Financial cost of getting a Labrador Puppy

manda1205

poohzee wrote: »

I do want to go to doggy training classes - nothing extreme - just sit, down etc and although I thought I would never say it but yes a crate too. Still not sure about these extendable leads, but my mum has one for her dog and swears by it.

Gwen Bailey - A Perfect Puppy, I got our copy from Amazon, its brilliant, we did puppy classes, but a lot of what we did Id already been doing with her book.
We also have an extenandable lead, although we only strated using it because Molly is going through "teenagedom" and her recall was getting hit and miss, she still gets lots of offlead time though as we dont want her to rely on the flexi. Also if you can give the pup lots of off lead from day one, surprisingly they stick so close to you, its only once they get older they roam further, but this then gives you the op to recall lots.

clairibel

Also you may need a little extra in the pot for things dogs pick up, accidents etc as some are not worth claiming for on insurance, as our 18 month old has just had a course of antibiotics, topical wash and anti histamines for a skin infection...not sure how she got it but it has now cleared and cost us £36 in total to treat her

lostinrates

Puppy classes are great: not just for help training, bu for socialising a pupy with other dogs and people: which can be hard when you have just one pup.

As well as insurance, which is costly, a good plan is to set a little money aside monthly. We now do this for our small animals in lieu of insurance (but only because we could cover a long term and expensive health issue from savings at this stage) but it would also be a good thing to have along side insurance to spread the cost of toys/beddings and boosters throughout the year.

My best suggestion is to take the most expensive calculation and add 50% monthly again for contingencies...to ive you an idea of how affordable it is.

Looking for the right puppy can also cost a bit, but it is worth doing research. Join the breed society, atend a few shows and buy from a breeder who's dogs you like and who spends time making him/herself informed and up to date with health problems and treatment. Yellow labs are plentiful, and breeders over the whole range of excellent to....back yard breeder, or worse...support your chosen breed by supporting a breeder who seeks to support and improve the breed! A good breeder will also be a saving in the long run: being on the end of the phone to advicse bout health problems alongside your vet, and food nd training issues too.

poohzee

OK, again hanks for the comments so far cost wise:

The Puppy £450 - £700??
Spaying £200 one off
Worming £20 a year
Flea Control £20 a year
Insurance £10 - £30 amonth
Doggy Classes
Food
Toys
Bedding
Collar / Leads
Micro Chipping £30 one off
Injections / Boosters £30 once a year
Crate

Have I missed anything? Can anyone help fill in the blank prices?

I really appreciate all your help- as usual I feel much more confident and relaxed about the whole thing after being on here!

Is there any other books anyone can recommend? I am away to look at the one Mollys mummy mentioned but also want to get one for the kids so they can be involved and they will both get some responsibilities for looking after the doggy too?

olias

poohzee wrote: »

OK, again hanks for the comments so far cost wise:

The Puppy £450 - £700??
You might pay that from a proffesional breeder. We paid £150 for our boy. We live in a rural area and the local farmer had a litter from two working parents, both of which we could see and due to the fact they had been deliberately kept from previous litters we were confident that both parents were strong and healthy.
Spaying £200 one off
Worming £20 a year
Flea Control £20 a year
Usually needs doing quarterly (Flea and worm). Cant remember the exact cost, but it will go up slightly as the dog grows as the dosage goes on weight.
Insurance £10 - £30 amonth
Don't forget there will also be an excess on each claim - Usually £40-£60
Doggy Classes
Try through the vet. I'm sure we only paid about £15 for a couse of six classes
Food
Just make sure you buy the big 15kg bags (better value). They will be £20=£60 depending on quality and should last at least a month (obviously at first he/she will be on a weaning diet of a gruel type product)
Toys
Buy indestructable types not soft toys, Labs will just shred them - especially when a pup as their teeth are like needles! Good idea to get a couple of rubber teething bones.
Bedding
Market stalls are usually the cheapest source - £8-£20 depending on size. Also get a few cheap blankets/throws from charity shops for the car etc.
Collar / Leads
Don't worry about expensive quality ones whilst a pup, it'll just grow out of them in no time.
Micro Chipping £30 one off
Injections / Boosters £30 once a year
Crate
£25-£40 - ebay has some good ones. If you plan on carrying on using the crate as the dog gros, I'd reccommend getting at least a 'large', preferably an XL.

Have I missed anything? Can anyone help fill in the blank prices?
What sort of car do you have? You'll need to consider the following - dog guard/crate/seat covers.
Also worth buying a cheap towel bale to dry it after muddy walks. We have about half a dozen bath sheet size towels that are constantly being muddied/washed particularly in winter.

I really appreciate all your help- as usual I feel much more confident and relaxed about the whole thing after being on here!

Is there any other books anyone can recommend? I am away to look at the one Mollys mummy mentioned but also want to get one for the kids so they can be involved and they will both get some responsibilities for looking after the doggy too?

Thats all I can think of at the mo. just be aware that Labs can be very boisterous and clumsy, so be prepared for laddered tights, broken cups/glasses, scratched furniture etc etc. Also when they are pups and are teething, they can go through a real biting and nipping phaze, and like I said, their teeth are like needles!

Olias

Fire_Fox

poohzee wrote: »

OK, again hanks for the comments so far cost wise:

Is there any other books anyone can recommend? I am away to look at the one Mollys mummy mentioned but also want to get one for the kids so they can be involved and they will both get some responsibilities for looking after the doggy too?

If you want the kids involved then you might consider clicker training, there are some cheap books on Amazon. Clickers can apparently be used to train out unwanted behaviours as well as train for recall and to sit etc. I find it quite fun to do with my cat!

You might also consider reading up on canine nutrition, as a good diet can help with behaviour and protect against joint and weight problems. Gruel type foods won't provide sufficient protein, vitamins/ minerals or essential fats for a growing puppy once the mother's milk is gone, and cow's milk is not recommended for dogs as it can give them the runs. I would not personally want to pay hundreds of pounds a dog that has not already been weaned onto a puppy food with a high meat content.

majicbus

Also when finding a breeder you need to make sure that both dam and sire have been health tested and the results are good.
They need to be hip scored and you need to look for a low score on both parents.
They need to be elbow scored and you are looking really for clear elbows on both parents.
Also they need to be eye tested and Lab's should be tested yearly for this as well. Go for parents which have shown clear for 2 years on both sides.
Whether you are going for show or working lines - they look slightly different in shape and size, though many show lines do have the ability to work and many do.
I would sign up with the following club for much info and the club secretary can answer many questions for you on different lines.

Sorry can't add the link, but just go onto a search engine and put in Labrador Club GB.

Fire_Fox

Welcome to MSE Majicbus!

poohzee

olias wrote: »

Thats all I can think of at the mo. just be aware that Labs can be very boisterous and clumsy, so be prepared for laddered tights, broken cups/glasses, scratched furniture etc etc. Also when they are pups and are teething, they can go through a real biting and nipping phaze, and like I said, their teeth are like needles!

Olias

Thanks I am aware about the clumsiness of them, don't wear tights and have a 5 and 2 year old - so all ours furniture is cheap and cheerful - with washable covers!!
Will be getting lots of teething toys though!

poohzee

majicbus wrote: »

Also when finding a breeder you need to make sure that both dam and sire have been health tested and the results are good.
They need to be hip scored and you need to look for a low score on both parents.
They need to be elbow scored and you are looking really for clear elbows on both parents.
Also they need to be eye tested and Lab's should be tested yearly for this as well. Go for parents which have shown clear for 2 years on both sides.
Whether you are going for show or working lines - they look slightly different in shape and size, though many show lines do have the ability to work and many do.
I would sign up with the following club for much info and the club secretary can answer many questions for you on different lines.

Sorry can't add the link, but just go onto a search engine and put in Labrador Club GB.

Hi thanks for that info - will go and look at the website. Size wise - my mum and dad had a smaller labrador - my dad thought that it was a Cumber Lab??? But that was 30 years ago and he isn't sure if that name is right. Preferably it would be the smaller of the breed so is that Show or Working?
What sort of results are good for the various scores?