looking for a lab in mid may

[fisher]

Im buying my first house in april and have waited for this for a long time. I want to get a dog with my new house. Im looking for a lab but I dont know what breeder to go with. I feel like some meny people breed labs how do you konw what your getting

I talked to tamarck kennels and he was nice but the $500 with no hunting ped. I dont want to send much more then $500 and I have a friend with a lab from tamarck. Its a nice dog but he dont hunt, so how do I know what it will do in the feald?

Any know of a good breeder or some one with a lab for sale?

I hunt groose 20 time a year so im looking for one that will be good out there with some hard traning over the summer.

Also if I did get a lab what do you all think of shock collers? What one do you like? I hunt groose and some ducks.

[gundoglily]

Congratulations on getting your first home. Before you get your pup, is your home set up for a pup? An outside kennel,or will it live in the house with you? If it is going to be outside in a kennel, got it build before you bring the pup home.

In looking for a pup, the main concern, especially when a lab, are the health issues. Is the pup coming from parents where the hips are OFA certified and the eyes are checked.

Does the breeder offer a health guarentee on the pup?

What size of dog do you want? 55-60lb., or 75-100lb?

There are many excellent breeders of good quality labs in Mn. Many now have web sites, so you can check them out before going to visit their kennel. If your hunting buddies have dogs you like, check with them as to where they got their dogs. Shooting preserves also are an excellent source of helping find a pup. The dogs that are at preserves live to hunt and have great hunting backgrounds.

If you get this pup in Mid May, remember that it will be about 6 months old by hunting season, still a baby. You can do tons of obedience and get it on birds during the summer, but not alot can expected on a consistant basis from a dog that age. Pro trainers will tell you the same thing.

E-collars (shock) are a good tool to have, but until your dog knows the commands and what they mean, an e-collar is not the way to go. 6 months is also pretty young to be using one of them. I have seen way to many dogs ruined by the incorrect use of the ecollar.

Good luck in your quest!

[lilman]

Check out Pete fisher of fisher kennels. I bought my lab picha around the end of june, opening of duck hunting she was doing water retrieves for me.

I did almost zero training with her as well till after the season. Basically took her to the pond every day threw the mini dummy for a while and that was it. Pete told me not to work with her hard and keep everything under five minutes and always end on a good note. The first duck came, dropped, she ran to shore, stopped, watched another dog swim out and get it. Little while later drop a teal, swam out and brought it back proud as a peacock. She didnt bring it right to me, she wanted to play. So every once and a while we'd throw it out, shoot over top of it, and she kept doing that all the time.

Great house dog and very smart. I'd seriously consider buying another one from him, but Picha is being bred with him again so maybe i'll snipe one out of the litter.

Here are some pic of her, I hope I dont come across as being cocky but every lab owner knows I felt when she made her first retrieve.

Her first big water hunt (big Marine)

She more or less pushed the geese in, but thats fine with me, plus she retrieved two limits of coots for us. I also made sure the geese were stone dead too, didnt want her to have to put up a fight or get nipped by one. Dont know if it would ruin her or not, but rather be safe.

A view from above

I am not trying to say I have the end all be all dog. But I was/am dang proud of my dog.

[Dahitman44]

I don't know whre you live but Luther Kennels in Casselton, ND has great labs. Bought my first one from them. I think they have a HSOforum.

Bought my second one last fall from a local breeder -- love that one too. Comes from GREAT lines -- both of them.