British Labs and Us

As with North American Labs, there are two kinds of British Labs, Field Labs and Show Labs. Our labs are British Field Labs. British Field Labs come from British field trial breeding and are nothing like Show Labs. British Field Trials are very different from North American Field Trials as well. 
British Field Trials are run on many wild game birds that are shot by professional gunners and retrieved by the dogs in the trial. Depending on the number of dogs entered, a number of dogs are walked up to and through the area where birds are being shot at the same time. Judges tell handlers to send their dogs on individual retrieves and handlers/dogs do their best to find the dead or wounded game. If a dog cannot find the downed game, another dog will be sent. All birds retrieved are checked for tooth marks or damage, etc. to ensure that the retriever has a "soft mouth". 
While this whole process takes place, all the dogs in the trial are required to sit patiently and quietly until they are called, regardless of what is happening (shooting, birds falling, dogs being sent and working). When they are called, they need to show enthusiasm, excellent hunting ability, a keen nose and a willingness to take direction if and when that time comes. 
This is why British Labs require what is known as an "On/Off Switch".      They are required to be calm, quiet and patient, yet when asked, they must have drive, desire and determination while searching for and finding game. The calm temperament of British Labs is generally different than their North American counterparts, which tend to have a higher all round energy level, as well as being typically bigger in stature. 
It is also true that British Labs are extremely biddable, with a strong desire to please. Accordingly, they are very easy to train and are rarely required to be forcefully handled. In fact, electronic collars are not only not required but are an absolute no-no and could potentially ruin an otherwise excellent dog. Encouragement and reinforcement are the way to go with British Labs.
As with all dogs, the "breeding" is more important than the "Breed". There will always be stereotypes with all breeds but once you find the right breeding within the breed, you will have taken the next step in finding a superior companion. 
My first hunting dogs were Brittany Spaniels and they came from Field Trial breeding, which again, is a whole other ball of wax. They were extremely high energy dogs and required a significant amount of handling and training. Many would consider them "hyper". Again, there are exceptions to every rule and I myself experienced that during the time that I owned, field trialed, judged, hunted, bred and trained Brittany's as well as other pointing dogs. 
When I made the switch to British Labs, it was because the majority of the hunting I did was for waterfowl and I was looking for a calmer and "easier" dog to train. Retrievers seemed like a logical choice. Accordingly, I did hundreds of hours of research to determine which breed and lines would suit my personality and lifestyle best. I got lucky. I decided to go with a breeder out of Michigan who had exceptional British Labs and mine was like nothing I had ever owned and/or trained before. She was calm, personable, not to big (52 lbs), extremely easy to train and dying to please me at every turn. Her training was a pure pleasure compared to what I was used too with my Brittany's. 
After my first British Lab passed away, 4 years ago, I was worried about never getting a dog as good as that one again, so I went back to the drawing board and again, did hundreds of hours of research, which was somewhat easier this time because of the advances in the internet. 
The one thing that became painfully clear (again), while doing the research, was that no one in Alberta, or almost the rest of Canada for that matter, has exceptional, if any, British Labs available. Also, when you think about it, if you were a breeder in Great Britain, would you send your best dogs to North America and likewise, if you were a breeder in the US, would you send your best dogs to Canada? That is what makes it such a challenge to find the best dogs available and why I was determined to breed the best of the best right here in Western Canada. 
Do your research. Ask the hard questions. Ask for videos. Check out the bloodlines. Some breeders won't even show you their pedigrees and most don't have videos of their dogs. Why wouldn't a breeder want to show prospective buyers videos of their dogs? Think about it and when you're done doing all the work, you will end up right back here because we have the best of the best and we are more than happy to prove it to you.
My first hunt



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