Dakota Labradors, LLC is a training, boarding and breeding kennel, licensed and inspected by the state of Missouri. It is owned and operated by Ed and Lesley Nelson since 2002. We are located in Old Monroe, Missouri, which is about 40 minutes Northwest of St. Louis. We have over 15 years experience in raising, breeding and training Labrador Retrievers.

Dakota Labradors is proud to offer retriever training to suit your needs and your retriever’s abilities. We train because we love the dogs and are serious about improving the retriever’s abilities. We emphasize training for the hunter or hunt test competition. We primarily work with young dogs (7 months to 18 months). We also offer boarding to our clients. We have 22 kennels, access to two large ponds and several training grounds. We have two full time trainers on staff.

We only breed (1) or (2) litters a year. We strive to breed dogs that maintain good health, breed conformation, hunting desire and great temperament. We breed our duel titled females to only duel titled (AKC and/or UKC) dogs. We breed only to OFA Good or Excellent rated Stud dogs and only to Stud dogs with a current CERF clearance. We offer 30 month written guarantee on all our puppies. Our puppies are home raised, exposed to water, birds, gunfire and socialized.
 

The owner/trainer is Ed Nelson. He has been training Labrador Retrievers since he was in High School back in South Dakota. He worked for many years training his own dogs for Hunting and Hunt Test. Ed was occasionally asked to train friends and acquaintances dogs. In 2002 we moved to a home with acreage and expanded the number of dogs Ed could train. This is now a full time business and kennel operation. Ed has BS in Business Administration from Fontbonne, University

Co-Owner is Lesley Nelson. She has been training retrievers since 1996. Lesley has titled her own dog to the HR title level. Lesley’s is primarily responsible for obedience and puppy training. She socializes, house breaks and obedience trains the puppies for their owners. Lesley does the scheduling and keeps the daily kennel operation on time and within budget. Lesley has a BS in Accounting and BS in Business Administration from Missouri Baptist College

This year, we were able to expand our facility and add another trainer. Brett Bunk joined us as trainer/partner in the spring of 2008. Brett also has a BS in Business Administration from the University of Missouri. He owns Cuivre River Retrievers and trains six of his own dogs. Brett competes his dog in AKC and UKC hunt test. He also competes in American Pointing Labs Association tests.