Gun dogs

Upland4Ever said:
Why do all duck hunters think labs are all waterdogs. Not me I've seen some great labs in the field.
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Upland, I'm sure your being facetious with the statement that ALL duck hunters feel that way. Obviously there are those that hunt waterfowl and upland with labs that DO NOT feel that way.

I actually agree with ya and have seen some fabulous labs that handled Pheasants like they were born to do it. But we all know it's more than just the breeding.

Exposure to whatever type of game your going to pursue is really the key i think for whatever breed of dog it is.

e.g. A lab that has duck hunted it's entire life who is suddenly taken out to a CRP field and expected to perform brilliantly on Phez is asking alot of that dog. Even with the best of genes given to him by his maam and pap in most cases isn't going to be enough, experience/exposure is IMO is what makes a great bird dog. But hey... I don't need to sell you on that. :)

Heck, I've seen a Heinz 57 (technical word for MUTT) who taught himself to hunt pheasants as good as many labs I've seen.;)
 
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I am one that loves the lab breed. If it can retrieve it then I hunt it. Doves, ducks, geese, chukar, and pheasants. You are right the key is to introduce them to all game at an early age. The are just smart dogs that they learn very quickly on how to hunt various game birds. Heck I even had to use one of my lab several years ago to track down a wounded buck that I had shot late on evening. I had lost the blood trail so I went home and got the lab and she helped me relocate the blood trail. We did find the buck thanks to Maggie.
 
I've owned 5 labs. I was lucky enough that my very first one was an incredible pheasant dog. So on down the line my new dogs learned from the previous. I prefer them because they are easy to train for an idiot like me. They also hunt close and with the limited birds I see in MN (compared to SD or such) I get to nervous with a far ranging pointer. I do own an English Setter and a German Shorthair too. I leave the Setter home and have been working with the GS who is almost a year. I raise pheasants and she is showing good signs. So maybe six months from now I'll change my mind.

I hunt mostly public land and without a doubt the dogs I see other hunters using are labs. One problem I see is a lot are fat.
 
My first lab hated water, but could find pheasants and quail just as any pointer. She would also retrieve birds that I thought were lost forever.
 
When I was a kid, a friend had a Lab cross/Heintz 57 that another friend had given him. I don't know who trained Mo, but he worked well on both ducks and pheasants & beat the dog that didn't have at the time hands-down. Besides that, I had to make this post to get off #666 . . . gave the old altar boy the willies, lol.
 
PHEZZYBOY FROID said:
FC....you know that "The Labrador Society of Distinguished Gentlemen" will always be tolerant of those who can only dream of one day owning the ultimate game finding, flushing, retrieving, submarine K9.
:cheers:
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There's a reason why the beaters in the UK use springers, they were born to find and flush game. Not only that but when the pickers labs are done gathering the easy birds the beaters bring their dogs through for the birds who found a Briar patch before they died.:D
 
I presently have 4 labs and a GSP. I use the labs for pheasant hunting and they do a great job. I am also a waterfowl hunter. And even though my dogs are great retrievers I don't use them when I waterfowl hunt. I get the ducks myself.
 
koja48 said:
When I was a kid, a friend had a Lab cross/Heintz 57 that another friend had given him. I don't know who trained Mo, but he worked well on both ducks and pheasants & beat the dog that didn't have at the time hands-down.
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I was recently looking through some old hunting photos from the 1970's of my dad and a hunting buddy. He had a picture in there of a lab/Shepard mix. Both he and his buddy had a nice limit of wild roosters in their hands. By the looks of it the dog did okay in the field:)
 
One reason I don't use my labs duck hunting is to give me a workout. Walking through that slough mud will get you in shape.I also found that ducks will hide in the cat tails around the slough. If the shooting gets slow I will sneak through the cat tails and flush the ducks, kind of like pheasant huntng. I do hunt my GSP on pheasants as well as my labs. They all are great pheasant dogs. In fact my labs point even though they aren't certified. I think labs are highly under rated as upland dogs.
 
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