I love natural game finding in a dog

Bobby is a A Panel Judge with both The English & Irish Kennel Clubs.
He trains his dogs to a high standard, they are soft in nature and hard in their work. Bobby prides himself on his intuitive knowledge of training and breeding which has brought him and his Glenbriar Labradors so much success.
His Glenbriar Labradors are the Top and Most Successfull Gundog Kennel in Ireland.
His Bloodlines - he believes -  have produced more FTCH’s & FTW’s than anyone to date - 67 FTCH’s, 60 FTW’s, 9 Championship Winners  and 13 Top Retriever Titles.

We meet with Bobby Robertson for an interview:
 

Why did you especially decide to own and handle Labrador Retrievers?
My first memory was seeing a Labrador when I was a small boy of Six. I was amazed at this large black dog hunting a riverbank and taking an enormous leap into the river. From that day my dream was to own one of these wonderfull creatures. I grew up in a family who had no dogs, so the only contact I had was with other peoples pets.
When I was 12 years old my Father brought home a corgi jack russell cross, I was disappointed it wasn't a Labrador. But I trained my little dog Bruce to retrieve ducks & hunt rabbits, he was excellent on flighting ducks at night.
When I went to buy my first Labrador I wanted a Black male, but come home with a Yellow bitch Drumnagally Bess.
I made the right choice and she became my Foundation bitch and she is where all my Champions come from. Bess was a wonderfull Labrador very easy to train and she forgave the many Mistakes I made in her Training.
 

Why do you participate in competitions with your dogs? Do you have a preference for one specific type of challenge?
I have always been competitive in anything I have ever done, I enjoy Winning.
Since the age of ten I have been Shooting, so it was a natural progression to compete with my dogs in Field Trials.
My first experience was running in a Open Working Test, I found the mark Retrieves easy, but when it came to the long blind retrieve, however hard I tried I couldn't get it. I asked older handlers how to train my dog for Blinds, but none of them were very helpful. So I went home and after many mistakes I finally worked it out. The next Open Test I ran in I Won. The Challenge is to get the next retrieve, to finish the trial, and to Win, and to go on to make the dog a Champion. This continues to be The Challenge with every dog.
 

What made you decide to become a judge?
I already had a Lot of success with my dogs when I was first approached to judge.
I had a vast knowledge with shooting hunting and running a dog, which I felt was missing with some judging at that time, so I decided to become a judge. Also I had experienced at first hand the ups and downs in competitions and some bad decisions from judges who had very little experience in the field. I really did want to improve the standard of dogs in my Country, an always want to see the best dog Win. The rule book is always open to Interpretation, but I believe a judge should have real experience running successfully himself: before he earns the right to judge another handler.
 

What are you looking for judging a dog in a competition?
For myself, I love natural game finding in a dog, it gives me great pleasure to watch a dog work out where a bird is, and I feel they should be given time to do this.
In my opinion a dog should have drive, be good in cover and water, good on the whistle, but not over depend on their handler for help.
My perfect retrieve is to see a dog handled on a blind to the fall quickly and quietly and let it hunt without constant whistling, allowing the dog show how good a game finder he is.
I am not a lover of handlers trying to put their dog on top of the retrieve, and not letting the dog show its natural ability.
 

Why and when did you decide to start breeding Labrador Retrievers?
Like most people who own Labrador bitch, I loved her qualities and wanted another just like her. Simple thinking at that time.
My first bitch I bred in 1978 this was the start of my Glenbriar bloodline. From that litter came Glenbriar Sweep the first dog I made up to a FTCH. The rest is History.
 

In your opinion, what main characteristics represent a good bitch that you choose to breed?
When I choose a bitch to breed from firstly I ask myself if she has the ability to produce the type of dog I want to trial. Which for me, is a good temperament, they need to be hard in their work, but have a nice soft nature, have a brillant nose, love water and look like a Labrador. The pedigree will give me enough information about what to expect. Bloodlines are the most important thing for me, knowing not only the dogs in the pedigree but their litter, brothers and sinsters.
In my opinion if you take a bitch to a stud dog to improve on her weekness, then I would not breed her.
Last but not least her health results need to be good.
 

According to which standards do you choose the stud dog?
When it comes to choosing a stud dog, I will do a lot of research, there are plenty of good dogs out there, but the questions is if he suit my bitch. I get a lot of emails wanting help on this. Normally I decide on a male that wont dominate my bitch, as I said earlier I already have a good bitch with all the qualitys I want, so the male should just complement her.
I like to line breed most times, so I know what type of pups I will get, when I outcross I fear I might bring in something I don't like, but I know what bloodlines work well with Glenbriar.
The stud dog should be a good example of a working Labrador, good looking nice head, reasonable size, nice temperament and of course be healthy with all good health results.
Main thing for me is to go with my gut feeling when making my final choice.
 

Are you considering the various health issues we face within the breed when breeding?
Yes, I do take in all the health issues when breeding. I am happy with the DNA testing, it helps a great deal and we know exactly what we are dealing with. We want healthy dogs and in allows us to make a informed choice of dog. The perfect Labrador hasn’t been bred yet, but I want to do my best to enhance the breed.
 

Where do you see risks and opportunities?
I worry that some breeders will do all the test just to sell dogs and forget about the working abilities of the dogs they breed and that would be a terrible shame for the future of The Working Labrador.
We could end up with healthy Labradors who are gunshy, whine, hard mouth, aggressive and so on. Everything needs to be in balance. DNA testing for health has a excellent role to play but its only  a part of the whole picture.
 

Over the last few years, what were the major changes in terms of training and breeding?
Over the last ten years I have noticed that Labrador have become more sensitive in training and in my opinion it is because the gene pool has become smaller.
I see some FTCH's who I know threw sensitive dogs in a pedigree up to three or four times. These dogs were good top trial and stud dog, but to have them repeated so many times I feel is a problem.
So training has to be carefully planned to avoid mistakes, as this type of dog in less forgiving.
 

What do you consider being positive and what tends to be rather negative?
Positives I see are the advance of DNA Testing so we can breed Labradors. Free of these deseases. There is now plenty of training classes to help people to get the best and enjoy their dogs.
Negative I see is irresponsible breeding where health issues are ignored and as long as there is a lot of red in the pedigree it does not matter what the pups turn out like.
 

Where do you see major differences in the breeding and the training on the continent and in England/Scotland/Ireland?
I don't think there is a big difference in bloodlines in most countries as they are usually UK and Irish dogs mixed with local bloodlines.
The magic is knowing how to mix the different lines in. The UK and Ireland we have had years of experience in these bloodlines and personaly know these dogs. Like a Good Chef its all in the mix.
I know of some very good kennels in Europe who have got the right idea and their dogs are a pleasure to watch and I see little difference in the Top dogs in most countries.
Training can be different depending on what type of trial you are preparing for. For example in Ireland most trials are Driven, which means a lot of blind retrieves and dogs sitting for a long time in drives. In UK mainland its Walk up trials, so heel work and marking.
So it does depend what type of trial your country runs. The main thing in common in all field trials is the dogs game finding, handling, steadiness and temperament, but a good dog can run in any form of trial.
 

Were the training methods harder 20 years ago? Do you think, the training methods influence the breed and the retriever character?
When I first came into dogs there were books on dog breaking, even then an old and very outdated way. Over the years I have seen some improvement in dog training from a lot of people. Thank goodness. I believe when handlers use physical punishment, it is a total break down in relationship and lack of comunication with their dog, most of the time the dog doesn't know what its being punished for. I hate the electric collar which I think should be banned.
So to answer your question, I feel there are still a lot of bad trainers out there, who will do anything to win, the dog itself seems to mean very little to them.
These bad trainers want to breed hard dogs so they can take punishment, but where does it stop. In America, British and Irish Labradors are in high demand, because the American labs have become so hard after years of breeding dogs who can only be trained with electric collars.
I would advise anyone who goes to a training class where the trainer thinks with his hands and feet not to go back.
I have one major rule at my training classes, if you hit your dog, you will be told to go home.
Dog training is simple and Labrador naturally want to please, there is no excuse for physical punishment.
 

In your recommendation, how can I – at best – introduce a young retriever to real game? Do you work your young dogs with cold game? Or is cold game work unacceptable for you?
I do not use cold game out of a freezer, I see very little use for it.
If I am out shooting I will bring home game and use that to train with, I find this a better way, but I do understand that some people don't have this choice, I don't think frozen game is ideal, but you have make use of what is available to you.
In my opinion ducks are the best to start young dogs on, but I would not recommend too much training with cold game as it can prove hard to get some dogs back on dummies.
Once you have introduced your dog to cold game, get someone to shoot over your dog, this should be the next step.
 

What are your future goals?
My future goals are to make up and breed more FTCH's.
To encourage more handlers to enjoy and get the best from their dogs.
And for me to carry on enjoying my sport.
 

Thanks for taking your time answering the questions.
One last one question: what's the secret for your success?
Firstly my instinct is very strong about dogs.
Have a good line of dogs.
Plan ahead and know the direction you are going.
Learn from your mistakes.
 

Imprint

Special Thanks to
Bobby Robertson
Labrador Retriever kennel “Glenbriar”
Ireland
web site

Questions:

Christiane Stricker, Jarka Svenka, Helena Niehof-Oellers

Photos:

Åsa Norrby

Copyright:

The interview was given exclusively for the info web site All about Retriever and is protected by copyright. The reproduction and media distribution of these photos and text or its parts is not permitted without prior written consent. Who will publish any parts of the content of this site without permission will be prosecuted.

© February 2012