startle once their ears open. We also hold the pups in as many uncomfortable positions as a child would and handle them as a vet would. every week they get their teeth, ears, belly, and back end “checked" and we begin nail trimming and filing when they are young. At 4 weeks, they start spending the night in crates and start potty training. 83% of our pups sleep through the night and over 55% never have a potty accident in their new homes. You may hear a breeder say their pups are started housetraining because they have a doggy door in the kennel and the pups use it. Those pups know to go potty outside, but they have not been taught how to hold their bladders or bowels if there is no access to the outdoors available and it will require a significant amount of training to teach them this. Pups that grow up in a house are taught routine potty breaks and to hold it.
What testing have you done on your adult dogs?
You want to find a breeder that does extensive testing. It scares me when breeders tell me that they don't test their dogs because they are 'healthy'. Dogs that are healthy (not affected by a disease) can still be a "carrier" of one copy of the disease's gene. This dog will be healthy and will not have the disease that it carries. The problem arises when this healthy untested "carrier" dog is bred to another healthy untested dog that is also a "carrier" of one gene of the same disease. The pups could inherit two genes of the disease (one gene from each parent), have the disease, and die. That's why DNA testing is so important, in my opinion, even more so than hip, elbow, shoulder, and eye testing. Untested healthy dogs can carry the DNA for diseases and give the disease to their offspring if bred to another 'carrier' without anyone knowing about it. Some breeders will tell you they have done the Embark testing for 210 diseases. Only 18 of the 210 Embark tests actually apply to the Labrador Retriever breed. Others use Paw Print which only tests for 15 diseases known to Labrador Retrievers. Many breeders do not use the Orivet Extensive Full Panel DNA testing which now tests for 20 diseases and 11 traits but rather only do DNA testing for a few select diseases. Centronuclear Myopathy, Cystinuria, Degenerative Myelopathy, Exercise Induced Collapse, and Progressive Rod Cone Degeneration are the most commonly tested, other breeders don’t do any DNA testing at all. Ask which DNA tests have been completed on both parents so you know which diseases your pup might inherit. Ask to see the results, we have found dogs that are listed as 'clear' on their kennel website, but the test results show 'carrier'! I have also been told by breeders that their dogs are 'clear/negative' of all diseases, but when asked, they couldn't produce results because they never tested their dogs. We do the Orivet test for 20 diseases and 11 traits, we also do PennHip, OFA elbows and OFA shoulder X-rays. We also test OFA thyroid. OFA heart, OFA eyes, and brucellosis are also tested yearly. Many breeders will test heart and eyes while the dog is still a pup, get a clear test then never test again. These two tests need to be completed yearly to ensure heart and eye issues don't arise at a later age.
Do you do OFA Hips or PennHIP? You want a breeder that does PennHIP. The PennHIP method surpasses other diagnostic methods in its ability to measure hip joint laxity and accurately predict the onset of the osteoarthritis (OA) of canine hip dysplasia (CHD). Osteoarthritis is also known as degenerative joint disease (DJD). PennHip rates 3 different positions of the hip while OFA only looks at one position. You still need to be careful though and ask what the dogs Distraction Index is. I saw one breeder advertise that her dogs hips fell within the 90th percentile of all labs. That sounds great, but 90% of all labs fall within the 90th percentile. That's what the 90th percentile central range means.
Based on testing of 41,034 Labrador Retrievers as of May 2023, the Labrador Retriever breed average was 0.45 Distraction Index. Anything higher than 0.45 DI should not be bred.
If the breeder only does OFA, you want an "Excellent" rating. A study showed "a direct comparison of OFA scores and PennHIP Distraction Index. It it was reported that 52% of hips scored OFA excellent, 84% of hips scored OFA good, and 94% of hips scored OFA fair had joint laxity in the osteoarthritis-susceptible range and would not be bred based on PennHIP testing. Said the other way, 48% 'excellent', 16% 'good', and 6% 'fair', had hips that would pass PennHIP testing and be suitable for breeding.
Do you offer a health guarantee? How long do you guarantee? Do you offer a replacement or a refund?
Anyone can offer a guarantee without having any testing done! Ask to see their testing results, do not assume they have them. Some breeders offer a 1-year health guarantee; Hips and Elbows cannot be certified through OFA until the pup is 2-years-old, so a 1-year guarantee is useless! Many of these breeders that offer a 1-year guarantee do not have any testing done on their dogs. Make sure testing has been done and request a 26-month guarantee from birth or a 24-month guarantee from go home day. Some breeders' guarantees do not offer any reimbursement of money and require you to return the pup in order to get a "replacement". I don't know about you, but I'd find it very difficult to return a dog when it fails its hip or elbow test after 2 years of loving it, just to receive a replacement pup from the same diseased bloodlines. Ask to see the guarantee, you want one that offers a monetary refund to cover medical expenses, not an exchange. Refunds of medical expenses up to the purchase price is common in reputable breeders. You also want to find a breeder that has a history of producing quality, healthy labs. Hip and Elbow Dysplasia and Shoulder Osteochondrosis can skip generations, so a clear test for the parents is not the only determining factor for choosing a breeder. There are some breeders that have done the testing, and their dogs have passed, yet have produced affected pup. Still, they continue breeding their stock because they have "tested well", regardless of the end result. You want to find a breeder that keeps in touch with their progeny and knows their ailments. See our "Health Guarantee" page for our LIFETIME DNA, 26-MONTH HIP, SHOULDER, ELBOW, EYE, and 3-DAY PARASITIC GUARANTEES, and a list of ailments our pups have had.
Does your health guarantee have exceptions or clauses?
We have seen breeders that have a 'no stairs until the pup is a year old' clause on their hip and elbow guarantees. That means you are required to carry a 60-70lb dog up and down stairs in order to validate your health guarantee! In the wild, pups are climbing hills and logs and whatnot as soon as they can walk. Our pups learn to climb one step at 4-weeks-old in order to get back inside after going potty. We definitely would advise against taking your dog to the stairs on an escarpment or mountain and run laps up and down it at any age, but there is no reason a pup can't climb stairs as part of a normal life. We would go behind/in front to mitigate any fall risk when first learning just as you would for a toddler. We are really curious to know who started posting the 'no stairs' advice on the web and which research they based this advice on, because no one is citing any and we can't find any research. It seems to be advised most often on breeder websites that, when contacted, don't have any testing on their dogs. So, it seems to be "pass the buck" advice. (Ie. If anything goes wrong with their pups, they can say that it's not their bloodlines, but rather it's because the pup climbed stairs and hills.)
We have also seen breeders that have a clause that requires you to remain on a certain brand of food or vitamin in order to validate your health guarantee. Pups will remain genetically healthy regardless which food or vitamins it consumes; food does not affect genetics! There is nothing wrong with suggesting certain food or vitamins, but receiving a guaranteed commission from suppliers should not be part of any health guarantee. (We personally use and recommend TLC Pet Food, https://tlcpetfood.com/nutrition/gypzyslabradorretrievers/ but you are NOT required to use it in order to validate your guarantee. You may choose to feed your pup whatever you decide is best.) See our "Health Guarantee" page for our LIFETIME DNA, 26-MONTH HIP, SHOULDER, ELBOW, EYE, and 3-DAY PARASITIC GUARANTEES.
Do you offer trial health insurance?
This is not a deal breaker if they do not. Every pet health insurer offers a free trial, so if you would like to use a different company than what is offered or they don't offer any, please do your research and sign up for a trial. Some companies are: Pet Plan (they have 13 different insurers listed on their website, including Pets+Us), Pet Secure, and Trupanion. We offer a 30-day trial health insurance with Trupanion because they have no yearly limits and a low deductible.
Do you breed silver, charcoal, or champagne labs?
Ask this question even if you are not interested in these shades. If a breeder does breed them, it raises a big red flag as to their standards for health and inbreeding. These shades have a genetic mutation causing the dilute coat. With this mutation and the inbreeding done to retain the dilute colour comes a higher risk of health issues and a shorter lifespan. We have researched this extensively, as we were considering breeding these colours when we first heard of them, but found there was a lot of inbreeding and a lot of health concerns because of it. We continue looking, but we have yet to find a breeder of these colours that is able to show us that the 4 generation pedigree for the sire and dam don't have any shared bloodlines in it. we personally prefer 8 generations without any shared bloodlines. The last person that contacted us to offer us their silver male for stud services had the same 6 dogs 41x in his 8 generation pedigree, one of which was a father bred to his own daughter! When we spoke to our vet about breeding these colours, we were told we could find a new vet if we did. If you’re sure you want one of these colours, we would advise BEFORE you place a deposit, you go to visit the kennel in person. We have seen lots of unscrupulous breeding practices and puppy care at kennels that breed these colours, and have reported them. Request to SEE the health clearances and guarantee, DNA testing, and pedigrees to ensure they are healthy and are not inbred. Most dogs can be traced farther than 4 generations via huntingdogpedigree.com. If you find one that has no shared relations let us know! If you decide you don’t want a mutated gene, we have some beautiful Reds and Whites. Red is just the darkest shade of Yellow and White is just the palest shade of Yellow; no genetic mutations required. ;)
Do you keep in touch with your buyers?
The answer should be yes. A breeder that does not communicate well or takes a long time to respond to your questions likely does not keep in touch after the pup goes home. If a breeder doesn't keep in touch, they have no way of knowing if their past pups are healthy. Gypzy's Labs keeps in touch weekly through pupdates from conception to 8-weeks-old. We also respond to emails within 24 hours in most cases. After the pups go home we keep in touch through Instagram @gypzyslabs, but we also email to check in within a few days of the pup going home and a month later when the CKC certificate comes in. We also send out Birthday greeting emails at 1, 5, 10, and 15 years of age just to see how they're all doing. We also ask that owners contact us if their pup has any health issues. By doing this, we're able to keep track of our pups and can truthfully say none have had any inheritable diseases, and very few have had any other ailments. These are listed on our "Health Guarantee" page. We're always available should you have any questions or concerns about your pup, and always love getting pictures and Pupdates!
We hope this information is helpful to you in your search for a lab and answers many of the questions you may have had for us. Feel free to peruse the rest of our website, especially our "Frequently Asked Questions" page for more information.