We had one of the most amazing chocolate labs as a family dog for 13 years. I now think the family might be ready for another after a year and a half without him.
At least me and my boy are. Momma still needs some convincing as she was/is still heartbroken from our last lab.
Anyway thought I would check in with you guys that have labs and asked if you have any recommendations for breeders in MN or western Wisconsin.
TIA.
Hey Rip are you looking for and American or a British version and do you intend to use the dog for hunting?
Prefer British. Doesn’t have to be from a hunting bloodline as it will be more of a family dog, but not against looking into good breeders either.
We kind of got lucky with our last dog and they no longer breed dogs. So starting from scratch.
I have an 11.5 year old female British from this breeder. Just took her to the vet yesterday for a health check and she is in great shape for her age. This is where I got her from and when the time comes I’ll be using them again. I’m sure you will get other good suggestions too.
They are located just east of Willmar.
https://www.smithfarmslabradors.com/
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I hunt with a guy who has a British lab out of Royalty British Kennels in Milaca. Heck of a dog in the field and in the house but you definitely pay for it. I want to say they are north of $3k for a pup.
Please do not over look Royalty British Kennels Milaca. John Pesek. My BL is now 14 years old and while I think al dogs are great, the decision making process 14 years ago was as good as this dog has been for the family. John shared traits in great detail that we would expect form the dog based on the dam/sire traits. We kind of thought he was a little off kilter sharing so much detailed information at the time but to our surprise, every behavior/size/traits etc….. But he hit the nail on the head on everything. There are other great breeders to be sure but I will ever get a dog anywhere else.
Gim good looking dog. I won’t overlook anyone honestly. I am all for checking them all out. I have searched the old google machine but first hand knowledge from owners is always nice.
I got my two labs from Mississippi Mud Kennels of La Crescent, MN. granted they are American bred dogs, but his asking price for his puppies is reasonable. The two litters he had out of his females this year have been all sold but there is a litter that is currently for sale in La Crosse, Wi that his Male was the stud dog for the breeding. I believe there is 2 Black males and 2 Yellow Males, and 1 Yellow Female left in this litter.
https://www.huntinglabpedigree.com/puppy.asp?id=53320
there is also a lot of other litters listed on huntinglabpedigree.com beside this litter, you can search by state. American bred dogs are going for $1000 to $3500 per puppy now days. the few British Breedings I have seen have been $3000 plus per puppy. personally, if I spend that much, I will buy a pup out of an American nation field champion for that price instead of a British dog. To me the British labs are more like the American show labs.
Another option is that if you are willing to wait until next month there is some lab breeders that will have British pups at game fair in Ramsey, MN that will be for sale.
one other place to check is the AKC website. they have like this marketplace section on their website that you can do search for specific breeds and breeders by state.
3k for an offspring of a national field champion would be a steal! at least the ones I’ve seen go for way more than that.
Check out Old Oak Retrievers in Blooming Prairie MN. We have a three-year-old British lab from Rick and couldn’t be happier.
Please do not over look Royalty British Kennels Milaca. John Pesek. My BL is now 14 years old and while I think al dogs are great, the decision making process 14 years ago was as good as this dog has been for the family. John shared traits in great detail that we would expect form the dog based on the dam/sire traits. We kind of thought he was a little off kilter sharing so much detailed information at the time but to our surprise, every behavior/size/traits etc….. But he hit the nail on the head on everything. There are other great breeders to be sure but I will ever get a dog anywhere else.
I have an 11 year old female black lab from there. From being a puppy on she is the most intelligent, well-mannered, calm dog I’ve ever been around. I can count on 1 hand how many times she has even barked at anything. In the duck blind she sits quietly, waiting for her commands. 60 lbs so not too big for inside the house. Expensive though
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This is my 2.5 year old Chocolate that I picked up from Bird Dog Labs in Bemidji, MN. This is my first lab so I don’t have much to compare to, but this guy listens extremely well and is great at snuggling.
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For a house dog. American labs are bred to have more energy. Although I have seen some that are couch potatoes. In general British can be a little calmer. But that’s not a given. A breeder doing things right will likely be priced $1500 give or take for a companion lab. Charging that price doesn’t mean they are doing things right. Our breeder has parent health records going back several generations. With OFA, eye, elbow etc. information. She had multiple AKC show champions. But dogs lacking definition for that were trained for service dogs or placed for pets. Unfortunately, she has retired and the 2 ladies that she bred dogs with have passed away or retired as well. Sometimes you get lucky in the draw, but due diligence can pay off in the long run.
Agree with what you said. That’s why I am asking. Price isn’t an issue to pay for a family member. IMO
Thanks for the suggestions so far.
Agree with what you said. That’s why I am asking. Price isn’t an issue to pay for a family member. IMO
Thanks for the suggestions so far.
My thoughts exactly. As such, I find great value in knowing the lines are healthy and the breeder is knowledgeable/reputable. My neighbor recently bought a new lab. He was proud he only paid $500. Turns out the pup was the last of a litter taken home. It was alone too early, breeder let pups be taken at 6 weeks! His was alone until 9 weeks. If you know anything about dogs, 8 weeks is the date and only date a pup should be taken home to be properly socialized with humans and dogs. Reputable breeders should hold the pups long term state in highest regard. They will hold ground and say NO TAKE HOME no matter the occasion (birthday, Christmas, whatever). I feel it is so important I would get it in writing from a breeder that the the entire litter be held until 8 weeks, prior to take home. This neighbor dog is not socialized with other dogs and it acts like it wants to tear other dogs apart. It should be fun to hunt with, not.
Northern Plains Retrievers is where my parents got our family lab Quinn from.
http://www.northernplainsretrievers.com/
Beautiful dog with a serious drive to hunt! She is 6 years old now but is still a bundle of fun and joy. Guarantees on their hips and eyes. So they’re confident in the bloodlines that your dog won’t suffer from some of the more common problems that labs have.
They are great people and they breed some great dogs!
For a house dog. American labs are bred to have more energy. Although I have seen some that are couch potatoes. In general British can be a little calmer.
This is my experience too. Generally the brits are a little smaller than the americans too. My dog is 65 pounds. I’ve seen some male american labs pushing 100 pounds.
This is my experience too. Generally the brits are a little smaller than the americans too. My dog is 65 pounds. I’ve seen some male american labs pushing 100 pounds.
For what it’s worth, I personally know 3 british labs (all out of Royalty British Kennels of Milaca) and one of them is pushing 90 lbs. However, I’d agree that in general they are smaller than american labs, but there is variation.
I KNEW that I shouldn’t have clicked on this thread, spending the next 1/2-hour looking at Lab pup pics and videos wasn’t what I should have been doing!
My 2-cents on what I thought I knew about the breed is that Brits have blocky heads, are thicker generally through the body, and calm; American bred are more athletic build and energetic.
Labs are the best. Good luck to you Rip. And remember, they’re only in that puppy stage for 2-3 years 
Got my first “AKC” lab over 40 years ago. Didn’t know anything!! $200 back then average price. Should have had a light go off when we got her from the BARN! And picked ticks off her on the way home. But at 8 months the hunting machine light turned on and ended up being a great hunter with one of the best noses I’ve seen. Looking like a genius. Fast forward over 100 pheasants thru her lips before 3 years old. She jumps to catch a ball and lets out a yelp. Yep, a displaced hip. First vet recommended putting her down. That wasn’t an option. Lots of searching {pre internet} Found that one of the top 2 orthopedic surgeon vets in the Midwest was less than a half hour away. I’ll suffice to say, she was the most expensive dog I’ve owned. Not to mention the heart break and trauma, worrying if we could save her. Good news she hunted till about 9 and lived a cushy life till 12 1/2. I had 3 screws and a chunk of my hip put in my knee from an accident about the same time. So, we were a matched set. Since we have done due diligence. And waited almost 2 years for one of our 6 labs since. Nothing is 100% like with people. But there is a better feeling, you know you did the best you could. Good luck!
Working with our 6 month old lab out of Soggy Acres Retrievers in Jainseville. Jeff did a great job answering all my questions and was very responsive which wasn’t the case with some other breeders I reached out to.
The American vs British comments are funny. They’re dogs… I’ve seen big, small, calm and crazy out of both sides. Talk to the breeders and tell them what you want in size, temperament and field work. Then go get a puppy!
Labs are the best. Good luck to you Rip. And remember, they’re only in that puppy stage for 2-3 years
Mine was pretty much a puppy until he was 9. 
I have multiple hunting buddies with dogs out of Sand Creek Kennels.
All are great hunting/family dogs. My 2 cents – I prefer British over American if your main hunt is upland/field. I worked as a guide at a game farm and loved a Brit that would point and was a natural retriever.
My thoughts exactly. As such, I find great value in knowing the lines are healthy and the breeder is knowledgeable/reputable. My neighbor recently bought a new lab. He was proud he only paid $500. Turns out the pup was the last of a litter taken home. It was alone too early, breeder let pups be taken at 6 weeks! His was alone until 9 weeks. If you know anything about dogs, 8 weeks is the date and only date a pup should be taken home to be properly socialized with humans and dogs. Reputable breeders should hold the pups long term state in highest regard. They will hold ground and say NO TAKE HOME no matter the occasion (birthday, Christmas, whatever). I feel it is so important I would get it in writing from a breeder that the the entire litter be held until 8 weeks, prior to take home. This neighbor dog is not socialized with other dogs and it acts like it wants to tear other dogs apart. It should be fun to hunt with, not.
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I agree with you WD on pups not being released until 8 weeks but keeping the litter together that long does not guarantee a well socialized dog. An owner of a new pup needs to put the pup in situations where it can learn good manners. This I know from acquiring a 15 week rescue pup that had lived its short life in kennels from birth. She was sold to a pet store at 6 weeks. Pet store sold her at 7 weeks. Long story short she is a great dog but it took time, work, and patience.
3k for an offspring of a national field champion would be a steal! at least the ones I’ve seen go for way more than that.
the trainer I am sending my black pup with this coming winter had a litter earlier this year out of his master hunter female who was bred to NFC Floyd. He was asking $3500 per pup and was able to sell them all at that price. I find that most litter that are sired by FC-AFC studs are going for $2000 to $2500 and a NFC or NAFC sired pups are $3000 plus. unless you luck out and get a really good deal like my breeder of my dogs did. He was able to get a yellow female out of NFC Google for a highly reduced price because the breeder of that litter needed to move them fast because him and his family were about to leave for a vacation and had to have the puppies sold and picked up before their trip.
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