Mossy Oak GameKeeper Kennels

PRODUCING A HUNTER’S BEST FRIEND, IN THE FIELD AND IN THEIR HEARTS

BY JESSIE SHOOK

British Labrador Retrievers are known for their calm, quiet demeanor, and their natural game-finding ability – the perfect combination for a hunter’s best friend. Mossy Oak Gamekeeper Kennels specializes in breeding and training British Labrador Retrievers with the intention of producing the finest hunting labs possible.

Located in West Point, Mississippi, Mossy Oak Kennels imports their labs directly from the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. “These labs are descended from highly trained hunting stock with multiple field trial champions or field trial winners in their pedigree,” said Bill Gibson, Director of Gundog Operations at Mossy Oak Gamekeeper Kennels.

More specifically, these are not show dogs. These labs have been bred for many years in the United Kingdom for their quietness and natural hunting abilities. “By further explanation, while participating in UK field trials, with 12 or 24 dogs on the line, the dogs must remain steady and quiet,” Gibson explained. “Any movement, whining or barking is not tolerated and will result in disqualification from the trial. Excessive handling during a retrieval will result in lower evaluation and lowers the dog’s ranking in the finishing order of the trial. Precision handling is not necessary, instead, they rely on marking skills and natural game-finding ability, use of nose to locate birds in light to very heavy cover.”

The dogs chosen at Mossy Oak Gamekeepers Kennels are trained to hunt waterfowl and upland birds with some dogs also trained in deer recovery. Dogs will also enter the breeding program at the kennels. “There is no set number but we usually whelp six to eight litters a year,” Gibson said. “As a result of the limited number of annual breeding, the demand for our puppies will always exceed the supply, but we don’t plan to breed more than 8 litters a year – simply stated, we are not, nor will we ever be a puppy mill.”

Don’t worry, though, if you are unable to purchase a Mossy Oak puppy, the kennel also takes on client dogs. “When a dog comes in for training, we meet with the owners and decide what level of training they want their dog to complete,” Gibson said. “As training progresses, we evaluate each dog on its progress and when the dog reaches a performance level that is satisfactory to us and to the owner, it’s ready to go home.”

The kennels are a very comfortable place for the dogs. Each dog has its own interconnected inside/outside kennel. The inside kennels are 5’X5’ and their outside kennels are 5’X10’. “We have two separate kennels – one for the kennel dogs and one for client dogs,” Gibson added. “The inside kennels are heated in the winter and airconditioned in the summer.”

The kennel has three employees – the Director of Gundog Operations, a Kennel Facilities Manager, and an Assistant Trainer. Each employee has an important role at the kennel. Bill Gibson, the Director of Gundog Operations, is responsible for the everyday operations of the kennel, including preparing breeding schedules, feeding schedules, veterinary appointments, submitting AKC registration for each litter and preparing sale contracts, among other things.

The Kennel Facilities Manager cleans the kennels on a daily basis and performs general grounds maintenance such as mowing, clearing brush and burning brush piles. He also socializes the puppies, feeds and waters kennel dogs, outside dogs and puppies. “While he has many duties, the one he particularly enjoys is socializing the puppies,” Gibson said. “He regularly goes out to the puppy house and plays with the pups for an hour or more, walks the pups around the kennel grounds and takes them swimming in our pond. This socialization training is important to developing puppies that will be both biddable and highly trainable.”

The Assistant Trainer is responsible for training all outside dogs that come into the kennel. “This is inclusive to all four levels of training – basic obedience, basic gundog, advanced gundog and finished hunting dog training,” Gibson added.

Dogs start training at six months of age with basic obedience training – heel, sit, stay, here and place. Once dogs have mastered the basics, they move on to basic retriever training. This includes the ability to retrieve dummies and promptly return and deliver to the trainer’s hand. Next is advanced retriever training where the dog is taught to stop on the whistle and take hand signals. This is also the level of short blind retrieves. “At the finished level, we teach the dog to handle on water, lengthen him out on blind retrieves and polish him up on handling drills,” Gibson said. “At every level we continue to reinforce all basic skill sets.”

The benefits of owning a Mossy Oak dog are endless. Not only are you getting a well-trained dog, but you are getting a best friend. “You get a dog that is calm in the house, well-behaved with kids, not jumping on family members or guests, and that has all the attributes of a superb hunting dog in the field,” Gibson said.

With many years’ experience, Gibson said that the most satisfying aspect of the job is communicating with clients about how much they love their dog and how well their dog is performing in the field. “It reinforces my belief that we are producing a hunter’s best friend for life.”

For more information visit www.mossyoakkennels.com.

The dogs chosen at Mossy Oak Gamekeepers Kennels are trained to hunt waterfowl and upland birds. (Photo Credit: David McElwain)

Dogs begin training at six months of age and continue on through four levels of training. (Photo Credit: David McElwain)

Dogs hunt on wild and liberated birds. Dogs go on some trips such as Quinter, Kansas each winter where they hunt liberated pheasants at Fantasy Flyers. They are also worked on cold game at the kennel and pick birds at a local European-style tower shoot. (Photo Credit: David McElwain)