Breeding Plan

MY BREEDING PLAN

My aim of producing a distinctive, physically and temperamentally sound, versatile and of course lovable line of chocolate Labrador Retrievers requires the bringing together of a number of factors for it to succeed. Not the least of these factors is the pedigree or ancestry of the Labrador retrievers in the programme or plan. Not just the pedigree on paper but the knowledge of and the accumulation of genes from particular Labradors. There are a number of possible approaches when deciding which dogs to use or include. The following method is that which I decided to employ and as I am primarily interested in chocolate Labrador Retrievers focuses on them and blacks that produce chocolate. It is what I am doing to produce a distinctive Cranlamila Line.

I have done much research into chocolate and chocolate producing Labrador Retrievers. The Internet has been a wonderful tool in this regard. I have researched the following characteristics.

A typical Labrador Retriever look and one that I personally like.

Dogs that are proven producers of chocolate Labrador Retrievers of quality. That is producers of Champions and of healthy sound progeny

Origin. Which kennels they were bred in and were those kennels recognised as successfully at the top of the game.

Use of particular dogs by top breeders.

Chocolate Labrador Retrievers have become very popular of late, however until recently, and actually since the recorded history of the breed, black was/is the prominent colour of the Labrador Retriever. Research has shown that many of the great black Labrador Retrievers of the past carried the chocolate gene. You can find examples of sire, sons, grandsons and great grandsons that are all black but with the chocolate gene carrying through.

One such dog was Champion Sandyland Mark, born in 1969. In fact, you won't be far wrong by stating that he is behind a large majority of quality dogs today - not just chocolates. Here are two photos of him. Appologises for the photo quality.

I believe that the fastest way to succeed is to line breed. Provided that the dog or dogs that are the focus of the plan are sound quality dogs. Champion Sandylands Mark was very extensively and successfully used in line breeding. I had to find a dog or dogs to line breed to, dogs or their progeny that are alive today.

Obviously attempting to base my plan on Ch. Sandylands Mark was not possible as there are too many generations between his time of fame and the present. So, I decided that Champion Kupros Master Mariner( also known as Bracken), a black dog carrying the chocolate gene, was my ideal dog. He was born in the UK in 1983, his hip score is 0:1 and he consistently produced sound quality progeny when mated to a variety of bitches. He was used extensively by top breeders of the time. He has Ch. Sandylands Mark as Great Grand father, Great Great Grandfather and Great Great Great Grandfather. Ch. Sandylands Mark actually appears 5 times in Ch. Kupros Master Mariners's 5 generation pedigree. He matched all the criteria I had set but had, unfortunately, passed over the rainbow bridge as well, but much more recently. His sire was Show Champion, US Champion, Canadian Champion Lindall Mastercraft (1980) and his Grand Sire was Champion Charway Ballywill Will (1978). His great grandson Champion Cambremer Tom Cobbley Of Charway (1994) produced Norway Champion Birchbrook Barley Wine Of Charway (1997). He is also the sire of the once in a lifetime dog, NZ Champion Rocheby Sailing Along At Follytower (1993) residing in New Zealand. Here are some photos of Champion Kupros Master Mariner.

Undertaking to directly line breed to Ch. Kupros Master Mariner was not possible either as he has passed on and there is only very limited reserves of his frozen semen available scattered around the world. I set about finding dogs that were descended from and also looked like him and his sire and grand sire. I would be, in a fashion, line breeding to him by incorporating these dogs in my breeding plan.

I found that the chocolate Labrador Retriever community, particularly in Australia, is largely close knit. That is the top breeders knew all the top dogs of other breeders, used those dogs, bought dogs and bitches from other top breeders and competed against the other top breeders. The two prominent kennels in Australia that produce quality chocolate Labrador Retrievers of the type I like and that met my other criteria were Avokah and Gunnislake. These two kennels bought and used each others Labrador Retrievers through the years. I then set about acquiring dogs from them or using their stud dogs. More recently I added Roughfield (New Zealand), Croftsway (New Zealand) and Strangways to the list of kennels whose dogs met my criteria. You will find Labrador Retrievers from these kennels in the pedigrees of my current breeding stock. Most notibly you will find that I am line breeding to these dogs in particular....Eng. Ch. Cambremer Tom Cobbley of Charway, Nor. Ch. Birchbrook Barley Wine of Charway and Aust. Grand Ch. Gunnislake Tippler Jack.

This is the approach I have taken in arriving at the team of breeding dogs that I am now very happy with. I have listed a number of dogs with photos below. These dogs all appear in the pedigrees of my current Labrador Retrievers or future dogs that are in the pipeline. The list begins with the youngest animals which appear as parents and grand parents of my present Labrador Retrievers and ends with the older dogs, some many generations back in my current pedigrees, many being deceased. All these dogs trace through to great dogs from the present or recent past.

This total idea or approach is the basis for my current and future plans of breeding great looking typical, sound chocolate Labrador Retrievers for the years to come.