19 replies to this topic

[Penny]

Hi,

I know the site says it's for black labs, but I couldn't find one just for chocolate labs.

I'm wondering if the puppy I got is a purebred lab. I got her from the paper, the woman that had her needed to find a new home, because she didn't bother to make sure she could have a dog where she lived.
She said she got her from a breeder and she's purebred, but she doesn't have papers or anything.
She's completely chocolate, her tow nails are even a clear/chocolate color. and she has greenish eyes.

I'm not planing on breeding her or anything, so it doesn't really matter if she's mixed, I just want to know what to expect from her temperment.
I know labs are really good dogs, but I have a friend with a lab/german shephrd mix and she took on more of the shepherd temperment and she doesn't like other dogs.

Also my vets saying I should wait until she's 6 months to spay her, she's 4 months now. What's a good age to spay a puppy and should I have the dew claws on her front feet removed?


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[STUFF]

I may be a bit ignorant here but I've never heard of de-clawing a dog. . .

She is a beautiful dog. But it looks like you took the pictures secretly while she was sleeping lol

My black lab mix is also 4 months. The vet is also telling me to wait till she is 6 months for spading. So I'm going to do that.

I couldn't tell you if she's pure or not, I'm not that experienced with labs, but I can tell you this, I've had been going nuts trying to figure out what mix my dog is. A lot of people say Black Lab / Pit Bull, so I checked on a Pit Bull website and they said Black Lab / Border Collie. So I went to a Border Collie website and they say Black Lab / Pit Bull. So I finally just accepted that she is whatever the hek she is, in the end she's just a cute as heck black lab mix

So my advice, let an expert here tell you if they think she's pure or not, but if they don't think she's pure, just accept that she's a mix and don't go nuts trying to figure out what she is because it's just darn near impossible lol.

Pictures of my Kiara are HERE

PS: Every dog is different. You could have a bunch of the same breed same litter and they will all act a bit different.

[Penny]

Yeah I had to get the pics while she was sleeping, since it was her first day, she was so excited I couldn't get her to hold still for a picture.
everyone I tried to take was just a blur of chocolate across the screen
It's not removing all her claws like a cat, it's just the extra toe on the side of her foot, i've been told that as she gets bigger there's a risk of it getting caught on something and tearing off.


Your little girl is really cute! she doesn't look like a pit mix to me, but I could be wrong. she looks a little small to be mixed with a medium/large breed. I would guess some kind of terrier.

[Kurt]

That sure does look like a Chocolate Lab to me. I'd like to see a photo of her standing up, a profile shot if possible. But she sure is a pretty girl!

As far as the dew claws go, I wouldn't do anything with them. When they are removed, it's usually done when they are a few weeks old. They don't hurt anything and all you have to do is to remember to keep the nail on them trimmed. A lot of groomers miss the dew claws and like all nails if they are not trimmed they can grow around and actually grow into the pads on the feet.

We had a friend who had a chocolate lab from a shelter. The dew claw nail had curled around and grew into the pad. When this happens it's best to have a vet remove it. But we took a chance and I cut the nail half way up. The nail just disintegrated into what looked like dust and we didn't get any bleeding from the pad. The owners were lucky on that one!

[STUFF]

Wow, I really had no clue about the whole claw thing. Learn something every day I guess

[AFEmma]

As for the purity of your lab there is no true way to tell if she is purebred without papers. However if you go to the American Kennel Club website they have a section that give physical dimensions and what a purebred lab should grow up to be. Essentially a Labrador is a Labrador, weather it is Black, Yellow, or Chocolate people just have their preference and favorite. Best of luck with your puppy.

[julesinchaos]

Ah she's lovely!! Certainly looks lab to me :-)
The breed standard in the UK says the dew claws aren't removed. They use them to turn and jump if you watch them in slow motion, but, if they catch on anything them your vet might advise they are removed.
The other thing to look for is webbed feet, labs have them for swimming, they also have what's called an 'otter' tail again for swimming. Sometimes they have some white on their feet, I've read all of these dogs descend from one dog, interesting reading.
Personally I'd let her have one season before her spay but opinion is divided on this and if you have lots of entire males living around you, it might be best done sooner rather than later. I leave ours till their growing has finished.
Good luck with her, she looks gorgeous

[Kurt]

You could also have a DNA test run to see if your dog is a full bred. If I were to do this, I would have it done through a veterinary college. There is still a lot of discussion about just how accurate these tests are, and there are a lot of private companies doing these tests as well. Just how much care they use going into the test is what counts.

[Raven Dogue]

My new lab puppy has his dew-claws removed by the breeder, but the previous 3 dogs I owned were all mixed breeds and had dew-claws. 2 of them had not only from but back dew-claws. None of them ever had any problems or issues - the only thing is you want to be sure and clip the nails regularly because they won't be worn down otherwise.

For those that don't know - dew-claws are vestigal claws up on the leg so they don't touch the ground - sort of like a thumb. Supposedly they should be removed because they might catch and tear on brush if you have a hunting dog. I suspect its done for pure-breds for appearance sake. Many dogs have only front dew-claws but some have both front and back. It might not hurt much (I don't know) to remove them as really young pups when there is more cartilage but I (personally) wouldn't bother removing them on an older dog or puppy. The only drawback is that you do have to be vigalent about clipping the nails - my first dog was a 4 year old stray (probably chow-lab mix) and his rear dew-claws had grown around in a circle and were penetrating his paw. But them you should clip all their nails on a regular basis anyway.

Dogs are individuals - just enjoy the pup you have and if he has retriever characteristics then enjoy them! If you want him to get along with other dogs you should socialize him with lots of friendly dogs while he is young.

[Kurt]

That is good advice about dew claws on our labs. I notice that a lot of vets and grooming salons tend to miss the dew claws when trimming the nails.
We have a friend with a chocolate lab that has 4 dew claws, one on each foot. I noticed that the rear dew claws had penetrated the associated pad quite deeply. They asked me to trim it, and I was weary that it may bleed profusely.
But I went ahead and trimmed it and most of the nail just immediately reduced to dust. It was strange. There was a good indent in the pad, but it didn't bleed. Over time, the indent grew out.
The owners are keeping an eye on the dew claws from now on. When this happens it can be painful for the dog.

[edeva]

hello all i am new to this site,yesterday bought the lab from the pet shop and now thinking is she pure breed? i will download fwe photos later on please leave coment thx

[edeva]

[edeva]

hello is any 1 here

[Kurt]

Sometimes it takes us awhile to respond.

Even though your lab pup is still young and you really can't tell at this age, I would say she looks like a lab pup.
What did the pet shop sell her as? Did they say she was a full lab?

[edeva]

Sometimes it takes us awhile to respond.

Even though your lab pup is still young and you really can't tell at this age, I would say she looks like a lab pup.
What did the pet shop sell her as? Did they say she was a full lab?

thanx for replay ,i contacted the pet shop once more,the lady saying it is 100% pure lab, her mum and dad and 3 generation are labs.but then i showed Bela to my friend she also has lab. she said it does not look as realy labs, so i confused, also another concern she is 12weeks 2day and only weight 11lbs i would say it is way to skinny? thnx again for replay .

[Kurt]

Labs look slightly different at different stages of their life. If your friend has an adult lab, of course your pup will not look the same as an adult. Dogs "grow into" their adult features as they age.

As for weight, just make sure you feed her a good quality dog food and follow the recommendations on the package to start. After awhile you'll probably want to reduce the amount fed so your pup doesn't get too fat. But, pups kind of do that. They get fat, then a few weeks later they look thin again and this repeats a few times as they grow into their skins.

[edeva]

Labs look slightly different at different stages of their life. If your friend has an adult lab, of course your pup will not look the same as an adult. Dogs "grow into" their adult features as they age.

As for weight, just make sure you feed her a good quality dog food and follow the recommendations on the package to start. After awhile you'll probably want to reduce the amount fed so your pup doesn't get too fat. But, pups kind of do that. They get fat, then a few weeks later they look thin again and this repeats a few times as they grow into their skins.

thank you again,the thing is then u buying a puppy u wanted the bred u decided,and now i just joined the other forum and every 1 says its nor realy lab,i am even thinking of DNA test, so confused now
i am giving very good quality dried food,40-50grams 3times day

[Kurt]

A DNA test is the difinitive answer as to your dogs heritage. Just make sure you have it done through a veterinary university. There are a lot of fly by night DNA testing companies out there that don't have very accurate results.
A vet school will have the best possible results.

Personally, I think you are putting a lot into the fact that she may or may not be a pure bred. Have you asked the pet shop for proof that she's a pure bred lab? If she is there should be some kind of paperwork attesting to this.

[edeva]

A DNA test is the difinitive answer as to your dogs heritage. Just make sure you have it done through a veterinary university. There are a lot of fly by night DNA testing companies out there that don't have very accurate results.
A vet school will have the best possible results.

Personally, I think you are putting a lot into the fact that she may or may not be a pure bred. Have you asked the pet shop for proof that she's a pure bred lab? If she is there should be some kind of paperwork attesting to this.

i did asked and they said they will send me proof abut dad and mum and 3 generation via mail,she is realy saying it's pure, i know i will not love her any less,but the price u paying pure breed u want to get pure any way 2day will go to vet for health check.thanx again

[Perry's Mom]

Edeva- Welcome to BL.com. We are happy to have you join our pack. Your Bela looks lovely. Enjoy the sweet puppy breath and post pictures so we can all watch her grow.