lab as a bird dog.

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No offence, but I had to re-read your post a few times to be sure that you weren't joking. In my wholly biased opinion, I think you'll find that labs in face ARE "the best for flushing birds" and will certainly retrieve them to boot!

I felt the same way, I'll put my Lab up against any other breed to both fine and flush :):);)
Duke
 
flushing labs

if your were to put your flushing lab up against an equally trained springer, don't bet your farm. in many cases, again, with equally trained dogs, flushers will nearly hold their own against a pointer, kinda depends on the cover, but they are no slouch, i personally like the class of the point, birds in the bag with either type are about equal. one draw back with the lab is that they tend to be much slower than say a springer, speed equals more flushes at the end of the day, again assuming both dogs are trained
 
i put the post up and for all intensive purposes, i didn't mean they're bad, just I've never heard of them as flushers, ive heard of them as amazing retrievers and waterfowl dogs, but not flushing, i love labs, my parents had one when i was small and they could leave me alone with the dog and not have to worry about a thing. and anything over 500 is out of the question unless they come with a free gun and ammo lol. i think its disgusting when people put those asinine prices on a puppy because it might be "perfect" the eyes of the AKC.
 
so i think im just gonna haul some shit to the scrapyard in my new truck get a couple hundred bucks and spend a few hundred on a puppy. but they all seem to be down in lancaster, which is give or take 3 hours away. and the sad part would be if it piddled in my truck:mad:
 
lab puppies

ya don't have to spend $500 to get a good dog but i may help. to keep the price down you are going to have to spend a little time looking and learning how to read pedigree papers, ya might do some research on local dog clubs and get a lead
 
to the truck piddle comment: yeah i know, but with my luck lol.

price comment: yeah, my family has always gotten either free or cheap puppies and they've lived happy healthy lives.
 
david0311

If I were you I think $500.00 dollars is a bargain! Most of the Labs with perforrmance/show heritage are $750-1500. A real small investment for a life time companion, and miniscule for what it costs to maintain one. Might look at vet care, food, training. As far as a the britt goes, I've sure it spent it's life in a kennel had no training, and got taken to the field, mysteriously transformed into a hunter. If the dog had any experience, the hunters knows what he has before the hunting season. Most hunting breed dogs that fail, are the fault of the trainer, cost is relative as apposed to effort and training. After all "they are puppies, for goods sake", disposable, with no consideration than that. I guess I am looking for more commitment. i will rule you out, at any price. Other dog breeders can chime it.

X100---If this OP is not actually trolling--I now know why the last election went the way it did--dc
 
X100---If this OP is not actually trolling--I now know why the last election went the way it did--dc
500 is a good chunk of change for most/a lot of people. now lord knows breeders dont have 500 into the puppies, maybe 200. my best bet is finding one without papers.
 
Amen! I'm not a dog breeder, but I am (and have been) partnered with many fine dogs in my life . . . some hunters, some not, all loved, cared-for, and trained COMPANIONS! I'd add that perhaps the Op shouldn't own a dog. Maybe a nice statue would be a better choice.
that takes some damn nerve saying that. maybe you should keep your mouth shut.
 
Okay guys, time to back off and cool down. Name calling is not allowed on this site.

However, jdecker, you have not come across on this thread as being very knowldegable about dogs and the price of a good pup. You opened yourself up for some of these comments. I would advise you to think before you post in the future. And the rest of you please cool it.
 
i didn't think people would get so bent out of shape because i think people ask a bit too much for puppies. and the fact i didn't know labs made great pheasant dogs? SO WHAT. i've heard of them being great waterfowl retrieving dogs. i googled it up and i heard a thing or 2 about them being pheasant dogs, but not much, mostly duck retrieving dogs. and for the people who did spend alot of money on a dog, that's cool, i'm glad you're happy with your purchase and i hope it serves you and loves you a good long time. i just don't have tons of money to spend on the initial purchase, i get paid by my job once a month so spreading out the money can be shitty sometimes. and CLEARLY when someone asks a question they don't know tons about what they're asking. and for those of you who said i am not fit to be a dog owner i did report the post and i hope actions will be taken because that is a damn rotten thing to say.
 
500 is a good chunk of change for most/a lot of people. now lord knows breeders dont have 500 into the puppies, maybe 200. my best bet is finding one without papers.

I think you are pretty uninformed as to what actually goes in to breeding a litter of quality puppies and don't realize what you are getting when you spend a little more for a puppy from a quality breeder. I am a GSP breeder and not a lab breeder, but I can give you a little input as to the actual costs of having a litter.

First off, I am going to forget about the actual purchase price of the bitch that I am going to breed. What I have done though is spent, at minimum, $1000 (more realistically $2000-$3000) in training and testing this dog to prove that it is worthy of being bred. After that, I will spend about $200 in vet bills and OFA fees for the hips and elbows to be examined. Then $100 more for the eyes to be checked and another $100-$200 for a cardiac exam. Then I am going to pay for a brucellosis test, which is a sexually transmitted disease in dogs. Lab breeders also need to have them tested for EIC and CNM, both terrible and unfortunately common diseases. More expense there.

After that, I will find a stud dog that has gone through the same proving process and also passed all the health clearances. Guess what, here comes a stud fee. At a minimum this is going to be $600, but more likely in the $800-$1200 range. I am going to forget about all the costs that go with driving half way across the country to have her bred and then the return trip to pick her up after it has been done.

Well now that she is bred, here comes an ultrasound and another x-ray to get an idea of the litter size so we can be sure that it is delivered safely. $200 more. Built a new whelping box so the puppies have a safe place to grow up, $150 more.

Time for being born. If all goes well, you can get by with a couple shots of oxytocin and not much else. One gets stuck though and you make another trip to the vet for more x-rays and hopefully not a c-section. So the birth process can range anywhere from $10-$600.

Now that the puppies are born, they need to be taken care of. That includes vet trips, dew claw removal, tail docking (in my situation), shots and wormer. Hopefully none of them will have any injuries from being in a whelping box for the first 3-4 weeks of their lives. Count on another $200-$500 there.

Oops, they need to be fed too. Powdered formula, goats milk and dry dog food, $200 more.

If you get the idea, all this has been done and we haven't even done anything to sell them yet, so you can figure in website and advertising expenses.

Here's the deal. A reputable breeder earns every penny they might make from their puppies. 4-6 hours a day are dedicated to raising them properly and caring for them. After they are sold, they come with health guarantees and I also guarantee mine will hunt. After they are sold, my phone is available to be called any time you need help with training or a question about a health issue. Sometimes that little peace of mind is worth a little extra. Now tell me that the breeders don't have much into the puppies. I figure I earned about $4 an hour on the last litter of 8 I had. At least that is what I am telling myself to make me feel somewhat good about it. It was likely much less.
 
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I think you are pretty uninformed as to what actually goes in to breeding a litter of quality puppies and don't realize what you are getting when you spend a little more for a puppy from a quality breeder. I am a GSP breeder and not a lab breeder, but I can give you a little input as to the actual costs of having a litter.

First off, I am going to forget about the actual purchase price of the bitch that I am going to breed. What I have done though is spent, at minimum, $1000 (more realistically $2000-$3000) in training and testing this dog to prove that it is worthy of being bred. After that, I will spend about $200 in vet bills and OFA fees for the hips and elbows to be examined. Then $100 more for the eyes to be checked and another $100-$200 for a cardiac exam. Then I am going to pay for a brucellosis test, which is a sexually transmitted disease in dogs. Lab breeders also need to have them tested for EIC and CNM, both terrible and unfortunately common diseases. More expense there.

After that, I will find a stud dog that has gone through the same proving process and also passed all the health clearances. Guess what, here comes a stud fee. At a minimum this is going to be $600, but more likely in the $800-$1200 range. I am going to forget about all the costs that go with driving half way across the country to have her bred and then the return trip to pick her up after it has been done.

Well now that she is bred, here comes an ultrasound and another x-ray to get an idea of the litter size so we can be sure that it is delivered safely. $200 more. Built a new whelping box so the puppies have a safe place to grow up, $150 more.

Time for being born. If all goes well, you can get by with a couple shots of oxytocin and not much else. One gets stuck though and you make another trip to the vet for more x-rays and hopefully not a c-section. So the birth process can range anywhere from $10-$600.

Now that the puppies are born, they need to be taken care of. That includes vet trips, dew claw removal, tail docking (in my situation), shots and wormer. Hopefully none of them will have any injuries from being in a whelping box for the first 3-4 weeks of their lives. Count on another $200-$500 there.

Oops, they need to be fed too. Powdered formula, goats milk and dry dog food, $200 more.

If you get the idea, all this has been done and we haven't even done anything to sell them yet, so you can figure in website and advertising expenses.

Here's the deal. A reputable breeder earns every penny they might make from their puppies. 4-6 hours a day are dedicated to raising them properly and caring for them. After they are sold, they come with health guarantees and I also guarantee mine will hunt. After they are sold, my phone is available to be called any time you need help with training or a question about a health issue. Sometimes that little peace of mind is worth a little extra. Now tell me that the breeders don't have much into the puppies. I figure I earned about $4 an hour on the last litter of 8 I had. At least that is what I am telling myself to make me feel somewhat good about it. It was likely much less.
i dont think you realize in all your rambling im talking about a 500 dollar puppy, that hasnt been tested and all that stuff.
 
It looks like I will chalk it up to an unwillingness to be educated. I got started in this business by one of those $500 puppies costing me almost $3000 in the long run. You were the one who said they don't have more than $200 into the puppies. I just showed that they likely do. You said it was crazy that people spend more. I never said it was crazy that people spend less. I understand being on a budget and not wanting to spend too much. Please just don't be upset because others do and try to degrade what reputable breeders do. Good luck to you. I do hope the pup you find turns out well.
 
then how much will a breeder REALLY have into a puppy they sell for lets say 500 dollars before they sell it? i say 200 maybe 250.
 
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