Raising Littermate Labs

Loving and raising a labrador retriever — America’s favorite breed for 30 straight years — can be a fun and fulfilling experience, and having two to bring up can be equally entertaining. Most days.

Two years ago this April, two littermate chocolate lab pups came home shortly after my then-8-year-old chocolate lab, Abbie, was put to sleep because of a mast cell tumor. Abbie was a loveable hunting companion who enjoyed barking at coyotes, but with the addition of the puppies, there was new life in this home, and the pups needed to find their place.

Violet and Dawn are siblings, the former being my mother’s dog, technically, and the latter mine. Violet was an unexpected family member, as mom wanted her own pup to raise, and I’ve been determined to make a hunting dog of Dawn, who is named after E. Donnall Thomas Jr.’s waterfowling book “By Dawn’s Early Light.” What changed, though, was as I began working on self-training Dawn, I felt compelled to work with Violet, also.

In the months that have passed since their coming into my life, Violet and Dawn both have learned basic obedience and fetch work, have been on duck hunts and recently earned their AKC Canine Good Citizen. Later this month, I plan to take them both on our first-ever UKC Hunting Retriever Club started hunt test in the South. I’m confident Dawn can earn her pass, as I’ve worked with her more, but I will try to get the same done with Violet. I love them both, you see.

Last duck season, I was able to take both dogs on separate duck hunts, and they both have retrieved their own birds. Dawn has more natural drive than Violet, but that’s OK. We’ll never be field trial capable, but we do what we can in real hunting situations.

Though I’ve had no official training when it comes to retriever training, I have been able to get the girls to do basic fetch work. Dawn made a great long retrieve on a mallard drake last November, among other bird finds, and Violet has packed home two white-fronted geese, besides a couple ducks.

Earlier this spring, the girls had their AKC CGC evaluation and passed that effort. They both do great in public places like Cabela’s, Bass Pro, Orscheln and other pet-friendly environments. When together, they are a bit energetic at first but soon settle down when being led through crowded places.

Sure, these littermates are a handful at times, but they are growing out of their puppy play fighting. Many families would have rehomed one of them by now, but this was a commitment from day one. They are loved, and they love back even more. Both are gentle around my aging mother and at times offer her emotional comfort.

Though my idea of working solely with Dawn changed with the addition of Violet, it has been a learning experience, and as these two littermates grow older together, we’ll still have challenges, but we’ve come this far together, and we’ll keep going, strive for hunt test passes, other AKC titles and look forward to future hunting seasons.