“The Labrador Shooting Dog” and “The Pointing Labrador”
In 1999, Gary and Doris founded Clinetop Press and published Mike Gould’s book “The Labrador Shooting Dog,” which explains using the Labrador as an all-around versatile gun dog. The book was a success, with three printings and over 10,000 copies sold. Gary and Doris also published “The Pointing Labrador” by Paul and Julie Knutson, another book that had multiple press runs. As a magazine writer, Gary has published articles on dogs and upland hunting in several important sporting magazines such as Sporting Classics, Shooting Sportsman, and Outdoor Life. Gary was featured in the first-ever TV show on blue grouse hunting on “Bird Dogs Forever.”
Where our Labradors are Raised
In 2007, Gary and Doris relocated to Crawford, Colorado, to their 118-acre hay farm and began further developing the OutWest Kennels program. One of the early progenitors of the bloodlines came in the form of Bosco, a good-looking black Lab who came from Trieven Kennels in Wyoming. Bosco was also a pointing Lab and a master on blue grouse. In one particular hunt, he pointed 59 blue grouse over a two days in the Colorado high country. Since then, there have been quite a few memorable dogs, including Cassie, Mazie, Reba, and Pistol Annie.
Raise and Train Labrador Retrievers
The grounds are covered with a mixture of open hayfields with edges of tall grass, willows, and thick cover. A small stream runs laterally through the property, interspersed by two ponds. It is an ideal place to raise Lab puppies. The farm features a state-of-the-art kennel with its own heating and A/C system and indoor/outdoor runs for the dogs. Gary and Doris walk the dogs off leash twice a day, every day, so they get lots of sunshine and exercise. A typical evening walk features a fun session at the pond throwing bumpers for the dogs to retrieve, with big splashes as they enter the water.
Hunting Dogs by OutWest Kennels, Labrador breeders
Over the years, OutWest Kennels has gained a name for outstanding family dogs, companion animals, and hunting dogs. Several of our dogs work as avalanche dogs with the ski patrol in Aspen, Telluride, and Crested Butte. Several dogs have attained hunt test titles, and one in particular, a yellow female, was ranked the #5 dog in the nation in the North American Gun Dog Association (NAGDA) rankings at only a year old. Several have been sent to the new families as started dogs, having been trained by Gary for basic obedience, force fetch, initial retriever training, introduced to the gun, and bird retrieves. Gary and Doris have many grateful clients all over Colorado and the United States, thrilled with the canine companionship provided by their Lab from OutWest Kennels.
