Labrador Stud Dogs: Health Tests, Fees and How to Choose

At minimum, the five the Labrador Retriever Club requires for a CHIC number: OFA hips, OFA elbows, an eye exam by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist, and DNA tests for EIC and the D locus, all registered with OFA. The club also recommends CNM, prcd-PRA and, for males used at stud, an advanced cardiac exam with an echocardiogram.

There is no standard fee. Each owner sets their own, usually based on health clearances, titles, proven litters and whether semen is shipped. Some owners take a pick of the litter instead of cash, or a smaller fee plus a puppy. On PetsFindly the fee is shown on the stud's profile and agreed directly with the owner.

Most responsible breeders wait until a stud has final OFA hip and elbow results, which OFA gives from 24 months of age. Before that, only preliminary readings are available.

Exercise-induced collapse is an inherited condition. Affected dogs can lose control of their back legs after intense exercise or excitement. A DNA test shows whether a dog is clear, a carrier or affected, and the Labrador Retriever Club requires it for a CHIC number.

It is best avoided. When two carriers of the same condition are bred, about one puppy in four is expected to be affected. A carrier bred to a clear dog produces no affected puppies, though some will be carriers.

OFA rates hips as Excellent, Good, Fair, Borderline, Mild, Moderate or Severe. Only Excellent, Good and Fair pass and receive an OFA number. Many breeders look for a stud rated Good or Excellent.

No. Yellow Labs carry two copies of the recessive e gene, so two yellow parents can only pass on e. All their puppies will be yellow.

Silver, charcoal and champagne come from two copies of the dilute gene. The AKC standard recognizes only black, yellow and chocolate, and the Labrador Retriever Club requires a D locus test for a CHIC number. Ask for the stud's D locus result before agreeing to any mating.

Field (American) Labs are bred for working ability: leaner, longer-legged and high-energy. Show (English) Labs are bred toward the breed standard: stockier, with broader heads and calmer energy. Both are the same breed under the same AKC standard.

No. Most Labradors breed naturally. Artificial insemination with fresh, chilled or frozen semen is used when the dogs live far apart, when timing is tight, or when a dog is inexperienced. Plan AI with your veterinarian.

Browse the Labrador studs on this page or filter them by color, then open all Labrador studs to search by town or city. Each PetsFindly match shows the reasons the stud fits your female. Browsing is free and needs no account.

No. A six-month-old Lab is still growing and cannot have final OFA hip and elbow results, which start at 24 months. The Labrador Retriever Club's code expects those clearances before any breeding.

There is no single safe number for every dog. Plan it with your vet based on her age, health and how she recovered from earlier litters, and give her body time to recover between pregnancies.

There is no cure, but affected dogs often live normal lives when owners avoid the intense exercise and excitement that trigger collapse. The Labrador Retriever Club does not require a dog to be EIC clear to be bred; pair a carrier or affected dog only with a clear partner.

About 63 days from ovulation. Counted from the first mating, it ranges from about 56 to 70 days, which is why progesterone testing gives a more precise due date.

The AKC puts the Labrador average at 7 puppies, usually between 5 and 10. First litters are often smaller.

Early signs are subtle. Your vet can confirm pregnancy with an ultrasound, and an x-ray late in pregnancy helps count the puppies. Weight gain, a firmer belly and nipple changes show later.

Most breeders send puppies home at 8 weeks or older. Some places set a minimum age for selling or transferring puppies, so check the rules where you live.

Dogs have no breeding season. A Lab can be bred in any month; the timing depends on her heat cycle, which usually comes about twice a year.

Some females have silent heats with little swelling or discharge. Progesterone blood tests with your vet show where she is in her cycle, so the mating can still be timed well.

Labs are prone to weight gain, and overfeeding early in pregnancy adds fat rather than helping the puppies. Keep her usual portions at first and increase gradually in the last third of pregnancy, as your vet advises.

Call if more than 2 hours pass between puppies, if she strains hard with no puppy arriving, if you think labor isn't progressing normally, or if discharge after birth smells bad or increases.

Prices are set by each breeder and vary with region, line and the health testing behind the litter. Ask exactly which clearances the parents have and what guarantees come with the puppy. PetsFindly never handles payments.

The fee and when it is due, what counts as a successful breeding, return breeding terms, health documents for both dogs, brucellosis tests, the method and who pays for AI or shipping, pick of litter details, registration paperwork and who is responsible for each dog during the visit.

Yes. Creating a profile, listing your stud and messaging other members are free. Any optional premium features and their prices are listed on the Pricing page.

No. Health results are shared by owners and labelled that way on every profile. Ask for the original certificates and check OFA numbers in the public OFA database. PetsFindly verifies every member's phone number and reviews documents before any breeder badge appears.