Pedigrees/Heritage

Skylit Labs began with 7 American Kennel Club registered Labradors born and raised in the USA who then made the long journey to New Zealand. Each of their pedigrees was unique. Several were the sons or daughters of show Champions. Others came from strong working lines.

As a result, the body styles of my foundation Labs ranged from working style (leaner/athletic built) to show style (stockier/heavier built).

Skylit Labradors pedigree lines are unique to New Zealand. I continue to import pedigreed/kennel club registered Labradors as well as to breed to pedigreed/kennel club registered Labradors from overseas to further expand my lines and ensure continued genetic diversity.

Labrador Colours & Coats

The current breed standard for the Labrador Retriever specifies three acceptable colours — Black, Chocolate and Yellow with yellow ranging from a light cream/white to a dark fox red.

At Skylit Labradors I have the ability to produce a range of different shades — the darkest and lightest of yellows, the traditional black, chocolate, and yellow colours, as well as dilute versions of those colours — charcoal, silver and champagne. I also have the ability to produce tan-pointed and long-coated purebred Labradors.

All of these “non-traditional” coat colours and lengths are controlled by recessive genes that are less common in the Labrador population worldwide and even more so in New Zealand.

The genes that control these non-traditional variations have been in the purebred Labrador gene pool for many decades… some like myself believe they have been there since the founding of the breed itself… but this is a highly contentious topic for those that breed purebred Labradors.

I do not breed my litters strictly for colour but am aware that people have personal preferences and some (including myself) really enjoy the unique attributes of the recessive genes in the purebred Labrador. Health, temperament and fit-for-purpose will always be my primary focus with colour and coat length next on the list.

Purpose

Many of my Labs have volunteered through Lend-A-Paw Labs, serving as Therapy Dogs, Service Dogs, Scent Dogs and Community Service Dogs. I love developing their special traits and sharing their abilities with the community.

I have a purpose and goal for each litter that I produce as well. That purpose may be to produce a litter of fantastic family members. Or it may be to produce great candidates for therapy or service dog work. It may be to produce a litter that will work well for active families, competitors or weekend hunters. It may be to find the next best scent dog candidate.

While Labs share a host of common skill sets/traits (retrieving for example), not all Labs are well-suited for every application. I look for the natural tendencies in my Labs… what they gravitate toward… and that is where they are likely to excel.

By knowing my Labs as well as I do, I’m able to select breeding partners that are more likely to produce puppies inclined to excel for different purposes. This in turn allows me to make better matches for those looking to add a Labrador puppy to their family.

Life at Skylit

If you want a Lab that will live outside or in your barn, then by all means, get a puppy that started life outside or in a barn. If you plan on keeping your dog in a kennel, then be sure that its parents were raised that way as well.

Skylit Labs begin life immersed in both dog and human family life. They begin life in our shared home on 40 acres in the Manawatu. The dogs spend their days lounging around and playing (with each other, me or friends) but they also go on playdates, hang out at cafes, have visitors over, plod around the property, go for swims in the pond, lay by the fire, curl up on the couch, go on road trips across country, have sleepovers, and regularly run (often boring) errands with me. In other words, they live a pretty “normal” life!

Health Testing

I am a strong advocate of health testing.

My Labs are genetically health tested for the common diseases found within the Labrador breed as well as several other diseases.

This includes: EIC, PRA, CNM, DM, HNPK, SD2 and Cystinuria

Because of this health testing and the breeding choices I make, I am able to guarantee that my puppies will never suffer from any of these diseases.

My Labs also have their hips assessed by two independent overseas organisations: AIS (Pennhip) and OFA.

Their elbows are also assessed by OFA.

Hip and elbow evaluations help me to ensure I am making good breeding choices and reducing the risk that offspring will develop hip or elbow dysplasia due to a genetic predisposition. (Note: No breeder can guarantee that their puppies will not develop hip or elbow dysplasia as both conditions can be caused by a mix of genetic and environmental factors.)

My Labs have their eyes examined and certified by NZ’s own eye expert.

Breeding for good health is a non-negotiable rule for each of my litters I plan.

RAW FEEDING

My Labs are all raw fed. What that means is that I feed what I feel is the most applicable species appropriate diet for canines — raw meat, bones and organs.

They primarily eat beef, chicken, fish, lamb, duck, venison as well as the occasional quail, rabbit and wallaby. They are fed twice each day.

Those that meet my dogs always comment about how shiny their coats are and how they don’t smell “doggy”. Raw feeding plays a major role.

Pre-Birth

Producing a great litter begins long before the breeding takes place. It begins with properly assessing your dogs to ensure they are fit to breed. Besides health testing, there’s a whole host of questions that need to be asked about the potential parents. Are they healthy? Have they fully recovered from any previous pregnancies? Are they physically mature? Are they mentally mature? What are their weaknesses? What are their strengths? Do the potential mother and father compliment each other?

The care of the mum-to-be before and during her pregnancy is paramount to a successful whelping. I have been blessed with wonderful mums (and I hope that continues for as long as I breed!). By taking the best care of them, they take amazing care of their babies. My key role in the early days is to support the new mum. That way she can do an exceptional job whelping, raising and nurturing her babies as life intended.

Weeks 1-4

Once the babies are born, their weight is tracked daily for the first two weeks to ensure proper growth. Each puppy wears a different colour collar so that I can be aware of each puppy individually. When they are 4 days old, I begin early neurological stimulation which consists of a series of positioning “exercises” to help improve stress responses later in life. At about 2 weeks of age I begin playing conditioning/de-sensitising CDs which introduce the puppies to a wide variety of sounds so that these sounds later in life are not likely to elicit a fear response. This helps with things such as fireworks, children crying, doorbells, thunderstorms, and much much more. At 2.5 weeks of age I introduce potty trays and the puppies begin crawling to them for toileting. Around 3.5 weeks of age I begin offering the puppies their first raw meals, including bones to chew on since their teeth are starting to come in. At 4 weeks of age the puppies begin separating themselves from mum and start exploring the outside. They have much larger potty boxes (as well as more of them) and the puppies sleep in a “cubby” which is similar to a crate but without a top. At this age the door is removed from their cubby so that the puppies can come and go as they please to use their potty boxes or to begin exploring outside. Mum has a large area just next to her puppies and she can visit/nurse them whenever she wishes.

Weeks 5-10

By 5 weeks of age the puppies are spending full days outside in their puppy play yard. Their mum is primarily nursing them in the afternoons and I am providing 2-3 meals for them. Typically my mums finish nursing around 6 weeks of age but the puppies still have much to learn before they are ready to leave Skylit!

Between 6-7 weeks of age I begin “night time potty training” with the puppies. This consists of my removing the potty boxes and putting the door back onto their cubby. Now at night time they are placed into their cubby and I will let them out through the night as needed. Within 3-4 nights the puppies are sleeping through the night without needing to go out and they are alerting me if they DO need to go out to go toilet during the night.

At this point I begin separation conditioning by initially splitting the litter into two cubbies and then three cubbies etc., rotating nightly who sleeps with who until eventually all puppies are sleeping solo, in their own cubby, through the night, without having accidents. The weather and puppy maturity can definitely impact how far along in the process puppies are by 8 weeks of age but puppies that leave Skylit at 10 weeks have had lots of practice… including sleeping in different type crates and continue to lengthen their “night”.

I have found this process makes the departure from Skylit so much easier on the puppies AND their new families. Puppies are settled in their crates (which is especially important for those puppies that fly to their new families). They are comfortable sleeping alone and they are accustomed to “holding it” through the night.

Other key events happening during this time period include a variety of visitors interacting with the puppies, exploration walks around the pasture and main house yard, as well as water play in the puppy pool. The puppy play yard adjoins the adult dog yards so the puppies frequently have doggy visitors as well. The puppies have their full vet checks based upon when they will be leaving Skylit and that involves their first car trip into town and lots and lots of cuddles at the vet clinic!

The Right Fit

Labs vary considerably in their build, energy level and natural tendencies.

Some live to retrieve, others to swim, and still others to cuddle up on the couch.

Some are more outgoing and independent/free spirits. Others are happy-go-lucky.

Some are incredibly smart and love to learn.

Others… not so much.

Some are food driven. Some are toy driven.

Some have big thick blocky bodies and some are built like extreme athletes.

Like humans, each Lab is an individual. There are some traits and tendencies that tend to pass from parents to offspring. There are also signs of what that puppy may be like as an adult that begin developing from a very young age.

As a Breeder I strive to get to know my puppies and look for how they are similar or different from their parents or other puppies I have raised.

I have an application process for my puppies. They are not placed on a first come, first served basis. Families who “just want a dog” are not the type families I look for. Instead I look for families who will embrace that puppy as a member of their family, loving and caring for it as fiercely as they would any family member. It is also important to me that the family be willing to maintain a relationship with me, their puppy’s breeder. This not only allows me to ensure what I’m doing is working but it also fulfills my need to remain in touch with these little lives that I give so much of my heart to.

Reviewing applications is a task I don’t take lightly and that I frequently agonize over far more than any potential puppy family could ever imagine. But my diligence is to your benefit. If approved for a Skylit Labrador, you have an advocate at your side that will do all in her power to ensure your puppy is a good fit for your family.

I made a promise to my girls when I started breeding that I would only ever place their puppies in environments that would be at least as good, if not better than, the life I could give them if they remained here. It’s a promise I take seriously and it is why I go to the depths that I do to ensure the match is right.

New Family Guide

In order to help each new family through the process of adding a Skylit Lab to their family, I have developed a step-by-step guide for my families.

This helps new families be informed on how to secure their place in the picking queue for a litter, select their puppy, plan their puppy’s departure from Skylit, prepare their home for the new addition, plan how they will feed their puppy, as well as come up to speed on exercise, training and many, many more topics.

Many families have had Labs before but perhaps it has been a while since they’ve had a puppy or maybe “crate training” wasn’t a thing when they raised their last Lab. The Skylit New Family Guide is helpful to new dog owners, new Lab owners and even seasoned Lab owners.

As new questions arise, I continue to add to the New Family Guide so that it can hopefully be a wonderful resource for each new Skylit Lab family!

SALES AGREEMENT

All Skylit Labs are placed in their new families under a Sales Agreement. While the Sales Agreement may change slightly depending on the litter, the terms and conditions are fairly consistent.

You can see a sample copy of the Skylit Sales Agreement HERE.

The following are some of the terms and conditions that may benefit from further explanation:

• All Skylit Labs unless specified otherwise are placed WITHOUT breeding rights. This is to protect the integrity of my program. I have invested countless hours and money into building my breeding program. My litters are often achieved via imported/unique lines to New Zealand and/or imported frozen semen from around the world with surgical inseminations. It requires little to no thought (and very little if any investment) to throw two dogs together in a backyard and produce a litter. That is not how I breed and those are not the type puppies I produce. Breeding in that manner can do irreversible damage to the reputation of my program and its future success. If a family should desire a puppy from their Skylit Lab, I encourage them to reach out to me and we can look at whether it may be possible in partnership.

• Not all Skylit Lab puppies are registered with Dogs NZ (the NZ Kennel Club). This is due to several of my foundation Labs carrying the Dilute gene. While other kennel clubs around the world are more accepting of this gene, Dogs NZ has chosen to not permit the registry of dilute-coat-coloured Labradors nor any litter that had the genetic potential to produce dilute-coat-coloured Labradors. To learn more about this colour gene and the controversy related to it, click HERE. I register all litters with Dogs NZ that meet their dilute gene requirements. Kennel club registered or not, all of my Labradors are 100% purebred, pedigreed Labradors. I do not breed to any Labradors that are not kennel club registered unless they were born here at Skylit and I can therefore be assured of their pedigree.

• If at any time you can no longer maintain or no longer wish to maintain custody of your Skylit Lab, they are to be returned to Skylit. They will either remain at Skylit for the rest of their life or should I happen to find a well-suited home for them, I will place them. If there are any proceeds from their re-homing I will return them to you.

Guarantee

A Skylit Guarantee accompanies each puppy that I place with a family. You can see a sample copy of the guarantee HERE.

LIFETIME SUPPORT

I tell every puppy family that I am here for them and for their Lab for the entirety of their Lab’s life… and I mean that. My puppy families know that they can reach out to me at any time, night or day, 365 days a year. I take my commitment to my Labradors and their families very seriously. I WANT to know if they are struggling. I may be able to help.

I am not a vet but my experience with my own Labs, all the puppies I have raised, my puppy families experiences and also the research and learning I do gives me a unique advantage to possibly be able to provide insight into what may be going on should a challenge arise.

The same goes for training. I am not a professional trainer but I am happy to share what I know and perhaps it can help or perhaps I can recommend a resource that may be able to help.

I truly care.

Puppy FAmily Community

When you add a Skylit Labrador to your family, you become part of the Skylit family!

The Skylit Labrador family is a community of puppy families across New Zealand, the UK and Australia that have one key aspect in common: They all have added a Skylit Lab to their family.

This community is a wonderful resource, cheerleader, mentor, and genuinely interested party in your Lab’s life journey. They very likely followed your puppy from birth, may have a relative to your puppy, and have been in your shoes with raising their own Skylit Lab.

They’ve looked into insurance, dealt with vets, found puppy classes, had cellphones chewed, experienced emergencies, struggled with training issues, questioned their puppy’s poop, found the best places to buy food and much much more.

Given that they may have a relative to your puppy (or even a littermate!), they will have seen some of the same issues that you will have crop up and will have unique insight that no other dog owner, trainer, book, website or group will have.

Many Skylit families reach out to others in their area for play dates as well. There are Skylit families who are more than happy to watch your Skylit pup for you should you be going away on holiday.

I have a private group on Facebook JUST for my families. Here we share in the joys and challenges of raising our Labradors. It is a devoted group that is truly interested in you and your puppy. We also have regular social get togethers with our dogs and even Skylit road trips!

Being part of the Skylit family is a wonderful and unique benefit of adding one of my puppies to your family.