When Jane Border started looking for a Lab shooting dog more than 30 years ago, she was a blessed or cursed (your choice) with an eye for canine symmetry and a feel for canine temperament. Thus, she couldn't be satisfied with "just" a shooting dog. No, her dog must also look like a Labrador should look and act like a Labrador should act. That was a tall order, even back then. Small wonder she became a breeder who, for many years now, has been breeding Labs "her way," under her Braemar kennel name.

The results? Quite gratifying. Although she can't remember exact numbers, she said her dogs have won more than 30 show championships, more than 30 obedience titles and more than 20 hunt test titles. A few have become "assistance" dogs (guide dogs, and so forth).

However, Jane places most Braemar Labs in hunting homes, where they fit in as shooting dogs and family pets. Her focus on this type of dog led her into professional training. She personally trains a limited number of Labradors and conducts training classes to teach beginners to train their own dogs.

"This is not field-trial training," she emphasizes, "just ordinary hunting stuff: force-fetch, handling birds, upland flushing, single marks on land and in water and so on."

As you would expect, Jane judges hunt tests. Then, too, because of her instinct for conformation, AKC has licensed her to judge Labradors and most other sporting breeds in dog shows. She is on the Board of Directors of the Labrador Retriever Club, Inc. (LRC), which is the national breed club sponsoring the Lab in this country.

Not only are Braemar Labs pleasant to look at, but they handle field work with ease and style. Raintree Braemar Brigadoon, retrieved over 300 birds in his first hunting season.

BRAEMAR CONFORMATION
"It doesn't cost any more," Jane often says, "to feed 'pretty' dogs." So she breeds "pretty" Labs--medium-sized, nicely balanced and attractive. They have substance, without being ponderous like Newfoundlands. They are athletic without being willowy like greyhounds. Jane breeds proper working conformation, ignoring dog-show fads, which in recent years have favored dogs with too much substance as well as dogs with too little leg. She calls the former "boat sinkers," the latter "squatleys."

"Squatleys wear out quickly, can't do a day's work afield," Jane said. "Boat sinkers swamp the boat when they climb aboard after making a retrieve. My dogs have enough leg to go all day, and they won't put your boat in Davy Jones' locker. Dog-show fads go around and come around, but a well-balanced dog can still win the points in the ring."

"Jane breeds for a functional dog," said Debi Stevens, a pro-fessional obedience trainer in Colorado, who has had Braemar Labs for over 10 years. "My husband, Jim, is the most fanatical hunter you'll ever see. We go early and get back late. Except for a short lunch break, we hunt hard all day. It takes a thoroughly sound dog to keep going like that, as our Braemar Labs do."

"They're nicely balanced overall," said Susan Biddulph of Pennsylvania, who has had Braemar Labs for over 25 years. "Their height and length are properly proportioned."

COAT
Jane breeds both blacks and yellows. In either color, her dogs have working coats. The short, flat, rather harsh outercoat sheds water, thereby protecting the dense, woolly undercoat that insulates the animal.

"When I hose my dogs down," said Susan Martin of California, who has had Braemar Labs for more than 10 years, "it's difficult to get the undercoat wet because the outercoat protects it so well. I have to use a brush to get water into the undercoat."

Stevens mentioned that when she and her husband were married, he had a Lab (not from Braemar) that lacked this double coat. She said the dog was a wonderful hunter, but it suffered a lot in cold weather duck hunting. Not so for their Braemar Labs, she said--their undercoats stay dry during water retrieves.

TAIL
Braemar Labs have the "otter tail" that is so admired in the show ring. Jane likes it and breeds for it but doesn't consider it a priority item. Still, it's attractive as well as somewhat functional. Contrary to popular myth, it doesn't act as a rudder to steer the dog in the water. But it does give the swimming dog better balance, and it adds a little extra propulsion.

LEFT: Jane Border with Braemar Rhimbo Hanalei Bay JH. RIGHT: A typical yellow Braemar puppy shows off the classic Braemar Lab head at an early age.

"I love the Braemar otter tail," Martin said. "When the dog swims, you can see the tail moving back and forth rhythmically, just under the surface."

HEAD
Perhaps the most distinctive physical feature of Braemar Labs is the blocky head with a deep muzzle and a kindly expression. Obviously, this is a good working head, one that can carry any bird an owner is apt to send his dog after. However, it's more than that. It contributes greatly to the appearance of the dog.

"Most lines have some physical feature by which you can recognize them," Jane said. "In my Braemar line, that feature is the head. I'm very fussy about good heads."

"They all have gorgeous heads," Biddulph said, "nicely balanced, with what my kids call that 'hungry puppy-dog expression.' They look at you expectantly, almost adoringly."

"Every Braemar dog I've ever seen," Stevens said, "has had an absolutely extraordinary head."

HEREDITARY HEALTH PROBLEMS
Like most breeds, the Lab suffers from several hereditary health problems, such as hip displasia, elbow displasia and various eye problems. To help breeders eliminate these plagues, several veterinary organization provide clearance certificates for unaffected dogs. Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) and PennHIP certify hips based on X-rays. OFA also certifies elbows from X-rays. The Canine Eye Registry Foundation (CERF) certifies eyes, based on examinations by Board Certified vets. Jane is extremely conscientious about certifying her breeding stock. In fact, she was a pioneer in addressing Labrador elbow problems, which many breeders have only recently acknowledged. . .and some still don't understand.

"All my stock is hip, eye and elbow certified," Jane said. "Elbows are a huge problem in Labs, perhaps because so many show people are breeding short, squatty dogs. I've been X-raying elbows for 20 years."