The Joys of a Pointing Lab

[Doc E]

It's great to have a dog that does it all.
Here is Tucker and his take from last weekend.
11 Ducks and a limit of 10 (wild) Quail
Actually, ol' Casey boy retrieved two of the ducks and three of the quail, but at age 13, he was ready for a nap when I took the picture.





.

[Hunt1Fish2]

Awesome pic!! Sounds like some great dogs! I love my pointing lab.

[Doc E]

Our dogs do Bunnies too (Snowshoe Hares).





.

[birddog1968]

Got any point pictures Doc?

[Doc E]

Got any point pictures Doc?

I have a few -- But only a couple that I have quick access to.
He was about 2.5 years old here.
This pic was taken after being on point for 3.5 minutes.
I'll post more when I have time.



Here's a pic of Tucker at less than one year of age. Still not very stylish
This was at a PL seminar. I had just brought Tucker out of the field after some 'de-chasing' training.
As we were walking back, he slammed onto this point of a bird that had escaped.......... All of this with a big audience -- lots of talking and noise etc. The lady (Julie Knutson) could tell that he was solidly locked on, so she had the audience all applaud and had a gunner shoot into the air........ Tucker never even flinched or lost concentration.
When he scented that bird, he went into that trance that all of us love to see.





.

[birddog1968]

Nice doc !

[gotpointers]

I love them fox reds.

[MinneapolisMatt]

Awesome (and inspirational) pictures! Any resources that you would suggest for training a pointing lab?

[Doc E]

Awesome (and inspirational) pictures! Any resources that you would suggest for training a pointing lab?

The PL "bible" is "Training the Pointing Labrador", by Julie Knutson.



.

[Ghosted3]

Very nice dogs there! Very nice load there in the first picture too.

Corry

[birddog1968]

Awesome (and inspirational) pictures! Any resources that you would suggest for training a pointing lab?

http://gunclub-labs.com/training_the_po ... rador.html


I myself did not use the book (because it wasn't out yet), I took the approach of do no harm and let him do what he does thru exposure......I was lucky to have a lab with a ton of point instinct tho he was not from a breeding meant to emphasize it, just a plain field bred lab.

[Doc E]

......I was lucky to have a lab with a ton of point instinct tho he was not from a breeding meant to emphasize it, just a plain field bred lab.

It is thought that from 7% to 10% of Labs from non-pointing ancestry will point.



.

[slistoe]

......I was lucky to have a lab with a ton of point instinct tho he was not from a breeding meant to emphasize it, just a plain field bred lab.

It is thought that from 7% to 10% of Labs from non-pointing ancestry will point.



.

The first lab I owned thought she was a pointing dog. Took a couple of bird encounters and I had that cured.

[birddog1968]

I could have "cured" it too, but i found it more interesting to find out what would happen naturally if I allowed the dog to develop on its own with no bias to what I thought a lab should do. He's now 11 and turned into the most natural hunting dog I've ever owned, he will flush when I want him to, point when i need time to get there, back my pointers and they back him, flush in front of the pointers if i ask or run down a wind break to drive running roosters back at me, he will retrieve ducks and geese in icy water , break waves, or hunt tame potholes, totally natural. He truly hunts for the gun (with his own brain , no machine) and it has been a joy as well as educational to allow him to develop without forcing anything but his delivery to hand. I dare say a once in a lifetime type dog.

He's 11 now and only thing i haven't figured out about him is how to keep him from adopting some "old dog rules" he helped himself to a whole tin of Christmas cookies on Christmas eve..... :roll:

And if Doc will forgive me (as he's seen it more than once I'm sure) I will put up his picture one more time......

[fireangel]

I love my pointing lab, at 11 years old she is still getting it done.