Goldberry Labrador Retrievers

Am. Can. Ch. Goldberry's Holly

My wife Martha and daughter Christa showing Holly and Nienna to wins at a Lab Specialty.

Every year I get many questions about showing dogs, so let's take a look at some of the different aspects of showing Labrador Retrievers. First, showing in America you need to be familiar with the American Kennel Club who sanctions shows and gets its standard for the Labrador Retriever, not for the Labrador Retriever Club, Inc. This club is made up of a mix of field trial, obedience and conformation enthusiasts who decided to reject the world standard (FCI) and adopt a compromise standard that is specific to America with several disqualifications not seen elsewhere. A large number of conformation enthusiasts felt the Labrador breeder was better served by being part of the more accepted FCI standard (often referred to as English type) so they formed their own club called the National Labrador Retriever Club.

Confused yet? It will become clear now because the final interpretation of what is right is in the hands of the judge where it should be. At an all breed show the judge may have many breeds to look at and will often more strictly interpret the standard accepted by the American Kennel Club. At a specialty show the judge is often selected by a local Labrador Club and is often a Labrador breeder conformation enthusiast themselves who will have their own idea about what a Labrador Retriever is. So if you purchase from a kennel that competes at one type of show, the dog you purchase should compete at the same type of show.

You will notice that at Goldberry we compete at both types of shows and have good wins at both Labrador Specialties and the all breed shows in America. We also show in Canada which doesn't recognize all the disqualifications that are in America. That gives us another opinion as to the direction our breeding program should take. It is our opinion that quality comes through no matter who is judging the venue.

Whomever you get your show dog from, the breeder can help you with where and when to show to optimize your chances of success. Remember, whether you have the next Westminster breed winner or just a good representative of the breed, have fun with it and remember dog showing can be addictive.

Charlie Tolkien - Yellow Labrador Retriever & French Bulldog Breeder
(507) 257-3890 - MN / Email: YELLABS@AOL.COM

Martha Tolkien with Goldberry's Moon Guardian and Am. Ch. Goldberry's Holly.	Goldberry's Jack, a male I sold, winning at Key City.
Purchasing a Goldberry Labrador for show purposes is a large commitment, a commitment by us to get you the very best and a commitment by you to give your show dog a chance to succeed. Each year we breed 3 or 4 litters with show potential but only a few pups from each litter are deemed show quality.