Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the difference between English Labradors and Field Labradors?
There are differences in both looks and temperaments between the English type and the non-English type dogs.
English dogs are built more stocky, with a big, broad head and big boned legs. They stand shorter to the ground, have shorter legs and tails than field dogs.
The English temperament is (in my own experience) much more calm and relaxed. I've never met an aggressive English dog. Field dogs are bred and built to run in timed trials. The faster and more accurately they can compete, the better.
Because of this, they are bred for a higher energy level making them less suited as companions and house dogs, more "hyper" and sometimes difficult to train. I have met some field bred labradors that are quite aggressive. Not all field dogs are hyper, or aggressive, just a greater percentage are than what you will find in the English lines.
2. What are the temperament differences between a male and female labrador?
Male labs tend to be very attached to their people, both physically and emotionally. They are more dependent, clingy and focused on their people. When relaxing around the house, you can usually find a male dog leaning against one of us, or laying with his head on our feet.
Female labs are usually more independent. They are very loving and affectionate, but don't require the physical closeness that a male does. They are very happy to lay at the other end of the room. Of course there are females and males that don't follow these examples. This is a just a general statement. Which make better pets? That depends on your preferences and lifestyle.
3. Why are our pet puppies placed on limited AKC registrations and not allowed to be used for breeding?
We have worked for over 13 years to make our labradors what they are today. Many influential breeders have worked for years longer than that to produce the ancestors that made our lines possible. When we do a breeding between dogs, it is done with a vast amount of knowledge of our pedigrees, health clearances, and only dogs with a perfect temperament. Breedings are done with primarily health and temperament in mind, followed closely by conformation (structure).
Breeding labradors ethically takes years of research of pedigrees and lines. If a pet owner unknowingly puts 2 pedigrees together that carry genes for the same problem (hip dysplasia, PRA, cataracts etc) the results can be catastrophic. Another fear of mine is that my kennel name will magically appear in a puppy mill or backyard breeder's pedigree. I am very picky when I place my puppies and I have no way of knowing if a pet owner who breeds would have the same tools
for screening prospective buyers, or if they would also use limited registration, or if they would breed with the conviction that I myself have. If we place a puppy in a show home on full registration, it may be on a co-ownership or on a limited registration, which can be removed if the new owner has the appropriate clearances done and the dogs is of show/breeding quality. The owner must also prove to have done the appropriate research of the breed, and be someone who has stayed in contact with me and accepts my advice and mentoring.
4. Do we offer a guarantee, and exactly what does that mean to puppy buyers?
Yes, we offer a written guarantee over hips and eyes for 26 months. Our guarantee reads that if a puppy has a problem confirmed to be genetic, and is unable to function as a pet because of that problem, that the puppy will be replaced with another puppy of the breeders choosing of the same color and sex. Our guarantee does require the feeding of specific brands of food, exercise restrictions during growth, and requires the puppy be kept in an appropriate body condition (not allowed to become overweight). Please keep in mind that we do the appropriate clearances on our dogs, as did the owners of the ancestors of our dogs.
Puppies are living creatures, you must keep in mind that no living thing is perfect.
Every labrador has a flaw somewhere, your puppy will not be perfect in every way regardless of where you purchase it or how much you pay for it. When you pay top price for a puppy of any breed, you are buying a puppy whose ancestors didn't have health or temperament problems and had good structure and movement.
That greatly reduces the chances that your new puppy will have these same genetic problems, but just like in humans, unforeseen issues can crop up anywhere. We do our best to keep our puppy buyers informed and to make them feel comfortable in contacting us about any concerns.
5. How much are your puppies?
Our puppies range anywhere from $1000 to $2000 depending on which breeding and what color they are. Most are $1000 to $1500. Our fox red puppies are the most expensive because they are very rare, and managing a breeding of fox red puppies costs us about twice as much as any other color. We NEVER place a fox red puppy into a home on full registration under any circumstances. Why are our puppies so expensive? We spend more money caring for and showing our dogs every year than we earn on puppy sales. We put money into our building, our fencing, food, vet care, clearances etc.
We also have donated puppies to Leader Dogs in Michigan to be trained for seeing eye dogs and puppies and stud service have been donated to Noah's Assistance Dogs in Lincoln, NE. To us it is a hobby, and we have a love for the breed that makes all the work well worth it. There is no feeling like sending home a puppy with a family, a retired couple or a lonely single person who leaves with tears in their eyes for their new best friend and family member. That is why we raise these terrific dogs.
If you think this is outrageous, and an assurance of quality, temperament and health are not important to you, then we highly suggest you visit your local animal shelter as an option to buying an inexpensive puppy from a backyard breeder or puppy mill. Please do not support these breeders, there are many purebred labrador retrievers at shelters all over the country that are euthanized every day.
6. Do you have a return policy?
We welcome every dog we have bred back here for any reason. Regardless of why you cannot keep your dog, or how many years ago you purchased it from us, we will take it back at anytime, no questions asked. We will do our best to find the dog a new home, or keep it ourselves.
7. Do we ship puppies nationally and internationally?
We do ship puppies all over the USA. We have done so for many years and have never had a serious problem. We will make the reservations to fly your puppy into a nearby airport, but you must pay in advance for the expenses and the puppy. In many cases the puppy will be much less stressed on a 4 hour flight, then he/she would be on a 14 hour car ride. The cost for shipping a typical 8 to 9 week old puppy Is usually around $300. For shipping of adult dogs, add approximately $200 for size of crate and increased shipping weight.
We will not ship a puppy if the puppy will be in any danger due to temperatures, or due to weather restrictions, NO EXCEPTIONS. It is up to airline restrictions and our best judgement on the day of the flight if we will go through with it or cancel it and reschedule.
We have successfully shipped puppies to the following countries: Philippines (2), Hong Kong (1), Japan (1), Italy (2). Costs for shipping internationally are quite variable and can range anywhere from $500 to $2000. We will not ship a puppy to a country where it will be quarantined. For information on quarantine, you may contact the US consolate to whatever country the puppy would be flying to.
8. What other transportation options are there to get a puppy home across country?
Many people will purchase a roundtrip ticket for themselves to fly into Des Moines International airport. We are happy to meet the new owners at the airport and deliver their puppy to them. The puppy can then be transported under the seat of the airplane in a soft sided pet carrier. This is always the safest route because the puppy doesn't leave your sight. New owners are always welcome to drive and pick up their puppy. This allows them the time to be flexible when visiting and seeing the relatives here at Penara.
9. Where are your puppies raised and how are they socialized?
Our puppies are raised in our home, in our dining room until they are around 4 weeks. At that time they are moved out to the heated and airconditioned kennel. We do early neurologic stimulation with our puppies starting at 3 days of age. After 5 weeks old they get to play outdoors, in the house and with my children on a regular basis. They have a dog door, or separate area for pottying once in the kennel building so they begin to develop good habits of pottying away from the living area, making housetraining easy.
10. Do the puppies have vaccinations and deworming?
The puppies are vaccinated at least twice before they leave, depending on their age, and are dewormed multiple times. They will continue to need puppy vaccines as often as every three to four weeks until they are 4 to 5 months old, according to the recommendations of your own veterinarian.
11. Are you available to answer questions in the future should we purchase a puppy?
Absolutely. When you buy a puppy from us, we will be involved as much as you let us in the raising of that puppy. We welcome questions, photos and updates. We share in the experiences and lives of our puppy buyers for many years. We have made many wonderful lifelong friends all over the world through sale of our puppies.
12. Do you have references?
We will be happy to provide you with references before purchasing a puppy. We encourage you to check with our references via email. Most of our puppy sales are by referral. Our puppies are contageous and we have multiple families and neighborhoods and even single homes who have 1, 2, 3 or more of our puppies involved in their lives.
13. How long is your waiting list?
Our waiting list can range anywhere from having puppies immediately available to a year or longer for a specific mom, dad, color or sex. Sometimes we don't place puppies from a litter in advance because it may be a first breeding for a female or male, or we may intend on keeping several puppies and want to wait and see what we have. Other times proven producing labradors may have a waiting list of up to a year. It all depends on what you want in a puppy, and what we have available. We don't have more than 2 litters at a time as it becomes difficult to give all the puppies the attention they deserve.
We have one or two litters several times a year in most cases.
14. Why do you take deposits and are they refundable?
We require deposits to hold your place in a littr for the color and sex of puppy you desire. We do this because it is very important to us to be absolutely sure we have a great home ready for every puppy born with us. For this same reason we do not refund deposits. If something comes up and you are unable to take the puppy you placed a deposit on, we are happy to move the deposit to another litter at a better time. A deposit is a promise to wait for a puppy, and give it a good home.
We count on that and if we refunded deposits, there would be no reason to accept them in the first place.
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