FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Ask yourself, and family, a few questions:

• Why do you want a Lab?

• Where do you live? In what conditions will the dog live? Do you have a fenced yard?

• What other pets do you own now? Breed? How many?

• Who will be the primary caretaker of the dog?

• How many hours a day will the dog be left alone?

Labs are a very high energy breed and can take 2-3 years to get out of the "puppy stage" compared to other breeds. The AKC recommends that those looking to purchase a Lab understand that:

• Labs LOVE water

• They are hunting dogs but also very versatile who can do almost anything

• Training and obedience classes are highly recommended

• Color does not determine the character or health of the dog. This is done through responsible breeding and raising of Labs

• The Lab lifespan averages 10-12 years

• Even though they have short coats, they do shed. Be prepared to groom your Lab at least once per week and more during shedding!

• They are (in our opinion!) some of the best dogs ever and will give you so much love, fun, and friendship for their whole life! You can't beat a Lab!

This is a frequent question and a great one!

Some believe that females will not display “alpha” behaviors and think that females are more passive and don’t take part in fighting over dominance, which could NOT be farther from the truth. Yes, little girls are precious, but it is through them in a pack the ranking is decided, and this can make females more independent and territorial. These traits also can make them more focused than males and they often become better work and hunting dogs. Females also tend to be easier to train and mature earlier than males.

Male Labs tend to be more affectionate and attentive, and even demand more attention. A male Lab becomes very attached to his owners, and tend to be more dedicated, reliable and less temperamental. Males are also more easily motivated by food, words of praise and are so eager to please making training actually easier. With these loveable traits, males can tend to be more easily distracted than their female counterparts as they are always wanting to play!

Either male or female, Labs make amazing family members and can do almost anything you ask them to! We love both our boys and girls, and we ensure that every one of our pups is shown love and are given the best opportunities early in life to become great dogs! The key to any puppy is to set boundaries and ensure proper training at an early age so that you and your pup can have years of happiness together!

After 8 weeks our puppies are ready to come home with you!

At H&H Farm our puppies stay with their mama until they are 8 weeks old. Studies have shown that those who leave their mothers prior to this are more likely to develop or display problems in behavior or temperament as adults. While some breeders will allow pups to leave earlier than 8 weeks, these pups are missing critical time with the mama to learn critical skills and behaviors that will carry it through life. Additionally, we want to ensure that our pups are completely weaned and growing well eating on their own so that their furever families can rest assured their puppy is ready and well adjusted for a long, happy, and healthy life with them!

We have a wait list for our next litter. We will NOT breed our mama back-to-back so that we know she has time to fully recover from the stress of whelping through weaning her babies and can enjoy life, not just be a breeding dog even though she loves being a mama!

To get on the waitlist simply email us at handhfarm2019@gmail.com and ask to be placed on the list. We do go in order of contact with deposit to hold a pup. Once we confirm the next whelp date, we will reach out to let you know when to expect to come and pick out your new pup! We do go in order of receipt of deposit as to pick of the litter so if you are the first on the list and have placed a deposit you would get pick of the litter first!

The quick answer is no, we do not ship our puppies. However, we do have families that choose to use pet transport services to get their puppy home safely and we will work with you and your reputable transporter to ensure your puppy gets home safely.

We have puppies in homes locally as well as Middle Tennessee, to Florida, to Georgia and Alabama, and even all the way to Massachusetts and Pennsylvania!!!

We do offer local delivery within 50 miles for free and due to the rising cost of fuel, supplies, etc. we will arrange for meet ups or delivery to farther homes for a reasonable fee. Should a family choose to use a pet transporter service our delivery fee, of course, will not apply provided the service can come to the farm or meet within 50 miles.

Many of our far away families choose the option to meet halfway, and while this can still incur a delivery fee (depending on the distance) they are able to safely get their little fur bay home!

Before every breeding our mama is checked for health and ensured all her vaccines, and such, are up to date.

Once the puppies are born, they are dewormed at 2 weeks of age and again at 4, 6, and 8 weeks. If any stay in our home longer then we continue on schedule as directed by our vet. For vaccines we follow the AKC and our vet recommendations (which are the same) and that schedule looks like this:

6 — 8 weeks: Distemper, parvovirus, Bordetella

When they go to their new home schedule suggested is as follows (and how we do for our dogs):

10 — 12 weeks: DHPP (vaccines for distemper, adenovirus [hepatitis], parainfluenza, and parvovirus, Influenza, Leptospirosis, Bordetella, Lyme disease

16 — 18 weeks: DHPP, rabies, Influenza, Lyme disease, Leptospirosis, Bordetella

12 — 16 months: DHPP, rabies, Coronavirus, Leptospirosis, Bordetella, Lyme disease

Every 1 — 2 years: DHPP, Influenza, Coronavirus, Leptospirosis, Bordetella, Lyme disease per lifestyle

Every 1 — 3 years: Rabies as required by TN state law

We start watching the pups to be ready to wean around 4 weeks of age. We start with a "mush" that is quality puppy food that is soaked and made into a mushy substance to start teaching them to eat. We let them guide us to the next steps as they wean (with mama's help of course!). Once the puppies are fully acclimated and able to eat puppy food, we will feed a high-quality food to them as directed by our vet. We make sure that when our pups leave that their new families ae well aware of what brand and amounts their new fur baby has been eating!

Our little mama is fed a well-balanced and complete diet throughout pregnancy. We also monitor her weight to ensure that she is gaining appropriately and not too much or too little. She also receives prenatal vitamins and postnatal vitamins to maintain hers and the puppies' health.

YES! Our puppies are AKC registered and come from a line of champions in the hunting and field and trial world with Master Hunter pedigree!

Socialization is so important for dogs. Good, responsible breeders know this and start steps shortly after whelping (birth) to aid in well socialized puppies and dogs. ENS, or early neurological stimulation, is a series of exercises that we do at least once daily from the 3rd to 16th day. We continue stimulation practices throughout their time with us, but it is this critical, early time when the pups are very sensitive and have rapid neurological growth to where ENS is important. This military developed method involves each puppy being handled and a series of exercises performed. These exercises provide stimulation, and it is believed that the method helps to improve the puppy's performance as they grow and learn as well as jump starting the neurological into action early. Benefits of ENS include improved cardiovascular health, stronger adrenal glands, increased stress tolerance, and an increased disease resistance.

ESI, early scent introduction, promotes nose awareness, confidence and is believed to improve the ability for the puppy to identify and react to scents later in life. Just as with ENS, ESI is done between the 3rd and 16th days and improves development. The puppies are exposed to different scents each day and note their reactions and if they are positive, negative, or neutral. Benefits to ESI include a more alert dog which helps to develop an even better companion, service, or working dog.

These are just two more ways that H & H farm starts your pup to help to ensure the best possible foundation for your little fur baby!