High Country Kennels

"Who ever said money can't buy happiness, forgot about dogs" - Gene Hill

What is a Pointing Lab?

Here, at High Country Kennels, a Pointing Lab is one of the best hunting dogs money can buy. Pointing Labs are eager to please, obedient, have plenty of stamina, have soft mouths, exceptional swimmers, have great work ethic, and intelligence.

Before the 1900s, people recognized Labrador’s retrieving abilities and would crossbreed them with pointing dogs to get pointing Labs. This is said to be started in Newfoundland or Canada. These stories of cross-breeding became popular by the day due to word of mouth. The breed really started when Mr. Vince Retacco had a female Labrador with pointing traits. As she grew older, he wanted similar traits in his next dog so he found a male with similar traits. The two owners agreed to breed their dogs and hence both continued with the same benefits of these two skills in the offspring of sire and dam. This led to a viral amount of hunters breeding Labs for the pointing trait. Shortly after this, an official organization known as the American Pointing Labrador Association (APLA) was founded in 1982.

"Labrador Retrievers, as gundogs, have traditionally been thought of as great flushers, driving game out of hiding, and retrievers, finding the downed game and returning it to the gundog’s owner. Recent developments in breeding and training, however, have brought out a third valuable trait in the Labrador, “pointing”. With this additional skill, the long-trusted Labrador retriever has taken on a new role and is turning heads in the hunting world.

The act of “pointing” involves tracking down upland game and keeping it contained until the hunter can arrive to finish the job. Some claim these new entrants on the scene merely “pause”, or point only through coincidence. However, breeders and trainers maintain that the Pointing Lab is emerging as a breed that adds the valuable skill of pointing to its long list of pre-existing desirable qualities.

In 1991, experts and enthusiasts formed the American Pointing Labrador Association was created to identify and monitor the growing trend of Labradors as pointers. This ensures that the Pointing Lab is properly regulated and fully recognized as a useful addition to the full list of pointing breeds. Changing the nature of a dog effectively requires a careful balance of practice that is still being tweaked and perfected." - Lankas Labs

Overall, a Pointing Lab is a great all around dog that is adaptable in all environments.

Our Purpose

HCK (High Country Kennels) is located in Bozeman, Montana. We have sold dogs locally, and especially all over the United States. We are more ethical breeders, only having a few, very select dogs and only breeding our dams every few years. OFA Hip and elbow checks are all excellent on dogs here a HCK. HCK is out on a ranch, so the dogs have plenty of space to run around and get in the field with us. Tall grass, fences, gunfire, brush, fireworks, storms, horses, goats, nothing spooks our dogs out here on the ranch.

We like to say that every dog we produce has a switch, our Pointing Labs are amazing with kids and just great at being all around family dogs. However, once our dogs are working out in the field they are hunting monsters. Most people we sell dogs to think that their dogs from us won't hunt because of how cuddly they are, but as soon as they are exposed to birds owners have said their dogs were completely diffent in the field than what they had expected, but even after hunting all day, that their dogs will go lay down in the house an be quiet.

With extreme drive, our dogs are bred to be all around in every aspect. We've had multiple trainers look at us and say "Whatever you did to get that dog, do it again". From cuddle bugs, to extreme hunting dogs, our Pointing Labs are surely some of the best that we've ever seen.

HCK is breeding for an all around hunting dog, a dog that will excel and do its best in every activity it is presented. Our Purebred Pointing Labs have excellent pedigrees, originating from some of the best dogs in the country. Our dogs drive, intelligence, pedigree, stamina, and hunting spirit is what leads us to be the best breeders that we can be.

Our Select group of Dogs

Josie's Boy Brownie

Brownie is our main stud dog.

Before visitors come to our house they sometimes hear us say "Oh yeah, Brownie our stud dog" and immediately think "oh god what have I gotten into?" But Don't let the word "Stud" fool you. Brownie is one of the biggest cuddle bugs on earth.

Every night Brownie comes in the house to go to bed. He practically tucks himself in and sleeps in our daughters room. Every guest we invite Brownie is always the first sweet face you will see, ready to lean up next to you and politely ask for some pets.

Brownie is so good at what he does. Sometimes we hide birds on the ranch and Brownie is the first one to get to them.

He never gives up, and always gets the job done no matter what we ask him to do.

Most people are really surprised how well behaved he is for a stud dog. And, he is one of our best hunters and is great with his nose and pointing at birds as well. Lets just say, Brownie is the reason we are breeders!

High Country Miss Molly MT

Molly has been our main breeding dam. She is so sweet to everyone and, has never been a problem. We've been hunting with her quite a few times and she is a pleasure in the field.

Molly is so attentive to everything around her and is excited to work all the time. She has a ton of drive just like Brownie and Savannah, and is happy to try her very hardest at everything she does.

Molly is a fast learner and is so good with kids. I mean she was hunt tested by an 8 year old!

She's always been a great mother to her puppies and has always tolerated our girls being there for her birthing time.

Molly has been especially patient with our kids helping raise the puppies.

Molly always has a wagging tail and is excited to see us every time we see her. She's almost always in a happy Labrador mood and is a great dog.

High Country Savannah MT

Savannah is one of our pets. She is fixed, and was a product of Brownie and his breeding to one of our other females, Zoey.

Her puppy color was hot pink, and she was always running up to us. We normally found ourselves saying "Hot pink coming in Hot!" as she wagged her tail and came to the kids. When we exposing the puppies to our live birds we remember taking savannah out to go introduce her to our chickens.

What humbled us was Savannah didn't just go for our chickens, she went for the turkey. At only seven weeks old, Savannah was trying to rip tail feathers out of our turkey.. So this led to us keeping Savannah, as we knew she was going to be a supreme hunting dog.

Now today Savannah is five years old and is a hunting monster. She has been great at her job and would prefer to hunt birds all day every day. Savannah is a great dog, she is part of the family and lives her best life out here on the ranch.

High Country Kennels - Pointing Labs - Field Dogs

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