When people begin looking for a Labrador puppy, one of the first questions is often how to choose the right puppy from the litter. Which puppy is the smartest? Which one will be easiest to train? Which puppy will make the best hunting dog or family companion?
Robert Milner had a different way of looking at that question.
In an article he wrote in January 2016 titled Breeding Selection, Genetics and Puppy Picking, Robert challenged the idea that an elaborate puppy selection test could reliably tell someone what an eight week old puppy would become as an adult.
His belief was that if you really want to improve your chances of getting the kind of Labrador you are looking for, you need to start much earlier.
You start with the parents.
Robert spent decades breeding, raising and training working Labradors. Through that experience, he placed tremendous importance on selecting breeding dogs for the behavioral qualities he wanted to see carried into future generations.
At Duckhill, he identified four traits that were particularly important.
Gamefinding initiative. A calm, pleasant disposition. Intelligence and ease of training. And a natural tendency to deliver to hand.
Those weren't qualities he expected to create entirely through training after a puppy was born. They were qualities he deliberately looked for when deciding which dogs should become part of the breeding program.
That philosophy remains an important part of Duckhill Kennels today.
Training certainly matters. Early experiences matter. Socialization matters. The individual dog matters. But good training has a much better foundation to build upon when generations of thoughtful breeding have already been selecting for the qualities we value.
That is one reason we don't look at a litter of puppies as the beginning of the process.
The process began generations before them.
Many of the dogs at Duckhill Kennels today descend from the bloodlines Robert carefully selected and developed. With each generation, we continue evaluating the dogs in front of us and making breeding decisions based not simply on appearance or pedigree, but on the qualities that make these Labradors enjoyable to train, capable of doing real work and wonderful dogs to live with.
Robert's original article goes much deeper into his thoughts on genetics, puppy development, breeding selection and why he believed choosing the parents was ultimately more important than trying to identify the “best” puppy in a young litter.
It was written in 2016, but the question behind it is one we still hear today. How do I choose the right puppy?
Robert's advice was to begin by looking at the parents.
From the Duckhill Archives
Want to read Robert’s thoughts in his own words? Read his original January 2016 article, Breeding Selection, Genetics and Puppy Picking.