RonE wrote:Something that hasn't come up is that Labrador Retrievers are prone to hip dysplasia and in many cases this manifests itself at ages 5 and older. Quite often people buy a Lab because it comes from a great hunting dog and a great hunting bitch and the expectation is that you will probably get a great hunting pup and in many, many cases this is true. However if the sire and dam have not been X-rayed (after they are 2 years old and their hips are fully developed) there is no way of knowing if this genetic anomaly has or will be passed on to your new pup. Suppose that you have the best retriever ever to come down the pike and you don't know that it has bad hips, all your hunting buddies are throwing dollars at you to get a pup from your dog who is three years old and dysplasia hasn't manifested itself yet. Chances are good that the pups will carry the gene and break down sooner than one would expect.
It is important to spay or neuter any dog that has poor hips and it is important to get your dog an OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) certificate before you breed your dog. Several large dog breeds are so affected, especially Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherds.
If you are paying good money for what you expect to be a good dog it is prudent to choose a dog or bitch that comes from parents that have good (certified) hips.
As Olly pointed out, bigger dogs have bigger bones but to go a step further, big bones don't necessarily mean well developed hip sockets. Just because a dog that is otherwise at the proper weight is large doesn't necessarily mean that it will break down and die at an earlier age.
i have,raise and breed many dogs(not labs i buy them) i have not ever had a dog checked out for health. i have the parents grandparents and often the great grandparents on hand. when the dogs are in their teens and have never had any of the troubles mentioned like the crap that goes on in some other bred, i nor any of my customers need or want heath certs.
im not a fly by night backyard breeder. i demand more out of my mutts then the vast majority of people. health is very important to me i just have seen the need to fuck with the hassle of it.....they are all no good bootlicking mutts anyhow...
big fat 130 pound lab no good in my book.dove season is a killer of out of shape labs. how ever some of my dogs are very lager and dont find their size to hinder them
Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2014 7:19 pm
and you can its a bad deal
worken a pup now lab/chesse mix good pup buuttt hardheaded man you have no clue but has a lot o go and smart