Raised with Purpose

Puppies with a Full Education

We put a lot of thought into the first 12 weeks of our puppies' lives. Our raising program is built around the same qualities we value in our adult dogs: versatility, a clear head, natural Labrador ability, and a temperament that allows them to enjoy working while still being easy to live with.

We want dogs with the natural gun dog ability to be successful in the field and the trainability to go far in whatever their owners choose to pursue. We aren't specifically looking to produce the extremely high-drive competition dog nor the low drive couch potato dog. We love the Labrador who can “do all the things” and still be a wonderful companion who can chill out.

Our Raising Process

  • Our puppies are born and raised in the heart of our home. What would traditionally be our dining room has been converted into a dedicated dog room and, when we have a litter, our whelping and puppy area. It sits directly off our kitchen and living room, so our puppies grow up as part of the everyday rhythm of our household from day one.

    They hear normal household noises, see people coming and going, become familiar with the sights, sounds, and routines of living in a home. As they get older, their world gradually expands beyond the puppy area and into more of our home & the world outside of it.

    Our litters aren't a side project kept in a separate kennel or building. They are part of our family while they are here, just as we expect them to become part of yours when they leave.

    Our home is smoke-free and pesticide-free.

  • Our puppies are raised with Puppy Culture and Early Scent Introduction (ESI) as part of our overall puppy-raising program.

    As they develop, puppies are gradually introduced to new surfaces, sounds, objects, people, handling, movement, household activity, problem solving, and new environments. They have opportunities to retrieve, carry, use their noses, explore natural areas, and develop the instincts that come naturally to a Labrador.

    We balance those experiences with plenty of sleep, familiar routines, independent time, and opportunities to settle. Socialization should help puppies learn how to comfortably process the world around them. More exposure isn't always better, especially when a puppy hasn't had time to recover and process the experience they just had.

  • At approximately seven weeks, our puppies receive third-party evaluations for both structure and temperament.

    Experienced Labrador breeders evaluate the litter for structure and conformation. Experienced service dog trainers independently evaluate temperament and working traits. We combine their observations with everything we have learned from living with and raising the puppies ourselves.

    We do not use Volhard testing or assign puppies to homes based on a single score. We look at the whole puppy and the patterns we have seen throughout their development, including confidence, recovery, sensitivity, sociability, arousal, ability to settle, handler orientation, independence, problem solving, frustration tolerance, retrieving instinct, and other individual traits.

    Puppy matches are generally made by eight weeks old based on each puppy and the needs and goals of their future home.

  • Starting around seven weeks, we begin working through age-appropriate exercises from the Control Unleashed Puppy Program. We continue those foundations until puppies leave us at approximately 12 weeks.

    This gives puppies several weeks to begin learning how to engage with a handler, process their environment, work around distractions, settle, and move between activity and calm.

    These are skills we value across nearly every path our puppies may take. The details of training will eventually look very different for your team’s goals but a dog who can think clearly and work with their person has a useful foundation for all of them.

  • Although matches are made around eight weeks, our puppies remain with us until approximately 12 weeks old.

    The 8 to 11 week range commonly overlaps with a puppy's first fear period. We prefer to keep puppies in the home and routines they already know during this developmental stage rather than adding the stress of moving to an entirely new home at the same time.

    This doesn't mean we keep puppies tucked away from the world. They continue meeting different people, visiting appropriate environments, experiencing new sights and sounds, and learning how to navigate unfamiliar situations. Those experiences are balanced with plenty of time back at home to decompress.

    Staying with us longer also gives puppies time to receive another age-appropriate round of vaccinations before going home, decreasing some of the risk of illness as their opportunities for safe socialization expand.

    Those additional weeks give us more time for crate training, potty training, car rides, handling, grooming, leash foundations, individual training, independence, settling, and socialization with different people and environments.

    We aren't trying to send home a finished puppy at 12 weeks. We want to send home a puppy who has had a thoughtful start and is ready for their new family to continue building on it.

    Our puppies may eventually become hobby hunting partners, service dogs, show dogs, sport dogs, companions, or dogs who happily dabble in a little bit of everything. We raise them with the versatility to give them that choice.

Core Information

  • For the health and safety of our dogs, puppies, and home, we do not offer in-home or on-property puppy visits. Allowing clients onto our property would require us to operate our home as a client-facing business location with the additional business insurance and liability requirements that come with that. We have chosen to keep our home and breeding program private rather than operate it as a public facility.

    We know families still want to see their puppy grow! We are happy to schedule video calls so you can see your puppy, ask questions, and stay involved while they are growing with us.

  • For families located approximately 30 to 45 minutes from Richmond, Virginia, we are happy to deliver your puppy directly to you when possible.

    Families traveling from farther away can meet us at a predetermined park or other public location near our home. We are also happy to meet families flying in at Richmond International Airport.

    We can discuss travel plans well before your puppy's go-home date so everyone knows what to expect.

  • Unless otherwise discussed in advance, all of our puppies are sold on limited registration and co-owned with us. At this time, we do not sell puppies to other breeding programs.

    Co-ownership is an important part of how we remain responsible for the dogs we bring into the world. Our responsibility to a puppy doesn't end when they leave our home at 12 weeks old. We want to know where our dogs are, how they are doing, and remain available throughout their lives.

    It also gives us an additional way to protect our dogs if something goes seriously wrong. If an owner becomes unable to care for their dog, a dog ends up in a shelter, or another situation places their welfare at risk, our continued legal connection to that dog gives us greater ability to become involved and help get them somewhere safe.

    Co-ownership does not mean that we pay for the dog's routine or emergency expenses, and it does not provide a discount on the purchase price. Your puppy is your dog, and you remain responsible for their everyday care, veterinary expenses, training, and other costs of ownership.

  • We offer a 30-month hip and elbow guarantee for the puppies we produce. We take orthopedic health seriously in our breeding decisions and want to stand behind the dogs we bring into the world.

    To qualify under our guarantee, hip and elbow evaluations must be officially submitted to and scored by OFA.

    If Your Dog Does Not Pass

    If your dog receives a qualifying OFA diagnosis of hip or elbow dysplasia within the guarantee period, you will be placed back on our waitlist for a replacement puppy from a future litter.

    We will never require you to return your current dog in order to receive a replacement puppy. If you would like to keep your dog, they can remain with you. If you are unable, we will take the dog back or assist in rehoming (especially if you have a family member interested). The affected dog must be spayed or neutered before a replacement puppy is provided.

    Replacement puppies are subject to availability and appropriate matching. Being returned to our waitlist does not guarantee a puppy from the immediately following litter.

    Grade I Elbows & CT Confirmation

    An OFA Grade I elbow result can sometimes involve subtle findings on radiographs. If a dog receives a Grade I elbow evaluation, we may choose to pay for a CT scan as part of our health guarantee before considering the result a qualifying case of elbow dysplasia.

    The purpose of the CT is to get a clearer picture of the joint and determine whether the OFA finding represents elbow dysplasia rather than an unclear or questionable finding on the original radiographs.

    If the CT confirms elbow dysplasia, we will honor our health guarantee and place the family back on our waitlist for a replacement puppy.

  • There are a few things we feel strongly enough about to make them a condition of owning one of our dogs.

    Dogs we produce may not be trained using shock collars or electronic (e-)collars at any point in their lives. Our co-ownership allows us to maintain this requirement beyond simply making a recommendation at pickup.

    We do not personally use prong collars; however, we will not prohibit their use at this time.

    We understand that some owners prefer electronic collar training or would simply prefer a breeder who has less involvement after the puppy goes home. In that case, our program may not be the right fit, and that's okay. We would rather be clear about these expectations before someone joins our waitlist.

  • Co-ownership also comes with something we consider equally important: lifetime breeder support.

    We want our families to stay in touch. We are available as a resource for questions about development, training, behavior, health, nutrition, sports, service work, grooming, finding appropriate professionals, and the many other questions that come with living with a Labrador.

    We also want to hear about the ordinary stuff. We love seeing our puppies grow up, hearing about their accomplishments, and learning who they become as adults. Following our puppies throughout their lives also gives us valuable information about the dogs we are producing and helps guide future breeding decisions.

    We will always take back a dog we produced. If circumstances change and you are no longer able to keep your dog, we want to be contacted. Our puppy contract includes a right of first refusal, meaning one of our dogs may not simply be sold, surrendered, rehomed, or otherwise transferred to another person without contacting us first and giving us the opportunity to take the dog back or be involved in determining an appropriate next placement.

    There is no age limit on that commitment. Whether one of our dogs is 12 months old or 12 years old, we want to know if they need somewhere to go. We would much rather have a dog return to us than find out later that they entered a shelter, rescue, or an unsuitable home.

    Our dogs should always have their breeder in their corner.

  • Our puppies go home at approximately 12 weeks old. By the time they leave us, each puppy will have:

    • AKC registration completed before going home

    • Two age-appropriate rounds of core puppy vaccinations

    • Age-appropriate deworming

    • A veterinary health examination

    • Individual veterinary and vaccination records

    • Microchip and registration information

    • A small supply of the food they are currently eating

    • A familiar item carrying the scent of home and their litter

    • A collar and/or appropriately sized starter leash

    • Lifetime discounted boarding, and board & train stays

    • Information about their crate, potty, and training routines

    • Copies of applicable health, and puppy paperwork

    • A go-home bag with a few useful items to make the transition easier

  • Unless otherwise agreed upon with us in writing, our puppies must be spayed or neutered by 30 months of age.

    To maintain the hip and elbow guarantee, puppies may not be spayed or neutered before 18 months of age unless we have agreed to an exception in writing.

    If a veterinarian or qualified trainer recommends altering your dog earlier for a medical or behavioral reason, please contact us whenever circumstances allow. We can discuss the situation and document an exception when appropriate.

We are intentionally a small breeding program.

We generally plan for one litter per year at most, and there may be years when we do not have a litter at all. We breed when we have a pairing we genuinely believe in and when the timing is right for our dogs and our program.

We also generally plan for our dams to have two litters during their lifetime, with a maximum of three. Breeding is only a small part of what we do with our dogs.

We love training them, competing with them, working alongside them, traveling with them, and simply living with them. They have lives and accomplishments that have nothing to do with producing puppies. They are our partners and our friends first.

Keeping our breeding program small also allows us to invest more of our time and resources into each dog and each litter. We can continue pursuing training, titles, health testing, and activities with our adult dogs while giving the occasional litter the attention we believe those puppies deserve. Our dogs are much more to us than potential dams and sires. Breeding is simply something they may do during one small chapter of their entire lives with us.

Interested in One of Our Puppies?

  • 1. Complete Our Puppy Application

    The first step is completing our puppy application.

    Tell us about yourself, your household, your experience with dogs, and what you hope to do with your future Labrador. We want to know whether you are looking for a companion, service dog prospect, hunting partner, performance dog, show prospect, or a dog who may dabble in several things.

    Please be detailed! The more we know about what you actually want to live with, the better we can determine whether our dogs may be a good fit.

    Submitting an application does not automatically place you on our waitlist or guarantee a puppy.

  • 2. We'll Review Your Application

    Once we review your application, we'll reach out if we believe our program may be a good fit.

    We may have additional questions or recommend a phone or video call so we can get to know each other better. Depending on timing and location, there may also be opportunities to meet some of our adult dogs in a public setting.

    This is also your opportunity to ask us questions. We want families to understand how our puppies are raised, our co-ownership requirements, our training requirements, health guarantee, and what we expect from our puppy homes before making a commitment.

  • 3. Review Our Puppy Contract

    Approved families will have an opportunity to review our puppy contract before committing to our waitlist.

    We encourage you to actually read it! Our contract contains requirements that continue throughout the dog's life, including our co-ownership, right of first refusal, and prohibition on electronic training collars.

    We want everyone comfortable with those expectations before moving forward.

  • 4. Joining Our Waitlist

    Once approved and all required waitlist steps are completed, you can join our reservation list for a future litter.

    Joining our waitlist reserves the opportunity to be considered for an appropriate puppy. It does not reserve a specific color, sex, puppy, or guaranteed position within a particular litter.

    Breeding dogs still leaves quite a bit up to nature. We cannot control exactly how many puppies are born, their sexes, colors, or the individual temperaments within a litter. We would rather have someone wait for another litter than place a puppy simply because that puppy happens to be available.

  • 5. While We Wait

    Once you are on our waitlist, we'll keep you updated on relevant breeding plans and upcoming litters.

    Wait times can vary considerably. Some families may match with a puppy relatively quickly, while families with very specific requirements may wait through multiple litters.

    We encourage families to keep us updated if something changes while they are waiting. A move, new pet, change in work schedule, new training goals, or a change in what you are looking for may affect which puppy is appropriate for you.

  • 6. Puppies Are Here!

    Once a litter arrives, we will update the families being considered for that litter and confirm that their circumstances, preferences, and goals have not changed.

    You'll also get to follow along as the puppies grow. We share updates throughout the litter so families can watch their development, even though individual puppy matches have not yet been made.

    At this stage, we still cannot promise that a particular puppy will be yours. We need time to watch the litter develop.

  • 7. Evaluation & Puppy Matching

    At approximately seven weeks, our puppies receive third-party temperament and conformation evaluations. We combine those evaluations with everything we have observed while raising and living with the litter.

    We generally make our puppy matches by approximately eight weeks old.

    Families do not select puppies solely by photographs, color, or picking order. We consider your preferences, but temperament and appropriate placement come first.

    We look at the individual puppy alongside your lifestyle, goals, experience, household, preferences, and plans for the dog. A service dog handler may need very different traits than a hunting home, sport home, or family looking primarily for a companion.

    If we do not believe there is an appropriate puppy for you in that litter, we will discuss moving your reservation forward to a future litter rather than forcing a match.

  • 8. Your Puppy Stays With Us Until 12 Weeks

    Finding out which puppy is yours at approximately eight weeks doesn't mean they're leaving quite yet!

    Our puppies remain with us until approximately 12 weeks old. During those additional weeks, we continue their socialization, crate and potty training, individual training, Control Unleashed Puppy Program foundations, outings, and preparation for their future homes.

    It also gives you time to prepare specifically for the puppy who will soon be joining your family.

    When the time finally comes, local families may have their puppy delivered, families traveling from farther away can meet us near Richmond, and we can meet families flying in at Richmond International Airport.

    Then the fun really begins, and our lifetime breeder support continues from there.

  • A Note About Placement

    We reserve the right to decline an application or placement if we determine that our dogs or program are not an appropriate fit for a particular home. We may also reconsider a planned placement if circumstances change before a puppy goes home.

    We take matching seriously because we are responsible for every puppy we produce for their entire life. Sometimes that means asking a family to wait longer. Sometimes it means recognizing that another breeder or program may better suit what someone is looking for.

    We want the same outcome our families do: the right Labrador in the right home, with both set up to enjoy many years together.

  • Owner-Trained Service Dog Prospects

    We accept one planned owner-trained service dog placement per litter onto our waitlist.

    Service dog prospects require a particularly specific temperament, and even a thoughtfully bred litter may not produce a puppy we believe is appropriate for that work. Being accepted for a service dog prospect does not guarantee that the litter will ultimately produce a suitable candidate.

    If a litter appears to have more than one puppy with particularly strong service dog potential after our evaluations, we may reach out to other handlers who have previously expressed interest or announce the availability through our social media.

    We also reserve the right to retain a promising service dog prospect for our own program.

    Our priority is placing each puppy where their individual traits make the most sense rather than filling a predetermined number of placements.