Our Breeding Philosophy
This is a fairly in-depth description of our breeding program, our practices and beliefs
based on our 23 years of experience. It does focus primarily on the conformation attributes
of the breed as those are the most difficult traits to focus on. Stable genetic health, gentle
personality, moderate energy level and intelligence are always present in my program.
Producing beautiful and well rounded Labradors is like creating art and a constant game of
chess. Every Labrador I have is a creation developed through experience and careful selection.
Each of my Labradors tells the story where I have been, where I am going, how I got there and
what my next step should be. I can occasionally still look into the eyes of one of my puppies
and see the same expression that their great great grand mother gave to me and so seeing one of
my Labs is almost like a walking family history. I enjoy every aspect of them, consider every
attribute and take my breeding endeavors very seriously. My dogs are not just part of my family
but my identity and I can not imagine life without them.
When I began breeding Labrador a very famous breeder told me that the first Labradors a breeder
purchases is their foundation and they build from there. Where they end up by their third generation
is a testament to their breeding ability and understanding of the breed, how genetics work, if they
have a good eye for conformation and common sense.
I have seen several “breeders” start out with a stunning dog that became a well known Champion
and because of that simple ownership they are instantly known as a breeder that has a good eye
and understands correct conformation and breeding practices. This is very far from the truth but soon
you see them in the ring judging. Often by the next generation they have something that is less
desirable and that is often the case in a program. When you are starting at the top where do you
go as often you are unable to hold your ground. The testament to your breeding ability is the third
generation and every generation after. By the third generation you should have a true line that has
either retained quality or lost it. Some breeders struggle to continue to breed a better Labrador not
understanding what has happened and end up with an average line. Others just put their girls to the
latest greatest stud creating nice looking dogs that are poor producers due to a pedigree that is too
diverse. Many quickly give up and quit but others hang in there happy with producing average looking dogs,
or worse yet, become kennel blind and are simply unaware how lacking their line is. The normal amount
of time a breeder comes and goes is seven years sadly. I would say about half of the breeders are
in that category and the rest that stick it out, continue to produce quality and become the backbone
of the breed, in one way or the other.
There are several ways to approach breeding but my favorite way of producing beautiful dogs is by
“breeding up”. I am not saying it is the most predictable but to me it is the most enjoyable. If I
have a female with a decent pedigree but is lacking in a few areas I can pretty much guarantee that
by the third generation, possibly even the second, that I already have corrected most of the problems,
understand where to take it, who to put them to and how the outcome will be to set type and have a
good foundation.
Now that I have an established line I have to search for and purchase females to breed up but I have
great fun with it. The majority of my Labradors are predisposed to producing the attributes I love
because they are the product of either type to type outcross breeding followed up by line breeding or
simply all line bred. Line breeding by the way does not increase your chances of producing genetic issues.
The chances are increased only by not doing clearances or making unwise decisions.
The prettiest bitch of the litter isn’t always the best producer either. How she produces is just
as important as how she herself looks. Sometimes depending on the line it is more important. If
you have two sisters, one that is stunning and one that is lacking and you breed both to the same
stud dog with the lacking sister being the better producer which do you keep? You could keep the puppies
from the outstanding bitch and put them to the correct dog (if you can guess who that would be) to
get you back on top the next generation or you can keep the lacking bitch and have beautiful
puppies but where do you go from there? There is no incorrect answer here. It is a combination of
knowledge, a bit of luck and a lot of patience.
I can say that line breeding, or breeding distant relatives together, is a good way of producing and
setting the type you want. With the condensed good genes also comes the condensed bad genes and so
you better understand what you have before you decide to do any repeated line breeding. Once you set
an unwanted characteristic it is some times easier to dump the whole line and start again as that
dominant unwanted gene will keep rearing it’s ugly head again and again for generations. Just when
you think you have gotten rid of the monster there it is again.
You also need to understand how your particular line develops. Some lines boast heavy big boned
puppies that are very impressive at 7-10 weeks and others are very moderate and average looking.
In the long run the moderate puppy could easily turn out to be the better adult. With lines that
focus on producing an impressive puppy they some times lose that substance. If they do not and
continue to get larger and larger they are cumbersome and slow, not what AKC calls for and so very
incorrect. If you have a puppy that is well put together and everything is in the right place with
nothing that offends you keep it and look at it again after it is 10 months old.
For that reason it is very important to know your lines, understand pedigrees, study health and do
as much homework on what you already have before you decide on a stud or your direction. As you see
I focus on the bitch’s lines more than the dog and that is the way it should be. A great bitch that
is a TFB (true foundation bitch) is hard to come by. They produce the type you are looking for time
and time again and are greatly appreciated and cherished. I have had the fortune of owning only a
couple of true foundation bitchs in my 23 years. Thos lines are invaluable to me and I hold onto
them with white knuckles. The dogs are also of course just as valuable but it is the bitchs that you
build a program off from.
Now that I have a strong established line I am scared stiff of using an outside stud for my girls
and have the same feeling when bringing in an outside female. I have to do so on occasion so I won’t
breed myself into a corner but when you evaluate a dog you are only seeing a small portion of what he
or she may produce. You also get all of the genes from all of their ancestors and hidden traits that
could be a step in the wrong direction. I try and make a habit of using older studs that have been
proven. I like to see that they produce the type and excellent health I am looking for consistently.
No matter what outside stud you use it is always a gamble and so that is why a TFB that is line bred
is so valuable to a program. No matter what they are put to you know that the genes they carry will
come through strong for you. The same goes for a bitch that only produces what the stud dog is, but
that of course has to be approached from a different angle.
I think you can see the internal fight that goes on with my program. I enjoy the creation by
breeding up but there is always a slight risk of not being able to produce exactly what you are
looking for. This evaluation is being very particular though and so in the broad spectrum of things
I am so particular and do so much homework that just about every litter is what I expect with only
very slight differences. My goal is to have all of my Labradors resemble each other very closely,
produce healthy offspring, have beautiful heads, strong toplines free of croup, long beautiful
necks, well laid back shoulders, well let down hocks, good shelf and 2nd thigh, nice thick otter
tails, move with a beautiful gait and meet what I feel is my opinion of the AKC Labrador Retriever
Standard. As you can see I am pretty particular.
The standard is so broad that everyone can have their own interpretation of what they feel a quality
Labrador should look like and all opinions can be correct. It is just different versions of the same
story and that is where different type is produced. Every judge also has their own opinion and feels
one physical trait is more important than the other. One day you may win Best of Breed and the very
next day under a different judge they may not even look at you. That is the fact of showing and in
the end it is impossible to make every judge happy. You must breed for what you like and keep your
standards high and you will find judges that appreciate your type and line.
For more information on showing please visit the About Dog Shows page.
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