VAN DALEN IBIM LABRADORS
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    • Health >
      • Is your puppy sick?
      • Hip Dysplasia
      • Ovulation timing in the bitch
    • Training and Behavior >
      • Crate training
      • The Leash
      • Puppy biting or nipping
      • CGC Program
      • The Collar
      • Introducing your new dog to your cats
    • Choosing the right puppy
    • Champion Bred Labrador Retrievers
    • Labrador Characteristics
    • Labrador types
    • To AKC or not to AKC
    • Enriching Our Dogs Lives

About Us

Picture
​I have own purebred dogs and participated in dog shows and other events for more than 30 years. I've owned, bred, and shown other breeds, such as Belgian sheepdogs, Golden Retrievers, Basset Hounds, and Shar Pei. My easy-going and always happy English type Labrador Retrievers are my companions, and they are a pleasure to live with. My bloodlines are laid back, very trainable and yes, they are also very pretty! I show them in conformation and work in obedience. We are not a business and just breed sporadically with the sole purpose of improving the breed and keep a puppy or two. Even when the purpose of our breeding program is to perpetuate our lines, not all our puppies will go to other breeders or show homes with friends that share my passion. Some of my puppies will go to pet homes as wonderful family companions. These puppies are sold with limited registration some others will go as obedience and weekend hunting partners. If you are new to the dog shows and wish to get involved with a show puppy, we would like to meet you and know more about you. My commitment as a responsible breeder and as a veterinarian is, first and foremost, to breed only sound parents and provide healthy puppies that will be enjoyed by their new families for many, many years. In order to produce a show dog and an excellent companion who could also be a hunting partner, I also emphasize my breeding program in temperament and type. We believe in testing and certifying all our boys and girls to be free from genetic diseases or disorders. I check hips, elbows, eyes, Knees, and heart. They are cleared through OFA and CERF. We also test for PRA and EIC. No aggression, excessive shyness, or hyper temperament is kept in our bloodlines. Trainability is a must for my Labs. All my dogs are my pets and have access to the house. They eat and sleep indoors, and the rest of the time they enjoy the outdoors in our large back yard. Each of our litters is planned way ahead of time, even years. Researching pedigrees takes me as much time as raising a litter. Each litter is the product of hours and hours of research and hard work. We spend many weekends on the show grounds, but when we are home, we like to relax and enjoy our dogs.
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Our Methods
More than 45 years of experience have shown us that there is never too much care and prevention when you are talking about breeding dogs. To ensure both the emotional and physical wellbeing of our dogs and puppies we follow a strict procedure before, during, and after each breeding. Health and nutrition are the base for a well-balanced reproductive system. We feed our dogs and puppies with Premium brands. Each dog has its own diet based on age, activity level, reproductive stage, preferences, etc. The moms have never run out of milk and the puppies are weaned at top weight. We keep strict control on vaccinations, de-worms, heartworm prevention, and any other health control our dogs may need to keep them fit and happy. All our breeding stock has been checked and cleared for inherited deceases through OFA, CERF, and DNA. We check Hips, Elbows, Cardiac, Eyes, and Patella. We also do DNA testing for PRCD-PRA and EIC. We make sure all our bitches are in perfect health condition before mating. We choose the best stud available to ensure the improvement of the breed. It is a requirement that all breeding stock used by us are health checked and certified to be free of Hip Dysplasia, Elbow Dysplasia, Heart decease, Eye deceased, and luxating patella (Knees). At least one of the parents is clear for PRCD-PRA and EIC, which guarantees that the puppies will not suffer Progressive retinal atrophy or Exercise induced collapse. If an outside stud is used, we require the stud owner to provide at least the clearances established by CHIC, Hips, Elbows, and Eyes, and then cardiac clearances. We base our breeding in the study of both, the father and the mother's, pedigrees. Researching pedigrees takes us as much time as bringing up the litters. It is not as easy as just putting two dogs together, not even two Champions together. Genetics is complicated and at the end, you still need a little of divine intervention for things go as we planned. We practice socialization and brain stimulation immediately after they are born. The puppies are in our house and are handled often. A video camera system helps us keep an eye 24 hours when necessary. The puppies are started on puppy food around weeks 3-4 depending on every litter particular needs. The puppies are completely weaned at 5 weeks and outside potty training begins. Each pup is evaluated for shyness and handled more often as necessary. By the time the puppies are ready to go at 7 or 8 weeks, they are well advanced in potty training. Most of our new owners send us e-mails back giving us Kudos on how well the puppies did the first few days and how easy it was to crate, and potty train them. They are on puppy dry food only. They also have their shots and de-worms up to date. Every puppy gets a microchip implanted before he or she leaves our home. Ultimately, after the puppies are gone, we like to keep in touch with our new owners and a lot of them have become good friends.

Telephone

770-330-8841

Email

laura@vandalenkennels.com

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  • Home
  • Boys
    • Bruce
    • Potter
    • Bosch
    • Noble
    • Monty
  • Girls
    • Willow
    • Whitney
    • Margie
    • Tonga
    • Santy
    • Rummy
    • Briana
    • Tessa
    • Bora
    • Patsy
    • T'Pol
  • Available
    • Available puppies
    • Available adults
    • How to get a van Dalen puppy
  • About Us
  • Champions
    • Bosch
    • Briana
    • Tonga
    • Bruce
  • Education
    • Health >
      • Is your puppy sick?
      • Hip Dysplasia
      • Ovulation timing in the bitch
    • Training and Behavior >
      • Crate training
      • The Leash
      • Puppy biting or nipping
      • CGC Program
      • The Collar
      • Introducing your new dog to your cats
    • Choosing the right puppy
    • Champion Bred Labrador Retrievers
    • Labrador Characteristics
    • Labrador types
    • To AKC or not to AKC
    • Enriching Our Dogs Lives