Lab puppy questions

This page is to help answers some of the most common questions we get on our lab puppies.

Can I come visit my lab puppy before eight weeks old?

- There will be no visits to see the lab puppies before eight weeks old. We must do this in order to protect them and the other dogs in the Labrador kennel. There will be many lab puppy videos and lab puppy pictures while they are growing up. We even do many live videos so that you can see them at play time and even sleeping. We also video them with their mothers.

When will my Labrador puppy be able to come home?

- Your Labrador puppy will get to go home once he or she is eight weeks old. This is not the day before eight weeks, it must be eight weeks old. We will be more than happy to hold them after eight weeks if you need.

Who picks out my lab puppy for me?

You pick your lab puppy in person at eight weeks old. Unless you have picked from a lab
puppy video or picture prior to eight weeks old. We will offer advice on each puppy that we think best suits your home. We want you to play with the puppies and interact with the lab puppies playing so you can make a better informed decision on what lab puppy fits your home.

How are picks made from our Labrador puppy deposits?

Picks are made in the order that the lab puppy deposits came in. We start with the first deposit received and go down the list. We try to allow for plenty of time for you to pick out your puppy. If you are last on the list or there is only one lab puppy in the litter that meets your deposit requirements then you will know your puppy from the day it is born.

Is my puppy AKC papered?

Yes, your puppy is AKC. You will be given a registration form to get the puppy registered with the AKC in your name. Your puppy will be limited AKC unless we have spoken to you and approved you to be able to breed your puppy once it is old enough. There are some testing you will have to do before we lift the papers from limited to full. There may be fees to go from a pet puppy to having breeding rights. These fees will vary by which line you want to use for breeding. You will need proof from your vet that you take care of your animals. We will offer you support on your breeding of our lines. We will even help in advertising your litter to people looking for puppies in your area. We support any breeder of our puppies as long as they breed ethically. If at anytime we see that you are not breeding ethically we will stop helping you in placing your puppies. At no time will there be a guarantee one of our puppies to be able to breed. We want our puppies in happy family homes and a major concern is making sure that our puppies are not ending up in a poor breeding facility. Over 95% of our puppies go into non breeding homes.

Are the parents health tested?

Yes, our parents have Labrador Retriever genetic testing done. We have the tests listed on our genetic information page.

Is there someone always there with the lab puppies?

Yes, someone is with the lab puppies. The only exception to this is when someone runs to town. Our time away from the lab litter is kept to a minimum. Wendy Mabry only does the lab kennel, she has no other outside job. Generally you will be speaking with her when you contact Mabry Labs.

Do lab puppies bite?

Yes, they do bite when they are little. Play biting is something that labrador puppies do. This website has some good information on lab puppies. We will as time allows get our own pages up on training lab puppies.

Do lab puppies chew?

Yes, lab puppies chew. We start our lab puppies on a variety of approved chew toys for labrador puppies to use. We will send you home with some lab chew toys and have a list on our web page as well on the types of toys we use with the lab puppies. While the lab puppies are teething they chew a lot more than when they are adults. However, some adult labs are large chewers as well. We will be more than happy to help you with the teething phase.

Should a crate be used with my lab puppy?

Yes, we agree in crate training your lab puppy. It will help in housebreaking, helps keep a labrador puppy out of things you don't want a lab in. It creates a safe a secure environment for your lab puppy to go in. You will notice that your lab puppy will put themselves in it as time passes. If you do not use a crate you can use puppy gates in your home to secure your lab puppy in a safe area. This way when you can not watch your lab puppy you can rest easy knowing he/she is safe.

What type of food and water bowl for a lab puppy should I get?

The best ones are going to be stainless steel with a heavy bottom. You do not want your lab puppy to be able to tip over the water bowl. Even with a bowl that can not be moved they most likely will play in the water. So be sure to keep you lab puppy water bowl somewhere that spilled water is not an issue.

How do you store food for a Labrador puppy?

A sealed container that can hold your lab puppy food bag is the best option. If you pour the food into the container make sure to clean the container between bags. The sides of the container can build up harmful bacteria if not cleaned. A container that can hold your lab puppy's bag of food without dumping it into the container is the best option.

Can I use a clicker to train my lab puppy?

Yes, a clicker is an excellent training tool to be used with your lab puppy.

Puppy training treats?

We recommend that you get the best quality training treats you can find for your lab puppy. Another great training treat is the lab puppy food you have. Just remove some of the lab puppy's portion of food for the day into a training bag to be used when training.

Can my lab puppy be groomed?

Yes, you can groom your lab puppy. Your lab puppy can also go to a groomer if you want. If you do groom yourself make sure to have on hand the following: Puppy shampoo, scissors, toothbrush, comb, brush, nail clippers, cotton balls. Make sure that the comb and brush is suitable for a Labrador retriever.

Will my Labrador Retriever puppy get carsick?

While we hope this does not happen it can. Some Labrador Retriever Puppies get car sick like humans can. We have tips that we will let you know about when you pick up your lab puppy. Make sure to have a roll of paper towels, plastic bags, and some baby wipes in case they do get sick. We send home bags and wipes with our lab puppies.

Can I take my new lab puppy to meet other people the day I get home?

No, you should take you lab puppy straight home. No pet stores, no family or friend homes. This is a very stressful event and they need to relax and get to know their new family. There will be plenty of time later for meeting other people in your lives. Ask friends and family to give you a week to settle into a routine before coming over. Make sure other family members are calm and any other animals put away when you first get home with your lab puppy. Your new lab puppy will be tired, give them a safe quiet space and let them take a nap. Make sure if you don't want the puppy on your furniture or other places to not place them there at all. If you are crate training now is the time to start with your lab puppy.

Will my lab puppy cry?

This is a very good question. We honestly don't know 100% what puppy will cry and what one will be quiet. Some are rowdy the first day into everything, others hide under a chair. Some babies cry all night and others sleep without a sound. Lab puppies at eight weeks normally will crying within two to three nights. So be ready for this if you have to work and make arrangements to either stay home for a few days or get ready to be tired if you have a crying lab puppy. We do have suggestions to help you with this, just ask when you pick up your lab puppy, or after.

Will my lab puppy need to potty at night?

Some lab puppies will need to go out in the middle of the night. Other lab puppies can go five to six hours without needing to go outside during the night.

How much do we feed our new lab puppy?

When you pick up your lab puppy you will be given feeding instructions. Also, as your puppy grows you can check in with us on feeding. Not every puppy is the exact same on feeding, but at eight weeks they are very close. As they grow though it will change a lot, so be sure to change feeding amounts as your lab puppy grows up.

What food do we feed our new lab puppy?

We will give you food that your lab puppy has been eating here. You are more than welcome to change this to a food that you want or keep using it.

Does my lab puppy have vaccines?

Yes, your lab puppy will be given approved vaccines for his/her age before leaving. You will have a detailed vaccine printout to take into your vet so you can set up future vaccines needed.

Have you dewormed my lab puppy?

Yes, your lab puppy has taken medications approved for his/her age. This will be printed out and given to you at pickup time to take with you to your vet.

Do you use puppy culture with your lab puppies?

Yes, we have been using this program since it came out in it's early years. So we have been with them as they have changed over the years. You can visit puppy culture's website here.

Does my lab puppy have dewclaws?

Yes, your lab puppy will have his/her dewclaws. To understand why we leave them visit our dewclaw page.

How do you train a lab puppy? When to start training a puppy?

Training a lab puppy will be a lot of fun if you do it correctly. Training needs to start the day you bring your new labrador puppy into your home. There are lots of great books out that will help you in the process of training your lab puppy. We start your lab puppy out with puppy culture training. Most lab puppies know how to sit before leaving and have been doing scent training games. There are other things we train your lab puppy on and will discuss that with you on the day you pick up your lab puppy. We will let you know what labrador training books we have used and recommend. If you need a lab puppy trainer we will help with that as well.

Do you introduce my lab puppy to noises?

Yes, your lab puppy will be introduced to a lot of sounds before leaving our labrador kennel. We want your lab puppy to be exposed to as much as we can possibly do before sending them home. We have reports of some of our lab puppies sleeping through children playing their band instruments.

What dental care for puppies do you suggest?

Dental care for puppies needs to be done daily so they are used to you reaching into their mouths. There are small finger toothbrushes made that work great for this and later once your lab puppy is larger you can change the toothbrush to a larger one. We will have suggestions on the toothbrushes that have worked for us with our lab puppies when you pick up your lab puppy. This information will be on the recommended items page on this website.

House training labrador puppies and potty training labrador puppies

When you are house training labrador puppies you must understand when they come home at eight weeks old they may have accidents. Not all of the labrador puppies have accidents, while others will have a few. When you are potty training labrador puppies there are a few signs that you can watch for that lets you know they need to go outside. You can house train labrador puppies to a bell on a door. You can house train a labrador puppy to use a dog door, our lab puppies use a dog door before going home with you. We will be doing a page just on potty training labrador puppies soon. When you pick up we will give you tips on house training labrador puppies.

Do you have a fee to hold after eight weeks old?

Puppies will only be held past the date of the first Saturday after the litter is eight weeks old by prior arrangement with the seller. Purchaser shall be responsible for subsequent board ($20 per day). Plus any veterinary fees.

Why is your address an in town one at a post office box and not the farm?

The reason we do this is to protect our puppies the best that we can. When we went with the State license we was made aware of thefts of puppies and adults. They suggested in order to protect them more to give our mailing address only and not the farm address to anyone until they have placed a deposit. We do have security cameras up to help as well with theft, but one can not be too careful with this.

Mabry Labs

P.O. BOX 817

Murphysboro, IL 62966

training labrador puppies