Labrador questions

[edgy]

So here is my situation, I have never owned a Lab, I have been a pit bull owner for almost 30 years, however, after taking up duck hunting 2 years ago, and unfortunately having to euthanize my 15 year old pitty last fall, I am seriously considering a Lab. I am also a small business owner, which means buying a Lab pup for over $1000 is definatly out of the question. We have rescued a few pit bulls over the years, so my thought is to look for an older Lab that is looking to be re-homed, something over a year old, up to maybe 4-5 years old. My question is, can an older lab be trained to retrieve if it has not been exposed to hunting, or should I look for only an older dog that has already been hunted? I have never trained a retriever before, so I am kind of thinking that if I could rehome a dog that already knows what he is doing, then he could teach me,lol, or would I be better off training an untrained dog while I train myself?
i have no doubt I can provide a life long home for a dog, I have 5 cats, the oldest is 20, had him for his whole life, and I have owned 3 pitties from puppy to that unfortunate day that they leave us. I have also rescued two pitties and provided lifelong homes for them.
Any advise from you guys would be appreciated, and on the off chance that one of you know of an older Lab, Golden, etc that needs a good home, feel free to let me know.
thanks
ed

[pnbrock]

Let someone who owners a lab hunt with you on your property:)

[edgy]

Let someone who owners a lab hunt with you on your property:)
hahaha, a, that would sure save on food costs and vet bills :).

[Spirit's Master]

I would say any good Lab can be trained to retrieve and follow commands, if it doesn't already.

The bigger problem may be how it reacts to gun fire. Not all dogs respond well to loud noises let alone BANG BANG! Or in my case some days BANG BANG BANG $%&@!

Check with some of your local breeders. Some breeders may have older good quality dogs that they are trying to re-home as pets.

cwf

[Foxton Gundogs]

YEPif they are good around loud noises they can be gunbroke pretty easily. Also make sure they have a natural retrieve instinct, this may sound funny but I have encountered some older retriever breed dogs that show no desire to retrieve at all. This is definitely not the norm but it is out there and something to be considered when looking at an older dog.