About Us
When we were in the beginning stages of creating our breeding program, and we were trying to decide if we were going the route of high-drive, high-performance hunting labradors or couch potato snuggle pups; I often heard myself telling others, “I want to breed the type of dog that I would want in my own home.”
That dog is happy to calmly accompany me as I clean the kitchen, throw in a load of laundry, or wind down my evening reading a novel by the wood-stove.
That dog is also the one to go for walks with me, keep up with the kids on their explorations around the farm, and LIVES for family days at the lake.
And of course, we want our dogs to excel at doing what they were originally bred for, RETRIEVING! We don’t hunt 365 days a year, so we really don’t need or want the energy of a super athlete Labrador. But that doesn’t mean we want to sacrifice hunting ability. When we go on our weekend hunts, we need a dog with the drive and the desire to get the job done well, AND will look good doing it.
Enter Bear Paw Retrievers. We breed for tighter-bodied labradors (no over-barreled chests or bellies), square blocky heads, and muscular shoulders and hips with great conformation. We select our breeding stock from quality, generationally health-tested English (and sometimes American) bloodlines; an investment that yields many long years with our dogs, while mitigating costly vet bills.
Did I just describe the perfect Labrador to you? If so, we would love to meet you, answer any questions you may have, and welcome you to the Bear Paw family.
