Originally posted by Elfenwolf
Toad, I was under the impression Labs were jump dogs, not pointers. As an avid pheasant hunter...
I love pheasant hunting! It puts you out in beautiful country where the horizons stretch away forever. You get to meander through the fields under what sometimes are the bluest of skies. The bird itself is a tough competitor and unquestionably the most beautiful of gamebirds. But I digress...
Yes, Labradors are flushers. However, in some lines genetics have left a bit of a "pause" before the flush that harkens back to their wild ancestors' way of hunting. Ever watch a coyote or bobcat sneak in on a bird?
There are those who are "developing" this trait by breeding for it. They mate true Labrador sires and dams that carry this "pause".
Then there are the unscrupulous (IMO) guys that slip a pointer sire into the pedigree to "speed up" the process. You can usually see it in the heads and tails.
There's starting to be "big money" in pointing Labs, simply because it IS such a versatile dog that retains the great Lab traits as a family dog and companion. Whenever there's big money in dogs, look out. The cheats and chislers come out of the woodwork.
My dogs are True Labs, from breeders long in the game for the love of the breed. The chocolate, a pointer, is actually primarily out of a French Show line. His sire is an International Champion that Trialed a bit. It's quite by accident that Charlie ended up with me and quite by accident that I found he pointed naturally. To a certain extent, he was a "rescue" case, somewhat like MT's Bradley.
I still laugh... me, an avid pheasant hunter, taking on a 3 year old "Show Dog" that his previous owners no longer wanted. One trip to the fields and that dog and I found our tiny place in the universe together. He actually pointed one rooster while retrieving another one that he had pointed and I had shot! We both knew we were made for each other right then!
He is, without doubt, the best Lab I have ever had the pleasure to know. A superb "family" personality and an incredible bird dog.
So far, everyone of his pups by two different dams have shown the pointing trait... some more than others of course.. but it's there and we are breeding for by selecting dams that can contribute to the line. It's a long project and one that we hope our sons may continue to improve.
As to your question... here's Chief, the yellow son of the Charlie X a yellow daughter of Ireland's 1995 Field Trial Champion.
Would this be suitable for you?
That is not a "taught"or "learned" behavior. He did that on his very first day working live birds. He's a "natural" pointer. I merely encourage him.
Chief will "hold" about 45 seconds to a minute and then flush. Plenty of time for an alert hunter. Of course, part of the training is making sure the dog hunts within gun range. Unlike a shorthair, he won't hold forever while you hustle 300 yards to get there.
Check out these links... people are working on it. Just watch for the ones trying to take a "shortcut".
American Pointing Labrador Association International Pointing Labrador Association Obviously, I can "talk" Labs forever... I'll stop now!
