Need advice

[Wild one]

I want to get a bird dog that is good with kids.I have been offered a golden lab male 1year old but is his age going to make him harder to train then a pup.What breeds can you recomend?

[Wild one]

I could realy use some info on this because this would be my first dog.I don't want to get a dog I will regret.

[Jimbo]

Years ago I got a 1.5 yr old male lab, and he turned into a great hunting dog and was excellent with kids. The upside of a 1 year old dog is that you get a glimpse of what he'll be like later, now. If he knows his basic obedience ( come, heel, sit, stay ), likes to retrieve, and likes the water, he may grow up to be a good, one with the right training.

[GoatGuy]

Tough going wrong with a lab. Depends on what kind of birds you're hunting (upland/waterfowl).

Hunted over my buddies GSP in Alberta and that thing was phenomenal, runs long and locks up well. My lab couldn't keep pace but still managed to sniff out her fair share of birds. She also figured out when the GSPs collar sounded the dog was locked on a bird - as a flusher sometimes she's too smart for her own good.

As far as kids go you won't find much better than a lab imo.

[Penny]

We live in Maple Ridge and just got a black lab puppy and hope that he will be a good retriever for duck hunting. Does anyone know of any groups for dogs and duck hunters in my area? We want to train him properly.
Thanks

[SPEYMAN]

What will be your main use for this dog, waterfowl, upland?
Is the dog "birdie"?
Does it retrieve?
Has it any basic obedience training?

Not that difficult to train a dog of that age, unless it already has some problems. You could spend more time training not to do than training to do.

Labradors are usually very good people dogs. If you find a dog that likes to please it's master , you will enjoy many years of companionship and a great hunting partner. Good luck.

[ruger#1]

if you were offered that dog, i would pick it up, i had black labs, we also had golden retreivers in the family, very good dogs. As i do not duck hunt, i have two german shorthairs, they are fine with the kids and are birdie, one of them trees bears, she is bear wise, i also choose females they are smaller and dont lift there leg and pee on plants, at 1 1/2 years that dog is easily trainable. Just get your dog checked out by a vet, its very sad down the road when they get sick and have medical problems.

[bsa30-06]

i have a golden retriever she has never been trained to be anything other then a family pet.She is super protective of the kids and wife.I'm convinced that a intruder or somebody trying to grab the kids would not stand much of a chance.I'm also convinced that if she had been trained to be a hunting dog from the time she was a pup, that she would have been real birdie.She stalks crows in the yard like she was a cat.She is also real gentle my 3 year old can lead her around by her ears and she just goes were he does, not a care in the world.Oh and she really hates skunks has been sprayed twice chasing them out of her yard.Not a pleasant smell.

[Sasquatch]

I would suggest spending a couple of days with the dog if that is possible. You'll get a good idea of what he is like as far as energy, socialization, temperament.

A puppy is nice because you get to train him the way you want from the start. But they are a lot of work and can be a very demanding on your time. If this is your first dog, you might be better off with one that has some work put into him already. Only way to know, is to spend some time with the dog. You can certainly bond with a 1 year old dog.

Even though I am partial to griffs, I agree that it's hard to go wrong with a lab for a family dog and part time hunting companion.

And not to be a stickler, but if you are going to own a lab you should know. There are no "golden labs", just yellow, black and chocolate.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

[115 or bust]

MAKE SURE he's not gun shy!!!

[Penny]

He just turned 12 weeks old today. Buster was house trained within 3 days of getting him, he sits, lays down, stays and comes when called, he seems to only need to be told "no" once and then he stays away from things - we know that his naughty stage will come but he is very receptive to positive reinforcement right now. He loves to play fetch and often returns his sock for another round.
We want to know how to train him properly because he seems pretty smart and if something goes wrong it will obviously be our fault. We hunt large game but want to get into waterfowl down on the dykes. If anyone knows of someone we can talk to for advice on training and more info on duck hunting we would really appreciate it.

[Wild one]

Thanks every one I think I will look for a lab pup just so I can start fresh.

[SPEYMAN]

Does the B.C. Gun Dog Club still have the area off the Alouette River on Dewdny Trunk Road? Contact one of the Retriever clubs for some training help. James Lamb Free has an excellent book on training.

[Jimsue]

If you want to get some serious training in check out www.conwaykennels.com (http://www.conwaykennels.com) just because its a lab dosen't mean it will pick up a bird. Force hold and force fetch are usually finished before the end of the first year. Pay $50 and have him evaluated by a pro if you are unsure of his potential. Is he registered? if so where does he come from and who is he by.

[Marc]

My only concern is a lot of times someone is giving a 6months to a year puppy away is because they didn't have a clue how to train it and is out of control. I'd definitely spend some time with the dog to see what he's like.

I made the mistake of jumping on a free chocolate lab that when we arrived to pick it up it had a muzzle on the dog. Yes a muzzle. I though hmm I should be able to turn her around. About 2 months later I had to have the dog destroyed because the young guy who used to feed and walk my dogs after school got bitten by her. Nobody but me and my wife could get close to her without her lunging and trying to bite. If you don't socialize your dog as a pup with other people and other dogs while it's young you're going to run into serious problems later down the road.