Take a list of questions for a Labrador Retriever breeder written ahead of time when you visit them. This list will also be handy if you are going to be meeting a lot of Labrador retriever breeders at a dog show. If you meet a breeder online, you are still going to want to ask a lot of questions. You will be overwhelmed by all of the cute furry faces in order to trust your memory to recall the questions you need to ask.

Although you will think up many more questions depending on your unique home situation, these are the three main questions you need to ask. Always ask when you can visit the kennels, meet the parents, see the contract and meet the breeder. The first two will quickly let you know if you are dealing with a puppy mill owner. Since you can't legally shoot the puppy mill owner, you can at least not give them any money.

You should always be able to visit the kennel or home of the Labrador Retriever breeder you have in mind before putting any money down. Some breeders will have outside kennels - some will not. All good Labrador Retriever breeders will be extremely proud to show off their dogs to you, especially the mother and father of your potential puppy. You are visiting a home, so some places will normally be off limits to visitors.

Take a good sniff when you are at the kennels. It should smell okay, perhaps be a bit musty, but should not smell overpoweringly like decaying meat or like dog poop. Labrador Retrievers need exercise and so should not be kept in crates all day - especially stacked crates. It is okay if they live in outdoor kennels with runs. You need to see how the dogs react and if they are clean and perky. This is a good indication that your puppy will be raised in a good environment.

They are a breed that can do as well outside as inside. It is not okay if they live in stacked crates. That's a sign of someone who doesn't care about the quality of dogs he or she breeds.

Paperwork for Lab puppies does not mean the newspaper you use for paper training. You need to ask about health certificates of both parents of the Labrador puppy as well as a contract. Yes, there definitely has to be a contract made up by the breeder about what the breeder is responsible for (especially in terms of your puppy's health) and what you are responsible for. A contract is a deal breaker. No contract ? no deal.

Great Labrador Retriever breeders will give you all the paperwork before you even ask for it. They will also start quizzing you about what you expect in a dog and your store of Labrador Retriever information. Good breeders will always give preference to those with Lab experience.

You won't get your money back, but at least your dog will have a good home. Assume nothing. Great Labrador Retriever breeders will bring all of this up if you forget to ask.