All of our breeding dogs are hip and elbow scored through the BVA/KC Health Schemes before being considered for breeding.

Hip and elbow scoring helps assess the overall quality and structure of a dog’s joints and is an important tool in reducing the risk of inherited orthopaedic problems within Labradors and Golden Retrievers.

Hip Scoring

Hip dysplasia is a developmental joint condition that can range from mild changes through to severe arthritis and mobility issues.

Under the BVA scheme, each hip is scored separately based on several anatomical features visible on X-rays. The two scores are then added together to give a total score.

3/3 = Total score of 6
5/2 = Total score of 7

Lower scores are generally considered better, as they indicate tighter, healthier hip structure with fewer signs of abnormality.

However, hip scores should never be viewed completely in isolation. Responsible breeders also consider:

• Breed averages
• Family history
• Longevity within the lines
• Movement and soundness
• Overall quality of the dog

Elbow Scoring

Elbow dysplasia is another developmental joint condition which can lead to pain, lameness, and arthritis.

Under the BVA scheme, elbows are graded:

0 = Clear
1–3 = Increasing levels of arthritic change

Unlike hips, elbows are graded rather than numerically scored.

We strongly prioritise clear elbows within our breeding programme, as elbow health is particularly important in active working and family dogs.

Why does this matter?

Hip and elbow dysplasia are influenced by genetics, which means careful breeding decisions can help reduce the risk within future generations.

However, environment also plays a role, including:

• Growth rate
• Weight management
• Exercise during development
• Injury
• Nutrition

Hip and elbow scoring are not guarantees, but they are extremely valuable tools that allow breeders to make more informed and responsible breeding decisions.

All of our breeding dogs are regularly eye tested under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme by a specialist veterinary ophthalmologist.

An eye certificate helps screen for inherited eye conditions that may affect Labradors and Golden Retrievers. Unlike DNA testing, which looks for specific genetic mutations, a clinical eye examination assesses the actual health of the dog’s eyes at the time of testing.

This is important because not all eye conditions currently have DNA tests available, and some conditions can develop later in life even in otherwise healthy dogs.

During the examination, the ophthalmologist checks for a range of inherited and non-inherited eye diseases, including conditions that may impact:

• Vision
• Comfort
• Long-term eye health
• Suitability for breeding

A dog described as:

“Unaffected” or “Clear” means no evidence of the listed inherited eye conditions was found at the time of examination.

“Affected” means signs of a condition were identified during the exam.

Because some eye conditions can develop with age, eye certificates are only valid for a limited period and should be repeated regularly throughout a breeding dog’s life. This is why current eye testing is so important — not simply whether a dog passed once years ago.

Eye testing forms one part of responsible breeding alongside DNA testing, hip and elbow scoring, temperament, pedigree knowledge, and overall health.

We DNA test our breeding dogs for a range of known inherited conditions relevant to Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers. DNA testing is an extremely useful tool in responsible breeding, as it allows breeders to avoid producing puppies affected by certain genetic diseases.

For Labradors, we test for:

CNM (Centronuclear Myopathy)
A neurological and muscle disorder that causes weakness and exercise intolerance.

EIC (Exercise Induced Collapse)
A condition where dogs can collapse after intense exercise or excitement.

HNPK (Hereditary Nasal Parakeratosis)
A condition affecting the nose, causing painful crusting and cracking.

MCD (Macular Corneal Dystrophy)
An inherited eye condition affecting the cornea.

prcd-PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy)
An inherited eye disease that can eventually lead to blindness.

SD2 (Skeletal Dysplasia 2)
A form of dwarfism causing shortened limbs.

STGD (Stargardt Disease)
An inherited retinal disease affecting vision.

For Golden Retrievers, we test for:

GR_PRA1 & GR_PRA2
Forms of Progressive Retinal Atrophy that can lead to progressive vision loss and blindness.

ICT-A (Ichthyosis)
A skin condition causing dandruff-like scaling and dry skin.

What do “Clear”, “Carrier”, and “Affected” mean?

DNA test results generally fall into three categories:

Clear
The dog does not carry the mutation linked to the condition.

Carrier
The dog carries one copy but is not affected by the disease itself. In the vast majority of these conditions, carriers live completely normal healthy lives.

Affected
The dog carries two copies of the mutation and is at risk of developing the condition.

A carrier dog can still be responsibly bred from when paired correctly to a clear dog, as this prevents affected puppies from being produced. Completely removing every carrier from breeding can actually reduce genetic diversity unnecessarily, which may create other long-term problems within a breed.

Why don’t we test for every possible illness?

Not every disease has a reliable or scientifically validated DNA test available. Many conditions are also influenced by multiple genes, environment, lifestyle, growth, or simple chance rather than one single mutation.

Some DNA tests marketed commercially also have questionable relevance, weak scientific backing, or extremely low occurrence within the breed. Testing for everything indiscriminately does not automatically produce healthier dogs and can sometimes lead to breeders making poor decisions that unnecessarily shrink the gene pool.

For us, responsible breeding means looking at the whole dog — including:

• Health testing
• Temperament
• Structure
• Longevity in the lines
• Family history
• COI
• Working ability and soundness

Temperament is one of the single most important factors we consider when planning a litter. A dog can have excellent health scores, beautiful structure, or impressive working ability, but if the temperament is unstable, nervous, overly sharp, or difficult to live with, that should not be passed on.

Labradors and Golden Retrievers were originally bred to work closely with people. They should be biddable, stable, confident, sociable, and able to switch off in the home. Whether our puppies go on to become family pets, working dogs, active companions, or sport dogs, temperament forms the foundation of everything else.

For that reason, we carefully select breeding dogs not only for health and ability, but also for:

• Confidence and stability
• Trainability and willingness to work with people
• Ability to settle in the home
• Sociability with people and dogs
• Resilience to everyday life and new environments
• Appropriate energy levels and drive

Temperament is strongly influenced by genetics, which means careful breeding decisions genuinely matter. Early upbringing and training are extremely important too, but genetics set the starting point.

Why do you choose the puppy for each family?

We match puppies to families based on temperament because we believe this gives each puppy the best possible chance of success in its new home.

Many people understandably want to choose based on colour, markings, or whichever puppy approaches them first during a visit. However, a short interaction does not always give an accurate picture of a puppy’s true personality. The bold puppy may simply have just woken up. The quiet puppy may simply be tired that day.

We live with the litter 24/7 for eight weeks and spend countless hours observing:

• Confidence levels
• Energy and drive
• Sensitivity
• Independence
• Food motivation
• Human focus
• Recovery from new experiences
• Play style
• Calmness in the home

This allows us to build a much clearer picture of each puppy as an individual.

At the same time, we spend a lot of time getting to know our families — their lifestyle, experience level, home environment, activity levels, future goals, and what they are looking for in a dog.

Our aim is not simply to “sell puppies.” Our goal is to create the best long-term match possible for both the puppy and the family. In our experience, temperament matching leads to happier owners, more successful dogs, and a far lower chance of problems developing later down the line.

Of course, where possible we do take family preferences into account, and when temperaments are very similar we are happy to allow more choice. But ultimately, we believe careful matching is part of our responsibility as breeders.