How much is a Labrador Retriever puppy?

What goes into the price of a Lab puppy?

Health testing on the parents is one of the costs behind a well-bred Lab. The usual list for a breeding Lab is hip and elbow x-rays, an eye exam, and DNA tests for inherited conditions such as a muscle disease, a collapse that can follow hard exercise, and the gene behind silver coats, with a heart exam as well. A DNA test lets a breeder find dogs that quietly carry a condition and plan pairings that won't produce it.

We are working toward health testing every one of our mamas and papas. As each parent's certificates come in, we post them on that parent's own page. The test for the silver gene matters for color too, since that gene is behind the silver and charcoal coats that aren't accepted in the breed, and our Lab color guide explains the rest. You'll find each puppy's price on its own page, next to its mama and papa.

What comes home with a Lab puppy?

Your Lab puppy is ready to go home at 8 weeks, and families collect their puppies from us in Syracuse, Indiana. Shipping can be arranged for a fee. Its mama and papa are both registered with the American Kennel Club, and every puppy is covered by our 1 year health guarantee.

This price is for limited registration which does not include showing or breeding rights. We are willing to sell you full registration for an additional fee. Prices do not reflect sales tax, shipping fees, or the 3% merchant fee when using a credit/debit card or Paypal. Contact us with any questions!

Limited registration keeps a Lab out of the breed judging at a dog show and keeps any litters it has from being registered, while hunting tests, field trials, obedience, rally, agility and tracking all stay open to it. That suits a breed whose favorite things are fetching and swimming.

What does an English style Lab need from you?

An English style Lab needs the same daily exercise and training as any other Lab, because it is the same breed with the same working past. We breed toward what many people call the English style, which is an informal name for the show style within one breed. Labs were bred to work, and in England a Lab can't become a show champion unless it has also proved itself in the field.

Labs need exercise every day, steady training from an early age and plenty of company, and they don't do well left alone for long stretches. Early socializing and puppy classes matter for a dog this strong and energetic, so put classes in the budget. Grooming is light, since a Lab coat gets by on a comb and an occasional bath, and our guide to Lab shedding covers the heavy sheds that come twice a year.

What does feeding a Lab take?

Feeding a Lab takes a good food and a firm hand with the portions. Choose a good food made for your dog's stage of life, from puppy through senior, and go easy on training treats, which can lead to a heavy dog. Some Labs make that harder, because they carry a gene that makes them hungrier and heavier, so the Lab staring at your dinner may be acting on its genes.

Portions matter for a growing Lab's hips as well as its waistline, because calories and exercise can affect how bad hip trouble gets. Ask your vet what a lean Lab puppy should look like and how much to feed it as it grows. Our Lab puppies are expected to reach 65 to 95 lbs grown, so plan your food budget around a dog that size, and our guide to Lab size and lifespan has more on how big Labs get.

What vet and insurance costs should you plan for?

Your Lab will still be partway through its puppy shots when it comes home at 8 weeks, since boosters come every 2 to 4 weeks until a puppy is past 16 weeks old, so line up a vet before your puppy arrives. Ask about bloat at that first visit, because Labs, like other big, deep-chested dogs, can get this life-threatening stomach condition, and owners should know its signs.

If you're weighing pet insurance, the price depends on where you live and on your dog's breed, sex and age. Accident and illness plans usually leave out routine care such as shots, flea and worm treatment, and spaying or neutering, unless the plan adds a wellness benefit, and every policy has a waiting period of about 10 to 30 days before it starts to cover anything.

How do reserving and paying for a Lab work?

Send our application first, and sending it doesn't oblige you to place a deposit. After you're approved, a deposit holds the puppy you've chosen. A non-refundable deposit of one third of the puppy price holds a puppy that is already listed. A $200 non-refundable deposit holds a place on the waiting list for a litter that has not been born yet. Deposits are non-refundable, but they can be transferred to another puppy up to three times, or held for a year.

You can reserve a Lab by gender and color as soon as a litter arrives and pick your puppy at 4 to 5 weeks, so tell us the color you're hoping for when you apply. You'll see every Lab we have now on our Labrador page, and if you're still choosing a breed, our guide to Golden Retriever or Labrador weighs the two against each other.