“The primary qualities required in a retriever are, in my opinion, nose, brains, determination and mouth; without these he is of little use except as a house pet.”

Vincent Routledge, 1929, Hallingbury

I ran across an internet site with quotes and writings from famous Labrador breeders of the past. The site looks a bit old (no recent posts) so go if you are interested, I am not sure how long it will be there! http://www.sprucedell.de/html/trove.html

The quote above describe the primary qualities we need to be breeding for in every Labrador. Many are great pets that do not have the qualities above, we also call this “type” service dogs. But they are not the original temperament of the breed from what I have been able to determine. Granted, most folks do not hunt any longer and don’t want to live with or have to train a determined Labrador with brains.

So what is our obligation to the past? Are the hunt tests enough of a test of working ability? What is the future temperament of our Labradors? I know it when I see it, that perfect blend of working ability and sensibility and it is very tough to get in each and every puppy. I do know that there is the perfect home out there for each dog and type. My tactic is honesty- I will always be honest about what I am breeding. I have bred both types, the crazy, non-stop working fiends as well as the more laid back. I prefer the wild child as they are usually workaholics too. That dog that won’t stop until it figures out how to earn the reward, so fun to work with. They do grow up- often by three or four and they are the ones you wish you could clone!

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 10th, 2008 at 12:52 pm and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.