You have that first Lab - he's your lesson learned and he got you into the whole "Lab Thing" and you know you can never part with him.

Then you do your research get your show potential - he does well in the ring, passes all his clearances, but his ring time is short lived due to injury, but he's your heart dog & you can never part with him.

You're ready for your first girl and she's here, but you really only have room for 2 at this time in your life.

I would love to have my 2nd boy temporally placed with someone I trust who can train him in field for a free stud service (or 2) so I can take the time to work with my girl and get her into the ring.

Everyone has to start somewhere & I know within 2 years I'll have the room I need for more dogs. I'm sure I'm not alone. Please tell me what kind of sacrifices did you have to make to get started??

I have 2 girls, started to show 1 and was going to start to show the other and then had accident.... not able to show have no more room but will NEVER give my girls up just because I want to show.... or get started .... If I have to I will MAKE ROOM for another lab and deal with my circumstances. My girls have a forever home with me! This is just me, I'm sure other people will have different opinions. I've been this way since I was a child, my dogs stayed with us until the end.

While our limit is 5, I am at a point where we will just have to wait for the old timers to pass. I love them dearly, don't want it to be too soon. We'll never be truly competetive in the sport because our choices stay with us.

2's a hard number. What's one more? Do you have a animal limitation in the neighborhood?

The "sacrifices" I made when starting out 20-some years ago amounted to this:

I did not get another dog until I had room for him or her. My dogs are family to me and I would never have dreamed of farming any of them out to make room for more. Even my original Labs, who were not very typey, lived out their lives with me, sleeping on my bed and being just as cherished as any Westminster winner.

I felt I owed them no less than that.

Here we go again. We had this discussion a month or two ago. Every breeder who ever goes anywhere in dogs has to place the dogs that don't work out, with rare exception. I've placed many dogs over the years that I've kept, but didn't work out - usually by 2 years of age. I have yet to place out a brood bitch as I've really only had 3 that I've used - they do all live with me. If I didn't place the ones that didn't work out in my program, I'd either have 50 dogs, or no room to keep the next promising continuation of my line.

The dogs I carefully place live the life of luxury as the only dog, or maybe one of 2, and they never look back! Labs are very accommodating, and I've never had a problem with a dog not quickly becoming part of their new families.

There are some dogs here that will never leave - I have 4 of them here right now - but when I got into breeding and showing, I made sure that both my kids and I knew that if they didn't work out, they'd have to be placed.

There is no answer to this question other than what works specifically for you... You will find opinions abound on the subject...
Personally I do keep all my Labs as they are family first/ show/ breeding stock last... But I also realize that becoming a successful bigtime breeder is not possible with this approach... BUT I do not want to be a bigtime successful breeder. I am very happy with what I am able to do with the choices I make.
I think everyone has to find their own place in this hobby...
Because someone else can place dogs and do quite well and feel they do quite well, does not mean that choice is correct for you. Because others keep all their dogs until room becomes available also does not make that choice correct for you... Find your comfort zone and don't worry so much about what others do and think! YOu are the one who has to live with your choices, no one else.

do you maybe have a close friend you would trust, for me having 2 not much different then 3, my comfort is five in the house and that is my max, I am not really breeding anymore because my job doesn't allow me the time and I have three now left in house. I have a couple co-owns that are in there forever homes, who I am now grandma to. Time management when raising a new pup or training is a must and maybe that really is all you need rather then placing one temporily.

best of luck , let us know how it goes

A seasoned breeder once told me that if you want to be a breeder you will have to place the dogs that you are not going to use or else you will be over dogged. I take that advice in part for what works best for me. I have placed a show potential that did not work out after keeping her until 18 months of age. I would have keep her if she was breed quality, but I did not feel she was good enough for breeding either. Now she has an awesome home more than I have and she is the only dog with a few cats and a nice young couple. I cannot say I would do that with every dog I have that does not work out for breeding, I think some of them grab onto our hearts more than others. Although, I do know that I will need to make choices and since I am into this I need to realize that sometimes one of them might need to be placed as a pet for one reason or another.

It is what you are comfortable with, what you think would be best for yourself and the dog, and what your goals are for the future. Good luck with what you decide. I do not know your set up, but IMHO 3 is not to many.

Get someone to hold them for a while, and switch them around. Someone you trust, and love dogs within a 10-20 minutes distance, so you can visit often.

My criterion is that it's the dog's best interests. If it's a young dog and I know I will not be doing anything with it, I feel it is better to place it where it will be a family companion instead of always being left at home when the others go off to the show or to a hunt test.

long ago a mentor told me....if you really want to better the breed you can not keep those that will not better the breed.

I never have issues finding wonderful loving homes for pups that did not make the cut later in life or my girls that are now ready to retire and the one and only in someones house.

and yes I have the special ones that are not going anywhere, even the most annoying 12 year old aussie!

I couldn't agree more. Do what you need to do, what you want to do, what you feel is best for you and your dogs. Period. It may not be an easy choice, but it is yours. You have a few different options, and maybe you need to try a few out before knowing which is best for you, but you'll find the answer one way or another. Good luck & best wishes!