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Welcome to The Retriever Nation
— a space built from a deep love for retrievers, hunt tests, field trials, and the everyday joy of life with dogs.
We’re amateur trainers, breeders, and handlers who find purpose in the process — from early training to long days in the field, from whelping litters to raising future champions.
Our life revolves around our Labradors, and we share our journey to help others who feel the same. Whether you're just starting out or have years of experience, you're welcome here.
YouTube & Learning
We believe in learning out loud — so we created a YouTube channel to document and share what we’ve learned along the way.
There you'll find helpful playlists like:
🎥 What Is an AKC, HRC or NAHRA Hunt Test?
🎥 What Is a NAHRA Test?
🎥 What Is a Field Trial?
🎥 Whelping a Litter (our most popular series)
Whether the day brings success or setback, we walk away with something new — and with gratitude for the dogs who teach us. At the end of every day, we can honestly say: “That was another great day.”
Our Publications & Purpose
We’ve also published original resources designed to support others in the community:
📘 The Ultimate Guide to Whelping Puppies
📒 The Ultimate Whelping Log & Record Book
🏅 Achievement Certificates to send home with your litters
We keep it real, easy to understand, and always grounded in the love of the work.
THE RETRIEVER NATION —“Where Everything Comes Together!”
Jeff Brezee
I started as a bird boy and trainer as a young lad over forty years ago. After taking a break to start a family, I returned to the game.
I find training after work therapeutic; even the most challenging (worst) day of training is better than the best day at work.
My greatest highlights of the game are finishing my first All-Age stake with Poppet and mentoring my wife, a first-time handler, to The Derby National, where she completed eight series.
But it's the simple pleasures of seeing my dogs do what they love and the teamwork they deliver that keep me walking to the line.
I've enjoyed traveling the country with my wife and dogs, running NAHRA, HRC, SRS, and AKC Hunt Tests and Field Trials.
In addition to judging, and in an effort to give back to the sport, we created our YouTube channel to help educate and support new handlers. Take in our educational playlist here.
The friendships we’ve built through this sport are among the best we’ve ever known — and we’re grateful every day for the dogs who brought us all together.
Teri Brezee
I love being the mom of four dogs, and when I'm called to nursing duty, I take a holistic approach. This approach once even prevented a recommended toe amputation!
My passion for health and wellness led me to become certified in essential oil use for dogs and in canine food nutrition; not a single label enters our house without being scanned and dissected by me.
Due to numerous inquiries on our YouTube channel about selling my binder of whelping notes, I wrote and published "The Ultimate Guide to Whelping Puppies" along with its companion, "The Ultimate Whelping Log and Record Book," both of which can be found in our Now In Print” section.
Having been an armchair handler for years, a deal was struck when negotiating to keep the only yellow puppy of three litters, increasing our dog count to four.
Jeff agreed the yellow could stay on one condition: if I were willing to train her and become an actual dog handler. My answer?
"DEAL!"
-How quickly I learned the difference of stepping onto that mat myself!
Whether the day is a win or a loss, I've enjoyed every moment beside my pretty yellow teammate, Nala. I'm so glad I won that deal!
