MH Titled Litter Due Around January 8, 2019

MH sired all yellow litter expected around January 8, 2019.  This is a first time mating of two dogs that match up extremely well together!   If you're looking for that dog that has the perfect look, a ton of drive, and strong natural pointing ability this is the litter.  Both sire and dam have great personalities, are great family dogs, and have a pedigree that don't quit.  This breeding compiles 11 GMPR titles, and many other FC AFC or GMHRCH titled dogs.  There are 6 APLA Hall of Fame dogs and a total of 35 titled dogs in the pedigree.   Some notables include; GMPR MPR Rik's Risky Raider MH, GMPR Grits of Black Forest SH, GMHRCH II GMPR HRC UH Midvale Acres Risen Belle MH, GMHRCH Silverbrook Return to Sender MH, 2xCNAFC 2xNAFC FC AFC Ebonstar Lean Mac,  CPR Minn Horse and Hunt Club Thor, and GMPR Wannamakers Hot Tubb SH, and many more.  This pedigree combines a perfect mix of pointing bloodlines, and legendary field trial pedigrees!  Both Ruger and Briar come with all the health clearances, and are hip certified (excellent), elbows and eyes normal. Pups will come with a 28 month health guarantee.

Briar

Briar is that all around great family gun dog that everyone is looking for!  She is the type of dog you can spend all day with in the yard, take for a walk, use to keep the kids entertained, but yet has a passion for upland hunting like no one else!   Briar is a 60 pound female that is built for strength, athleticism, and endurance!  Not to mention she possesses that same great look we've been seeking to reproduce for the past 10 years!   She is a dog that can cover a lot of ground in a hurry, but never gets too rangy and constantly has her nose to the ground. At only 3 years old, many people often ask to hunt their pups alongside her because she hunts like a dog whose been doing it for 10 years.  She uses her nose to pinpoint birds in the thickest of cover, and when the conditions are right she displays a strong and steady natural point.   Her greatest attribute would be her ability to mark and find cripples.  There have been very few crippled birds that have outsmarted over the years, and her determination is seldom matched. Briar is the perfect all around gun dog and I'm impressed at how many things she does so well!

Ruger

Ruger is a MH hunt titled male.  He is Raider son whose bloodline was brought back to us via frozen semen years after Raider’s passing.  Raider’s bloodline is one of the most prominent bloodlines in the history of pointing labs, and was an integral part of bringing notoriety to the pointing lab back in the mid-90’s.  Simply put, in the pointing world Raider is considered to be a legend!  The accomplishments of dogs from this pedigree are too many too list but there are many GMPR, MH, MHR and National Champions on both sides of this breeding! Ruger is a 70-75 pound powerhouse that has that same great look Raider possessed.  He is hunted extensively and his athleticism shows in the field! Ruger has run the MENZ Tournament circuit and has many 1^stplace finishes.  He also has 3 Master passes in NAHRA (will complete last two summer of 2019)  Some of his notables include GMPR MHR Rik’s Risky Raider MH, GMHR I HRCH Delta Marsh Firestorm Chase SH, Cashinger’s Special Brew MH, Holzinger’s Risky Business SH, Kurt’s Blazing Behavior SH, and many more. Ruger is an all-around great male with plenty of athleticism, nose, natural pointing ability, marking, and passion!  One thing that has been said of the Raider line over the years is how intelligent the offspring has been, and how quickly pups develop!  Having bred this same line over the years, I can attest to that!  Ruger also doubles as an all-around great family dog!  Ruger’s father passed away in 2008, and this was said about him: “Raider was brought to us at Holzinger Kennels (located at the MN Horse and Hunt Club) in 1995 to be trained as a gun dog for owner Rick Gerth. When I started training Raider on advanced handling, it quickly became apparent that this dog had what it took to become something very special in the Labrador world. His qualities included an intense retrieving drive, relentless perseverance, strong natural point, very trainable, stylish, bold looks, great bloodlines and an awesome temperament. Raider's lineage descended from the American and British Field trial bloodlines, and has five generations of US Open Pheasant Championship winners. He is well known for consistently throwing his exceptional qualities into his offspring. They tend to mature quickly and excel to the highest levels of Agility, Tournament Hunting and various Hunt Tests. Raider would stand on point before he even knew a "whoa" command was. You could try to encourage him to break point and flush, but he would give you a quick glimpse and look back on point without moving. Raider loved attention unless there was something to retrieve. When I would show him to people, I could not have a dummy in my back pocket or anywhere near. If he knew there was something to retrieve, that's the only thing he wanted to do.  Raider loved attention unless there was something to retrieve. When I would show him to people, I could not have a dummy in my back pocket or anywhere near. If he knew there was something to retrieve, that's the only thing he wanted to do.  Besides his many accomplishments, if I were to describe Raider in two words I would say " Big Heart". Raider had endless drive to retrieve and always worked very hard to please.”

To say that I’m excited about another Raider “grandsired” litter is an understatement.  There aren’t too many opportunities to bring a bloodline like this back!

Black and Yellow Litter Expected Mid-July 2018

Lilly meets Ty, black and yellow litter expected Mid July 2018.  Lilly and Ty match up perfectly and will produce pups with a ton of drive, strong natural point, high intelligence, and exceptional looks.  Ty is a JH titled male (working toward SH title) and comes to us by way of Holzinger Kennels in Minnesota. Holzinger Kennels is a very well renowned kennel throughout the U.S. just south of the Twin Cities. Their reputation speaks for itself producing dogs such as GMPR MHR Rik's Risky Raider MH, MPR Wyvernaze Audley MH (Brock), GMPR Cashzingers Cattail Corky, MPR Brocks Golden Nugget, CP Cashzinger Coal Cuts Loose, Cashzingers Special Brew MH, MHR MPR Cashzingers Brier Tuck MH (Tucker), and MHR MPR Horse and Hunt Gabe MH.  The accomplishments of dogs from this pedigree are too many too list but there are many GMPR, MH, MHR and National Champions on both sides of this breeding! Lilly and Ty come with all the health clearances.  Both have excellent hip ratings, clear on eyes, and normal on elbows. Pups will be EIC/CNM clear by parentage and will come with a 28 month health guarantee. 

Ty is a 75-80 pound powerhouse that has that same great look Raider possessed.  His pups possess a strong desire to hunt and have strong natural point. He has hunted extensively on waterfowl and upland, and he lives to hunt and will go strong all day long!    He is a hard charging dog that loves to work, but at the end of the day knows how to settle in.  He is an exceptionally great looking male, with that black coat that everyone is looking for.  Some notables in his pedigree include GMPR MHR Rik's Risky Raider MH, GMPR Cashzinger’s Brier Tuck MH, Cashzinger’s Special Brew MH, 2xNAFC 2xCNAFC FC CFC Ebonstar Lean Mac, and many more. Ty comes from the same great lines that put many breeders on the map. A descendent of Raider, Brew, and Brier, these are some of the most prominent bloodlines in the history of pointing labs, and was an integral part of bringing notoriety to the pointing lab back in the mid-90’s.  Simply put, in the pointing world these bloodlines are legendary.

Lilly is a 55-60 pound female out of my very last "Belle" litter.  She is an athletic freak of nature, and possesses that same look Belle had.  I knew with Belle's last litter I wanted something as similar to those traits Belle possessed and she has "it"!  She has the same gorgeous look, same athleticism, and the same hard-nosed attitude in the field.  What I love most about Lilly is she will go hard all day long, but can shut it down and be a part of the family when the hunt is over!  Lilly's pedigree is also quite impressive. Some notables include:  GMPR MHR Rik's Risky Raider MH, GMPR Grits of Black Forest SH, GMPR, High Sierra Kodi MH, GMPR Blackwater Lexus, GMPR Wannamakers Hot Tubb SH, and Minn Horse and Hunt Club Thor MH to name a few.  These are some of the top bloodlines in the pointing and hunt test world!  Lilly is a multi-dimensional dog who gives me whatever I need whenever I want it!   She can sit out on the water or in the field all day and retrieve ducks,  she can bust through the thickest of pheasant cover day in and day out, or she can settle in by my feet at the end of a long day.  I just love how diverse she is!  She gives me everything I need in one dog.  She can hunt waterfowl, pheasant, and sheds with the best of them!  Lilly has a BIG BIG motor, but she has an even BIGGER heart!   She lives to please, and is type of dog that gives dogs the reputation of "man's best friend".  She loves to go wherever I go whether that's bird hunting for the day, hiking through the woods looking for deer sheds, or hopping in the backseat to run some errands!  Lilly has an overall great nose, strong marking ability, desire to retrieve, and absolutely loves water!   She is the type of dog that is always eager to learn, eager to work, and eager to please! She spends a ton of time in the field every year hunting upland in the Dakotas and Iowa, and water-fowling the "Flyway Highway".   

5 Generation Pedigree

After a lot of deliberation we have finally named all the puppies it gets harder and harder to pick names every year and not have any repeats, but we managed once again!   It always amazes me how quickly the kids can tell the subtle differences between the pups and with nearly 100% accuracy.  I need a list of the names along with the nail colors to tell them apart at this stage in the game.  This past week the weather has been beautiful! In a little over a week, the pups have gone from sitting on the cement and whining, to running all over the yard, chasing the kids around, and following the big dogs. They are at the perfect stage of not too feisty, but starting to show some personality.  They are definitely enjoying their time outside, which couldn't be said a week ago@

Laroy

Rascal

Bolt

Mavis

Hunter

Nash

Knox

Josie

Dakota

Morgan

Left to Right (Laroy and Rascal)

Left to Right (Bolt and Nash)

Left to Right (Hunter and Knox)

Left to Right (Josie and Dakota)

Left to Right (Morgan and Mavis)

2 1/2 Weeks Old

The pups are 2.5 weeks old and all their eyes are open.  They are starting to wobble around, and are definitely alert when people are in the shed.  They poke their little heads up and try to figure out whose in visiting them.  It's a constant flow of traffic in and out of the shed, and more recently the kids have been taking them in the house.  Unfortunately the weather in Iowa doesn't want to cooperate very much.  Snow, snow, snow, wind, wind wind!   We've had a few decent days over the past two weeks, but winter just doesn't want to go away.  Today the kids took full advantage of the blizzard conditions and bore the elements just long enough to bring some pups in the house to snuggle for most of the afternoon!

Maggie x Rico litter arrived!

The pups have finally arrived.  Maggie went into labor around noon on Tuesday the 27th and by 5:00 pm 10 healthy pups were born.  The delivery went smoothly and the end result is 6 males and 4 females.   It's hard to believe how much they have grown already!   It's a beautiful day (for once) here in Iowa so we took advantage and got some outside pics!   Our little started dog  Cash even felt it necessary to get in on the action.  Mags was close by to make sure he didn't get too close, but she is so mild mannered it wouldn't probably matter anyway. When the other dogs sneak up to get a peak her way of telling them, "you're too close" is to lick them on the face!   It's a great time of year to have a healthy litter of pups on the ground and we can't wait to watch them grow! 

6 Weeks old!

The Boys

The Girls

It's hard to believe this rowdy bunch is already 6 weeks old. In another week they'll start heading home, but for the meantime we'll enjoy the time we have with them.  They are full energy by now, and it's hard to keep up with them.  The kids still enjoy taking them in the house and playing with them every minute we're home! 

 The pups also had the privilege of getting their first scent of real birds this past weekend. We had the opportunity to hunt a preserve in South Dakota so we had plenty of dead birds to play with. Although the weather hasn't been great for getting pups outside because it's been too cold, they were able to enjoy being outside for a few minutes. Here's a pictures of a couple of them.  One things for certain already, it didn't take them long to become extremely interested in that new bird smell!   Once you pulled the pup away from the bird their instinct was to turn right back around and go back to it, and some even tried to get the bird in their mouths.

4 weeks Old

A lot changes from week to week with these little guys.  Last week they were barely wobbling around the whelping box, and now they're running around and getting hard to keep up with.   We started them on solid food this week, and they continue grow.  They are some great looking pups! I can't get over how square they already are.  Going to be some nice looking dogs!   Of course the kids are still taking them in the house every chance they get, and one even got to snuggle in bed with Ev!  Its hard to believe 4 weeks has past already, and in only a few weeks they will be starting to head home.  We look forward to the last few weeks we have with them, and watching their personalities start to shine!