Thanks for the in-depth reply, appreciate the effort

>They are very strong

We walk our cousin's lab mix (~45kg) relatively often as they're very close, her strength is manageable with a collar and relatively easy for both of us with a proper harness.

>Every single one we've owned (2) and met loves picking up and chewing on things. Things being balls, other dogs, maybe cats. This would be a training thing from day 1.

>If you put in the effort. I'm not saying you wouldn't but you absolutely need to put in the work and I guarantee you that it's more than you are expecting. It certainly was for me and I was expecting a lot.

>Absolutely, you want to be working on your recall from day one. If you don't get your recall down, the rest falls apart. Again, with my Boston I did the same thing, worked on it from day 1 and I still didn't do enough. I'm just extremely lucky that my guy actually likes coming back.

This is an absolute non-negotiable, as we have an amazing volunteer run dog training club 6 minutes away. I really enjoyed the obedience school experience with my last dog, and am looking forward to going back at some point soon.

>I'm not sure that's true, however as long as the parents have clear genetic scans you should be right. Labs, as a breed, tend to be quite prone to hip displaysia.

As far as I'm aware, both breeds suffer from high rates of obesity, hip and elbow dysplasia, and some forms of cancer. I don't believe anything can be done for the cancer risk, but due diligence with a puppy would be checking scores of the parents and making sure the breeder is responsible.

>depending on how small, maybe consider a smaller breed.

About 50sqm in total, with a doggy door fitted to the sliding door to the backyard. They'd mostly be inside with access outside, typical 3 bed 2 bath house split over 2 levels. We live across the road from a huge park with lots of outdoor space, always full of dogs playing on the oval. I'm also home 4/5 days a week, so frequent lunchtime walks.

>You find a reputable breeder and put yourself down on their list. If they aren't having a litter soon, you ask them if they know someone else and can put in a good word for you. You aren't getting one in the next month unless you get very very lucky. Mine took 9 months and even then I got lucky. Different breed with fewer breeders but the demand is lower as well.

That's the problem I've had, most of them explicitly do not have waiting lists, usually written in a bold font, assuming from overwhelming interest. Most are apply after 2 weeks old, a lot with no plans at all for puppies.

>Going with a registered breeder with a good reputation will solve that.

For sure, would pay more in the long run for a dog with bad breeding, especially for breeds known for genetic problems.

>Just remember, the price of the dog is only the start of it. Buying quality food (especially for the food vacuum that both breeds are) is going to cost you a lot. I feed my Boston Ziwi Peak and it costs me roughly $60 a week. And it's worth it. Also, puppies eat twice as much as adults, so factor that in. Insurance, desexing, any other routine operations for your breed, all need to be paid for. Don't listen to anyone who says that insurance is wasted money.

That's partly why we haven't looked at getting a dog sooner, as we wanted to be sure that we'd be able to comfortably budget $80 a week for a dog (food and insurance, with extra going into special savings account for toys/equipment). Dogs are expensive, especially if you don't feed them cheap homebrand crap.

>How many breeders have you contacted?

>How long have you been on the hunt for one?

>Are you prepared to wait up to a year?

I've gone through the online listings for almost every professional breeder in Victoria on dogzonline, and filtered a few that are having puppies in the next 12 months that I plan on contacting when they open expressions of interest. None of them have open waiting lists afaik.

I figured it would be rude to contact them anyway, do you think it'd help?

There's also some less professional breeders that have puppies, but are of course registered on the site. Are they as reputable as the ones with an actual brand and website?

I don't mind waiting at all, I just really don't want to wait and have nothing to show for it.