If you ask many hunters, “Why do you hunt?” oftentimes, the answer will be, “I just like to see my dog work.” Watching a well-trained hunting dog perform the task he's been trained to do is like poetry in motion. The dog’s breeding and training go on display as the dog does the work he’s meant to do. Perhaps “work” is not the proper term. Maybe watching a dog enjoy the sport he’s trained for is a better way to describe the pleasure that a dog achieves when he does the tasks that are born and trained into him. A dog man derives a sense of pride watching his dog work, much like a horse breeder and trainer are excited every time his horse wins a race. Providing a satisfying experience for both the dog and its owner when they hunt together is the goal of Mossy Oak’s GameKeeper Kennels.
We've noticed a tremendous demand for British Labs and especially well-trained British Labs. There are two standard color phases of Labrador retrievers - black and yellow. But another off color has begun to be developed called a fox red. Our most well-known red lab is Toxey’s son Neill’s Labrador named Timbo.
I'm often asked, “How many British Labs can Mossy Oak produce per year?” My answer is that we’re not a puppy mill. We have a very-selective breeding program to insure the quality of the puppies we raise. Another frequent question is, “How much time is required to train a British Lab?” I think what’s important here is that you have to remember that each dog has its own personality and learns at its own rate. Besides training the puppies that we raise, we also train other Labrador retrievers that are brought to us for training. Ultimately, we hope to only train the dogs that we breed and raise. With the puppies we breed, we’ve found that we usually can train them faster and at an earlier age than the dogs that come from outside our breeding program. One part of a dog’s training program that’s often overlooked, yet, that may be one of the most critical ingredients to having a well-trained dog, is the training of the owner of the dog. Generally rule, the dog is easier to train than the owner.
To learn more about Mossy Oak’s GameKeeper Kennels, the dogs and the trainer, go to www.mossyoakkennels.com.
Day 2: Why Raise and Work with British Labrador Retrievers for Hunting Dogs
Tomorrow: When the Hunter and the Dog Become One
