Here is a list of frequently asked questions that may help you get a better feel for how our kennel operates.

How often do you have litters available? We are a small kennel and have on average one litter per year.

Do you take reservations for puppies? Yes, reservations are highly recommended. Many of our puppies are reserved before they are whelped and normally all are sold before they reach 7 weeks of age.

How do we reserve a puppy? First you need to contact us via e-mail or the phone and we will discuss your expectations in a puppy. We will discuss your experience, desires, use for the puppy, etc. If everything is agreeable, a $250 deposit is required to reserve a puppy. Deposits can be made with cash or check. Checks require ten working days to clear.

Are deposits refundable? They are refundable if we cannot produce the color/sex of puppy that you reserve. Otherwise they are not. Do not send a deposit if you are not totally committed to purchasing a puppy. If you decide to purchase a puppy elsewhere or not get a puppy, we thank you for your donation.

What traits do you breed for in your pups? We breed for health, temperament and retrieving/hunting desire. We want to produce a puppy that the average, hunter/amateur trainer can train on their own with a minimum of fuss.

What type of dogs do you breed? We breed field Labrador retrievers. The studs are either FC AFC, Master Hunter or Hunting Retriever Champion titled. The dams are normally hunt test titled, although we will breed an untitled bitch if her field performance meets our expectations. Our retrievers are hunted on a variety of game birds. We don't use brood bitches and we do not breed for the show type of dog, pointing labs or so-called British style labs. All breeding dogs are health certified for hips through the OFA, eyes through CERF, EIC through the University of Minnesota and CNM through the Alfort School of Veterinary Medicine in France.

Do you offer a health guarantee with your puppies? Yes, we offer a written guarantee on our puppies' hips, eyes and exercise intolerance due to exercise induced collapse (EIC) and centronuclear myopathy (CNM). We stand behind our puppies and we want you to be satisfied. If you live up to your end of the partnership, i.e. proper care, attention, and contractual agreements, we will live up to ours.

What color of puppies do you produce? We primarily breed for health, temperament, and retrieving/hunting drive. However, we do offer all three colors depending on the particular litter. We do not "specialize" in any particular color.

What type of Lab are you trying to produce? We strive to produce a retriever that is healthy, has a sound, agreeable temperament and loves to work. We want a retriever that lives to retrieve, but yet is a pleasure to be around at all times in and out of the house.

Are your retrievers good around children? Yes, if the owner treats them with respect and teaches them proper obedience. We have one young child who is in constant contact with our dogs and it is hard to imagine dogs better suited for families.

Why do you breed Labrador retrievers? Retrievers are our family's passion. We enjoy training them, hunting them, testing them, trialing them, and just plain old spending time with them. Our love of these dogs has led us to try to return something positive to the breed, and we do that through our breeding program and the time we devote to the retriever sports.

Do you provide professional training for retrievers? Yes, we do ocassionally offer professional dog training depending on how many dogs we have at the time. Give us a call, we are happy to answer questions that any of our puppy owners ask. If we don't know the answer or cannot provide the type of training that you are looking for we will be glad to provide possible resources or names of trainers that may be able to provide the training needed.

Where can I find a good resource to help train my pup? There are many excellent books, dvd's, etc out there today. We recommend that whichever training program that you choose, stay with it 100%. We do highly recommend Mike Lardy training materials, Danny Farmer/Judy Aycock Basics and Problem Solving dvd's, "Training Retrievers to Handle" by DL Walters and books and dvd's by Evan Graham. There is no one program that is better than another, all trainers started out learning from the same source, Rex Carr. The program that you choose should benefit you and your pup throughout the length of the program. We are also highly active in the Hoosier Hunting Retriever club through the United Kennel Club's Hunting Retriever Club. New member day is in early March and the club members typically meet to train every other Saturday from March through September. These are a great group of guys/gals that are a great resource of hunting/training knowledge and expertise. If you are new to training a retriever or have been training/hunting for years and just need some extra hands, come on out with your family and dog(s) and see what we are all about. Here is the link to the Hoosier HRC website: www.hoosierhrc.com

Should we purchase a puppy at this time? Only you can answer this question. Puppies are a huge responsibility that require a lot of work and money to care for and train. If you are not able to make the commitment at this time in time money and resources, do not purchase one.