Hey there,

i'm not experienced like you are. I just got into dog hunting not to long ago. But i'm no fool either. Yes I do understand from what I have seen. I saw what I saw, but excuse me for posting my opinion. I'm doing my homework though.

Someone is mad!!!

Google the APLA, that is the club that awards pointing lab titles CPR APR and MPR and then GMPR. The MHR is NAHRA. MH and QAA are AKC hunt test and field trial.

e4c4ever,

I'm not mad, I'm frustrated. And not with you, I know where you are coming from.

It's cool. I hope I didnt start mess.

haha there is no mess....just a difference in opinions

Just wanted to to say I was talking about flusher dogs not pointing.

e4c,

There are a lot of flushing dogs out there, some not so well known. You could count the lab among them. To be sure if you take a lab hunting and it runs into a bird by chance or otherwise, the bird will flush. That's true of every breed including the lap dogs. Some years ago Beagle people tried passing off the Beagle as a great phesant dog, and I'm sure some were. But ya gotta wonder about a dog that gives voice on a phesant track while its being run, most probally out of gun range! The attempt must have failed for I haven't heard of it in years.

What you can be reasonablly certain of with any breed is that the field types will do to some degree just what the registering authority say they will. All can be trained to do something else.

The labrador has a great following for several reasons. first it is without equal as a water dog and retriever, it is a realtively easy dog to work with, it is a reasonably calm dog when compared to other flushing breeds and certainly most pointing breeds. It has a narural range that a guy that is purely a hunter can relate to, which means it usually is in gun range. When they are not hunting, they make great family dogs, many breeds do. The biggest draw back of them is that they are very prone to hip dysplasia. It is a heriditary disease and is prevalent as it is due to breeders that are more concerned with winning dogs than truely sound dogs. Go to that site that Alex posted and look at the requirements for breeding. Very very good but because it has grown so prevalent, two clear dogs could throw dysplastic pup's. I like a lot of what I saw on that site by the way. I just don't buy the hype!

Many of these same things could be said about springers but they are more hyper than labs. But for the guy that hunts to watch the dog, they are also much more exciting. They are faster also, they don't have to carry the bulk around that the lab does. They are more agile too for the same reason. Because of their speed and hyper attitude, put a good springer down with a good lab and the springer will out run the lab to the birds. Put the lab down alone and it'll probally find all the birds. In the springer you see a split in type, show and field. The show dogs I wouldn't own. They are not only not very good hunters but they are more prone to whats called "springer rage", where the dog for no known reason flips out agressively. Very very seldon seen in the field type dogs. The show types are also more prone to hip displasya than field dogs. For a couch potato, the disease is not as serious as for a field dog, which it can cripple. They are also prone to loose eyes which really gather weed seeds in a field dog.

Back in your part of the country is a breed I know little of but am thinking of for my next dog, the Boykin Spaniel. Look up the Boykin Spaniel society on the internet. They have only been around a short time, about 100yrs. Very nice looking dogs and I think I was with one once. If that's what it was, it was a very nice dog but was a house pet so no idea what they may do.

There are many breeds avaliable to do what ever you want. Look at a good number of them and watch them do what you want them to befor to make up your mind. And yes, I realize you haven't done that yet but you are taken with what you saw on TV. Don't bother asking for indorsements, you'll only get the good ones. Nobody gives out names for indorsements of people that didn't like their product.

Yes labs are known for hip displasia and eye problems, the best thing breeders can do about it to prevent it is to get the OFA and CERF testing done, and only breed those dogs that pass those to other dogs that pass those. But even then there is a 7 percent chance you will produce a displastic pup.
Good breeders will have atleast a 26 month hip and eye guarantee saying that they will return your money, or give you a pup from a similar breeding, if the pup you bought does not have atleast an OFA fair rating or better or doesn' pass their CERF test. You must spay/neuter your dog. Some breeders will also say that you have to return your dog to get the replacement pup, thats bogus! who returns there dog!?

I personally wont own any other dog than a pointing lab, to me, they are the real deal, they point upland game instead of flush, they are awesome retrievers, and on top of it they great family pets!

See ther e4c, Alex and I absolutely agree on all but the last sentence. And even then we agree that they are awesome retrievers and wonderful family dogs. I would go farther and say they are without peer as retrievers.

what about labs for bunnies?

this is my choc lab pup Remington...first time out hunting. he has no hunting backround, his parents didnt hunt and he's not registered....