Puppies Available Now

Outstanding litter of AKC yellow Labrador puppies born April 3rd. 3 puppies still available!!! Sire is HRCH Tr’s Rumbling To The Finish “Rum”. Rum is OFA Good, Elbows Normal, CERF Clear, CNM Clear and EIC Clear. Rum is hard charging. Rum’s pedigree is one of the strongest you will find. Rum’s owner plans to start running Master hunt tests with him this summer and fall.

Dam is Timber Creek’s Once In A Blue Moon “Luna”. Luna is OFA Good, Elbows Normal, CERF Clear, CNM Clear, and EIC Clear. Luna is an outstanding marker. She is very alert but calm in the blind. She handles like a dream. She is very calm inside and with kids but is a ball of energy when she sees a splash. Pups will be raised in our home and will be well socialized. They will be introduced to birds, water, gunfire and children. They will have all de-worming treatments and have first shots – all will be vet-administered. This will be a great litter. Please let us know if you are interested, so we can hold one for you. Pups will be ready to go home mid May.

Getting a pup is a big decision. A few tips are below to help with the process.

For any breed “You get what you breed for”

Dogs have incredible diversity across different breeds. Size, shape, coat type, temperament and tons of other characteristics vary from one end of the spectrum to the other. These traits have been specifically bred into (or out of) over multiple generations. Even in our time of breeding Labradors, we’ve seen certain traits passed along from generation to generation. When looking for a pup, it’s critical to understand the individual characteristics of each breed and what they’ll mean for you and your family.

We hear complaints constantly from owners of different breeds related to behaviors or characteristics that are built into that breed. Beagles bark, bloodhounds sniff, shepherds herd things – even kids, retrievers like to chase things, etc. This is a great thing when the breed matches the requirements. It can add to the challenges when there’s a mismatch though. We’ve worked with most breeds and can help with questions related to them. If you’re wondering if a particular breed will match well with your household, let us know. We’ll be glad to help.

Specifically For Labradors

Unfortunately, there are many genetic disorders that can be an issue for Labradors today. Even worse, many breeders breed pups without regard for this.

Whether you end up with a pup from us, or somewhere else, please get familiar with the acronyms below and don’t buy a pup without knowing the status of each one. A little prevention now is much better than dealing with problems later.

Specifically for Labradors, there are several very important genetic issues to check for when finding a pup. In decades past, multiple generations of Labs were bred without knowledge of or regard for genetic defects. For field trial lines many line breedings were done too closely with the hopes of getting titles. Just look back several generations on most nice trial-bred pedigrees. You’ll see the same set of ancestors on most of them. While they did succeed in producing some very capable retrievers, they also succeeded in producing some terrible disorders. Not long ago, EIC, CNM and other genetic issues weren’t something to worry about. Unfortunately, you can’t afford not to check on them now.

Luckily tests have been developed to check for these disorders. A simple blood or DNA test can give results showing the status of a potential breeding pair. Most Lab breeders have become familiar with this and are checking. It’s an inexpensive way to guarantee any pups produced will never have problems. Sadly, many breeders still either don’t know or don’t care and are continuing to produce puppies with crippling or terminal diseases. These pups are still being sold to unsuspecting families. We’ve seen it too many times with dogs sent for training. We’ve spotted signs of these disorders and informed the owners. There’s nothing worse than finding out about something like that too late. It’s much easier to spend a little time up front learning what to look for to prevent a problem – instead of dealing with it later. Get familiar with the acronyms below. These are not rare disorders. Unfortunately, they are all too common. Check health first when finding a pup. Then, look at pedigrees / backgrounds.

• OFA / PennHIP:
  (Orthopaedic Foundation for Animals) All large breed dogs are prone to hip dysplasia. For a lab, it’s critical to have this checked. Dogs must be 24 months old for OFA certification. They are graded as Excellent, Good, Fair, Borderline, Mild, Moderate and Severe. This grading relates to the quality of the hip joint how tightly the femoral head fits into the socket. A poorly formed joint deteriorates and can cause extreme pain and lack of mobility, leading to veterinary expenses or shortened lifespan. Make sure the pups Mom and Dad are both “Good” or “Excellent” when looking for a pup. Read details on OFA’s website link below. https://www.ofa.org/diseases/hip-dysplasia
• EIC – (Exercise-Induced Collapse):
  EIC is a recessive genetic disorder. As such, a dog is either “clear”, “carrier” or “affected”. Affected dogs show signs of muscle weakness, loss of coordination, severe marked increase in body temperature and life-threatening collapse when participating in strenuous exercise or activity. Symptoms can appear to that of a heat stroke where they begin to “wobble” on their back legs and later collapse. Affected dogs can tolerate mild to moderate exercise, but just 5 to 20 minutes of strenuous activity, or even extreme excitement such as that seen in field trials or hunt tests, can induce weakness or collapse. Dogs affected with EIC usually cannot continue with intense retriever training. Some collapses can be fatal.
  What can be tricky with EIC is that a dog can be a “carrier”. Carriers will never show symptoms of the disease. However, if two carriers are bred, they will produce affected pups. There is simply no way to know if pups will be affected unless the status of Mom and Dad are known. Just because a breeder says “Mom and Dad are fine” or “We’ve bred them before with no problems”, doesn’t mean a thing. Two perfectly healthy looking parents can produce affected pups. A carrier can be bred to a clear. They will not produce affected pups but will still produce carriers. All Timber Creek pups are clear. We recommend buying clear pups versus a possible carrier. This a common disease. Please check when looking for a pup. Contact us for info if you have questions.
• CNM – (Centronuclear Myopathy):
  Centronuclear Myopathy (CNM), previously known as HMLR, or Hereditary Myopathy, is an autosomal recessive mutation that causes insufficient muscle function in the Labrador Retriever breed. Puppies are born apparently normal; however, it quickly becomes evident that there is a problem. The puppy will often not gain weight adequately due to decreased muscle tone in the esophagus. Within 2 to 5 months, the disease has usually progressed to display the full range of symptoms, including a loss of muscle tone and control, an awkward gait, and extreme exercise intolerance. Unfortunately, there is no cure for CNM, as the dog will never develop properly functioning muscle tissue.
  Centronuclear myopathy is a recessive disorder, meaning that the dog must have two copies (CNM/CNM) of the defective gene to suffer from the disease. A dog can also be a carrier (CNM/n) of this disease, and will not display any symptoms. A carrier dog will pass on the mutation that causes CNM to 50% of it’s offspring. If mated with another carrier dog, there is a 25% chance of producing an offspring affected by Centronuclear Myopathy. Fortunately, genetic testing is available for CNM. A quick, inexpensive test can tell a breeder the status of the parents. All Timber Creek pups are certified clear for CNM.
• CERF – (Canine Eye Registration Foundation):
  There are a number of eye-related issues that can affect a Labrador. Like others listed here, genetics are an important factor. A CERF exam can determine if a parent’s eyes are normal – or if there is an issue. This can also be tested for a pup. With a CERF exam and submission, a database number is given and can be checked later. All Timber Creek pups are CERF certified. With all of the disorders listed above, a registry exists that lists the dog name and registration number that was tested. It will list the test results. This is a great tool when looking for a pup. Over our years of working with dogs, we have seen too many problems show up for too many families. There are tests and tools to prevent those problems. With just a few minutes and a little bit of research you can guarantee you will never deal with them.
  Whether it’s a pup from us, or somewhere else, we want to see it go right for you. We’re happy to discuss details of one you’re looking at with you. Usually, we can help you determine the status of a pup in a few minutes. We’re happy to talk to other breeders to check out a litter if you want. We’re glad to help however we can.