Our Breeding Philosophy

Our philosophy of breeding includes the kind of dog we are trying to produce, our strategy for achieving this, and our attitude toward dog ownership. Our strengths in accomplishing our goals are, first, our experience as pro trainers, training a wide variety of dogs and understanding which traits make a working retriever effective and a pleasure to train; second, an understanding of genetics that tells us what strategies are likely to be effective.

We try to breed the kind of dogs we most like. Our first priority is drive, or training attitude. Nothing earns our respect and admiration more than the dog that never quits, wants to train day in and day out, and can be counted on to get the difficult bird when other dogs have given up. We also require athletic ability, good distance vision, good nose, good coat, and tractability. We do not believe genius-level marking and memory can be bred for reliably, so we make sure we have these other traits, combined with good to excellent marking.

Temperament is an essential consideration. Labs are expected to be highly adaptable and non-aggressive. Labs showing any fear or inappropriate aggression are ruled out. The Chesapeake breed includes many individuals that are spooky, lack adaptability, or have a "Peaky" response to training, sulking or refusing to do something, sometimes for weeks, following a correction. Common as they are, these are severe faults, and we select rigorously for adaptable, confident dogs that show resilience in training. On the other hand, guarding behavior and dog aggression are acceptable in the Chesapeake breed. We prefer a more mild-mannered dog but will not rule out a Chesapeake for a moderate level of guarding or dog aggression.

Selection
Breeding decisions begin with selection of bitches. We believe a brood bitch must be strong in all of the traits we require. If she has flaws she will almost certainly transmit them to the next generation. Selection means obtaining well-bred puppies, raising and training them, and, in most cases, deciding to sell or place them instead of keeping and breeding them. Approximately one in ten makes the cut. Some of our washouts have gone on to make MH titles or to be good pets and hunting dogs. They can be all of that but not have the "whole package" we seek in breeding.

Because most of the traits important to us are polygenic, we look closely at relatives of breeding candidates. Dogs from litters consistent in a certain trait, or most of whose close relatives exhibit the trait, are much more likely to throw that trait than is the "sport," or excellent dog from a mediocre litter.

Traits vs. Titles
Essential to our breeding philosophy is that titles do not tell us what we need to know about a dog. We believe we can only produce the kind of dogs we want by selecting for traits, not for titles. Our standard is that we must get to know a stud dog personally (or be familiar with many of his offspring to know what he is producing) so we can evaluate him for the working, temperament, and physical traits we seek. Even FC and AFC titles do not guarantee a dog has what we're looking for. Many times we have chosen a less titled stud that excels according to our standards. We cannot charge as much for puppies but we are more likely to get the traits we want.

Health Clearances
We obtain OFA and CERF clearances and make use of the DNA testing that is now available. We do not, however, give them highest priority in our breeding. Striving for all OFA Excellent and both parents "clear" on currently-available genetic tests is contrary to the advice of geneticists and would reduce our ability to select for temperament and essential working traits. We feel that the important aspect of DNA testing is the ability to avoid producing dogs affected with conditions like PRA. We are open about the testing we have done and the results, including when we choose to include a "carrier" or untested animal in our breedings. Please ask if you have any questions about health clearances.

Ownership and Registration
When you buy a dog from us, it is your dog. We try to ensure our puppies a good future by interviewing prospective owners before the sale, to make certain there is a good match between the expected puppy's temperament and the lifestyle the owner has planned. We do have a contract and ask that you contact us first if you decide not to keep the dog you get from us, but we do not use co-ownerships, limited registration, or detailed contracts to control what you do with your dog. We may refund your deposit if we do not think we have a puppy that suits your needs.