I don't think there's anything wrong with going through a reputable breeder, especially if you have a child. A lot of dogs in shelters are not kid-tested, and I know if I had a little one I'd be scared to "test them" on my kid. As long as you're going through a good breeder, I don't see any problem with it

Now my question is, how in the heck do I go about finding a reputable breeder? I have no clue what to look for/ask?
You do not want to see things like "Great birthday gifts", "Christmas puppies" or any other thing that makes the puppies seem like objects to make money.

Looking at pedigrees is usually a sure-fire way to see what your dog will end up like. No titles? How do you know what those dogs were like? You probably don't. I know very little about Nova's heritage even after extensive research. Every little bit I found (great gransire's son's cousin, for example ) took a lot of work finding.

Here is an example of an awesome pedigree: Darby's Pedigree. The CH titles are a good sign of a reputable show breeder. You want to see them in a pedigree because most BYBs do not show (however sometimes this does happen). There are a few titles that test a dog's temperment that you should look for. The most common is CGC. CGC stands for Canine Good Citizen and this means the dog went through a test to qualify him as "safe in public" and "obedient". TD and TDI are both therapy dog titles. A dog with either title has been through a series of tests to qualify it to visit nursing homes, hospitals, etc. as a certified therapy dog. Another title is TT, which stands for Temperment Tested. Obedience titles are also a good sign. Here is a page with most (if not all) titles that can be in a pedigree: Dog Titles & Abbreviations

Here is an example of two plain pedigrees: Max and Cheif's Pedigree. These dog's heritage (the top dog is the father of the dog at the bottom) has no titles - not a good sign. Who's to say that his parents weren't horrible examples of Labs - both physically and mentally - and this dog came out just fine? You never want to get a dog with a pedigree like this! I actually contacted this breeder once. Max, the dog at the top, is a rescue. She decided to breed him to "get a dog like him without the abuse issues". She looks fine and dandy, nothing looks wrong except for the pedigree, but when I contacted her about why she bred her dogs, I got a whole bowl of excuses to fish from. ALWAYS talk to the breeders thouroughly, always!

Another thing you want to see is them asking you a ton, and I do mean a ton of questions about you, your daughter, your husband, your jobs, your lifestyle, etc. You do not want a breeder to just hand you over the dog after he/she has recieved the money. You also need to be asking a ton of questions. Here is a good link about that: Breeders

You also want to see health testing. For Labs, hip and elbow screenings by PennHip or OFA are a must. Don't fall for a breeder who says "their hips are fine" or "the vet had a look, we got the ok". OFA and PennHip solidify that this dog's hips and elbows are in good shape, something even some experienced vets can't do. Nova, at the moment, is fine, but her senior years sure are going to suck. She has moderate Hip Dysplasia and mild Elbow Dysplasia - all because her breeder didn't health test their dogs. Elbow Dysplasia is actually more common in Labs than Hip Dysplasia, and I've seen quite a few Lab breeders who still don't test for it. Make sure your breeder does.

Another important health test is CERF (Canine Eye Registration Foundation). You want the dogs to be cleared yearly. Also look for thyroid testing and cardiac testing. Not as important, but still important. Another test that can be performed is for CNM (Labrador Myopathy). It's a very crippling disease that only exists in Labs. However, most breeders don't test for it, so don't assume they're bad because they don't. It's kind of like the cherry on top.

I will be getting a registered/registerable lab puppy - does this always mean it came from a reputable breeder?
No, and this is something to watch out for. A BYB will try enforce their "papers" to the full extent. Papers, even with good titles, can mean nothing without a good area to be raised in from birth, which a BYB will not provide.


When does a good breeder let their pups leave? 12 weeks?
Between 8-12 weeks, though 8 weeks is most common. There is new research out suggesting for puppies to stay with mom and siblings until 12 weeks, but a lot of breeders still don't know about this. I wouldn't worry if someone was letting their pups go at 8 weeks. If you've found an awesome kennel and their only fault is that they let their pups go at any younger, please just pay for boarding for the next week and then bring him/her home. A lot of breeders are still letting their pups go at 49 days (7 weeks) because they had always had good luck with it before the research came out supporting the 8 week theory. However, I think it's best to listen to the scientists. Nova was with her family until she was 10 1/2 weeks and she was the absolute *easiest* dog to train. My friend got her Lab pup a couple months prior at 8 weeks and, even though he's sharp, Nova learned most things faster as a pup than he did.


Now, there arent many Lab breeders in BC, but I have found all their websites. If you would like to take a look I can post them.
That would be good. Or, if you don't want to post them, you can PM me and I'd be glad to help.