11/23/2025
Why I Don’t Breed “English” or “American” Labradors.
I Breed Labrador Retrievers.
I’m often asked whether my dogs are “English” Labradors or “American” Labradors. The honest answer is: neither. I breed Labrador Retrievers, full stop.
“English” and “American” have become popular labels/marketing terms, but they’re not actually part of the official breed standard. The Labrador Retriever is one breed.
One standard.
One purpose.
One history.
Over time, these unofficial labels have created the illusion of two separate breeds, and that split has caused a lot of misunderstanding and a lot of problems. When people breed to fit a marketing category instead of breeding to the written standard, exaggerations happen. Heads get too blocky, bodies get too heavy, or on the other side, dogs become too narrow, too high, too fast. Temperaments drift away from what a Labrador should be. Health and structure get pushed aside for trends.
My breeding program is rooted in the breed standard itself, not someone else’s idea of what an “English” or “American” Lab should look like. My program is based on sound structure, sane temperament, correct type, and functional ability. These are the things that matter for a Labrador to live a long, healthy, and capable life.
I don’t want to produce a caricature of a Labrador.
I don’t want to chase fads.
I want to preserve the balanced, versatile, biddable, athletic, correct Labrador Retriever that has served families and worked alongside humans for generations.
So when people ask me what type I breed, my answer will always be: I breed Labrador Retrievers. The real kind. The whole kind. The kind that honors the standard and not the labels.
