Pointing labs?

[Mist7]

I am interested in getting a pointing lab pup. Anyone here with any info on breeders. I appreciate any help.

[Hossienda]

Check out Sauk River Labs in Osakis. Do a yahoo search and they are the first one on the list. David is a great guy and I have been thrilled with mine. She is out of the 2 dogs on their home page, Jake and Magic.

-Hossienda

[WAG416]

It has been brought to my attention that any Lab can be trained to point. I was just curious as to how people could breed just for pointing. I would love to have a lab that points birds and was just inquiring the possibility of being able to train one that wasn't bred specifically to point. I hope this makes sense. Any input would be helpful.

ps-The reason I ask is because I told someone that I wanted a POINTING lab, and they told me there is no such thing. They said all labs can be taught to point.

WAG

[superfish2]

If you do a search for pointing labs on this forum, you should find a big one from the fall and another one from early this winter. It should have all the info you are looking for.

[rundrave]

i am currently reading "the pointing labrador" by paul and julie knutson, seems pretty good so far, lots of valuable info. I am researching trying to figure out what type of dog I want, was borrowed to me from a buddy. My want to give it a shot.

[gspman]

To clarify. Dogs can't be trained to point, but they can be trained to stand their birds. Pointing is instinctive. Standing a bird is trained. There is a difference there. You can train anything to stand a bird. Pro trainer Delmar Smith had a couple of coyotes he once trained to stand birds.

I'm sure that most pointing labs have at least a little pointing instinct in them, just not as much as the pointing breeds.

[Bushwacker]

I am in the Minnesota Pointing Lab Club and have been to a few group training sessions. I also have a dog from "pointing" lines that only points snapping turtles in the yard(you would be hard pressed to find a dog that doesn't point a 3 foot snapper) I have a deposit down at Sauk River labs for a JakeXMagic pup. I put my deposit down last July, and hopefully they had a successful tie a couple weeks ago. That is my "biased" background in pointing labs. Here is my opinion on them.

There are amazing labs that point with great distance and great style. There are a couple dogs that I have trained with that out-point the Draathar that I hunt pheasants with every year. When I first saw some of these dogs work I was amazed that their owners would let a lab work so far ahead, but then the dogs were locking up tight when they hit a scent. I am talking 5 out of 5 birds are pointed everytime. If you ever get a chance to hunt with one of these dogs you will be sold on them. You can have a dog that points like a pointing breed, and will work in a duck slough or goose blind.

Then there are dogs who their owners consider pointing labs that may stand game on 2 or 5 birds, but with not really much style and not really much consistancy. If you see one of these dogs work, you will not be impressed with "pointing labs" at all.

When you buy a pointing lab it is a dump shoot. The best bet it to buy a pup out of a repeat breeding that produced pointing labs on all of the previous breedings. You can pay anywhere from $200-$1500 for an advertised pointing lab pup, but it pays big time to research the breeding and get references from owners of the owners of the same pairings.

[superfish2]

Bushwacker,

Have you talked to David at all? I'm just curious how magic is doing and if they have done a ultrasound on her to see how many pups are due June 19th.

[Bushwacker]

Superfish2,

No word yet, I actually emailed him last week and he said it is still to early to tell anything, even if the breeding took. They had a couple of successful ties, but that is as far as he was.

[Borch]

My last two labs were from pointing lines. I got my last one for Royal Oaks in Princeton.

I love these dogs for pheasants.

[huntingisheaven]

helpful.

ps-The reason I ask is because I told someone that I wanted a POINTING lab, and they told me there is no such thing. They said all labs can be taught to point.

WAG

---

Who ever told there was no such thing a a pointing lab is misrepresented. There are labs that are bread to be pointers it is there in genes my buddy has one whe never taught him to point because we hunt with a lot of other flushing dogs so lucky muslty flushes but if you have him out on his own he will point birds instead of flushing. Also If you ever go to hte game fair they usually have a pointlab demostration and they have 8 week old labs pointing wings now tell me that isn't bread into them. but anyways if you want a good popintong lab i know a guy that brreds pointign labs from one of the best pointing lab lines out there.

[Walleye Guy]

Dogs cannot be taught to truly point. It is an instinct. No gaurantees despite what the parents do either when it comes to Labs. Two pointing parents is a good start however. Once you have a good pointing lab you won't have any other type of dog. Best of all worlds in my opinion. Good with the kids, great upland dog and retrieve waterfowl on the coldest days.

Good luck, WG

Good luck.