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Q. What are the benefits of breeding
the English field trial lab?
A. For over 100 years, the British have been breeding Labrador
Retrievers for qualities that are also in high demand here in the U.S. Their dogs have a reputation as intelligent, good-looking dogs with calm,
gentle temperaments, as well as being stylish game finders with
instinctive retrieving abilities. In England, it is important to
breed for these qualities because their field trials are run much
differently than American field trials. At British field trials,
handlers and their dogs must remain lined up at heel, marking downed
birds, but not moving until directed. They may sit for hours,
watching as other dogs are released one by one to retrieve. If a dog
moves or whines he is disqualified. Once a dog is released for a
retrieve, the judges look for superb hunting skills, with an emphasis on
strong game finding ability, intelligence and trainability. Since a
dog cannot be spoken to except to handle on a blind retrieve, temperament
is critical in determining which dogs are bred. It should also
be noted that in England electric collars and force fetch techniques are
not used. They believe in bringing out the desired qualities through
a combination of selective breeding and positive reinforcement-based
training.
The American bred field trial and hunt test
dogs have outstanding qualities as well. The American Labrador’s
strengths lie in their excellent marking ability, endless desire and
energy. They are known especially as superb water dogs.
We have been successfully breeding the
American and English lines together for years, and find their respective
strengths quite complementary. We are not suggesting that one line
such as English vs. American or one quality, pointing vs. flushing or even
one game, field trials vs. upland competitions is better than the other. We are fortunate that one breed can provide us with so many valuable
choices and diversity, and that through selective breeding you can get
what you need in a Labrador.
Q. Why breed a pointing lab?
A. The pointing Labrador is a
very controversial line of dog that has been gaining in popularity in the
past few years. We have found that there are certain lines,
particularly British, that will produce a greater natural tendency to
point. In our breeding program, we have never purposely tried to
bring the pointing trait out or to actively discourage it. If a dog
tends to point, the vast majority of upland hunters feel that is an
obvious bonus. Our goal is to breed the very best all-around lab
possible. There are so many great qualities with the Labrador
Retriever, we do not want to overlook one to get another. We are
confident that through our experience, patience and a genuine passion for
improving the Labrador breed, we can produce exceptionally well rounded
dogs.
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Holzinger Kennels is dedicated to the art of
breeding Labrador Retrievers that are World Class upland and water dogs. Our years of experience and high standards have produced hunting dogs that
are not only remarkable out in the field, but also maintain the classic
temperament of an exceptionally well rounded Labrador Retriever. Our
breeding successes have lead to many males sold from our lines having gone
on to become stud dogs in other kennels.