Breeding and our dogs

At the present we have seven labradors, varying in age from three years to almost thirteen years old. Besides our labradors, we have an eight year old schipperke. All our labradors receive basic field training and if they decide that they like to have a carrier, then the training is maintained until they retire. If their goal in life is to be part of a close knit family, we try to accommodate them by finding them that type of a home. Any dog leaving us will make a wonderful companion or hunting buddy. We do not believe in having dogs around for nothing else but breeding!

Twenty years ago we laid out a breeding plan, the goal of which was, and still is, to produce a sound labrador with a high level of intelligence and trainability, as well as good looks; a labrador that will make a good field trial-, hunt trial-, hunting dog, or just a wonderful friend. Our dogs also have proven extremely fit for detection work like drug, money and bomb detection. As a matter of fact, the first labrador used by the RCMP in British Columbia for bomb detection was one of ours.

There are two dogs in particular that we have used as a foundation in our program, Tamarack, a black male, with the recessive color chocolate, and Pella, a black female, who is dominant black. They both were dogs of exceptional quality, highly intelligent, trainable and pleasing dogs. In our breeding of the chocolate labrador we have out crossed the chocolate background of Tamarack with other strong chocolate carrying black bloodlines. Then we have line bred back into our own line. The result has been a very hard going, water loving retriever with beautiful dark, reddish brown coat color, brown eyes of various shades and good pigmentation. Most of our litters in the past (2 – 4 a year) have been split color, i.e. black and chocolate and, more rare, black and yellow.