Mighty Oak Labradors

08/20/2024

We've all been there!

08/17/2024

Photo dump, these guys are absolutely gorgeous 😍. We still have 2 black females up for grabs.

08/14/2024

Lovely ladies, 2 of these ladies are looking for their forever adventure 😍 ready in 4 weeks.

08/13/2024

Puppy first Food. Yum yum

08/13/2024

Breakfast of champions

08/10/2024

💥🚨GAURDIAN HOMES🚨💥

We are on the hunt for some local families to join our Gaurdian Home Program. We have several beautiful well bred labrador pups we would like to bring in this fall. In this partnership the dog would live with its gaurdian family it's entire life and be a breeding prospect with our program. Feel free to message us for more information if interested 😊

08/09/2024

Rain rain go away! Please share your rainy day with us. Lots of puddle fun

08/09/2024

Abby is so pretty 😍

08/09/2024

Nothing to see here, just Rufus get ting a drink.
Happy boy!

08/09/2024

Good night puppy pile.

08/08/2024

Happy 4th Birthday Finn. We love you so much.

08/07/2024

It is never too soon for potty training. Getting ready for first Food next week. 😋
Victoria you rock.

08/06/2024

Fun first! Outside with mama.

08/05/2024

Pupdate. The background colour is the collar colours 😍

08/05/2024

Good morning. From Pepper's brood

08/05/2024

What a wonderful amazing Day! We dropped off Miss. BROWN with her family, had a great visit with our beautiful Daisy and her forever Gaurdians ❤️ 💕. And I had a visit with Abby, our chocolate girl today as well.

08/01/2024

07/31/2024

Puppies

07/29/2024

Ok worst video of the year award goes to me. Lol. These guys are fast.

07/29/2024

This is Mochi, Mochi was our purple collared girl. She was the runt of the litter but also our service dog pick of the litter. This is after 24 hours in her new home. Safe to say these 2 are going to make a great team.

07/29/2024

Happy Birthday my Star dust litter
Please share your beautiful photos. 😍

07/28/2024

Due to no fault of her own this little girl is back available again (Brown collar F). Feel free to message us if you want more information on this sweet little girl.

07/28/2024

Gaurdian update.
ABBY isn't she so precious

07/28/2024

This is a follow up post to the one we posted earlier about the puppies joints. In this infographic it shows at what age the different joints/growth plates close. We always advocate that people limit strenuous exercise until they are fully closed/stopped growing. A good rule of thumb is 5 minutes per month of age twice a day. For example a 6 month old pup would go for a 30 minute walk twice daily.

07/27/2024

GAURDIAN UPDATE
OPEL our retired girl is spreading the ❤️

07/27/2024

🚨 PAEDIATRIC NEUTERING & SPAYING🚨
🚨 EARLY SPAY & NEUTERING 🚨
Paediatric is under 6 months, Early is under full maturity (around 18 months- 24 months+).
Paediatric neutering( PN)/spaying (PS)& Early Spay (ES)/ Early Neutering (EN) is a taboo subject with different opinions- there are still a handful of vets who follow outdated information and recommend to new owners. They only recommend it because of ‘overpopulation’ in dogs, the overcrowding in rescue centres , outdated information, the stigma against certain breeds, and old myths such as preventing or stopping behavioural issues (marking or aggression for example).

Medical necessity aside such as a puppy with one testicle , while there are a handful of benefits for this procedure such as preventing 2 types of cancers- through extensive research by grad students , researchers, vets, vet hospitals and those others specialised the research proves it’s actually not as beneficial as once believed for our beloved animals, that is comes with harsh and even irreversible health issues and consequences.

In my opinion, as well as many professionals, unless a dog medically needs it they should stay intact. However that’s just my personal views with my dogs which I understand isn’t realistic for a lot of owners. If you want to neuter or spay, my advice based off scientific evidence would be to wait until they are at least 2 years old. This of course isn’t a set rule, it’s a breed-by-breed case, so if you have a larger dog they’d be neutered at 3-4 years old compared to a smaller breed. Or look into other options such as O***y Sparing Spay (OSS) and vasectomies which can be done at ANY age and prevents unwanted litters, without the increased health risks.

PN/PS ES/EN prevents several types of cancers (testicular for example) while increasing the risks of 20+ more ; bladder cancer , osteosarcoma (bone cancer) , cardiac hemangiosarcoma (cancer in the blood vessels, common), splenic hemangiosarcoma (cancer in the spleen, most common spleen cancer) , and the even more common prostate cancer. It doesn’t stop there, it also increases the joint diseases such as hip and elbow dysplasia , stunts growth, incontinence, joint issues, Atopic dermatitis, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, hypoadrencortiscism, immune-medicated polyarthristis , cruciate injuries, inflammatory bowel disease, IVDD and the list goes on. There’s also current studies still ongoing.

Your dog/Female NEEDS their hormones and their growth plates to close. Imagine this being equivalent to puberty for humans, we need to go through our different development stages and receive our hormones. Otherwise, your dog/female development is ‘stuck’ in a puppy like manner and will never mature to their full potential; Some of the Growth plates don’t close until 17-19 months+ (of course, breed by breed basis). PS/PN ES/EN affects their growth plates, it can cause them to grow taller than average, leggy, more lanky and ‘roachbacked’. Most PN/PS EN/ES are either very small and undefined for their breed, or a giant in their breed compared to intact or waited at a more appropriate time.
When allowed to develop properly, they will fill out, be more defined, better bone density and coat quality- they mature in adults properly.

Now of course, there are several variables that can affect a dog’s structure and development such as their diet, environment, and training regimen; we do have ‘throwback genes’ too , just as we can look like our (great+) grandparents , so they can also have slimmer features down to genetics. Each pup to their litter won’t be identical, some are genetically slim while others are genetically slow growers. Or even if the breeding pair wasn’t compatible , producing pups that reflect that- (choosing a sire for a dam takes a lot of factors, however when all things are ticked off (i.e health testing ect), they should also be physically compatible and match) however there is a visual difference between genetics and stunted development from PN/PS EN/ES.

There’s also a common myth that states a girl should be bred from before you spay her- this just isn’t true either. Do not breed unless you’ve thoroughly researched what breeding means, including if your pet should be bred from- which a lot are not. Breeding shouldn’t be done on a whim and will be damaging. This isn’t a ‘get rich quick scheme’.

Another recommendation from some professionals too is to early neuter/spay or paediatric neuter/spay if your pet has behavioural issues. De-s*xing WILL NOT put a stop to issues such as marking, aggression to you/other people, food aggression, biting, aggressive with other dogs, or the most common - hu***ng. Only a TRAINER or behavioural specialist will help fix these issues as this is a behavioural problem.

For example, hu***ng isn’t necessarily a s*xual desire for dogs, this can simply be pent up energy, overstimulation, or over excitement! This can commonly happen when guests arrive, meeting new people/dogs, playing , or come home from a walk. There’s also recent studies that have shown that PN/PS EN/ES actually increases fearfulness and even aggression in dogs, among other psychological and behavioural issues.
You need to train your dogs, give them a purpose. Your working breeds absolutely thrive on a purpose but they need to be trained properly, this goes for every breed too.

Also to add, this isn’t to bash vets! So please, no harsh comments insulting them. They do a brilliant job, however just like humans, when they give a recommendation for a procedure or give a diagnosis- always ask for a second opinion, even a third or go to the relevant specialist. I commend vets for all they do.
Remember that this is always a personal decision, you know what’s best for your lifestyle and your family so this post isn’t to pressure you to keep intact pets, only to provide information that isn’t always easily accessible or wildly spoken about.

I understand it’s not reasonable for every pet owner to keep an intact dog, especially those who have many dogs of the opposite s*x, our rescue centres are over run! There’s better options, putting our ANIMAL’s wellbeing first. I know many rescue centres have stopped paediatric neutering and spaying, but so many still do this outdated practice. Which can actually add to the problem , as not many owners can afford the medical bills this outdated practice can cause-resulting in surrendering the animal. OSS and vasectomies are a better option, can be done even as a puppy.

So in conclusion, your decision is your decision, the recommended age to des*x is 2 years minimum (breed by breed basis so you may have to wait longer depending)to allow your dog to go through ‘puberty’ , to wait for their growth palettes to mature and close, and for them to fully mature. Or if you want to remain intact you can, there’s other options too, such as vasectomy and O***y Sparing Spay, this prevents unwanted litters while also allowing them to keep their hormones to mature properly without the increased cancer risks, this procedure can be done at any age as it doesn’t affect the development.

For more in depth advice, please consult your local vets to make a decision that fits your household😌.

I can provide more links if anyone is interested- these are all written by vets, animal hospitals or those qualified.
Also, it you have any pictures you’d like to contribute, please feel free to inbox me☺️.

https://iaabcjournal.org/spay-and-neuter-surgery-effects-on-dogs/

https://www.vrcc.com/oncology/does-early-castration-increase-the-risk-of-cancer-in-dogs/?fbclid=IwAR17LdiwJLUF__g1LyCh0ZnnjTMYlUql8KmVTYd5UCIX72Y61HTzxD7YBHA

🚨 This one is the BEST link 🚨
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CIlv7XHpc9OnBMb5f_Njbm5aGyVSpmjW/view?fbclid=IwAR2mwXT6K71qADwxHxZpBVHTBfzut_rxF4ZqhXxlPjVf-BRCToLLS7oEbhE

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/long-term-health-risks-benefits-spay-neuter-dogs/?fbclid=IwAR04bcq1K1JHrMViWlg6rIOK2muSahV7JeQJwr4sH9RE0FTTuJnsjUG8nnk

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4096726/pdf/pone.0102241.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0MSeMFVCUF1elU5yMhNY1x5IaXeL4wl8YINvAYVpZfPMPfq8ns_yu3g4c

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1748-5827.2011.01220.x?fbclid=IwAR2onoteNLht756AZ-vTfNhE6EA0ruZu35DiMLFjLbK14IbANtrL65RFy04

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/canine-corner/201702/are-there-behavior-changes-when-dogs-are-spayed-or-neutered?fbclid=IwAR3WURZDhmWitmkTqeyeiz1FzGQVFVSLc-eiqFL34ODK8sRWMcGOuJ7gINc

http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1A9Bk78FM1XWsHSg2KtX-sKWdb3hOdgZmIqSOhnexHt59igf1PcYN3Tf8

https://aacrjournals.org/cebp/article/11/11/1434/166639/Endogenous-Gonadal-Hormone-Exposure-and-Bone

OSS&Vasectomy information 🙂
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00342/full?fbclid=IwAR2pG55AM0_K_nsh6beWBkC9MniCVwcrJQsbvbPEmrUQzdi4-Wj6wnJE35k

Pictures- Example of the difference between paediatric neutering/spaying and remaining in tact (litter mates) , and those allowed to have their first season and develop properly (remain intact).
Written and researched by Bunny French.

07/27/2024

With our pups headed off to their new homes this week. This is something everyone should see.

When you get your 8/10 week old puppies, please keep this image in mind. Their bones do not even touch yet. They plod around so cutely with big floppy paws and wobbly movement because their joints are entirely made up of muscle, tendons, ligaments with skin covering. Nothing is fitting tightly together or has a true socket yet.

This is why you should not run them excessively and you need to restrict their exercise to stop them from overdoing it, jumping on and off the couch. Going up and down stairs to big for them during this period you want to give them a chance to grow properly. Every big jump or excited bouncing run causes impacts between the bones. In reasonable amounts this is not problematic and is the normal wear and tear that every animal will engage in.

But when you're letting puppy jump up and down off the lounge or bed, take them for long walks/hikes, you are damaging that forming joint. When you let the puppy scramble on tile with no traction you are damaging the joint.

You only get the chance to grow them once. A well built body is something that comes from excellent breeding and a great upbringing-BOTH, not just one.

Once grown you will have the rest of their life to spend playing and engaging in higher impact exercise. So keep it calm while they're still little baby puppies and give the gift that can only be given once.

07/26/2024

https://youtube.com/watch?v=068K5Zlph9U&si=aLB3k2Kb7mCv99MZ

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07/26/2024

Now wouldn't you just look at these 2. From the Aurora and Finn litter now 4 months old. Please share your photos of siblings to.
Lola and Kai “light green F and blue M”