Gun Dog 2021

[Deer_Hunter]

Our lab passed on awhile back; as he aged and would not/could not retrieve anymore, I sort of fell out of waterfowl/upland hunting.

Looking to get a dog in 2021

Considering another Labrador Retriever or possibly looking to a Brittany Spaniel

Looking for advise on reputable breeders for both breeds in Alberta, BC or Saskatchewan

Any recommendations?

Thank you

[Diesel_wiesel]

Originally Posted by Deer_Hunter

Our lab passed on awhile back; as he aged and would not/could not retrieve anymore, I sort of fell out of waterfowl/upland hunting.

Looking to get a dog in 2021

Considering another Labrador Retriever or possibly looking to a Brittany Spaniel

Looking for advise on reputable breeders for both breeds in Alberta, BC or Saskatchewan

Any recommendations?

Thank you

Kristy Bowditch
oaklane retrievers
tisdale SK
http://www.oaklaneretrievers.com/

[Newf]

Pm sent

[sns2]

Originally Posted by Newf

Pm sent

Why PM? No secrets, Newf!

Sent from my SM-A705W using Tapatalk

[Newf]

Haha. Top secret info.

Nah. Just what what I decided to do.

Check out
Clubmead labradors in AB
Someday retrievers in BC
Prairiestorm kennel in SK.

[kingrat]

I've had dogs from Oaklane retrievers (kristy) and from prairie storm kennels. Both are excellent but I'd go prairie storm. At the end of the day if you dont spend the time and train them you'll just end up with a nice looking expensive dog.

[MooseRiverTrapper]

Oaklane is breeding British labs. Prairie storm American.

[sns2]

Originally Posted by kingrat

I've had dogs from Oaklane retrievers (kristy) and from prairie storm kennels. Both are excellent but I'd go prairie storm. At the end of the day if you dont spend the time and train them you'll just end up with a nice looking expensive dog.

True dat!

[Fritzy]

Cowboy UP kennel east of Med Hat

https://www.cowboyupkennel.com/

[drake]

What are you going to hunt most of the time?.....

Obviously....
Labrador is a waterfowl specialist
Brit is an upland specialist.

A lab can hunt upland, but not like a Brit can
A Brit can hunt waterfowl, but not like a Lab can

Queue the “my Brit can retrieve 12lb honkers in the marsh all day” crowd Or the “my 16 year old silver lab is a phesant, hun,chukar, sage grouse, sharptail, spruce grouse pointing/flushing machine”

[HappyShootMore]

Ultimate Gun Dog by High River.
Got my 7month old Lab from them, really good people.

[sns2]

LABS
Club Mead Labradors - AB
Prairiestorm Kennels - SK
Razor Labs - MB
AJ Top Retrievers - Que

Britts
Kinwashkly Kennels
Amigo Kennels
Prairiestorm Kennels

All of the above people breed great dogs. All of them.

BTW, don't let a $300 plane ride be your deciding factor. The initial cost is the cheapest part of a hunting dog.

[sns2]

Originally Posted by drake

What are you going to hunt most of the time?.....

Obviously....
Labrador is a waterfowl specialist
Brit is an upland specialist.

A lab can hunt upland, but not like a Brit can
A Brit can hunt waterfowl, but not like a Lab can

Queue the “my Brit can retrieve 12lb honkers in the marsh all day” crowd Or the “my 16 year old silver lab is a phesant, hun,chukar, sage grouse, sharptail, spruce grouse pointing/flushing machine”

Hey man. Leave the damn Silver Labs outta this. They don't get much love

[Rackmastr]

I got my lab from Gunworth Kennels in Asquith SK. She has been a great family dog and super enjoyable to train. Small female which is exactly what we wanted. Great people and dogs, but they don't have a ton of litters (usually one breeding per year)

[Deer_Hunter]

Originally Posted by sns2

LABS

BTW, don't let a $300 plane ride be your deciding factor. The initial cost is the cheapest part of a hunting dog.

Thank you to everyone so far - those all look like some solid recommendations

Along the line of costs....I have not bought a dog in like 12 years so how much should I expect to pay for an average lab or Brittany?

[Newf]

For a lab, it will depending on the breeding. But I would say you are in the 2k range these days.

[Diesel_wiesel]

Originally Posted by Newf

For a lab, it will depending on the breeding. But I would say you are in the 2k range these days.

not unless you buy a Meth Lab

[sns2]

Good one!

You in Alberta yet?

[Diesel_wiesel]

Originally Posted by sns2

Good one!

You in Alberta yet?

no haven't found an acreage my chessies approve of yet
they have a list of must have's and cant have's
then there's the wife's approval to

[Diesel_wiesel]

Originally Posted by drake

What are you going to hunt most of the time?.....

Obviously....
Labrador is a waterfowl specialist
Brit is an upland specialist.

A lab can hunt upland, but not like a Brit can
A Brit can hunt waterfowl, but not like a Lab can

Queue the “my Brit can retrieve 12lb honkers in the marsh all day” crowd Or the “my 16 year old silver lab is a pheasant, hun,chukar, sage grouse, sharptail, spruce grouse pointing/flushing machine”

a chessie can hunt upland like a Brit ,
and can hunt waterfowl better then a Lab
he might want to consider a chesapeake if he wants to do both upland and waterfowl with one dog

[Pixel Shooter]

You lost me at a chessie can hunt waterfowl better then a lab. We all love our own breeds but lol

Originally Posted by Diesel_wiesel

a chessie can hunt upland like a Brit ,
and can hunt waterfowl better then a Lab
he might want to consider a chesapeake if he wants to do both upland and waterfowl with one dog

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Pixel Shooter

You lost me at a chessie can hunt waterfowl better then a lab. We all love our own breeds but lol

And he lost me when he stated that a Chessie can hunt upland like a Brit. Yes you can hunt upland with a Chessie, but it will never match a good pointer on sharptails or Huns, where you need to cover a lot of ground.

[WinefredCommander]

Big labs can’t get into tight spaces where roosters hide.

[ks.snow]

Originally Posted by WinefredCommander

Big labs can’t get into tight spaces where roosters hide.

Hence why he should go with a toller and get the best of both worlds right?

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by ks.snow

Hence why he should go with a toller and get the best of both worlds right?

[Sundog57]

I dare you to take a Toller down south and run him/her through a ditch full of stickers after a rooster.
I know what you'll be doing while I'm having a beer

[sjemac]

Originally Posted by ks.snow

Hence why he should go with a toller and get the best of both worlds right?

I've a toller and two Labs. The toller is a decent addition but is more of a niche dog. She does well on grouse and ducks but the Lab is better and can handle the big geese and can pound the brush like a freight train on pheasants. The second lab is still a puppy. Both came from Razor Labs in MB and I would highly recommend them if you want a dog with a ton of GO! and a great nose.

Originally Posted by Sundog57

I dare you to take a Toller down south and run him/her through a ditch full of stickers after a rooster.
I know what you'll be doing while I'm having a beer

I had to stop taking the toller down because I was going to be charged with animal cruelty if anyone saw the dog after 4 days of pheasant hunting near Bow Island. Labs come out covered in burrs, give themselves a shake and are perfectly clean again. My buddy's wirehairs look like giant hairless chihuahuas by the end of pheasant season.


Untitled by Scott MacDonald, on Flickr

[Hunter3006]

Originally Posted by Pixel Shooter

You lost me at a chessie can hunt waterfowl better then a lab. We all love our own breeds but lol

I agree with this. We were looking for a waterfowl dog and decided to do some reading. The literature on Chessies will show that a Chessie is a waterfowl beast. I have been around labs and many of my hunting buddies have some. They are great in the water. We recently adopted a purebread CBR pup. She is only 3 months and I will say it is a learning curve but I am loving every minute of it.
If you read up on Chessies, it is quite interesting. Literature says these dogs are highly intelligent and if not stimulated will find their way of doing something that works for them. I also read that they can perform between 100-200 retrieves a day, that is a phenomenal number in my opinion. However, it's possible a lab can do that as well, I have no idea lol. What I do know from what I am seeing with our pup who is only 3 months old is, I can throw various objects, balls, bird dummies, ropes all day, and she will go get it until the cows come home. And what I did find interesting just tossing the ball around our home, was she will go get it and when she gets bored of bringing it straight to me, she will make her own route around the furniture and drop it at my feet. Like what the heck lol. I am super excited to see what our pup will be capable of by September.
I have also looked into a few dog clubs, but in reading the literature chessies are not dogs that will go through the same training routine day in and day out. It has to be varied and they need to have a sense of the why they are doing it using positive praise. Quite interesting to say the least. To be clear, I am not dissing the lab or any other species, but in doing some of the reading and research, there are interesting things about Chessies, Labs and Brits.
Best of luck in whatever you decide. I was looking for a dog that will do upland as well as waterfowl and from we are seeing our pup do, I am already quite pleased.

I am keeping a log and may start a tread later, we will see

[caddisman]

Originally Posted by drake

What are you going to hunt most of the time?.....

Obviously....
Labrador is a waterfowl specialist
Brit is an upland specialist.

A lab can hunt upland, but not like a Brit can
A Brit can hunt waterfowl, but not like a Lab can

Queue the “my Brit can retrieve 12lb honkers in the marsh all day” crowd Or the “my 16 year old silver lab is a phesant, hun,chukar, sage grouse, sharptail, spruce grouse pointing/flushing machine”

So there is a simple answer to this statement get a WIREHAIRED POINTING GRIFFON, sorry this is not me shouting. My Griff loves water and retrieving. Excellent for upland, rabbits and waterfowl. Excellent temperament and family dog. The only down side with you would also get with a Brittany is that they are burr magnets. Some days I spend 30 minutes combing her out even though I use cowboy magic or Showsheen. I would never trade my Griff.

[Evan83]

Originally Posted by Fritzy

Cowboy UP kennel east of Med Hat

https://www.cowboyupkennel.com/

X2!