Something old and something new turned into something blue for NAFC-FC Labrador Springs Black Tie Affair (“Tux”) — the recently crowned 2025 National Amateur Retriever Champion.
Tux, a 5-year-old black Labrador male, outperformed more than 100 of the nation’s best field trial retrievers over 10 series of demanding water and land tests at this year’s National Amateur Stake, held June 14-21 in Mondovi, Wisconsin.
Tux is co-owned by Jack Gwaltney Jr., Jack Gwaltney III, Spencer Cummings, Josh Williams and Richard Schmeling and is handled and trained by Jack Gwaltney III of Charlottesville, Virginia.
Something Old (and Wise)
“My dad has been in this game forever,” Jack Gwaltney III says. “He started field trialing in 1963 and is 94 now. I started out as his bird boy. Dad literally wrote a book on retriever training and was still very active in field trials well into his 80s. That’s when I began to reconnect with dog training and field trialing. I started training with my dad, learning all I could, and he let me run his dogs. I was in the deep end of the pool.”
Something New
A promising litter of Labrador puppies hit the ground on January 3, 2020, and caught the Gwaltney family’s attention.
“Dad knew the litter and the breeder, Blaine Phillips, who kindly asked if Dad would like a puppy. Dad had this idea: Let’s get a bunch of guys together and buy a puppy and form a syndicate to defray costs,” Jack III remembers. “My dad picked the puppy and because all the pros were booked, the syndicate allowed me to take in and train the puppy, which we named Tux. Tux and I have been inseparable since he was 4 months old.”
Something Blue
Tux showed great marking ability and high potential as a young dog. “His ability to go straight to the bird in heavy cover was special,” Jack III says. “He had a lot of second place finishes in Derby and Qualifying, but no wins.” Jack says Tux got into a groove as a 3-year-old, started winning Amateur stakes when he was 3-1/2 and qualified for his first All-Age National. Tux and Jack made it to the 5th series at the 2023 National Amateur before being dropped. “We didn’t have enough experience with some of the concepts like check-down birds and island birds. But we learned a lot and came home from that National and Tux won back-to-back Open stakes.”
Tux continued to mature, win or place in All-Age stakes, and qualified for the 2023 National Open, the 2024 National Amateur and this year’s 2025 National Amateur in Wisconsin.
“Our goal was to get to the 10th series,” Jack III says. “I didn’t think specifically about winning — I was so grateful to be in that parade caravan to the 10th series with a chance for Tux to be a Finalist.”
And to come home with the blue ribbon?
“I’m so proud of Tux,” Jack III says. “You can’t imagine how many things have to come together to win a National. Tux made good decisions all week long. When he did have to hunt for a mark, his hunting was so tight — like a spirograph — just beautiful. I’m still on cloud nine. It really happened? And my dad is over the moon. He wasn’t at the National to see it, but he’s so excited. Tux was his idea.”
Jack III emphasizes Tux thrives on praise.
“He performs out of joy and the love of retrieving.”
– Jack Gwaltney III, Handler and Trainer
“We’re so fortunate to have a pet that I couldn’t love more who also happens to be an intelligent, high-functioning field trial retriever.”
As the winner of the 2025 National Amateur, Tux and Jack received a year’s supply (12 bags) of Purina® Pro Plan® Performance Sport 30/20 Chicken and Rice Formula — the food that fuels Tux.
“Pro Plan is and has been our go-to brand and it’s been consistent for us,” Jack III says.
All 11 Finalists, including Tux, are fed Purina Pro Plan.
