OUR PHILOSOPHY
Health. Temperament. Trainability.
At North Legacy Labradors we consider many factors before entering a dog into our breeding program. We aim to ensure we are bettering the breed with each litter and that begins with a strong and healthy foundation.
Genetic Screening
Our dogs undergo genetic testing at Cornell University through Embark to ensure they are clear from commonly carried diseases in Labradors including exercise induced collapse (EIC), progressive retinal atrophy (PRA and PRA2), pyruvate kinase deficiency, macular corneal dystrophy, day blindness, canine elliptocytosis, Alexander disease, narcolepsy, centronuclear myopathy, x-lined myotubular myopathy, congenital myasthenic syndrome, hereditary nasal parakeratosis, and skeletal dysplasia. Orthopedic testing is performed through the Orthopedic Foundation of America (OFA) to screen for hip and elbow dysplasia. Only scores of fair (normal), good, or excellent are accepted into our breeding program. Lastly, cardiac testing is performed by a board-certified veterinary cardiologist to ensure all breeding dogs are clear from genetic cardiac diseases and anomalies.
Training
Beyond our health screening, we strive to create a home environment for our labs that is both physically and mentally stimulating. Each dog is involved in one or more activities such as obedience, agility, flyball, scent detection and retrieving. Every North Legacy lab will be started in waterfowl retrieving, but beyond that we tailor our dog’s training to focus on what they enjoy. Some of our dogs excel in obedience, and others in agility sports. No dog is the same and we enjoy the versatility of the breed to the fullest extent!
Environment
Our dogs are raised in our home and are considered family in every sense of the word. They enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle but are just as content sleeping by our living room fireplace in the winter or snuggling with us in bed. We do not believe in kennelling our dogs and strive to make their life as full and comfortable as possible. They are exposed to a variety of environments and stimuli before being considered for breeding to ensure their behaviour and temperament match what we aim to produce in our breeding program.
Veterinary Care
Veterinary care is the top priority at North Legacy Labradors. Our dogs receive annual physical examinations, vaccinations (DAP, Leptospirosis, Rabies, Bordetella, Lyme), heartworm and tick prevention, and annual wellness bloodwork. Pregnant females receive bi-weekly veterinary check-ups from days 22-62 of gestation, an ultrasound at day 25, and radiographs at day 58 to ensure all puppies look healthy and are correctly positioned. Post-whelp, our females and puppies are examined immediately after birth by our veterinarian, and then bi-weekly until 8 weeks of age. Whelping is a taxing process for both mother and puppies and we spare no expense to ensure their health throughout the entire process.
Nutrition
At North Legacy labs, we believe in nutrition that is backed by years of scientific research and feeding trials. That is why we feed either Purina ProPlan, Royal Canin, Hills, or Eukanuba to all puppies and adult dogs. Grain-free, raw, and homemade diets are not supported unless recommended by a veterinarian or board-certified veterinary nutritionist. For more information, please visit the resources tab.
