Needed: Last minute advise for picking out lab!

[Bushwacker]

I'm going to go pick out a lab pup tonight. I'm leaning towards a female, but if a male catches my eye I could still be easily swayed. My fiance and I are looking at a litter of six ivory/golden labs. There are 3 males and 3 females remaining. They are AKC registered and have Rik's Risky Raider bloodlines. Any last minute suggestions or pointers of what to look for when picking one out. This is the first that I have picked on my own, do you guys pick the most active, least active, or one in the middle? Does size at 8 weeks really carry I have searched the web and see that Rik's Risky Raider seems to have sired a ton of pups, anybody have any experience with them.
Thanks again,
Bushwacker

[deerdragger]

What to look for will depend a great deal on what it is you plan on doing with the dog. If you're planning on doing field trials, for example, you'd likely want a pup with more drive than if you're just looking for a pet.

One good test is to take each pup, one at a time, away from the crowd and spend some time with it. After he/she's gotten somewhat familiar to you, gently roll him/her onto it's back and hold 'em there for a bit to see the reaction. A pup that fights vigorously will likely be a strong willed (and potentially difficult to train) dog. On the other end, a pup that just lays there and offers no resitance may be a bit too timid and submissive to train. Look for a pup that struggles some, but doesn't go balistic on you.

Picking a pup after only being able to see the litter once is rough. A pup that may be a real winner could just happen to be sleepy/hungry/ or whatever when you're there.

I've had a lot of luck with females - they seem less independently minded and want to please you more. And, they don't pee on everything in the yard - although the places they do go tend to kill the grass. Hmph.

Good luck - Oh, and if you're looking for a good author on training - Richard Wolters is one of the best. "Gun Dog" "Water Dog" "Family Dog" - all very good reads.

[mpete54]

I would go out today and buy the book "Game Dog" by Richard Wolters (the previous post also mentioned this). There is a section at the beginning of the book about picking out a pup. That section of the book would literally only take a few minutes to read and it would help you out considerably to know what he says in the book about picking out a pup.

[Bushwacker]

Great advise Deerdragger and welcome to the forum! I am already about 1/4 way through "Gun Dog" and it seems to be a very good book. mpete54- My fiance works right next to Barnes and Noble- thanks for posting when you did- now I can catch her before she leaves for lunch.

[This message has been edited by Bushwacker (edited 10-20-2003).]

[LABS4ME]

Bushwacker, Good Luck in your selection! It's a really exciting thing to get that first pup...I've done a fair amount of breeding and have watched clients come to pick their pup. I would try to help them choose the right one after talking to them several times, to fit the right pup, with the right personality, to the right home. Seeing them only once is hard to make a decision. Tonight talk to the breeder and see which pup they feel fits your desire for a dog. Tell them how you much you hunt, hunt tests / trials, or more couch dog and long walks. They've been with those pups for 2 months now and believe me they know each of their personalities well. It is for this reason that I now select the pups ahead of time for the new owners. Takes the stress off them choosing the right dog, no future complaints, or an uneducated client picking a puppy based solely on color, size, the puppy licked their cheek etc. etc. I've had clients that had 1st or second pick, pick out a pup (that had the most drive) based only on color, but they only wanted it as a pet. I tried to sway them to a darker yellow pup that was as calm as could be for a pup, but they only wanted this particular dog for his coat color. They didn't want to listen. I've had families bring their kids, and the kids pick the first dog they pick-up, etc etc. Talk to the breeder, ask questions about personalties, spend time with them, if they're lethargic ask if they just ate or were exercised etc etc etc. Don't get to hung up on male vs. female, pick the best dog available at the time. If you're never going to breed, have them fixed at about 9 months old and you will not notice much differnece in the sex-es. I know males that were neutered at a young age and never developed the need to raise their leg and pee. No testosterone...no dumb female chasing. No estrogen, no heat cycle, no moodiness. I'm sure the right one will stand out tonight. Good Luck! Enjoy the pup...Ken

[Bushwacker]

Thanks for the advise guys. Picked out a female ivory lab. My fiancee and I had a great time playing with the pups and the breeder took one away at a time until we narrowed it down. "Libby" looks straight in your eyes, and fought just a bit when held upside down, and would hold still for 90 seconds when the breeder held her under her body(his trick). All these tricks how can a guy go wrong. If anybody is in the market for a golden or ivory pup let me know, the breeder has a litter of each with 3m and 3f goldens, 3f and 5m ivory.
Bushwacker
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[Tritt22]

I have a four-year-old female from Raider and have been very satisfied with her. She points (mostly later in the year when there is snow or when it's wet)and has more drive than I could ever wish for. Very trainable but has a bit of a hard mouth at times. She excells at pheasant hunting, but I don't hunt much waterfowl with her (have a black male lab for that).

That dog has sired a lot of pups it seems. I would not hesitate to take another if it was was sired with the same female as mine came from.

[DUCKJ]

if you going to buy a dog for hunting, how much would one be looking at spending for one to train yourself and for one that is trained already? also i have a yellow lab that gets very timmid when i grab for my gun. (i think she was beat when she was a pup, we got her from heart animal shelter.) she is getting better but still dose not like them very well. can she still be trained?
happy hunting
duck

[LABS4ME]

A good pup with a good pedigree, good genetics, and good guarantee will usually be in the $400-700.00 range. Some go even higher.

A "started" dog that has a good grasp of hunting (obedience, forced, intro to guns and birds, marking, steady etc.) will run $1000-1500.00 on average. A totally finished dog 2-4 years old with all the above + handles, multiple marks, non-slip will run $2500-5000.00 depending on how finished, titles, age etc.

Alot of people forego looking at trained dogs and go with pups because of the cost, but in reality, the prices of trained dogs equals or in alot of times is less than buying a pup and getting it to that point. (Cost of pup + vet bills + food + training etc.) a good portion of finished dogs were intended to be trial dogs and have been washed out by the owners or trainers. It in know way dimishes their ability, they just didn't make the 2% cut. These people are just trying to re-coup some of their costs.

As for your dog that is timid now, read the thread on gun shy dog and use a lot of those points, not only the noise but show her the gun when she is eating and progress from there.

Good Luck! Ken