Dog Kennels

I thought it would be interesting to be able to have a general Dog Kennel/Breeder page.

Maybe let us know your dogs breeder, parents, birth date and synopsis of the experience.

PANCHO
Black Lab, approx. 65 lbs
Eboni Labrador Retrievers
3/18/16 ~ Eboni Donna May / GMPR Cashman’s They Call Me The Seeker

Pancho is a mellow dog that can flip the go switch in an instant. Absolutely will not lose eye contact with his target. He goes on point when he picks up smells around the yard. Obedient dog with only going to puppy lessons.

Eboni Retrievers ran by Mike and Gloria Hennen was a great experience, Gloria handles the business side and from what I can tell Mike handles the puppy care. Very responsive and sent many pictures without request. I don’t know that either Mike or Gloria know much about hunting, I got the feeling their pairs were chosen by a friend and local trainer. I would return to Eboni in the future.

LEFTY
Yellow Lab, approx. 60 lbs
Flat Water Gun Dogs
5/27/16 ~ Smitty’s White Oak Princess / 4X GMPR Cashman’s Risky Raider’s in Vaider SH MH

Lefty is a quirky dog who marches to the beat of his own drum. He prefers to wrestle with Pancho rather than play fetch. Wouldn’t make much of a hunting dog which was the original point. He loves to learn and will do anything for a treat.

Flat Water Gun Dogs ran by Mike Smith wasn’t an experience I would like to go through again. Very responsive in emails until I sent my check in, then nothing. Probably 10 un-replied emails. Nothing until after the dogs were even born, which I saw on their facebook page. When it came time to bring home Lefty we had to go a couple days early to pick one out as we had first pick but couldn’t pick him up first because of our schedule. Dogs everywhere, in his house, in the yard, wow. I think there was something like 40 dogs there. Such an unprofessional scene it makes me cringe.
To make a long and disorganized rant short and sweet, Lefty ended up having parvo and I was stuck with the weeks worth of animal hospital overnights.

Hopefully this thread will have some life as I know many of us here are dog lovers.

Ripley
Spinone Italiano, approx. 85 lbs
Camkota Spinoni
8/3/16 ~ CH Camkota the Contender / CH Ibizstar’s Fiore Sardo JH

Ripley’s been a great dog. We bought him as a dual-purpose hunting and family dog, and I’m very happy with him. He’s a good upland dog and improves each time out. He has a fantastic nose. He’s very smart. He does well with our kids, but there are occasional knock-downs as he’s young and big. He can be a bit wary of strangers, but that’s a trait of the breed and not necessarily a bad thing. Rare breed, I know, but their disposition fit the bill for us–a lower-energy pointer.

I can’t say enough good about his breeder. Mary is fantastic, from answering my million initial questions about the breed to keeping us in the loop throughout the pregnancy to providing updates on the puppies, and she still keeps in touch and answers questions routinely. Her love for the breed and for her puppies is obvious. She is very selective about her pups’ homes. They show and hunt their dogs, which was important to me.

Cool I stumbled across your post, mookie. I got my black lab female from mike and Gloria. I don’t know a whole lot about them really and she was my first gun dog, technically, but she has been great. She was the runt of the litter I believe, and she is still very small(50 lbs soaking wet, but man does she have “it.” I’ll have to look through my phone to find out who her parents were. She has extreme drive and athletic ability(as well as a fantastic nose), and is the also most loving, cuddly thing I’ve ever experienced. She tends to get a little too fired up sometimes if you know what I mean but generally listens well and what she lacks in that area is likely all due to my shortcomings as an owner/trainer. I’m sure I can still work out some kinks as she is not yet 5 years old.

I’m curious as to others’ experiences with eboni kennels. I for one am very grateful for mike and Gloria and their operation.

Cosmo – 65 pounds
British Yellow Labrador
Smith Farms Labradors
February 2012 DOB, will turn 10 in Feb 2022

This is the first dog I have owned on my own. My family had a smaller house dog prior to this. Before I decided on this breeder that was recommended by a couple of fellow hunters, I went and made a visit to the kennel/breeder to watch and observe both parents. I really wanted a low maintenance, laid back, mellow, submissive female. That is exactly what I was expecting to get when I watched the parents for a while. I also wanted to use this dog for upland hunting.

I have literally never seen Cosmo growl or show aggression to a person or another dog. Even when she’s eating and try to take a bone away from her, she shows no aggression. She does shed hair being a lab though and that comes with the territory. When she was 3, I did have a slight issue with one her back legs at the knee joint. Some fluid built up and she displayed a minor limp. The problem was fixed and I have not seen any issues since. She was spayed at 5 months of age.

I sent her to Cannon River Kennels in Cannon Falls, MN for 2 week obedience, gun, and bird training. I did a fair amount of training on my own, but living in a suburb, there’s only so much I can do here in the yard. I can’t pull out a 12 gauge or release a clipped bird here. The basic training was well worth it and I’d highly recommend it.

I primarily hunt pheasants alone every season (other than with Cosmo). She is a very good hunting dog. Rarely do I lose wounded birds. I didn’t lose a single cripple this past season. She is a close working dog because I trained her to generally hunt within 20 yards of me. I have also used her duck hunting but I haven’t hunted waterfowl in 3 years now because the hunting has been so poor. I take her with in the fishing boat regularly during the summer when the conditions allow for it and all she pretty much does is sleep now.

Whoa, I had no recollection of this post when reading through it this morning.

It’s funny reading that I had little hope for Lefty as a hunting dog. He is an absolute NUT and much better hunter than I am. His drive to hunt is very impressive, and exhausting.

Chip – 42 pounds
Field Bred English Springer Spaniel
Pine Shadow Kennels
April 2011 DOB

My second Pine Shadows dog, both have been great dogs. I got him at age four months. He had already been started on obedience and retrieving. Wonderful upland hunter, he is especially good in the woods chasing grouse. Has great drive and nose. Thinks he is a Lab, will retrieve anything (including beer cans that miss the recycling bin) and loves the water. I don’t hunt ducks much but he retrieves regardless of the water temperature. At 42 pounds, he does not have the body mass to handle a day of cold weather duck hunting.

My biggest challenge with him was breaking him of chasing furred critters. He hates bunnies but when he catches one, it always comes to me alive. I have finally trained my wife that the “drop” and “kennel” commands will save her from needing me to release the bunny or squirrel caught in the yard.

Outstanding family dog, his biggest issue is that he doesn’t understand why he cannot sleep in the bed with us. Chip is my third Springer but the first one that is not my dog. He adores my wife and she returns the feeling. He also adores my son’s fiancé, much to his chagrin. The only time I am his favorite is when the kennel goes into the back of the vehicle and the shotgun is cased and laid next to it. I am then suddenly very popular. As I write, Chip is laying at my feet waiting for my wife to get out of the shower. He will leave the office when she is out and follow her all day long.

Pine Shadows has fantastic dogs, the Haglin family are first-rate people, breeders and trainers. Since the Kennel was Orvis certified the dog prices have skyrocketed. I’ll talk to them in a couple years when Chip is gone and I need another dog. Likely not a pup, I am hoping to buy one of their retired breeders at age five/six. Those dogs are fully trained and finished, act as the house dogs at Pine Shadows high end South Dakota hunting ranch.