How Much Does a Labrador Puppy Cost? What to Expect When Searching - labrador retriever puppies alabama.
You know you have enough love for a dog.
But before you get too excited, you also need to know "How much does a Labrador puppy cost?"
In this article, we go into detail about the Labrador puppy price and identify the average price range.
We will discuss how the color of the coat can influence the cost of the Labrador puppy.
And we have tips on how to find the healthiest Labrador puppy possible.
Average Labrador Puppy Cost
The cost of a Labrador puppy can vary depending on several factors.
Perhaps the most influential factor is who you buy your Labrador puppy from.
how much does a labrador puppy cost
Different breeders may have different priorities in the breeding and growth of Labrador puppies.
Today, the average cost of a Labrador puppy can range from $800 to $1,200 in the US and £650 to £850 in the UK.
However, the costs of purchasing a Labrador puppy can also run upwards of $2,500.
Especially if the Labrador puppy you want to buy comes from a championship bloodline.
Factory Prices of Puppies Versus Breeder Prices of Labradors
There is often a big difference between what a puppy mill and a reputable, health-conscious Labrador breeder charge for a Labrador puppy.
For example, a puppy mill hoping only to make a quick profit will not spend money on the best food for Labrador puppies or health test parent Labradors before breeding.
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In contrast, a reputable Labrador breeder who genuinely cares about the dogs being bred will do both and more.
This can add quite a bit to the cost of raising a litter of puppies.
So if you compare how much a Labrador puppy costs from a puppy mill and a reputable breeder, you will see right away that there is a big difference in the selling price of a puppy.
If you find a Labrador puppy for a price that seems too good to be true, it probably is.
You may want to look deeper before committing your heart and wallet to taking care of that pup for a decade or more.
Labrador Puppy Price and Coat Color
Variations in Labrador Retriever puppies prices can also depend on the color of a Labrador puppy's coat.
There are three main coat colors for Labrador Retrievers: the black Labrador, the chocolate brown Labrador and the yellow Labrador.
There is also a fourth color that is recently popular, which is the silver Labrador.
For many years, the black Labrador was considered the best coat color and everyone wanted a black Labrador.
During these years, the price of a black Labrador puppy was often higher than the price of a yellow or chocolate Labrador.
Today, you can still find that the price of the black labrador retriever puppy is higher than the other three standard coat colors, which include yellow or chocolate brown.
However, as interest in silver Labradors grows, at the time of this writing demand is outstripping supply.
So right now, you may find that the price of the silver labrador puppy is higher than what you would pay for the standard labrador puppy with a black, chocolate brown or yellow coat color.
Of course, these coat color trends can change quickly.
What you want to look for more than anything, including coat color, is a reputable, responsible breeder selling you a healthy Labrador puppy.
Labrador Puppy Price and type of labrador
If you're learning about the history and lineage of Labrador Retriever dogs, you may not know that there are actually two types of purebred Labrador retrievers.
The two types are the American (or working) Labrador and the English (or show) Labrador.
The American Labrador Retriever is the most common Lab-type pet and also the most common choice for a working Labrador.
The English Labrador Retriever is the most common choice for owners who want to breed or show Labradors.
The two types of Labs can differ quite a bit in everything from body size and general conformation to temperament and personality.
Do you want to participate in working dog sporting events like dock diving or do you want to go hunting with your Labrador?
Then you probably want to buy and train an American Labrador.
On the contrary, if If you dream of being in the show ring with a champion Labrador, you are probably looking for an English Labrador puppy to buy and train.
Labrador puppy price and health tests
Today the Labrador Retriever is a very popular breed of dog.
But the current gene pool of purebred Labradors is somewhat limited.
So it is vital to ensure that your new Labrador puppy has been raised with parent dogs that are as unrelated as possible, labrador retriever puppies alabama.
They should also be health tested for known breed-specific serious health conditions.
Labrador puppies can face a number of hereditary (genetic) health problems.
The three most worrisome health risks are
hip dysplasia
elbow dysplasia
and eye problems.
Another more recent serious concern is the so-called exercise-induced collapse (EIC).
If you buy your new Labrador puppy from a health-conscious dog breeder, you may be wondering why your new puppy is so expensive.
The answer is simple: Your breeder has to calculate the costs of preventive examinations and health tests to know how much a Labrador puppy from his breeder costs.
Hip dysplasia
Hip dysplasia is an abnormality in the way your Labrador's hip bones grow.
A Labrador with hip dysplasia will have a hip bone that does not fit well into his pelvic socket.
This can cause a lot of pain and dysfunction, including lameness.
Labrador puppies will start to show signs of hip dysplasia when they are around 6 months old.
In very mild cases, your Labrador may not show any symptoms of hip dysplasia until well into adulthood.
Hip dysplasia is a condition that can be passed from the parent dog to the puppy.
Therefore, it is vital to health test parent dogs prior to breeding to reduce the risk of a puppy inheriting hip dysplasia.
However, these health tests do not come cheap.
Current prices for health tests (at the time this article was written) are $35 per parent.
elbow dysplasia
Elbow dysplasia, as the name implies, is an abnormality in the way the bones and cartilage of the elbow joint grow and fit together.
Like hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia is a congenital condition, meaning it can be passed from parent dog to puppy.
As with hip dysplasia, symptoms of elbow dysplasia may not start to appear until the puppy is 6 months or older.
In mild cases, warning signs may not appear until the dog is an adult.
Responsible and reputable breeders of Labrador retrievers will spend around $35 per parent to check for elbow dysplasia.
Eye sight problems
Purebred Labradors can suffer from a variety of congenital or hereditary eye disorders.
The most serious of these is called progressive retinal atrophy (PRA).
PRA is a congenital eye problem that can eventually cause blindness.
The cost of the recommended PRA health test can vary depending on the Labrador doing it, but a breeder could expect to pay around $130 per test.
Another serious health problem that Labradors can face is called exercise-induced collapse (EIC).
Researchers have only recently identified the gene responsible for this genetically inherited health condition, allowing the development of a screening test.
The cost of this test averages $75 per test.
How much does a labrador puppy cost? adding it all up
Here you can see that a breeder's costs for health testing a single parent dog or Labrador puppy could be in the triple digits for just four basic tests.
This is in addition to the other costs a breeder must pay for raising a puppy, birthing, weaning, advertising, and veterinary care for each of the Labrador puppies.
Your breeder will also bear the cost of microchipping, deworming, vaccination and flea treatment for each puppy.
The New Labrador Puppy Costs
One of the biggest surprises when it comes to what a Labrador puppy is is how much it can cost to welcome a new puppy into the family.
For example, your new Labrador puppy will need many supplies, including
a travel and home box
a leash and a collar
an identification tag and microchip (if not already provided)
meal
Water
about
toys
and a "well puppy" vet check.
According to one study, the average first year cost of owning a large breed dog as a Labrador Retriever was just over $2,000.
This is expensive and also requires quite a time commitment.
How Much Does a Labrador Puppy Cost?
We hope this article has answered all your questions about how much does a Labrador puppy cost.
We have many other articles on raising puppies.
Be sure to check out our guide: when can pups come out, labrador retriever puppies alabama.
