Yates Family Labradors

09/03/2026

BOARD & TRAIN HOLIDAY AVAILABILITY

We have two spots available for each of our upcoming 4 week Board & Train sessions:

November 1 through November 29
November 29 through December 27

Dogs must be at least 5 months old, and they do not have to be a YFL dog.

For our YFL families, if you have a puppy from any of these recent litters, your dog is old enough and eligible:

Nola x Mater, June ’26
Vega x Tulsa, June ’26
Marley x Eli, May ’26
Philly x Rio, May ’26
Wonka x Tulsa, March ’26
Storm x Tulsa, January ’26
Cole x Banks, December ’25
Solo x Tulsa, November ’25

This is also great timing if you’re already planning to travel for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Instead of paying for traditional boarding while you’re away, your dog can spend those four weeks working on obedience, manners, confidence, and off leash training.

Only two spots are available for each session.

Text Mark if you’re interested or want more information.

09/02/2026

Big year for the Labrador Retriever Club! 🐾🇺🇸

With several longtime board members retiring, this year’s election feels especially important. I was proud to cast my vote and have a voice in the future of the club and, ultimately, the future of the Labrador Retriever breed we love so much.

Anyone can call themselves a breeder. But there is a difference between simply breeding dogs and being a true Labrador fancier.

Mark Jr. considers himself a Labrador fancier first. That means caring about far more than producing puppies. It means studying pedigrees, genetics, health, structure, temperament, working ability and the breed standard. It means supporting the Labrador Retriever Club, learning from people who have dedicated decades to this breed, and constantly trying to become a better steward of the Labrador Retriever.

We are still learning. We will always be learning. That is part of taking this seriously.

Breeding is something we do.

Labradors are something we love. ❤️🐾

Here’s to the next chapter for the Labrador Retriever Club and to the people willing to put in the work to protect this incredible breed for generations to come.

09/01/2026

Thinking about adding a new required question to our Puppy Reservation Application:

“Does your spouse know you’re putting in an inquiry about a puppy?” 🫠🤣

Because apparently “I was just looking” can turn into “So… we’re getting a puppy” pretty quickly around here. 😂🐾

No judgment. We support the strategy. 🤣

Welcome, and thank you for your interest in a Yates Family Labrador. We are a small, family-run breeding program based in our home—not kennels or barns—allowing each puppy to be raised with intentional care, daily interaction, and early socialization to prepare them for family life. This brief q...

09/01/2026

Hey y’all! We need the YFL family for this one. ❤️🐾🇺🇸

Last year, Joshua Cox put down a $250 deposit to eventually bring home a YFL. Life took him in a different direction for a while, and he needed to push his plans for a puppy further down the road.

Then Joshua reached out to us this morning.

Joshua served in Iraq and is currently at Warriors Heart in Bandera, Texas, where he is receiving treatment and working through PTSD, depression, TBI, and some of the challenges that have followed him home from his service.

As part of his recovery, his medical team recommended a service dog.

That is where Elvis comes in. ❤️

Elvis is a fully trained service dog whose previous owner sadly passed away. Joshua now has the opportunity to bring Elvis home and have him by his side as he continues putting in the work toward healing, recovery, and rebuilding his life.

Joshua needs $5,000 to make that happen.

When he reached out this morning, he asked if we would consider returning the $250 deposit he had placed with YFL so he could put it toward bringing Elvis home. He even told us that if we couldn’t return it, he completely understood.

There really wasn’t anything for us to think about.

We immediately sent Joshua his entire $250 deposit back, and we added a little extra from us to help get him closer to his goal.

Because sometimes the dog someone needs isn’t one of ours.

And right now, Joshua needs Elvis.

Joshua has already raised $4,250 of the $5,000 he needs. That means he is only $750 away from bringing Elvis home.

So we’re asking our YFL family to help us finish this.

If you can give $5, $10, $25, or anything at all, please consider helping. If donating isn’t possible, sharing Joshua’s fundraiser helps too.

There are a lot of things we love about raising Labradors, but the dogs themselves are only part of it. Over the years, this little program has created a pretty incredible community of people, and every once in a while we get an opportunity to use that community for something bigger than puppies.

We think this is one of those opportunities.

Joshua served our country. Now he is doing the hard work of taking care of himself and moving forward. Let’s help make sure he doesn’t have to do the next part alone.

Let’s raise this last $750 and get Elvis home with Joshua. ❤️🐾🇺🇸

Joshua, your YFL may have to wait a little longer, but you’ve got an entire YFL family rooting for you and Elvis.

👇 DONATE OR SHARE HERE:
Help Joshua Bring Elvis Home (https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-joshua-bring-elvis-home?attribution_id=sl%3A74a8b939-d25d-457a-86c4-0ec79a50c1a5&ts=1788288477&utm_campaign=natman_today_topbar_ios&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link&video_sharing=enabled)

I’m Joshua, and I’m raising funds to help me bring Elvis home as my service dog. I am currentl… Joshua Cox needs your support for Help Joshua Bring Elvis Home

09/01/2026

WHAT DOES “LIMITED AKC REGISTRATION” ACTUALLY MEAN? 🐾

Every Yates Family Labradors puppy is sold with AKC Limited Registration. But what does “limited” actually mean?

It does not mean your Labrador is somehow less of a Labrador.

It does not mean your puppy isn’t AKC registered.

And it does not change your ownership of your dog.

Limited Registration simply means your dog is not being sold with breeding rights, and puppies produced by that dog cannot be registered with the AKC through that registration.

There is an important reason we do this.

Our family has spent 25 plus years working with Labradors. Add in the decades of experience from the breeders, trainers, veterinarians, friends and families in our network, and there is an incredible amount of knowledge, experience and work behind the bloodlines we have today.

Because of that, our standards for breeding rights are extremely high.

A beautiful Labrador with an incredible personality is a great start, but that alone doesn’t mean a dog should be bred. Because let’s be real… all the YFLs are amazing. 😂❤️

Before a dog is considered for breeding, there is much more we look at: OFA health testing, eyes, genetics, temperament, structure, pedigree, the strengths and weaknesses within that pedigree, and ultimately what that particular dog could contribute to the next generation of Labradors.

We also believe responsible breeding means understanding WHY you’re making a particular pairing rather than simply wanting puppies from a dog you love.

We have worked too hard for too many years building and protecting our bloodlines to lower those standards. Breeding rights through YFL are something we take very seriously and evaluate very selectively.

Not every incredible family dog needs to become a breeding dog. Protecting and improving the Labrador Retriever means being selective about which dogs do.

There is nothing “limited” about the YFL you take home. ❤️🐾

The only thing limited is the breeding rights.

08/28/2026

WHY DOES YFL REQUIRE PET INSURANCE? 🐾

This is another part of our contract that sometimes surprises new families.

Every YFL puppy is required to have pet insurance.

And no, we don’t sell insurance, we don’t receive a commission from it, and we don’t care which company you choose.

So why require it?

Because purchasing the puppy is only the beginning of the financial responsibility that comes with owning a dog.

You can do everything right and unexpected things still happen.

A puppy eats a sock. A dog gets injured playing. There’s an emergency visit in the middle of the night. Surgery is needed. Suddenly a family is looking at a veterinary bill for thousands of dollars and has to make a very difficult decision.

We never want the question to be:

“Can we afford to treat our dog?”

We want it to be:

“What does our dog need?”

We have spent decades working with Labradors and put an enormous amount into health testing, genetics, veterinary care and responsible breeding. But no breeder can guarantee that a dog will never get sick or injured during its lifetime.

That’s where pet insurance comes in.

Our contract requires families to maintain qualifying pet insurance as part of our 36 month health warranty.

We aren’t requiring it because we expect something to go wrong.

We require it because we know sometimes things do.

When one of our puppies leaves YFL, our responsibility doesn’t suddenly disappear because that puppy belongs to another family.

We want every YFL to have access to the veterinary care they need when they need it.

Hopefully you pay for pet insurance for years and barely use it.

But if the day ever comes when you really need it, you’ll be very glad it’s there. ❤️🐾

08/27/2026

One of the things in our YFL contract that sometimes gets questioned is our requirement to wait until 24 months to spay or neuter. So why do we have it?

Because our responsibility to these dogs doesn’t end when they leave our house at 8 weeks old.

Labradors are a large breed, and they still have a lot of growing and developing to do after they look like full grown dogs. Their bones, joints, growth plates and overall body continue maturing well beyond puppyhood.

We put a tremendous amount into health testing our breeding dogs. Such as OFA testing, eye exams, genetic testing, studying pedigrees and making responsible breeding decisions. But genetics are only one piece of producing a healthy adult dog. How that puppy is raised matters too.

That’s why our contract requires our families to wait until after 24 months of age before spaying or neutering. Spaying or neutering earlier than that also voids our 36-month health warranty.

Does that mean every dog altered early is going to develop orthopedic problems? Absolutely not. And it doesn’t mean every statement or statistic you see online applies to every dog.

What it does mean is that there is enough research surrounding the timing of spay/neuter and orthopedic development that we believe allowing our Labradors to reach physical maturity first is the responsible choice for our program.

We’re not against spaying and neutering. We’re against doing it too early.

A lot goes into raising a Labrador that we hope will be healthy for the next 10–15 years. The decisions made during those first two years matter. 🖤🤎💛❤️🐾

08/25/2026

One part of our YFL contract that we take very seriously is what happens if one of our families can no longer care for their dog.

When you get a puppy from Yates Family Labradors, our responsibility to that dog does not end when you pull out of our driveway!

Our contract specifically states that a YFL dog cannot be sold, surrendered, gifted, or rehomed without us being involved. If life changes and a family can no longer care for their dog, we must be contacted. We either have the opportunity to take the dog back ourselves or we are involved in approving a new home.

Our dogs are never to be surrendered to a shelter, rescue, pet store, dealer, research facility, or similar organization.

There are a million reasons someone’s circumstances can change. Divorce, illness, financial hardship, a move, a new baby, death in the family… life happens! We aren’t here to judge someone for needing help. We just want the phone call.

If you ever own a YFL dog and find yourself in a situation where you cannot keep them, call us.

We will figure it out.

The day one of our dogs ends up sitting in a shelter or rescue without us knowing about it is the day Yates Family Labradors closes its doors.

We aren’t running this program simply to produce puppies. Every puppy we bring into this world is a responsibility we chose to take on, and that responsibility doesn’t disappear at 8 weeks old.

Whether they’re 8 months old, 8 years old, or somewhere in between, they’re still one of ours. 🖤🤎❤️💛

08/25/2026

MEET CHILI ❤️🐾

Chili is a beautiful fox red Labrador who turned 1 in June. She has already completed professional training with West Wind Retrievers and recently earned her AKC Canine Good Citizen title! 🎉

She is crate trained, walks great on a leash, knows her basic commands and, as you can probably tell from the pictures, is a very happy girl who loves being around people. She’s also wonderful with kids and other dogs!

Chili is looking for a Guardian Home, which means she gets to live with her family full-time as their dog while remaining part of the Yates Family Labradors breeding program. She would only come back to us when needed for breeding, whelping and vet visits. We also take care of boarding anytime her guardian family is out of town! Once her breeding career is finished, she retires permanently with her guardian family.

There is no purchase price for Chili. We’re much more concerned about finding the right home and family for her.

Ideally, we’re looking for someone within reasonable driving distance of Arlington, VA who wants Chili to truly be part of their family and is comfortable working with us over the next few years.

She’s already through the little puppy stage, professionally trained, CGC titled and ready to find her people.

If you think Chili might be a good fit for your family, send us a message and we’ll send you our Guardian Home application!

Please share! Her family might already be following one of you! 🐾