any one hunt with pointing lab

[kato wall guy]

I have a pointing lab. She is the smartest and best dog I have ever had. Wondering what other people thought of them. I would like to breed her this spring but dont know much about them other than what mine is like and the father. Did I get lucky and get a dog that smart or is it a good mix.

[Sabo]

What does her pedigree look like. Make sure you do all the health tests on her before you even think of breeding.

I have a 1 year old BLF pointing lab. I had to send a blood sample to the U of M yesterday to have her tested for EIC(Exercise Induced Colapse). This is the best dog I have ever owned also, it's just too bad I probably will not be able to hunt her if she shows up having EIC. Just do your homework.

[SDbowhunter]

My lab started pointing last year. It sure is awesome to watch him lock up. Being a lab he still flushes and isnt always as solid as a pointing dog but most of the time his points are pretty solid.

I can really tell if he is positively on a bird by a stiff tail or if he is a little unsure his tail will have some movement. He will be the best dog I will ever have.

A bunch of my friends have labs the same age. He is definately smarter then their dogs. Their dogs are good but just not quite as good as mine. His mother also points and is a very smart dog. The stick doesnt fall very far from the tree and I mean this in a good way.

If you've got good papers and a pedigre go ahead and breed her with another pointing lab. Mine doesn't have papers. I'd assume he does somewhere on his mother's side but she was a stray that got to birdy her first season and was found by a farmer, So I will never know.

[kato wall guy]

she is about four years old and is a excellent hunter actually just came back from your neck of the woods sdbowhunter we stayed in webster and drove to north dakota for the early goose opener i just purchased a house in webster.i know both father and mother but the owner of the father will not get papers i really dont care about them. I want to breed with another pointing black lab after the hunting season so that i can keep one of the pups my friend wants one also. I have been looking for a stud with the right traits but it seems to be hard to come b. Kinda picky when it comes to my dogs i want one to learn and come from the one i have know really bad. My biggest fear in life is when my dog dies or cant hunt.

[SDbowhunter]

Personally I wouldn't breed her. I was thinking about the same thing with my lab. I know a lady who wanted me to breed her lab. I ended up having him fixed because I didnt want to have a bunch of pups that could possible have health issues. It was the right thing to do. They are easier to sell with all of the certifications. It would be more of a travisty to have a litter of 12 pups and only be able to sell or give away 6 or 7 of them and have to bring the rest of them to animal shelter. It happens all the time.

Yeah thats the worst part of owning pets. The inevitable will come. You can always get another good dog from a reputable breeder. Will that dog be as good as this one? Maybe but probably not. Either way you will still love the new dog and if you train it right you are almost guaranteed to have a good dog.

[311Hemi]

You can always get another good dog from a reputable breeder. Will that dog be as good as this one? Maybe but probably not.

Important point here and just wanted to give my view as this is possibly not looking at the whole picture. While his dog is an excellent hunter and is much better than the other dogs he hunts with or has seen (i.e.in the eye's of the owner), who says that is really telling him much. Maybe most dogs from a reputable breeder would be better than any he has seen.....but you would never know until you went and watched what those dogs to see what they can do.

IMO, I would not recommend breeding the dog unless you get all health clearances (OFA Elbows/Hip, PRA/CERF, CNM, EIC). It would not be responsible to breed without doing this....and if you pass on any issues in pups I would feel sorry for the new owner. Also, I know you don't care about papers, but many do. Who is to say you have a pure bread lab (not doubting your dog....just a generalized question).

I don't want to sound harsh....but many times people don't consider this when they just want a pup out of their great hunting companion. But what needs to be realized is that there are dogs (many of them) that are out there just as good or better than yours......which can be had for probably less cost than getting all the health clearances done on the parents and raising the pups and all that goes along with that.

Something to think about.

BTW.....if you do go forward with breeding and get all clearances, what specific traits are you looking for in a stud dog?

[duckbuster]

What does her pedigree look like. Make sure you do all the health tests on her before you even think of breeding.

I have a 1 year old BLF pointing lab. I had to send a blood sample to the U of M yesterday to have her tested for EIC(Exercise Induced Colapse). This is the best dog I have ever owned also, it's just too bad I probably will not be able to hunt her if she shows up having EIC. Just do your homework.

Sabo, why would you not be able to hunt her if she has the EIC gene? Unless she shows signs of the trait coming out, like a full blown EIC collapse, then there is absolutley no reason not to hunt her.

She can certainly be a "carrier" of the EIC gene but that does not mean she is affected.

Have fun with her until you see the collapse then, unfortunately, I would let her have her place on the couch where she deserves to be.

GOOD LUCK!!!

[superfish2]

I also have a pointing lab and I think it is the best of both worlds. She will retrieve ducks in the morning and points pheasants in the afternoon. I hunt a couple of guys with Brittanys and Lywellians and my lab can hold her own and then some on pointing. I would recommend one to anyone.

If you are really thinking about breeding make sure you get all the tests done. I am tossing around the breeding idea myself and have the OFA's and CERF's done, and she is PRA clear by parentage Everything has come back good so far. I have a few more tests to do before I would breed. I have seen two episodes of EIC in other dogs. Both times it was hard to watch. Once at a test and another at training. Same dog, but he can hunt and train the dog. Some of other people know a lot more about it.

It is also very hard to remain objective when talking about your dog. If you have the opportunity run an NAHRA, AKC, HRC or in the case of pointing labs a APLA test. See how your dog measures up against other dogs. I know it helps me train with goals in mind. Extends the season out too.

[rundrave]

I have done a lot of studying and reading lately on breeding dogs. It played a big role in how I determined who I would buy my dogs from.

In my opinion those who advocate breeding bird dogs without regard for lines are effectively proposing that bird hunters entrust the development of their performance dogs to the whims of random chance.

Successful breeding is a long and difficult task. It requires several years commitment to a particular line of dogs.

Its not as simple of taking a "good dog" to a "good dog". There are so many factors when just breeding to out crosses etc that unless you have really studied and successfully bred a line of dogs, you will never know what your going to get.

good luck, sounds like your well on your way to another fun fall of hunting.

[311Hemi]

I have seen two episodes of EIC in other dogs. Both times it was hard to watch. Once at a test and another at training. Same dog, but he can hunt and train the dog.

Joe..long time to see!

I agree. If your dog is EIC affected it still may be able to hunt....many are able to. It all depends on what triggers the episodes. A dog that is more "affected" may not be able to hunt.....but a slightly affected dog may make it all season without an episode. It's all about knowing your dogs triggers and watching for the signs. I hunted last fall and only saw 1-2 episodes. Both being in ND fields full of pheasant, and the very first hunt/field of the trip. The rest of the weekend after he burned off that initial energy he was fine. I have not see it during any training, but I have playing hard with other pups.

You plan on running Sage more this fall?

I pick up the Phoenix/Scarlet pup this Sunday! Hoping I will be able to participate next year...maybe a spring test.

[Sabo]

She has collapsed on me in training twice now, full blown EIC. First back end quit, then front, I had to carry her 3/4 of a mile back home. It seems that her trigger has something to do with shooting. She went down both times I used the dummy launcher. I am still taking her hunting. But I will definately have to keep a close eye on her.

[IRISHSOBNO4]

SABO,

may I ask what line she is out of?

you can e-mail a reply to

irishsobno4 at hotmail dot com.

[superfish2]

Hemi,

The Scarlet pup should be a good one. I know you have been waiting a long time. I'm sure it will be worth it.

I will be heading down to IA for two days running MPR. We have been working hard all summer and running a lot of tests. So far it has gone extremely well. I'm actually heading out the door to kelly farms right now to train.

[duckbuster]

She has collapsed on me in training twice now, full blown EIC. First back end quit, then front, I had to carry her 3/4 of a mile back home. It seems that her trigger has something to do with shooting. She went down both times I used the dummy launcher. I am still taking her hunting. But I will definately have to keep a close eye on her.

Really sorry to hear that she has collapsed twice on you. It's a tough, tought thing to watch it happen right in front of you like that. It certainly will put the fear of god in you that is for sure.

GOOD LUCK with her and hopefully she can be that special house friend. You know, sleeping on the bed, maybe sneaking up on the pillow once in a while with you but always near your side where ever you go!!!

GOD BLESS our best friends!!!!

[zepman]

Sorry to kinda change course here but I just picked up a new lab (pointing) last weekend and have been doing some research on the pointing labs etc... One question I have is this: did you guys have to "teach" your lab to point or was it just always there from the beginning. If you had to do some teaching, any tips for training that you all found helpfull? Thanks.

[eagle_3464]

Sabo,

Sorry to hear about your pup. I have been sort of keeping track of known EIC carriers. If you don't mind I would like to see if the sire and dam of your pup share some of those lines. If you would, shoot me an email at username to yahoo.

[eagle_3464]

zep,

I have often heard that any dog can be trained to point. IMO that is not pointing but standing game. A true pointing lab is one that displays the pointing instinct naturally from which you can then work to steady. There are some very good lines out there that do have the natural instinct. My pup is now 1 week old and comes from some of the best lines both top and bottom. For training I would recommend "Training the Pointing Lab" by Julie Knutson.

[zepman]

Thanks Eagle I'll have to look that one up. My 8 week old pup is already pointing in the backyard and on walks. It's really pretty cool to see them do that. Have had labs in the past (non-pointers) that were some great hunters and I really think this one is going to be a blast.

[eagle_3464]

zep and others, who are your pups out of? Mine is out of Dukes True Grit and Sauk River Nala.

[superfish2]

Zeb,

I would also get a hold of Julie's Knutson. It is only available on her HSOforum on gun club labs. Other wise we have a Minnesota Pointing Lab club too.

The dog should point naturally. It's just like training a pointing dog. If you want the dog to stop pointing start shooting bumped bids.