Getting a Puppy versus an Older Dog 

For most prospective owners, getting a dog means bringing home a two-month-old puppy. This is a decision that you need to think through carefully. For some first-time dog owners a puppy is the worst possible choice.  Although puppies are cute, Labradors babies can be very rambunctious and are not necessarily the right choice for households with an infant or young toddler.  Puppies require a lot of care, time, and effort. It's like having a new baby in the house, and you must be able to fit this into your life-style. A puppy is a twenty-four-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week responsibility, for at least the first 12 months. Selecting a puppy versus an adult typically means you will spend a lot more time in training. That includes everything from housebreaking through leash training and verbal commands. Additionally, puppies have to grow through some less-than-delightful phases such as eating shoes, chewing on everything in sight, frequent trips to the veterinarian for vaccinations and wormings, additional expenses for neutering, and so on.

The selection of an adult dog bypasses most of these. Without exception, dogs take a lot more of your time during their first year of life. To many, this is the best part and they love the involvement – other potential owners simply struggle to find the extra time.   In most cases an older dog is already trained, and all the annoying puppy behaviors such as teething, chewing, nipping, and all the rest are gone. You can see what the dog is going to look like as an adult, because he is already fully grown. An older dog will not necessarily need constant attention, as a puppy would. It is a myth that you can't bond with an older dog. Older Labradors are just as lovable as puppies and bond just like puppies. With either, though, you are guaranteed a loving and affectionate companion for the life of the dog.

You will also have an excellent idea of what you will have as a companion. The model you will have for the next several years is standing right in front of you. You can judge the temperament, size, and get information on the dog’s health from the breeder.  The breeder will be able to tell you what, if any problems, the dog has had.  With a puppy, we can sometimes only guess if conditions such as hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia or other health issues will develop later in life, but when examining an adult, most of these problems have already reached a diagnosable stage even if the animal is not yet showing signs.

We place older puppies or adults for several reasons.  Since we are primarily a show kennel, we may have run on a puppy to see whether it is suitable for showing.  If it isn’t, then we will place the dog in a companion home.  Sometimes, there may be minor things that make a dog unsuitable for showing, such as teeth alignment or tail carriage,  or perhaps the dog doesn’t have the “look at me” attitude needed for the show ring.  We occasionally will have dogs that have retired from the show ring or from breeding.  One of the best things to remember about getting a dog that is older, is that he/she will have some basic training, be socialized, and be able to sleep all night long in a crate.  Additionally, one of the greatest things about an older dog is that by being crate trained, they are usually well on their way in the house training process. Regardless, we make certain that any Labradors that we have available, go to loving homes where they will be lifelong companions.