Labrador Retriever Questions

[MrsJustBen]

Hello all Lab owners. I have a few questions I was hoping you could help me out with.
We are looking to bring a new family member/ hunting partner into our home and have decided on a Lab. From my research through the form the great colour debate is not a topic I'd like to get into but rather if a male or female would be best? I have had many dogs but never a female Lab. This dogs number one job is to be best friends with my kids and secondly a hunting partner for my husband and I.
Next I know how to do my research on good vs bad breeders but we were wondering if anyone has ones they would recommend. Ideally a breeder that would be willing to give help or advise on training hunting skills.
Thanks !

[BenC68]

Originally Posted by MrsJustBen

Hello all Lab owners. I have a few questions I was hoping you could help me out with.
We are looking to bring a new family member/ hunting partner into our home and have decided on a Lab. From my research through the form the great colour debate is not a topic I'd like to get into but rather if a male or female would be best? I have had many dogs but never a female Lab. This dogs number one job is to be best friends with my kids and secondly a hunting partner for my husband and I.
Next I know how to do my research on good vs bad breeders but we were wondering if anyone has ones they would recommend. Ideally a breeder that would be willing to give help or advise on training hunting skills.
Thanks !

Prairie Storm Kennels in Saskatoon. Hands down. Minnie, my pup, has been with us now just over 7 weeks and I have nothing but positives. Already on a sit, come, (almost) heel, fetch it up and she sits to watch the dummy and doesn't move until told to "fetch it up". Very smart dog. Danielle at Prairie storm is amazing and will answer any and all questions, just send her an email!

Also, there is only one colour.....Black. hahaha

[58thecat]

I got a female lab all,of 11 years young....decision was just to not have the lifting the leg on everything. I had a male years before and man he was always full...the ol squirt gun never emptied.
Just my decision and we are extremely happy with her as a friend and that girl can hunt just as hard as a male.

[alpinebeers]

Originally Posted by BenC68

Prairie Storm Kennels in Saskatoon. Hands down. Minnie, my pup, has been with us now just over 7 weeks and I have nothing but positives. Already on a sit, come, (almost) heel, fetch it up and she sits to watch the dummy and doesn't move until told to "fetch it up". Very smart dog. Danielle at Prairie storm is amazing and will answer any and all questions, just send her an email!

Also, there is only one colour.....Black. hahaha

What he said, Danielle is amazing at Prairie storm and they're dogs are second to none. Ours is just over a year now and is best friends with my 2 boys, follows them everywhere they go but he is also amazingly smart and a great bird dog

[kingrat]

Originally Posted by alpinebeers

What he said, Danielle is amazing at Prairie storm and they're dogs are second to none. Ours is just over a year now and is best friends with my 2 boys, follows them everywhere they go but he is also amazingly smart and a great bird dog

Lol x3 I've had my male yellow for 4 years now, get on a waiting list as fast as possible for whatever pair you choose, yes there expensive but we'll worth it, by far the best lab I've owned, and Danielle is awesome. Follows the kids everywhere and loves hunting even squirrels. And guard dog wow, some people won't even get out of their vehicle not even kidding everything you could dream of lol.

[Redfrog]

I've have both and have had both over the years. . My 10 month old female is in heat and it presents certain challenges every 6 months.

For a hunting dog I want a male, usually. Bigger, tougher and more aggressive.

I have had some exciting females that hunted very well and the only complaint I had if there was one was in training.

A 'dumb' male was 'dumb' everyday, while a female seemed to have good days and great days and days when she went back in the kennel early. in fairness it could have been the attitude of the trainer expecting too much.

Not all dogs are easy to train, but if they are consistent then a good trainer will be able to figure out a program for success.

[jef612]

Ours is a female, and my only dog so I have nothing to compare her to.
No problems with geese or cranes, but she is a bigger dog than most.
Dead spots in the lawn are a problem though - be prepared for that.

My next one will likely be another female.
No wrong choice as far as I am concerned.

[reddeerhunter]

At one time I had 4 beagles and a GSP. I have had 2 labs black n choc.
I am no master by any means but in my life experience if you had 10 dogs and 5 each sex. All 5 males will be better than any 4 of those females. But that one female will trump the other 9 in EVERYTHING.

My last ckc black came from Cardston south of Lethbridge. Best hunting/timid around people and hated the indoors. Amazing dog.

Good luck, whatever you pick you will 100% have a best friend.

[BPman]

We have had 4 girls over 49 years without regrets. Great family companions and good hunters too. Less likely to be hard headed than a male, from what I have seen of some friends' dogs.

[birdsntrout]

I've had Labs since 1982. Both males and females. I like them both, you won't go wrong with either. Make sure you get a dog whose parents have goods eyes, hips & tempermant. Dew claws removed is also important. Spaying cost of a female is greater then neutering a male. Train them to go in a gravel spot, their corner or can. As puppies they learn this very quick as long as your not lazy, you must be diligent. Put up a post in the corner for a male. You will still have nice lawn if you wish. My 2 boys have " gone to their corner" for 8 years now. Pick it up daily or more keep it clean.
Not a Rotti or Doberman , makes an excellent guard dog, no one comes in yard, they hold the line , but would not run out yard and bite.
Labs need a lot of excercise, lots of long walks, great for me and them. They are, pigs, garbage guts, eat anything that smells like food. Gotta watch their weight or they will have a shortened life. Be prepared for fat deposits on their ribs & back as they get older.
I have 2 males, half brothers, 8 & 6 . Both doing great, still only one trip a year to the vet for their checkups. One hunts great, the other could care less, he's just happy being my pal.
The 2 I have now, my avatar. Are from LHA Labradors in Vegerville, Ab.
Best of luck with your new lab, hope this helps.

[albertanoutdoorsman]

Great choice on going with a Lab, in my opinion, nothing beats them! We chose to go with www.southernoakkennels.com out of Mississippi. Barton Ramsey is the owner and trainer there and he is phenomenal! He has stood by us and answered tons of questions for us over the last couple years. We have one male from there that is now 2 and also bought a female this year from him as well. One of the nice things with him is that when you buy your dog, you have full rights to the dog. If you choose to breed that is up to you! I like having that freedom. He also has a detailed gun dog academy online that has videos and training tools for you the lab owner. https://cornerstonegundogacademy.mykajabi.com It is imperative that you know that I get nothing from referring this breeder or tool! I am a satisfied customer that would be pumped to see another Southern Oak Kennel family member here in Alberta! These dogs are quiet in the house with second to none for drive in the field.

As for male or female. It depends on if you are planning on fixing the dog or not. As mentioned, female dogs do go into heat which is not only messy but if there is another dog in the area you will have visitors! Those visitors have the worst intentions with your dog. If you are fixing then sex doesn't matter aside from a size sort of situation. If you want typically smaller, go female. If you want typically larger, go male.

Best of luck with your selection of sex and BREEDER!

[Hammerhead]

I have a chocolate male. He's a very smart dog with lots of drive. LOVES the water. I messed up somewhere in the training process, so he's not a duck hunter these days... But that's my fault, not his. He's got the hest temperament of any dog I've ever owned. I would get another one in a heartbeat.

[BenC68]

Originally Posted by Hammerhead

I have a chocolate male. He's a very smart dog with lots of drive. LOVES the water. I messed up somewhere in the training process, so he's not a duck hunter these days... But that's my fault, not his. He's got the hest temperament of any dog I've ever owned. I would get another one in a heartbeat.

I'm curious what you did to "mess it up"

[Hammerhead]

Originally Posted by BenC68

I'm curious what you did to "mess it up"

I just went into it not having done it before. Did alot of water training with him, but I did it myself 99% of the time. So he basically watches me and waits for me to throw something, he doesn't watch the water for something to fall. I think that I could only coordinate with someone once to get them out to throw dummies for me. Tried taking him hunting with me in hopes that he would figure it out, but it didn't seem to work. Also, around that time my girlfriend became my wife and he became more of a family dog.
When I first got the dog the breeder actually offered to take him down to the southern US where they get their dogs trained for the summer so that they could teach him. I probably should have taken them up on that offer, but I wanted to have that time to bond with him, so I opted not to do it. Hind sight being 20/20 I probably should have done it if I wanted a true hunting dog.
All-in-all I could have tried harder, or taken some classes, or taken a few people up on their offers to help me. But I didn't. I'm still happy with him just the way he is. I couldn't ask for a better dog. But if he would start to pick up his own poop that would be nice!

[MrsJustBen]

Thanks everyone for your input and advise. We are going to view a breeder here soon with intentions to put in a deposit. I want to see the intended breeding pair first to see what they are like in person and how they are with my kids. We are not stuck on one sex or the other but more on the pups disposition. Vet bills don't concern me for I know all the costs and procedures needed for a pup/dog so that not a decision factor for us.
The pups are set for late fall so this gives me time to do my research on training for a great hunting partner. This is my first time training the hunting aspects with a dog so I want to make sure I'm ready. I have searched the forum, done a lot of online reading and have talked to a few locals as well.
If anyone has any articles or links that they would recommend? also advise on training tools that are mandatory vs not necessarily that would be great thanks !

[kingrat]

Get a good video series, I have an old vhs copies can't remember the name of the guy but very well done and it was nice to be able to actually see what to do and watch it over and over. 95 percent is training the trainer especially if you start with good stock. Enjoy