Sundance Retrievers

My wife and I have had 4 lovely rescue Labs since 1987. When our last Lab passed in Nov. 2022 we decided to make a puppy part of our family. Not knowing anything about training a puppy I searched and found that Cheryl from Sundance Retrievers, sells Started pups. After my discussions with Cheryl we signed a contract for Bessie the black lab. Cheryl gave us lots of information to prepare for our new arrival. We received images and notes about her progress. We picked her up on May 2023 and brought her home to Rhode Island. I have to say she just the sweetest well bred pup, and smart as a whip. She turns 1 year old on November and we couldn't be happier. Thank you Cheryl for turning out my little friend.

We have used Sundance Retrievers for both hunting/guiding and private training for our two rescue dogs. I cannot say enough good things about Sheryl and her staff. They are very kind, friendly and knowledgeable. The dogs they’ve brought to my bird hunts and duck hunts are top notch and exceed expectations with their performance, retrieving every bird that they possibly can and flushing each bird they find expertly. They are well trained dogs and would highly recommend them to everyone. For the private training Sheryl was able to get our 14 year old puppy to not only stop pulling us on the lead during walks but walk very calmly at our side and look to us for guidance on the walks. Our newest 1 year old puppy is a work in progress and she’s made incredible progress working with Sheryl. She went from being a stray who never walked on a lead, to walking perfectly at heel since working with Sheryl, I can’t wait to advance her training with Sherly and Sundance. They are a top notch organization and I would highly recommend them.

I do not recommend Sundance Retrievers especially if you aren’t experienced with training dogs. You do not get any help with training once you have your dog. No guides beyond what to do for the first 10 days. The book they recommend is 60 years old, hard to read, recommends throwing chains at your dog and is worthless. I purchased two “advanced companion” “trained” dogs from them. My dogs were scared of everything when I got them and not trained to lay down or stay. I asked for how to correct them and got no help. I asked for more training videos, manuals, instructions, conference calls and received none of those things. I guess you’re just supposed to know what to do. And I paid for the advanced companion package. Which just meant they were caged for 10-11 months and not trained to be in a home. Both had worms, one was 15+ pounds under weight and has what my vet called “cage teeth” meaning he has marks on his teeth from gnawing at the cage. He acts like he couldn’t get enough water, and he seems to be autistic. Afraid of their choke chains. Afraid of loud sounds, vacuums, the lawn mower and wet grass. Not only is it not worth the hefty $7500 that I paid for each pup, but it’s cruel to keep the dogs in kennels for 11 months. I feel horrible that I let them go through that for so long. The journals are joke and photos weren’t posted on the Facebook site as promised unless I asked for them. I love my dogs and with extra trainers I’m paying for to help me, they will be ok someday. But absolutely did not come from Sundance well trained. I told everyone I knew that I was getting these super well trained dogs that I paid a fortune for and they laugh when they meet my unruly pups. This has been so very challenging. Up until now I always adopted from shelters and rescues and have never had challenges with dogs like I have with my pups from Sundance. Avoid them!

We can’t recommend Sheryl & Sundance Retrievers enough! She was incredibly insightful throughout the entire process and has shown commitment to stay engaged with us. The pups coming from Sundance carrying a tremendous pedigree and make for top notch companions. We picked Mac up 3 months ago and he has quickly become a cornerstone of our family. He is well adjusted to toddler life and is up for any adventure! A true “turn-key” dog. The responsibility is on us to ensure he stays on track with his training and temperament. If you are considering a dog from Sundance Retrievers, GO FOR IT!

My husband and I searched for several months to find a solid, dedicated and loving breeder of Labrador retrievers. We felt so fortunate to have found Sundance Retrievers in PA. Sheryl and her staff have trained beautiful lab puppies and we were blessed to have found our new companion from them. They have laid down the foundation to work from and you can be sure the basics of heel , sit , stay and stop whistle are firmly entrenched. One thing we will say is that visiting Sundance Retrievers and taking part in your puppy’s training is extremely helpful. We learned a lot from Sheryl and got to know our puppy. We brought our puppy Abby home in May and she is just a sweet, calm and well mannered puppy. We still have ongoing training work ahead of us but we are loving the journey with our new friend in our lives. My husband and I would highly recommend Sundance Retrievers to anyone interested in purchasing a beautiful well trained Labrador Retriever.