I am a conformation show breeder and exhibitor of Labrador Retrievers. Show Den Labradors is not a kennel and my Labradors are part of the family and they all live inside the house. For this reason I decided on the name Show Den, because we live and show together. My dogs are my pets first and they are show dogs second. I love to have my dogs close by me and I love to spend my time with them. I have been into dogs since I was a teenager and my parents bought me my first show dog when I was 15. Back then, I just wanted the dog out of the pet store, but my parents insisted that I have a show dog from a breeder with a pedigree that had champion blood lines. Today I have a better understanding of why my parents did this. The dog I decided on was not a Labrador, she was an Alaskan Malamute and I only showed her in a couple of local matches and won a ribbon here and there, but because of lifes other responsibilities we did not spend much time in the show ring.
Even after all of this time passed my interest and my desire to show and breed never went away. I have always had a multiple dog household. Some people can't image having more than just one dog and I can't image not having a pack of dogs around me. It has been a journey and I have tried several other breeds with little success. For example, I have been involved with Chow Chow's, Samoyed's and Golden Retrievers. Although, some of these dogs I purchased did not work out for one reason or another. It was not until after I lost my long time companion of 13 years a Labrador mix, Astro, that I got serious and I did my homework. I did extensive reseach on so many different breeds of dogs. I was looking for a companion just like Astro and since he was a heinz 57, I could not find another one just like him. After checking into several breeds of dogs that I just did not feel would suit me, I decided to go back to the drawing board and look into one of the breeds that I knew was in Astro, the Labrador Retriever. Only this time I wanted to make sure to get a pure bred Labrador.
With the Labradors kind temperament and their eagerness to please, I started to see my boy Astro all over again. I love a retrieving water dog and I fell in love with that otter tail right off the back. I did not want a dog that required a lot of grooming and maintenance. My first labrador puppy was bought as a companion dog and I did not have any intensions of showing him. We worked together in obedience and I trained him for therapy work. I wanted to learn more about my new dog and where he came from and I began researching his pedigree. With all the champions in his lines it brought back all the memories of when my parents bought me my first show dog. It was at this moment that I decided I wanted to take the next step and look for that special show puppy. My dreamed was to have my own champion show dog.
Once I found a Labrador show breeder, I waited 6 months for my special puppy. I decided on a yellow male this time. All my other labradors had been black and I wanted to have a yellow for a change. Finally, my boy had arrived my potential show puppy, I was thrilled. I trained my puppy in conformation and worked with him all the time. I did everything to help groom him to become a future show dog. When I brought my puppy to his first match when he was just 3 months of age I had no idea what to expect. He won the puppy class, then he won the puppy breed and he kept on winning until he won a Group 1. Wow, I was hooked! Like with so many others, winning a bit was what started my passion for showing in conformation. I worked hard with my puppy who soon grew into a young dog and his winning streak continued on into the dog shows. Together we went through the ups and downs and the highs and lows, but it soon paid off. This same puppy became a young AKC Champion, my first. It truly was worth every bit of sweat and tears. Since then the Den has grown quite a bit and we continue to grow all the time. I have purchased several dogs from other champion show breeders to start my own kennel. Now I have several others that I am currently showing in the AKC, UKC and UCI registries. Most of my dogs are champions in at least two of these registries.
Nowadays, if we are not out at the shows we stay very busy here at Show Den with our pack. If you check out our "Dog Days" page you will see that we are always playing and working with our Labradors and we do not just have them sitting around in kennels. We could be taking them out to the shows, training classes, therapy visits or attending a local dog event, working with them in their conditioning routines or just throwing the ball around, going for a swim or running in the park.
Thanks for visiting us at Show Den Labradors. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about our dogs or the Labrador breed.
My beloved boy Astro who introduced me to this wonderful breed
WHAT IS A BREEDER?
A Breeder (with a capital B) is one who thirsts for knowledge and never really knows it all, one who wrestles with decisions of conscience, convenience, and commitment. A Breeder is one who sacrifices personal interests, finances, time, friendships, fancy furniture, and deep pile carpeting! She gives up the dreams of a long, luxurious cruise in favor of turning that all important show into this years "vacation."
A Breeder goes without sleep (but never without coffee!) in hours spent planning a breeding or watching anxiously over the birth process, and afterwards, over every little sneeze, wiggle or cry. A Breeder skips dinner parties because that litter is due or the babies have to be fed at eight. A Breeder's lap is a marvelous place where generations of proud and noble champions once snoozed. A Breeder's hands are strong and firm and often soiled, but ever so gentle and sensitive to the thrusts of a puppy's wet nose. A Breeder's back and knees are usually arthritic from stooping, bending, and sitting in the birthing box, but are strong enough to enable the breeder to show the next choice pup to a Championship. A Breeder's shoulders are stooped and often heaped with abuse from competitors, but they're wide enough to support the weight of a thousand defeats and frustrations. A Breeder's arms are always able to wield a mop, support an armful of puppies, or lend a helping hand to a newcomer. A Breeder's ears are wondrous things, sometimes red (from being talked about) or strangely shaped (from being pressed against a phone receiver), often deaf to criticism, yet always fine-tuned to the whimper of a sick puppy.
A Breeder's eyes are blurred from pedigree research and sometimes blind to her own dog's faults, but they are ever so keen to the competitions faults and are always searching for the perfect specimen. A Breeder's brain is foggy on faces, but it can recall pedigrees faster than an IBM computer. It's so full of knowledge that sometimes it blows a fuse: it catalogues thousands of good bonings, fine ears, and perfect heads... and buries in the soul the failures and the ones that didn't turn out. A Breeder's heart is often broken, but it beats strongly with hope everlasting... and it's always in the right place!
Oh, yes, there are breeders, and then, there are BREEDERS
Author Unknown
"WHY PUT A TITLE ON A DOG"
What is a Title really? Not just a brag, not just a stepping stone to a higher title, not just an adjunct to competitive scores.
A Title is a tribute to the dog that bears it, a way to honor that dog, an ultimate memorial. It will remain in the record and in the memory for about as long as anything in this world can remain. Few humans will do as well or better in that regard. And though the dog himself doesn't know or care that his achievements have been noted, a Title says many things in the world of humans, where such things count.
A Title says your dog was intelligent, and adaptable, and good-natured. It says that your dog loved you enough to do the things that please you, however crazy they may have sometimes seemed.
And a Title says that you love your dog, that you love to spend time with him because he is a good dog, and that you believed in him enough to give him yet another chance when he failed (or you did), and that in the end your faith was justified.
A Title proves that your dog inspired you to have the special relationship enjoyed by so few; that in a world of disposable creatures, this dog with a Title is greatly loved, and loves greatly in return.
And when that dear short life is over, the Title remains as a memorial of the finest kind, the best you can give to a deserving friend, volumes of praise in one small set of initials before of after the name.
A Title is nothing less than love and respect, given and received permanently.
Karen with two young hopefuls.
My beloved boy Astro who introduced me to this wonderful breed