It is my conviction that the very early days of a puppy's life are critical to the proper development of the Labrador-human bond, therefore, my puppies are handled from the time of birth. For my puppies, humans are as much a part of life as the mother is. They receive an enormous amount of time from me and do not see people just at feeding time. Some of my pups prefer the company of people to food, and we all know how much Labs like food. I enjoy getting "mobbed" by the excited wiggling bodies and wagging tails of happy puppies that have been handled daily since birth, been given "kennel" names, and have received individual attention. The comment I get most, are how people oriented my pups are, and how eager they are to please. Nothing makes me happier than to hear that. If that's the kind of puppy you are interested in, please contact me.
By way of introduction, my name is Marilyn Peeples. I currently live on the west side of Jacksonville, Florida, just a half mile south of I-10 near I-295. My goal is to breed well-rounded companion retrievers, not necessarily field trial champions nor show champions, but having my emphasis that my pups will make good companions.
I obtained my first Labrador Retriever in 1988 -- a black female from hunting lines. Although she had no AKC title in her pedigree, she was descended from dogs that went hunting on the weekends and were great family companions. From her, I learned that Labradors are incredible family pets and bring immeasurable joy to the lives of their families. When I was debating over whether or not to begin breeding Labradors, I asked myself: what will be my goal? I decided that the greatest achievement that a dog can gain is not to be a field champion or a show champion (as worthy as these accomplishments may be) but it is to be a beloved member of a family.
Consequently, the primary focus of my breeding program is to produce "companions". No AKC title or any other achievement can compare to a family that calls and tells me that one of my puppies is now sleeping in their bed , that they love the dog, and that a bond has arisen between the dog and them. However, I also think that maintaining the working ability in my Labrador puppies is also critical. Since structure is of utmost importance to working ability, it is a VERY crucial element in my breeding program. Thus, I seek to breed my females to sound males from working lines. Some of the males I have bred to were field trial titled, some were well-recognized hunting dogs, and still another is out of drug and law enforcement lines: the male I bought in 1997, Marilyn's Lord Magnum. As a result, any new owner getting one of my pups if they have desired to train them for field trials or hunting, the pups have done incredibly well. One of the males from my first litter at 10 months was outcompeting 18 month old dogs in field trials. Numerous puppies of mine are hunting companions and quite a few have competed successfully in the field trial arena. One of my puppies is being trained in "Search and Rescue" and doing extremely well. But, most importantly, all of my puppies are well-loved members of their human families.
Labradors were originally bred to be able to hunt all day. It was my opinion that the direction of the show Labradors in years past was toward shorter-legged, overly-stocky dogs that would NEVER have been able to hunt for any length of time, simply because they were physically unable to do so. Thus, I shied away from breeding the style of Labrador preferred in the show ring because to do so would be to take away the dog's ability to perform its function as a companion retriever. Please do not take this to mean, however, that I take no thought to how my Labs look. Quite the contrary! A Lab must look like a Lab to be a Lab. I have had a few puppies that were show quality although they would have been considered on the tall side. The recent change in the standard was a welcome one, at least to me, for it raised the minimum height and shifted the ring preference back to the taller Labradors.
As much emphasis as I place on maintaining a Labrador's ability to hunt, I do not think that dogs from strictly field trial lines make the best companions. Field Trial dogs tend to have a highly intense motivation to hunt which supercedes all other components of their personality even to the extent of sometimes diluting their desire to be with people. Therefore, I breed away from the super-intense hunting drive. I attempt to produce a balanced pup that likes to hunt but still likes to be with its family. My ideal Labrador is a stocky dog with a well-defined shape to it, nice block head with well-placed ears, a thick, harsh coat, and a thick tail. Also the temperament of the pup is also very important. The male I breed to my female has the best temperament I believe is possible in a dog. He is very "laid-back" with all humans but protects his territory (and his females) with great vigor.
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