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Links to all of Aisling Labradors Puppy Care pages. Puppy Care Pages Preparing for homecoming day and beyond! Puppy Care You've attended Puppy Pick Out Day and there's three weeks to get ready to bring home your new Aisling Puppy. Now it's time to start getting ready - this page can get you started. Spaying & Neutering Learn about the studies that have been done that indicate that delayed spaying and neutering is the best thing for your Labrador. Shopping List There's lots of things to buy to get ready for your new companion! Check out our New Puppy Shopping List for the things we bring in for our own puppies. Hip Dysplasia in Labradors Did you know that Labradors are the most tested breed in the OFA database? Despite that, nearly 12% of selectively bred Labs still are diagnosed with the disorder. Learn about the importance of the environment provided from birth to 12 months in protecting joint health. Training There are five golden rules we follow which allow us to live with multiple Labradors in our home instead of housing them in concrete kennels. Read about the training method we use 'round Aisling. Elbow Dysplasia Learn about this disorder and how you can help prevent it by providing the proper environment (food, exercise, surfaces) for your Labrador. Weaning and Feeding Information This is mostly an "extra page". As a Breeder, I am always on the lookout for the best practices in breeding healthy litters. This page is primarily written for other breeders doing the same as me in that regard, but, there is also something for new puppy parents as well.

Learn more about Aisling Labradors of N.E. Florida and get in touch with us. Reservations Aisling offers Labrador puppies for sale through a process in which we get to know you and the environment our puppies will be living in once they leave our home. But before we get to the Contact Form, we want you to understand our policies and procedures. Thanks for taking the time to read this page through. Communication! At Aisling Labradors of NE Florida, it is our goal to treat our customers as we wish to be treated and we expect the same from those to whom we extend this courtesy . Once a reservation has been placed, we will communicate with you throughout the entire process. And we ask that in return, a prompt reply to our emails is received to confirm your ability to provide a home for the puppy being held for you. Those on our waiting lists receive all the same communications as our reservation holders. An email when.... our girl comes into season.... You will receive an email on day one of a heat so that you can begin to prepare for your puppy's arrival! An email when.... She has been bred and another when we have confirmed the pregnancy! Once the breeding has taken place, you will be provided with the approximate date of birth of your puppy. You will also hear the tentative dates of Puppy Pick Out and Go Home days so you can mark your calendars! An email when .... your puppy has been born! This is the most exciting email of all! This is when the dates for Pick Out and Pick Up will be made firm so you can clear your schedules and be ready to choose your puppy and then finally, welcome your new family member into your home. And the communication doesn't stop there. Our Facebook and Instagram page are updated several times each week with updates on the litter's progress and with weekly videos in our "Watch Them Grow" series. Puppy Pick Out Day! Appointment Email When the litter reaches 4 weeks of age, we schedule the appointments for Puppy Pick Out. Appointments are scheduled in the order of the receipt of reservations. We ask that you confirm your appointment by the Monday following this email. Pick Out Day Using the information you have provided us through the journey from approval, we guide your choice of puppy based upon our assessment of temperament. If you have a name already chosen for your new family member, we begin to call the puppy by that name. After Puppy Pick Out Day We send out our Puppy Care Packet via email before you bring home your new puppy. While you wait for Pick Up Day, this packet helps prepare you for the puppy's transition from our home to yours! Pick UP Day! Aisling Labradors puppies go home at 8 weeks of age with their first round of vaccinations completed and Health Certification as required by Florida Law. Appointments are nearly always scheduled on the Saturday following their 8 week birthday. Going home on a Saturday allows the weekend for the family to help the pup transition before returning to work and school on Monday. Please Note: Puppies go home on the Saturday after their 8 week birthday. Because we give dates for pick OUT and pick UP well in advance (with the confirmation of pregnancy), there is a $30.00 per night boarding fee charged for late pickups for any reason. Microchips Your puppy comes home already microchipped. We recommend registering with AKC ReUnite as it is the most used database for Pure Bred Dogs in the U.S.; a one-time registration fee allows you to update your information for the lifetime of your dog. 30 Days of Free Insurance We provide 30 days of free insurance with no waiting period for accident and injury via Trupanion. You will also be offered an additional 30 days of free coverage when you register your puppy with the AKC. We HIGHLY recommend that your puppy is insured for at least the first two years as this is when injury and illness are most likely. Lifetime Support You will receive a puppy care packet in pdf form before Pick UP day to allow you time to learn or remember the best ways to feed, train and socialize your new family member. And we are always a phone call or email away! The Approval Process Reservations We accept 3 reservations per gender per litter; in a dual colored litter, we accept 2 reservations per gender of each color expected. Puppies are considered sold when a reservation is made and is no longer made available to others, therefore reservations are non-refundable but transferrable one time. Contact Form The approval process begins with the contact form below. We will respond via email within 24 hours in most cases. If you are interested in moving forward in the approval process, please respond to the email. Available Older Dogs Approval Once the approval process has been completed and you have confirmed that you want to reserve a puppy from a specific litter, the reservation fee must be received within 24 hours. We consider the reservation closed upon receiving your confirmation; after that 24 hours, the reservation will be opened and made available to others. Reservation fees are paid via Zelle. If you are interested in an older puppy or dog, please use the contact form on Available Older Dogs YOU MUST FILL OUT EVERY FIELD IN THE FORM BELOW TO SUCCESSFULLY SUBMIT IT. IF YOUR FORM DOES NOT GO THROUGH, BE CERTAIN YOU HAVE FILLED OUT THE FIRST BOX ON THE SECOND PAGE AND RETRY SUBMISSION. THANK YOU. Contact Us (Puppy Approval Process) First name Email Last name Phone City and State Gender Color Continue We reserve the right to use a different stud for any breeding. There may be times when a stud is not available due to health or other issues which may result in a litter of a different color due to the coat color genes all Labradors carry. The health and well-being of our Labradors comes first in all things. Thank you for your understanding. We also reserve the right to choose to keep any puppy that shows promise for our breeding program and to transfer or refund any reservation for any reason. Next: About Us Proud to register with the AKC Puppies are sold with a Limited AKC Registration and must be spayed or neutered at the appropriate age unless otherwise agreed. Full Registration is available to approved families interested in showing or breeding their Labrador under additional terms and conditions. The registered name of your puppy must include the prefix "Aisling's" to preserve your health warranty.

Know Your Breed, Genetic Health Testing, Genetics of Color, and COI (coefficient of inbreeding). Learn more.... Responsible Breeding "Ask questions and listen to answers, trying always to separate the relevant from the useless. Do not become hidebound by specific ideas; question everything, even what I am saying and what I write in my books. Think about everything, digest it, discuss it and ask more questions. Always try to learn and advance your understanding of the breed. You must not breed (only) by the numbers (hips/elbows). A good breeder goes about the job with a set aim of trying to produce functional dogs that approximate to the ideal. Don't struggle for perfect hips! Hips need be no better that what will give a dog an active pain free life, and to struggle for better can/WILL mean losing other dogs from the gene pool who have good things to offer, such as temperament. A dog is a whole animal, not just a pair of hips!” Dr. Malcom B. Willis Know Your Breed Remember the traits that exemplify the Labrador Retriever. It isn't only about Hips and Elbows. Genetic Health Testing Learn about the diseases relevant to the Labrador and how we do our best to ensure that your puppy will not inherit one of them. The Genetics of Color Ever wondered how we know what colors will be born to a breeding pair? It all sounds really complicated but once you have a basic understanding, it's pretty simple. COI - co-efficient of inbreeding All Purebreds are inbred. But too much inbreeding causes issues like infertility, small litters, and shortened lifespans. Learn about the different ways breeders are working to lower the COI averages of our Breed. Hip Dysplasia in Labradors Despite phenotypic testing and selective breeding for more than 60 years, hip dysplasia is still an issue in our breed. How to continue to improve the odds for successful outcomes. Elbow Dysplasia in Labradors Information on Elbow Dysplasia and it's place in the responsible Breeder's "tool kit" and the Owner's shared responsibility for good outcomes. Weaning and Feeding This is mostly an "extra page". As a Breeder, I am always on the lookout for the best practices in breeding healthy litters. This page is written for other breeders doing the same as me in that regard, but, there is also something for new puppy parents as well. Home

Aisling Labradors of N.E. Florida, Lab Puppies For Sale in Jacksonville, Fl. Established in 2017 Breeding Traditional Dual Purpose, AKC Registered Labrador Retriever Puppies from Health Tested Parents. Champion Lines. Located near St. Augustine and Jacksonville Florida. One of the best professional breeders in Florida. Chocolate, Yellow, Black Labrador Puppies. Aisling Labradors of N.E. Florida Traditional Dual Purpose Labrador Puppies for sale f rom AKC Registered Champion Lines Aisling - dream, vision - Old Irish "aislinge" Located in North Florida near St. Augustine's beautiful beaches and the city of Jacksonville. Aisling Labrador's puppies for sale are bred for their health, temperament, the traditional retrieving and water drive. We also strive for the more moderate build of Labradors of the past. Parents are health tested, screened for joint health and inbreeding co-efficiency is calculated in our program. The child of breeders myself, I have lived with and loved Labradors since 1967. Breeding Philosophy at Aisling About Us (Slide Show) More on Aisling's Socialization Puppy Pick Out and Up Days are part of why we do this. The joy on the faces of each family member as they meet or arrive to take home their puppy makes lasting memories for all of us. Background audio on video Artist: Seven Nations Song: Waters Wide See the full version of this and other videos on our Video Page and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more! Availability Yellow Litter ANTICIPATED SPRING ’26 MALES 3 RESERVATIONS AVAILABLE FEMALES 1 RESERVATION AVAILABLE Waiting Lists are opened up after all reservations have been sold. Chocolate and Black Litter - Anticipated Spring 2026 Chocolate MALES 1 RESERVATION AVAILABLE Chocolate FEMALES 0 RESERVATION AVAILABLE Black MALES 2 RESERVATION AVAILABLE Black FEMALES 0 RESERVATIONS AVAILABLE Waiting lists are opened after all reservations have been sold. ANTICIPATED ALL BLACK LITTER SPRING/SUMMER 2026 MALES 2 RESERVATIONS AVAILABLE FEMALES 3 RESERVATIONS AVAILABLE Waiting lists open when all reservations have been sold. More Info On Breeding Home Reservations About About Us Our pack Socialization - A MUST! Visitation Policy One Puppy Policy Videos Available Older Dogs Documents/Photos Aisling Litter Photos Pupdates from our Aisling Families Roamin's Documents & Photos Jackson's Documents & Photos Latte's Documents & Photos Jette's Documents & Photos Aila's Documents & Photos Ceilidh's Documents & Photos Puppy Care First Things First - Puppy Care New Puppy Shopping List Know Your Breed Training Spaying/Neutering Responsible Breeding HIP DYSPLASIA IN LABRADORS Elbow Dysplasia Genetic Health Testing Genetics of Color COI - Coefficienct of Inbreeding Weaning and Feeding

Aisling Labradors of N.E. Florida, Dual Purpose Labrador Retrievers, AKC Registered, Health Tested Parents, Champion Lines located near St. Augustine and Jacksonville Florida Available Older Dogs Occasionally, we may have an older puppy or dog available. An owner's circumstances may have changed requiring a puppy or older dog be re-homed or returned to us here at Aisling. If you are interested in being placed on a waiting list; please fill out the contact form found below. Thank you. A special thanks to all of those who provided a home for the 7 puppies in our "foster litter" in 2023. We purchased this litter from their breeder when a change in life circumstances made it impossible for their breeder to continue to socialize, train and find responsible homes for the puppies. The litter was out of a son of our Roamin' and we wanted to ensure they remained out of puppy mills and out of the hands of inexperienced breeders. Our Aisling Families responded by helping us find those puppies the best homes possible and new members of our family were added. Our unending gratitude goes out to all who helped us find 7 11-week old puppies homes in 10 days! There are no older dogs currently available. Older Dogs First name Last name Email Phone Message Submit

How Aisling goes about the weaning process for their litters; a page for new breeders and those interested in how we raise our litters. Weaning & Feeding For the new puppy parent or new breeder...... Weaning - The process of transitioning a puppy from a milk based diet to a dry food for puppies 21 days - A shallow pan of water to test that the lapping instinct is intact. In between - 1 dish of formula daily if needed 28 days(?) - Mush - ground puppy food with a formula Weaning and Feeding For New Breeders Part of being a Breeding is constantly researching (listening to other breeders/reading up on new scientific studies) to determine what is best for the long term health and growth of our puppies. As new Breeders, we follow the advise of our mentors or do it the way it has always been done. But, nothing stays the same forever, we no longer send puppies home at 6 weeks and need therefore to being weaning at 21 days. Since they are staying with us longer because of new scientific data, maybe we should take another look at when to begin weaning as well. It seemed to me, with the litters I over-saw in 2017, to make sense that if the litter was ready to be litter box trained on day 21 they were ready to be weaned as well. But with each new litter, I began to realize that my Dams were not starting the weaning process on day 21. Watching them showed me two important things: Shorter feeding times do not indicate the Dam is ready to wean Supply and demand is well established Pups are proficient at getting what they need The Dam spending less time caring for the pups does not indicate she is ready to wean. Pups are able to regulate their own body temp and go potty on their own The Dam is ready to rejoin the pack knowing that pups are less needy The Dam is ready to wean when she regurgitates her last meal for the pups to eat. I know, it sounds disgusting, but this is what happens in the wild and female dogs, for the most part, mother on pure instinct and instinct tells them when it is time to wean. So, if the Dam isn't regurgitating for her litter on day 21, it seems to me that we are starting the weaning process too early and if we are, we should be asking ourselves whether we are contributing to the potential of individual puppies in our litters developing food allergies later in life? When to introduce Mush to a litter At 21 days, the pups are able to do their business on their own so don't need their Dam to stimulate which means the Dam will begin to rejoin her pack leaving the pups for longer and longer periods. She will return to the pups to allow nursing; when the pups begin to suckle, the milk is immediately let down and they are very proficient at drinking and filling up very quickly. The Dam rarely stays in the box for more than 10 minutes where before, she was in for much longer. It appears that she is "done" with them and ready to wean them, but if you watch more closely, many times, that isn't the case because in another three hours, she will be asking to go back in with the litter for another feed. Take careful note of how over the next week or so, she begin to spread out those feeding times to first four hours and then longer. Watch her head at one of those feedings because it will be low to the ground - you might even think it is because she is sad and in pain - but you will see her quietly regurgitate her food and begin to eat it. The first time, one puppy might notice and leave the teat to eat alongside her, but often, it is the next day before that happens. Wait a few days and most of the litter will leave the teat and eat along side their Mom. THIS is the signal that she is ready to wean them and this is the signal I personally feel we need to be waiting to see before introducing mush. This could begin on day 21 or, as I see in most of my litters, it may happen on day 27 or 28. Weaning isn't just about getting the litter to stop nursing off of their Dam; it is about transitioning them from a natural milk based diet to a dog food diet. It is also about their digestive tract learning to process a different diet and this may be the most important reason to delay weaning. As a moderator on a Breeding Help board, I have seen that many breeders rush to feed the litter 4 meals a day sometimes all in one day and sometimes over the first four days. Since the puppies digestive tracts are still developing, this always seemed wrong to me. We introduced a shallow dish of water at 21 days, a shallow dish of formula at 22 days and their first bowl of mush on the 23rd day (on or about - it depends upon the litter). A new meal was then introduced every 3 days afterwards until they were getting 4 meals. That question of whether I was rushing was always niggling at the back of my mind as I watched my girls delay that regurgitation of a meal until at least a week later. By the fourth year of breeding, I began to listen to my gut and delay introducing mush until I had seen the Dam regurgitate a meal for them and the puppies showing interest in eating with her. Now, there are reasons why supplementing what a litter is getting naturally from their Dam on day 21 might be the best decision (a puppy falling behind or a huge litter that is wearing down the Dam); but even then, I have come to believe that supplementing with a shallow dish of formula/milk replacer might be better for the litter in the long run than introducing mush too early. Watching to see if the difference to that puppy or to the Dam's condition is enough before adding another meal is most likely the best course to follow. Our new protocol beginning with the Bree x Cain 2021 litter: Day 21 - IF needed, one meal per day of formula/milk replacer Day 28 - One meal per day of mush IF the Dam has regurgitated Day 34 - Two meals Day 39 - Three meals plus free feeding (see below) This protocol is of course not set in stone and has been adjusted according to the individual Dam's behavior. Kona typically was done nursing by 6 weeks while Dreama didn't finish until 7 weeks and still allowed what we learned was "comfort suckling" for a minute or two all the way until the puppies were carried out the gate to their new lives. Bree delays weaning until day 26 or 27 and Latte and Jette are regurgitating at about day 30. Best practice is letting your Dam show you when they instinctively sense that the litter is ready to move to eating dry food. Free-Feeding Our Aisling Litters Why do we free-feed our litters when we DO NOT recommend free feeding once the puppies leave us? (Labs for the most part should never be free fed!) Most Labrador puppies devour their dish of food and while in the litter, this is no different. There are been many dishes of mush that went to the ground due to the mad rush of a litter to be first to the bowl and far too many times I saw a puppy choke due to eating too fast. I soon realized that they were "fighting" over the food; fast eaters were getting most of the meal. This was "training" the puppies to eat even faster to ensure they got enough to be full. Separating them by slow and fast eaters or large and smaller puppies helped some but not enough. Giving each puppy their own bowl didn't slow them down either. After watching this through several litters, I ordered some flat-backed buckets that hang on the panels of the ex-pen and once the puppies were eating dry food and drinking water, I filled those buckets with dry food. While they were eating from their dishes, I placed the buckets in the pen. This meant that they investigated the buckets but didn't gorge or fight to get to them because they were already filled up from their meal (which of course, they ate far too fast, pushing and shoving their way to the dishes). As the rest of the day went by, I saw individual puppies stroll over to a bucket and eat slowly from it. Just a bite or two usually. And when I brought them their next meal in a dish? No rushing at all. Most took the time to get a cuddle and a pat from me, some continued to play for a bit or nap! While that was encouraging, the best part was that over the next week, those lighter puppies began to put on weight more steadily and by the 8 week puppy weigh in, they were nearly uniform in weight. And when they all went to their new homes? I didn't get so many emails and texts and phone calls about how the puppies devoured in two seconds anything that was put in front of them asking me what they could do to slow them down! From 7 - 8 weeks of age, we remove the food filled buckets at night to get them used to going through the night without being able to nibble on something and feed them four times each day rather than three. Feeding for Owners Our " Puppy Care " page has quite a bit of information regarding feeding your Labrador Puppy. And for those who are bringing home an Aisling puppy, we provide even more detail in our pdf's which are emailed to you before your puppy comes home. Like weaning, our ever-growing knowledge and our experience in raising our own Labrador puppies evolves our protocols. While in the past, we recommended feeding your puppy THREE times a day, there is a growing body of data that indicates feeding FOUR times a day through at least 20 weeks of age is far better. The rapid growth and high energy level of puppies means they burn calories at a high rate. Spreading their nutrition over four meals for longer than 8 weeks appears to help regulate their growth patterns and protect the density of their bones. For more information, please visit the Puppy Care page Next: Responsible Breeding

About Us, Our Pack, Socialization of the litters, Dr. Dodd's Vaccine Protocol and Aisling's policies! All "About Us" Pages Learn how we got started, meet our pack and see the policies we have evolved to over the years of our experience as breeders. About Us I was an Air Force Brat. My husband a Navy Brat. His family had GSD's. Mine bred Labradors! Read our story to learn about whether we breed English or American Labradors..... Our Pack Meet the Labradors with whom we share our life! Socialization Socialization is one of the most important things a Breeder provides a litter. It sets the stage for the rest of their lives. Read about how we socialize the litters at each stage of their growth. Doctor Dodd's Vaccine Protocol Read about it here so you can prepare to bring home your Aisling Puppy. Visitation Policy Biosecurity is a issue for all breeders, but especially for those of us who don't house our Labradors in concrete kennel runs. Learn about our policy here. One Puppy At A Time Policy We would love for you to have two (or more!) Aisling puppies share your life. But we ask that there be a minimum of four months difference in age. See why.... Videos Our favorite videos of Life 'Round Aisling and of our "Watch Them Grow" Series on Facebook. Social Media Like and Follow Us on Facebook and Instagram for the most up-to-the-minute photos!

Videos of Life 'Round Aisling - from trips to the beach to litters in the paddock and adults racing the yard with links to follow us on Facebook and Instagram. From "Good Mornings" in the Gazebo (when it's not freezing!) to afternoons in the yard or paddock, we make lots of videos 'round Aisling! Although Instagram and Facebook are updated more frequently than ou r website , a few of our most popular videos are shared here! Aisling Labradors Videos Please follow us on Instagram & Facebook Reels I've been working on converting old footage to Reels for the past few months preparing for using that medium for litter movies going forward. It's been a great deal of fun watching the older movies and making a few new ones as my understanding of this new form of sharing has grown. Life 'Round Aisling Between litters, we take every opportunity to take each Labrador out for some one on one attention. Whether it's to our favorite Pub for some music and fellowship; to Lowes or Home Depot to buy for the unending list of things we need for this old farmhouse, or to the beach. This was Roamin's first time at the beach; he loved it as should a Labrador! "Watch Them Grow" We post photos almost daily and try for a video at least every two weeks for each of our litters. This allows our Aisling Families to see their progress from birth to going home day! More Organized Chaos at Aisling and Raising A Little Cain Learning through play One of our first litters here at Aisling, this video shows the litter during their Health Certification where they receive their first round of vaccinations, and their microchips. Many folks ask us if the girls enjoy being Mothers, I think this video answers that question! Dreama X Raising Cain Puppy Paddock While the puppies play in the paddock, outside of it our pack is having their own good time (see the end of the video!). Much has changed over the years, there is now a screened pool where the pump house used to be but there are still plenty of trees for these energetic labs to race around on a daily basis. This was Dreama's last litter (with Roamin') before her retirement and has been our most popular video on Facebook. Background Music is from Seven Nations An Oldie But A Goodie A Kona x Shadybry's Raising Cain at Terremere Litter. Again, much has changed over the years; puppies now play in a much larger paddock (seen in the previous video). HOME

Read about our journey to becoming Labrador Breeders and find answers to questions like "which Labrador breed is best" - there is only one breed but we can help you discover more about the type of Labrador and what, if any, differences there are between those types. Our goal is to produce Dual Purpose Labradors that embody both the working traits and moderate body structure of the Traditional Labrador Retriever. Our Labradors are family members; litters are whelped and weaned in our home where socialization and the groundwork for training begins immediately. This leads to secure, well adjusted, easy to train Labrador puppies for sale that will be your perfect companion. Our Story I was an Air Force Brat. My husband was a Navy Brat. His family raised German Shepherd Dogs while mine bred and raised Labradors. Our first dog together was a German Shepherd. After his passing, I convinced my husband to try a Labrador; her name was Jenna and she was soon joined by Shanna. By 2005, we had adopted / rescued two black Labs in need of re-homing who personified the opposite ends of where the Breed had been taken since my parents had retired their breeding program. Our Murphy was the size of a Shetland Pony but long bodied and thin legged; loved retrieving and water. The other boy was short, heavy and obsessed with retrieving but would tire quickly; he could live without ever setting a toe in water. Adopted at 2 and 3 respectively, we adored both these lads but neither of them resembled the Labs I had grown up with. I began to talk to Breeders about working with them to establish our own breeding program. Finally finding one willing to grant us full registration, in the spring of 2006, we brought home our Callie, the daughter of an International Champion. Raising her for the purpose of breeding her, I quickly realized that she had no water drive and very little retrieve drive either. A wonderful and gorgeous companion, she too was not the Labrador I had known in my childhood. I began to research just what had been going on in the breeding world; here is what I learned...Although there is only ONE standard of the breed for Labradors, over the years, years of breeding with a goal of producing Labs that fit both the working traits and conformation requirements needed for the potential of becoming a Dual Champion, had morphed into two types of Breeders - typically known as American (Field) or English (Show). Field bred Labs are bred with the working traits in mind to be competitive in field-trial events; when I was a child, my parents referred to these as “American Labs” with a lighter bone structure, longer legs, a thinner or single layer coat, a longer muzzle and heads not as broad (our Murphy was a Field bred Labrador). Breeders looked for dogs that exhibited these working traits very strongly; the "look" was not as important as those traits. Show (or sometimes "Bench") bred Labs are bred with a “look” in mind; a look that would satisfy the Conformation Judging. Subjective judging had led to the more moderate looking Labrador that I knew as a child gradually being replaced with a stockier dog, heavier bone structure and shorter legs, with a coat so much more dense that it adds an appearance of an even heavier dog, and the "block head” I knew as a child becoming more square and the muzzle shorter. Concerned primarily with winning in a show ring, breeders cared less about the working traits of their dogs. Although there are those who say that the two "types" of Labradors differ in energy levels, in my experience, that difference is not in one being "hyper" and the other "laid back". It is the body type affecting the length of time energy is sustained. But more concerning to me was the appearance of a loss of drive for retrieving and water play in the Show lines as well as the fact that both Indie and Callie were fearful; neither ever became comfortable leaving our home despite consistent socializing. We made the decision not to breed Callie. Six years after deciding that we would not breed our Callie, we began to look for Breeders who shared our vision to produce traditional Labrador Retrievers that embodied all the physical and working traits of the dogs who were the companions of my childhood - in other words, more moderate in stature and retaining all the working traits and the fearless nature of the traditional Labrador. On June 20th 2013 we brought home Angus Demetrius planning on his being the foundation of our program. Unfortunately, despite the Excellent and Normal ratings of both his Sire and Dam; Angus was diagnosed with mild to moderate Hip Dysplasia at the age of 10 months and the decision was made to neuter him. With heavy hearts, we moved forward raising Kona and Dreama with the goal of slow growth and a controlled environment. In 2016/17, both were certified with Excellent hips and Normal elbows and our breeding journey began. Finally, a Dream more than 30 years in the making came true. The dogs that influenced our goals MURPHY INDIE CALLIE Meet Our Current Pack

When should your Labrador Retriever be spayed or neutered? What is the science behind delayed spaying and neutering for medium and large breed dogs? Spaying and Neutering "Among male and female dogs with early-age gonadectomy, hip dysplasia, noise phobias, and sexual behaviors were increased...." C. Victor Spain DVM, PhD, Janet M. Scarlett DVM, PhD, and Katherine A. Houpt VMD, PhD, DACVB Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association Dogs gonadectomized at ≤ 6 months of age had significantly increased odds of developing a behavioral disorder. The younger the age at gonadectomy, the earlier the mean age at diagnosis of mast cell cancer, cancers other than mast cell, hemangiosarcoma, lymphoma, all cancers combined, a behavioral disorder, or fear of storms. Frontiers in Veterinary Science In previous studies on the Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever and German Shepherd Dog, neutering before a year of age was associated with increased risks of one or more joint disorders, 2–4 times that of intact dogs. The increase was particularly seen with dogs neutered by 6 months of age. Rachel Eddleman, DVM Waiting until your dog is older decreases the likelihood of female urinary incontinence, orthopedic problems including cranial cruciate ligament tears, and certain cancers. Cardiac Tumors occurred with similar frequency in males and females, but the relative risk for spayed females was >4 times that for intact females. For HSA, spayed females had >5 times greater relative risk than did intact females. The risk for castrated males was slightly greater than that for intact males, which had 2.4 times the relative risk of intact females. Thus, neutering appeared to increase the risk of cardiac tumor in both sexes. Intact females were least likely to develop a cardiac tumor, whereas spayed females were most likely to develop a tumor. Twelve breeds had greater than average risk of developing a cardiac tumor, whereas 17 had lower risk. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association February 1, 2014, Vol. 244, No. 3, Pages 309-319 J R Slauterbeck 1, K Pankratz, K T Xu, S C Bozeman, D M Hardy Females that had ovariohysterectomy and males that had orchiectomy had a significantly higher prevalence of anterior cruciate ligament rupture than the sexually intact dogs. Larger dogs had an increased prevalence of anterior cruciate ligament injury compared with smaller or medium-sized dogs, with the increased rupture rates for sterilized animals holding across breeds and sizes. Sterilization of either gender increased the prevalence of anterior cruciate ligament injury, suggesting a potential effect of gonadal gender on prevalence of injury of this ligament. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association C. Victor Spain DVM, PhD, Janet M. Scarlett DVM, PhD, and Katherine A. Houpt VMD, PhD, DACVB Results—Among female dogs, early-age gonadectomy was associated with increased rate of cystitis and decreasing age at gonadectomy was associated with increased rate of urinary incontinence. Among male and female dogs with early-age gonadectomy, hip dysplasia, noise phobias, and sexual behaviors were increased.... AVMA American Veterinary Medical Association M Christine Zink 1, Parvene Farhoody, Samra E Elser, Lynda D Ruffini, Tom A Gibbons, Randall H Rieger Results— Females gonadectomized at ≤ 12 months of age and males and females gonadectomized at > 12 months of age had significantly increased odds of developing hemangiosarcoma, compared with the odds for sexually intact dogs. s. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association HIP AND ELBOW WARRANTY In order for our Hip and Elbow Warranty to remain in effect, we require that: Males be neutered no earlier than 18 months and preferably at 24 months. Females be spayed AFTER 12 months of age and 3 months AFTER their heat cycle (to reduce risk of bleeding during surgery). While ultimately the choice is yours when to spay or neuter your puppy, unless it is to save t he life of an Aisling Puppy (i.e. Pyom etra in a female or testicular torsion or other disorder in a male), alteration earlier than the recommended ages will void the Hip and Elbow Warranty offered by Aisling Labradors due to the increased risk of joint disorders. While we support spay and neuter AFTER a dog has sexually matured, we feel that Dog Owners deserve to know the risks that come with that decision. Next: Hip Dysplasia

Are dog DNA tests worth it? How accurate are dog DNA tests? What is the best dog DNA testing company? What's the difference between Pedigree COI , Genetic Diversity COI (Wisdom) and the testing of more than 230,000 SNP's (Embark)? Should you panic because your dog has a high COI? THE CO-EFFICIENT OF INBREEDING (COI) Stay Tuned WHAT MAKES A BREED? GENETICALLY SIMILAR DOGS COI measures the common ancestors of dam and sire, and indicates the probability of how genetically similar they are. Dogs inherit two copies of any gene; one from each parent. Calculating the COI of any litter measures the probability of an allele being homozygous due to an identical gene being passed down to the puppies in that litter along both the dam and sires lines from single common ancestors. Homozygous genes can be good or bad; identical genes have created the look and traits of the Labrador, but, in a different gene, it may also contribute to lower fertility, smaller litters (i.e. for each 10% of COI) , one less puppy) inherited diseases and potentially a shorter lifetime. There are now three methods of testing for Genetic Diversity: 1) Traditional Pedigree COI 2) Genetic testing of specific SNPs 3) Genetic Testing of 200,000+ SNPs ALLELE The gene-pair is called an ‘allele’. HOMOZYGOUS When the gene pair is identical, it is called ‘homozygous’. HETEROZYGOUS When the gene pair is not identical, it is called ‘heterozygous.’ The coefficient of inbreeding for dogs is not a measure of health. It is a measure of the probability of inherited matching copies of a gene. Homozygosity is not inherently bad. Which genes are homogenous is important to know. For example, Beagles are homozygous for the coat color genes a(t) a(t) and k(y) - There are no known deletrious effects of being homozygous on these locii. It is not how MUCH homozygosity that matters...it is WHICH genes are homozygous. COI does not tell us that. Again, it measures the probability of inheriting matching copies of a gene. Embark's COI from 200,000 plus SNPs is going to reflect both non-harmful duplication of some genes and potentially harmful duplications of others. Pedigree COI Parent/offspring: 25% Full sibling: 25% Grandparent/grandchild: 12.5% Half sibling: 12.5% Great grandparents/great grandchild: 6.25% First cousin: 6.25% Read as: 12.5% COI - there is a one in 12.5 chance that any particular locus would have two copies of the same allele, and 12.5% of all of the genes in an animal will be homozygous. To help lower COI average in our breed, most breeders used "outcross" breeding rather than the closer breeding shown above. The breed average COI using Pedigree Calculations is 6.5%. Choosing a Breeding Pair that will produce litters with COIs under that has been the goal. Until very recently, Breeders relied upon pedigrees to determine COI. Using at least 10 generations, there were calculators to let us know what the COI of each litter produced by a pair of Labradors would be estimated to be. The calculator would say that statistically, two full siblings mated together would have a 25% COI. But, it could actually be much lower or even much higher. Without any way to test 200,000 plus genes we were guessing at a litter's COI. To compensate for this "guessing", Breeders used COI calculations together with Genetic Health Testing for diseases we knew were found within our Breed. We also moved towards using "outcross breeding" to lower COI; this simply means we paired together dogs with no common ancestors within the last 4 to 6 generations. Over time, we began to see COI averages for the Breed move lower. (Note that Breeders whose dogs compete in Breed Conformation Shows will still use inbreeding or line-breeding every few generations.) Recently, the ability to test the Genetic Diversity of our dogs through companies like Embark or Wisdom have become possible. Breeders are moving towards using these companies for their younger dogs. Panel testing also covers the Health Tests for the relevant diseases so this is an overall improvement on how we are able to determine which dogs to breed and which to sell as pets. Example of Pedigree COI Note: These are not the full results and are shown as an example. Genetic Diversity Wisdom Panel - Wisdom Panel uses a genetic diversity measurement based on specific markers within a pet's DNA, known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) "A measure of genetic diversity (also known as heterozygosity) is distinct from the traditional definition of coefficient of inbreeding (COI). COI is typically based on recent pedigrees and is associated with the probability of inheriting two copies of the same allele (or sometimes a large genomic chunk of inherited gene variants) from common ancestors. Diversity scoring is based on genetic testing at several genomic locations that are informative of overall variability within a population.... Both methods of determining genetic diversity measure an association with inbreeding rather than directly measuring inbreeding itself. In addition to recent family inbreeding, both measures reflect long-term population “inbreeding.” Embark Panel - uses 200,000+ markers "There are three ways to quantify the coefficient of inbreeding (COI): (1) Using a pedigree, (2) Trying a small set of polymorphic markers (3) Testing a genome-wide marker panel. "We use nearly all of our 200,000+ markers to identify segments of chromosomes that are highly likely to have been inherited from a common ancestor. In comparison, tests that evaluate only small parts of the genome, or estimate homozygosity based on “identity by state,” can miss long inbreeding tracks (sometimes entire chromosomes). With over 200,000 markers spaced throughout the genome, our test uncovers long (and short) inbreeding tracks...." Because Panel Testing is testing genetic material and therefore able to give us more information, the COI average is different than that of Pedigree COI. Wisdom Panel, is actually a test of Genetic Diversity and separate from the traditional COI. Embark tests 230,000 SNPs and is obviously going to report a higher COI than Pedigree COI. These differences have caused a headache for breeders (who had been doing what was within their power previously) as their puppy family sends off a DNA test to Embark or Wisdom and the COI is higher than they had been told by their Breeder. I once had a puppy tested by its owner for whom Embark stated COI was 19% vs the 0% calculated by the traditional pedigree calculations done before the breeding. It is important for pet owners to remember a few things as they read their results. Breeders used the tools at their disposal; DNA testing for relevant diseases and the Pedigree COI Calculators. Breeders used that same Pedigree to mate their dogs using Outcross Breeding and were lowering the average COI for the breed before panel testing was available as a tool. In order for a litter to be a Labrador litter, there IS going to be a degree of inbreeding - after all, that is how a breed is created. Even mixed breeds can have a high COI depending upon the community from which they come. It is in a Breeder's best interest to protect not only their own litters but the health of the breed as a whole. We produce these litters because we love and want to protect the breed. COIs are not the be-all and end-all of a dog. They’re just one measure and NOT a measure of an individual dogs health. A COI of only 1% does not guarantee health and fitness it simply lowers the chance of having inherited a double dose of defective genes. The coefficient of inbreeding for dogs is not a measure of health. It is a measure of risk of inherited matching copies of a gene. Homozygosity is not inherently bad. The result is going to be different depending upon the methodology. A PEDIGREE COI of 25% is a mating of full siblings or Father to Daughter/Mother to Son. In GENETIC COI, the percentage is accumulative over ALL generations of breeding and therefore HIGHER than the PEDIGREE COI and is based in part on an “across all purebreds” basis. 
 The Average COI using DNA for all pure breeds is 20% Embark reports that its database reflects a COI average for Labradors of 11%. (Note: Each puppy in a litter may have a different COI in DNA COI as inheritance is random.) As with the testing of human DNA for ancestral inheritance, as their database grows, the estimate will become more accurate. The coefficient of inbreeding for dogs is not a measure of health. It is a measure of risk of inherited matching copies of a gene. Homozygosity is not inherently bad. Which genes are homogenous is important to know. For example, Beagles are homozygous for the coat color genes a(t) a(t) and k(y) - There are no known deletrious effects of being homozygous on these locii. It is not how MUCH homozygosity that matters...it is WHICH genes are homozygous. COI does not tell us that. Again, it measures the risk of inheriting matching copies of a gene. Embark's COI from 200,000 plus SNPs is going to reflect both non-harmful duplication of some genes and potentially harmful duplications of others. Wrapping it up ISSUES TO CONSIDER WITH DOG DNA GENETIC TESTING While the FDA regulates the human DNA testing there is no regulatory body for dog DNA testing). Sending DNA samples to multiple companies can result in widely varying results from the breed or mix of breeds to familial relationships and disease related mutations. Resending a sample from the same dog to the same company can result in a different result Purebred dogs can be deemed as "mixed breed" to the extent that Wisdom Panel states: Wisdom Panel Canine DNA tests are not intended to refute” known ancestry....Because there is only one purebred tree model in the 11 considered, the statistical process inherently favors mixed ancestry. How you fill out your information appears to affect the results...for example, a veterinary group sampled a Purebred Registered Poodle submitting it to several companies as a Purebred; results came back as purebred Poodle. When the same DNA was submitted to the same companies as a mixed breed, the results were Labrador retriever, Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Shih Tzu, Tibetan Spaniel and Miniature Poodle. Read More HOME