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Our started trained family companion Labrador Retriever puppies will make an excellent addition to your home.
Husband and wife owners and head trainers Steve Koven and Jean Damon have been training dogs and working with dog owners for over 35 years.
Our business is family-run; raising and training dogs is our full-time occupation. We are located in Huntingdon, Tennessee.
We do not believe in cookie-cutter dog training. Each puppy is hand-picked for temperament from high-quality AKC registered bloodlines from
breeders in our area. Our goal is to provide the highest quality of training for each individual puppy.
The cost of a family companion Lab is $6,500.00 plus sales tax.
The parents of our companion puppies are purebred AKC registered Labrador Retrievers. All the parents have been DNA tested via Embark or similar genetic screening test to
ensure the pups are healthy. Your new pup will be current on the following: Rabies, Distemper combo (including Leptospirosis), Lyme, Bordetella, Heartworm preventative, and flea/tick protection.
Each puppy receives a thorough veterinary health exam before they leave.
Our pups are fed top quality, vet-recommended Science Diet Large Breed Puppy kibble. Our kennel is climate controlled with electric heat and air conditioning.
Our companion dog training covers behavior and social skills with people and other dogs, crate training, and obedience. The obedience training covers all commands on and off-leash. Training starts as soon as we pick up the pups from their breeders. They go through a thorough training regimen for 12 weeks, and graduate the family companion program at around 6 months of age, when they will be ready to interface with their new owners.
For the twelve weeks that our pups are in training, we are with them all day, every day; caring for them, training them, playing with them. The pups have training school
6 days a week, and we get a 4 hour break on the 7th day.
During this time, we also expose the pups to a variety of sounds using a noise tape that we play regularly, which includes different machinery sounds, thunder, sirens, etc.
Along with this the pups are very familiar with the sights and sounds of our ATV, lawn mower, UTV, and vehicles running when they are out playing.
Then for the next three weeks, we are individually interfacing each puppy with the new family, one pup every day, while continuing to train and look after the rest of the class.
Our pups receive top training and care for the entire time they are with us, from two master trainers with over 35 years experience.
Listed below are the commands that we cover.
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OBEDIENCE COMMANDS
- HEEL - walking nicely with loose lead on left side of handler
- AUTO-SIT – while on Heel command, dog will automatically sit on the left side when handler comes to a stop
- AUTO-STAY – after auto-sit, dog will automatically stay until commanded to move, or released off of command
- WALK AWAY - handler leaves dog while on command
- LOOK AT ME - dog looks at handler
- COME – recall to handler
- CENTER – auto-sit directly in front of handler
- FINISH (HEEL) – dog moves from center position to the right behind the handler and auto-sits on handler’s left side
- FREE SIT – dog sits on command, usually from free mode
- STAY CLOSE – dog keeps close to handler, but is not on Heel command
- DOWN – lie down
- RECALL TO SIT – dog commanded to sit from a down position
- STAY - hold position and don't move
- OKAY – dog is off command, free
- QUIET – stop barking, whining etc
- NO – correction word generally followed by verb or descriptive of what the dog should not be doing, or the command that the dog broke (ie. no – sit)
- NO BITE – do not mouth or peck at hands or feet of handler
- OFF – do not jump (on people, furniture, etc)
- LEAVE IT – don’t mess with that
- DROP IT – dog should spit out whatever should not be in mouth
- ENOUGH – time to stop
- EASY – slow down, relax, or concentrate
- GOOD! – praise and reward
- GET YOUR BIRD! – go get toy
- BRING ME YOUR BIRD! – retrieve toy
- RELEASE – let go of toy or object that is allowed in dog’s mouth
- HERE – direct dog to a spot
- HURRY UP – go potty
- IN – go in (house, car, crate, etc)
- GO GO GO! – speed up, encourages drive
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There is no such thing as a robotic dog. This means that having a well-trained dog requires consistent reinforcement of commands and good behavior.
It is imperative that you, as the new dog owner(s), continue to exercise your new family member daily, as well as
routine obedience workouts 3-4 times a week, and always follow up on your commands. Because of the amount of training already done with our dogs,
this will be relatively easy for you to accomplish. Without this maintenance of your dog’s training and behavior, the solid foundation that you started with can
slip, and regression in training will occur. It is much easier to maintain your dog’s level of training than to retrain a dog once it has regressed.
We will give you a solid well-trained puppy/dog, and everything you need to maintain it.
On your scheduled pick-up day, you and your family will spend the day at our facility in Huntingdon interfacing with your new best friend,
learning how to work with and train your dog. Our goal is for you to acquire a high level of comfort and confidence in your skills with our K-9/handler interfacing program, and we will work with you until this is achieved.
We are located roughly 2.5 hours from Nashville as well as from Memphis. The most common way clients arrange their interface day and get their pups back home is to drive both ways. There are pet friendly hotels in our area. Since the Covid pandemic, flying dogs home after interfacing has not been a reliable option. Another way to save a little travel time is to fly here, rent a vehicle, and drive back home with their pup. Most clients who fly in use the Nashville airport and rent a minivan or SUV to bring their pup home, having shipped their crate (either vari kennel or soft travel crate) to us ahead of time. Using the soft crate for hotels and a seatbelt harness in the vehicle is also workable.
Returning clients who have purchased a trained Lab pup from us in the past and gone through the interface do not have to do so again. You have the option of either interfacing a second time for a refresher, or simply coming to pick up your pup and head back home, after going through the paperwork and getting the graduation picture taken. Be here at 11am and we should have you back on the road by noon or so. A regular interface goes from 11am till 4pm. There are also pet transport companies available across the country that can bring your pup to your home from our school in Tennessee. However you choose to get your pup home, your family companion Lab pup will be worth the trip!
Upon completion of this program, you will receive a certificate of completion of training for obedience, as well as all your training gear. You will receive a 6 ft leather lead, training collar, and light lines to continue your off-leash work.
You will be taking home a high quality pup with everything done for you: crate-trained, current on vaccinations for the next year, and obedience trained; a calm,
well-behaved dog ready to be integrated into your family. All you have to do is keep up with your pup's preventative health care (monthly heartworm and flea/tick treatments, yearly vaccinations) and maintain and strengthen the foundation of obedience training that we built for you."
These pups are sold with Limited AKC registration only. They are not to be bred. We highly recommend getting your pup spayed or neutered between 44 and 50 weeks of age.
You can always count on us for any follow-up help or questions you may have.
We thank all our clients across the country that have been as dedicated to dogs as we are, since 1988.
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Please look through some examples of our family companion training.
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View our Past Graduates
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Trained Labradors Available to Purchase
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The Fall 2024 class of trained family companion Labrador pups is here! We have puppies available now to
reserve. These pups will graduate from our training program and be ready to interface and go home in the fall.
We are now accepting applications and payments. The following puppy pictures are in order from youngest to oldest.
If you have any questions or are interested in reserving a fall pup,
contact us or call 731-535-1238, prior to submitting an application.
We are also accepting applications and deposits for the Spring 2025 class.
Our website is updated every few days year around.
Please visit us on Facebook or Instagram to see video clips of our puppies.
Thank you,
Jean and Steve
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Fall 2024 Class
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SOLD
Cadiz, KY
Abby
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AVAILABLE
B (male)
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AVAILABLE
C (female)
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AVAILABLE
D (female)
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SOLD
Parkville, MD
Hazel
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SOLD
Franklin, TN
Jimmy
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SOLD
Greenwich, CT
Sully
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SOLD
Louisville, KY
Benedict
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AVAILABLE
I (female)
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SOLD
Quincy, MA
Molly
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Family Companion Graduates
Spring 2024 Graduates
Thompson's Station, TN
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Victoria, MN
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Ramsey, MN
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Westmoreland, TN
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Elkhorn, NE
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Oconomowoc, WI
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Cuyahoga Falls, OH
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Atoka, OK
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Manvel, TX
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Morgantown, WV
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Troy, MO
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Queen Creek, AZ
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Wilmington, DE
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Midlothian, TX
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Fall 2023 Graduates
Warrenville, IL
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Naperville, IL
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Hilton Head Island, SC
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East Berlin, PA
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Parker, CO
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Mason, OH
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North Liberty, IA
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Bensenville, IL
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Lakeside Park, KY
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Plain City, OH
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Woodbury, MN
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East Berlin, PA
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McLean, VA
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Milton, VT
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Princeton, IL
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