Question, how many vets are looking at xrays in Europe? Though I may be okay w/ hips, I would not feel comfortable on breeding on prelim'd elbows. And then there are other matters like eyes, etc.
There is always the option also to do Penn Hip, that does not change.... Being that dogs age 7 times faster than humans and have such a short life span 1 1/2 is not really too young to start breeding them, (not that I myself have ever bred my girls that young to date, mine are lucky to have a first litter by 4) and then there are countries that clear the dogs at a year so who is right and who is wrong? I have also seen dogs that OFA has deemed a fail and some of them live to ripe old ages and never limp or have a orthopedic problem in their life so what does that tell us? Sure good for confusing the dickens out of us.
A dog or bitch should not be bred until everything about them is fully matured..
So hips are a big deal, but not the be all end all determining factor saying you have a good representation of the breed.
other then one's wanting to see what the animal will produce for pups... wait. What is the hurry. There are too many dogs out there that do not look like Labradors anymore. One reason is not waiting to see how boys end up after testosterone has changed their bone structure. And of course the new Mom is only a baby if you do not wait until at least 18 months.
A post was recently made about a lecture given by Mary Roslin-Williams... take the time to listen to her. She goes on and on about structure, yet always emphasizes a Labrador should look like a Labrador. How in the world do you know how a boy is going to wind up if you breed him at 1 year old? Let the girls be bred when they are fully matured.
Do they look like Labradors...... if not please do not breed them. Copies of Mary Roslin-Williams books can be found if you look hard enough. Get one.
