STONEY RIDGE LABRADOR RETRIEVERS, in Pennsylvania

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You can learn a lot about breeders (their dogs and people) by observing their day-to-day routines and habits. We're pretty open here, at Stoney Ridge Labs. In fact, if you really want the skivvy on our everday lives, activities, procedures, and values, check out our blog:

LabTails

We have regular readers from all walks of life and all stages of dog ownership representing inumerable breeds from all over the world.

Even if you're not interested in our puppies or stud service, check out LabTails. And feel free to comment any time.

We hope you'll stop by and visit us soon!

View a Dog's Life at Stoney Ridge

Playing

Learning

Sharing

Returning from a walk!

"Helping" Dad

Welcoming Dad home!

Our dogs (and all pups from our litters) live with us. They're part of our human family (or should we say our human family is part of their pack -- but we're the alphas!). Our spacious indoor kennel is part of the house and is combined with our laundry, exercise, and utility room. The dogs sleep and eat there, and if necessary are crated there (we always have at least three crates set up in the kennel). The kennel gives them safe, separate den space, but also sees much human action throughout the day.

Whelping occurs in our custom-designed whelping box, which we set up in our kitchen away from the kennel (to give the dam and pups much needed space from the other dogs). Here the pups grow accustomed to normal, everyday life with a human family.

All of our Labs (pups included) also spend part of their days in other areas of the house with us (kitchen, family room, etc.) where they are exposed to and live with the normal noises and activities of everyday life (vacuum cleaner, TV, radio, dishwasher, running water, etc.). They also ride in the car with us to give them basic exposure to auto travel.

Our dogs are well-socialized with humans and other canines (as well as cats). We invest hours and hours in handling the pups and doing basic manners introductions with them. We have loads of people coming and going, which allows the pups to acclimate to dealing with strangers.

Also, each day, all of our Labs (and pups, when old enough) spend time romping in our fenced back yard. They're exposed to various textures (grass, wood decking, brick pavers, packed dirt, field growth, etc.) and given ample time to exercise and to do some basic obedience and retrieving training.

We also take the dogs on lead for walks on dirt roads in our area, to local events where they'll be exposed to crowds, to local streams for water exposure, to our hunting club's property where they can learn to flush game fowl, and to our cottage on a fresh water lake where they can practice dock jumping and deep water retrieving.