Explore our current chocolate and black Labrador Retriever litters at Marble Mountain Kennels in Northern California. We raise family-focused Labrador puppies through both our home program and trusted partner breeders across California, Sacramento, and Oregon. Meet our studs and dams and learn about upcoming litters.
At Marble Mountain Kennels, we specialize in Labrador Retriever breeding in California, raising healthy, well-loved puppies for families across the West Coast. If you’ve ever wondered what dog breeding is really like behind the scenes, here’s a lighthearted look at a typical day in the life at our kennel.
At Marble Mountain Kennels, we’ve been dedicated to Labrador Retriever breeding in California for over 28 years, raising intelligent, trainable, and loving dogs for families across the West Coast. But every great kennel has a beginning—and ours started with one very special dog.
Partner Breeder Program, Basic Obedience Training, Hunting Training, Service Dog Training
Learn about Marble Mountain Kennels and Shasta Service Dogs, a California-based program training Labrador Retrievers for service work, autism support, and scent detection. In partnership with True North Quests nonprofit organization, we aim to reduce wait times and place highly trained service dogs with individuals and families across the West Coast.
Teaching a puppy to sit is not difficult. However, teaching a puppy to remain sitting is slightly more challenging—but only slightly. It just takes patience, gentleness, consistency, and, for our food-driven Labs, a little bit of kibble.
Here at Marble Mountain Kennels, we put on a positive face when it comes to canine pregnancies and deliveries in our blogs, website publications, and personal email announcements. But, since many of you are long-time followers of our blogs and you’ve become personal friends, I feel it might be time to be a little more open and honest and publish a few blogs about some of the realities of everyday life here on the “farm.” It’s not all cute puppies, happy wagging tails and darling fuzzy faces. We have our fair share of dirty, messy, and sometimes nail-biting experiences working with dogs and one of the most stressful can be canine labors and deliveries when things don’t go smoothly.
Labrador Retriever Colors Explained: Yellow, Fox Red, Black, and Chocolate Labs at Marble Mountain Kennels
This is another of our most frequently asked questions. Is there a Lab coloration that determines how smart a dog will be? The short answer is no. A dog’s intelligence is based on breeding, not hair color.
Marble Mountain Kennels has been raising and training Labrador Retrievers for over 28 years. Learn about the three official Labrador colors—yellow, black, and chocolate—and how temperament, genetics, and purpose-breeding guide our program in Northern California. Explore upcoming litters and training programs.
Discover our four Labrador Retriever colors—yellow, fox red, black, and chocolate—and what makes each unique. Marble Mountain Kennels shares 28+ years of experience breeding, training, and placing Labradors across California and the West Coast.
Should you ship your puppy via airline, pet transport or take him/her on a long roadtrip home? At Marble Mountain Kennels, we regularly help families searching for how to transport a puppy in California and across the West Coast choose the safest and most comfortable option.
Wondering what size crate your Labrador puppy needs? Learn crate size guidelines, training tips, and how to choose the right crate as your Lab grows. Helpful advice from Marble Mountain Kennels for new American Labrador retriever puppy owners across California and the West Coast.
Canine temperaments are fascinating. Although you might have some idea of what a dog’s personality will be based on the parents, even in a single litter you’ll find an array of variations in disposition.
This stage is what is called “hard labor.” We don’t always see the breaking of the water that ushers in this stage, but it certainly precedes the onset of harder contractions that are spaced more closely together. A mama dog will pant and often hold her breath as visible contractions tense up and tighten her entire lower body. She is usually very restless in this stage, standing, pacing, sitting, squatting, lying down, and then repeating all of the above. She will lick her vaginal area repeatedly before contractions in a preparatory cleanse for the birth. This stage should last anywhere from 10-30 minutes before puppies are born. Most of our dogs utter no sound whatsoever during labor and delivery. However, there is the rare female who will yelp or scream during hard contractions.
There are a number of ways that a pregnant dog signals that she’s about to go into labor. A few of these signs include digging, crawling underneath things like our deck, searching for natural “caves” in which to nest, an enlarged vulva, and not eating. These cues may occur as early as a week before labor begins and they are important to us.
Bringing a Labrador puppy into your home is an exciting and rewarding experience. However, choosing the right puppy requires careful consideration to ensure you find a Labrador that fits your lifestyle and expectations. Here’s a helpful guide to selecting the perfect Labrador Retriever for you and your family.
Labrador Retrievers have consistently ranked as one of the most popular dog breeds in the United States for decades. Their friendly demeanor, intelligence, and versatility make them the ideal companion for families, individuals, and working professionals alike. But what is it about Labradors that makes them so beloved? Let's explore why these affectionate and energetic dogs have captured the hearts of millions across the country.
Why are Labrador retrievers so popular? Why are they the number one favorite dog breed in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. year after year? Many of you know from experience. You’ve had other breeds and they just don’t compare. We hear people tell as all the time that they’ve had Labs and they’ve had other breeds and, after owning a Lab, they’ll never go back to anything else. We get it. So, what qualities make a Lab so special?
