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Silverace Labradors

@silveracelab

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DEFRA inspected licensed
5 ⭐️ breeder
Labradors
Health tested • 🏡 Home raised • Oustanding Pups
Training • Gundogs • Puppies
25/03780/ANIACT

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Katie. Where the love of Gundog training all began 🙌🏻 by @silveracelab

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2 years ago

Jock and Katie passed their Kennel Club Working Gundog Certificate today. They were assessed on their abilities in a number of areas. These were Control, Obedience, Temperament, Hunting and Retrieving. The exercises included a long sit / stay, retrieving over an obstacle, retrieving into water and delivery, off lead heel work and steadiness to shot and other dogs, hunting an area. They were tested on a driven simulation as well as walked up tasks. Absolutely thrilled with them both today. What superb dogs they are 😊👏🏻

Well done to @poppy.philp08 another rosette for her collection 🏵️

#labradorsofinstagram #workinglabs #girlswithgundogs #blacklabsofinstagram #foxredlabrador #gundog #sportingsaint #crufts #retriever #family #dogtraining by @silveracelab

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a year ago

#mothersday done right 💪🏻 what an amazing way to spend it with my youngest @poppy.philp08 training our dogs on the beautiful estates around #lakewindermere in great company @ @westmorland_gundogs
Thanks to Matt for putting on two fantastic days for us stretching both us and the dogs testing our abilities and learning over some tough ground. Lots of challenges and technical asks from both dogs and handlers. Brilliant fun too! The weather was awesome and the landscape simply stunning!

#labrador #gundog #gundogtraining #cumbria #fyp #dogsofinstagram #explorepage #girlswithgundogs by @silveracelab

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2 years ago

🐾 Where are they now? Meet Otis 🤎

Next up is Otis, the working cocker spaniel, who has just turned three—and what a handsome boy he’s grown into!

His family’s first dog, and they chose a working cocker… best let them tell you about that decision! 😂

“Otis has just turned 3. He’s our first dog. Whose idea was it to get a working cocker?

Thankfully, the support from Laila & Poppy has been superb. Even after we brought him home, the support and encouragement was amazing.

They introduced us to gundog training and it was the best thing we ever did. We’ll always be grateful for all their help, support and advice.

He’s a good boy (most of the time) but most importantly, I think he’s fulfilled.”

That last sentence means so much to us. 🤎

We are super proud of Otis and his family. They’ve learnt together and have always been so keen to put Otis’s needs first, even when that’s been really tough. Learning how to train your first dog while putting it all into practice is a lot to take on—especially with a working cocker!

There have been some tough times, but they’ve always bounced back, kept learning and found their groove together. They deserve so much credit for that.

I don’t think they quite realise just how much getting Otis has changed their lives. I have a wry chuckle to myself remembering the lovely, smartly dressed family who first came to visit us… who now meet us with whistles round their necks, training vests on and boots at the ready, looking like fully fledged spaniel folk. Love it! 😂🤎

We also look forward to their “Sausage Sunday” updates! While Sherril goes shopping, the boys park up for a sausage—one for Otis and one for Craig. Clearly, they’ve found their groove there too! 🌭😂

Our support doesn’t stop when a puppy leaves us, and seeing families grow into this life alongside their dogs is such a lovely part of what we do.

Otis—you look every inch the good boy. Most of the time! 😉

📸 @f2imaging

⚠️ Beware of having a puppy from us… we may change your life. Whistle, training vest and muddy boots may follow! 🤣🐾

#WhereAreTheyNow #Silverace #WorkingCockerSpaniel #GundogTraining #LifeWithACocker by @silveracelab

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7 days ago

There’s something really lovely about watching a partnership start to click 💙

Jock is going so nicely for Poppy at the moment. They seem to have found their groove — her timing is better, he’s really tuning into her, and he’s working incredibly hard for her.

So much of gundog training comes down to timing, trust and learning how to read the dog in front of you. When those pieces begin to come together, everything starts to look that little bit easier.

Still plenty to work on, as there always is, but this pair are definitely moving in the right direction 🐾

#training #gundog #labrador #blacklab #boydog by @silveracelab

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11 days ago

Well… if you’re going to require an unexpected full bath, you may as well choose the perfect day to test out a new product 😂🛁

Our friends at Ruff and Tumble Dog Coats have just launched their new dog Drying Towel and very kindly sent us one to try.

Safe to say this little one volunteered herself for the first proper test after getting herself into a situation that required rather more than a quick wipe down 🤦🏼‍♀️

First impressions? Super soft, really absorbent and so easy to wrap them up in after a bath — particularly handy with a Labrador who would otherwise like to immediately shake water over every available surface.

She may not look entirely convinced by the whole bath experience… but she does look rather cosy afterwards 😂❤️

Thank you @ruffandtumbledogcoats — I suspect this one is going to get plenty of use at Silverace!

#RuffAndTumble #wetdog #Puppy #LabradorLife #LifeWithLabradors by @silveracelab

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11 days ago

Happy 6 months old to our little Dorothy 🥹💜

Six months of Dottie… and honestly, she is everything I could have hoped for in a dog and more.

I probably surprised a few people when I opted for a Labrador. There are SO many breeds I’d love to own and learn with, but I always felt that a Labrador would be such a fantastic choice to really open up the training side of the doggy world for me.

What’s funny is that before I started my pet business, Labradors surprisingly weren’t even in my top 5 breeds! But after working alongside them, spending so much time with them and actually seeing what they’re all about, they completely stole my heart. So when the time came to choose my own dog, it just felt right.

And then along came Dottie.

She is such a wonderfully well-rounded little girl. Of course, I’ve put a huge amount of time and effort into giving her the best possible start I can exposing her to the world, working on neutrality, training, confidence, manners and all those little things that will hopefully shape the adult dog she becomes.

But I also have to give a HUGE amount of credit to her breeders @silveracelab. They have given her such a fantastic foundation, and I genuinely believe that has played a massive part in the confident, happy little girl she is today. They are an absolute credit to her.

She’s cheeky, clever, affectionate, confident, eager to learn and has already taught me so much in these six short months. I’m so excited to see where this journey takes us and to keep learning alongside her.

You’ve brought our family SO much joy already, and I honestly couldn’t imagine our little family without you now.

Here’s to many more adventures, muddy paws, training sessions, questionable Labrador decisions and a lifetime of learning together. 🐾 by @silveracelab

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11 days ago

Meet Conny 🤎

Picking up the reins this year in Camp Chocolate is our lovely Conny — Meadovillabs Conny at Penpontlab for Silverace.

As some of our founding chocolate girls move into very well-earned retirement, Conny represents the next generation here at Silverace, and she is a girl we are genuinely excited to have carrying our chocolate lines forward.

Conny comes from established British and European show breeding, with Show Champions, Irish Show Champions and international champions throughout her pedigree. Her breeding includes recognised Claychalk, Naiken and Bannabeach lines, with Crufts Best of Breed winner Sh Ch Naiken Way Out West JW appearing further back.

Her sire, Claychalk Costa Mark at Dunnabbey, is a fully health-tested chocolate Labrador with successful show results including Best of Breed. Her dam, Velvetine Summer Equinox, was herself a championship-show Puppy Bitch winner, with further placings at championship level.

Her own health credentials are equally important to us:

BVA Hips — 2:2
BVA Elbows — 0:0
BVA/KC Eyes — Clear, September 2026
DNA — Unaffected

But pedigree and paperwork are only part of the picture.

Conny is first and foremost a family Labrador. She lives in the home, has a lovely settled temperament and is as happy curled up in front of the fire as she is heading out into the countryside. She is athletic, beautifully put together, biddable and has that all-important ability to switch off.

When we choose a bitch to take our lines forward, we look at the whole dog — health, temperament, structure, pedigree and ability — and how she fits into the direction we want to take Silverace in the years ahead.

Conny brings together exactly the qualities we want to preserve in our chocolates while helping us move the line forward.

So as some very special older girls hand over the baton…

Welcome to Camp Chocolate, Conny. Your turn. 🤎

#labrador #puppy #chocolate #dogsofinstagram #future by @silveracelab

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12 days ago

Macintosh — Emmanygan Douglas 🤍

Mac is such a different dog to Katie — and I’m a different handler now too.

He’s incredibly eager to please, naturally biddable and he doesn’t have that same “hot” edge that Katie had. Training him has felt very different, and I’ve really enjoyed learning what makes him tick.

One thing he has reminded me of is just how unhelpful comparison can be in dog training.

We all do it. We notice the littermate who seems further ahead, the dog of a similar age already competing at a certain level, or the handler who appears to have everything beautifully polished. Quite why we humans are so determined to measure our progress against somebody else’s, I don’t know — it rarely helps.

Every dog is an individual.

And every dog teaches us something different.

As handlers, we also carry experiences from the dogs we’ve trained before. Sometimes, without even realising it, we anticipate problems because we’ve encountered them previously. We can start preparing for battles that this particular dog may never actually bring us.

Mac has reminded me to relax into the process a little more.

Not to worry about where we “should” be, but to concentrate on the dog in front of me.

Are we improving on what we did last week?
Have we properly proofed what we’ve taught?

Does he genuinely understand it in different environments and under distraction?

If not, we go back, tweak it and train it again, and that isn’t going backwards.

Repetition isn’t failure. Revisiting foundations isn’t failure. Sometimes it is simply good dog training.

I have always loved training dogs, but with Mac I’ve found myself much more conscious of enjoying the process rather than constantly looking towards the next benchmark.

So if you ever find yourself feeling under pressure with your own dog — comparing, overthinking, wondering whether you’re behind — consider this your permission to quiet the noise.

Take the pressure off. Train the dog in front of you.

Look at what you have improved since last week, not what somebody else is doing.

And enjoy it.

Because ultimately, that’s meant to be a pretty big part of this too. 🤍🐾

#dogsofinstagram #dogtraining #labrador by @silveracelab

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16 days ago

🐾 WHERE ARE THEY NOW? — KENAI 💙

This week we’re heading across the water to the Isle of Man to catch up with gorgeous Kenai.

His family wanted a Labrador who would be a huge part of family life while fitting naturally into their active, outdoor lifestyle — and he is doing exactly that.

Kenai has recently started learning the ropes as a salmon fishing companion, and his owner says his instincts simply kick in when he’s out in the wilderness. Rivers, awkward bridge crossings, long days outdoors — he has taken it all in his stride.

“He is honestly the most loving, happy, clever boy ever. His personality makes everyone who meets him love him.”

Seeing him thrive is especially lovely for us because Kenai came along during a particularly demanding period at Silverace HQ, when kennel cough had affected a newborn litter and we were tube feeding and monitoring vulnerable puppies every two hours, day and night.

Breeders naturally share so many happy moments, but there is also a huge amount of care behind the scenes that families never see. Kenai was part of that chapter, which makes seeing him now — healthy, adored and off adventuring — feel even more special.

His family may also be responsible for starting what now feels like an annual Silverace pilgrimage to the Isle of Man, with several Silverace youngsters now living there through their recommendations.

As a passionate family breeder, that trust means more to us than we can say.

Keep adventuring, gorgeous boy. You really have become exactly the dog your family hoped for — and so much more. 💙

The same Silverace beginning, just very different stories. 🐾

#wherearetheynow #puppy #labrador #dogsofinstagram #gundog by @silveracelab

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16 days ago

Jock by @silveracelab

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19 days ago

Shadyacres If Only

Our beautiful working line chocolate girl, with the temperament to match. Kind, affectionate and wonderfully playful, she has everything we value in a Labrador.

DNA clear • Hips 2/2 • Elbows 0/0

Excellent health results. A superb temperament. 🤎

#SilveraceLabradors #ChocolateLabrador #LabradorRetriever by @silveracelab

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a month ago