# Picking out a duck dog?



## Digi-Troller

I am looking online at some labs and was wondering if you guys could help me out. I'm not really sure what to look for. I have an english setter for pheasants, and that is the only dog I've ever had. I know I'm supposed to look for an AKC registered dog... is that all? I've seen some AKC dogs for 275... is that too much to pay? 

Also, can you guys recommend any good training videos or books that can get me started?


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## Travis R. Bullock

Research and find a litter that fits your needs and you should be happy with any puppies from that litter. Look for titled and proven Sire and Dam in whatever venue you are interested in. For example if you want a Field Trial or serious hunting prospect look for a litter with titled parents in Field Trials or Hunt Tests or both. 

Make certain both Sire and Dam have atleast a minimum of Hip, Elbow and Eye health certifications. I would recommend finding a breeder that screens for all of the available health certs. For example if you are looking to get a Labrador Retriever research breeders that the parents of the litter have Hip, Elbow, Knee, Heart, Eye both CERF & PRA, EIC and CNM clearances. 

I would highly recommend Mike Lardy or Evan Graham training material.


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## ZEKESMAN

When it comes to Labs A.K.C registered doesn't really mean much.There are so many Labs registered each year that every Tom Dick and Harry are breading them just to make a quick buck.If you can find a well bred dog for $275 it would be amazing.Probably double that would still be on the low end.If you wand a Duck Dog get a pup from proven field lines,you wont regret it! If you want more info contact one of the retriever clubs in the state and talk to some of the members about their dogs,what lines they are from,likes dislikes etc. Good luck Vic


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## Ironman

Good advice so far, but don't let it overwhelm you. If you are just looking for a good hunting buddy, then find a litter that comes from proven experienced hunting sire and dam. Hip and eye clearance is the generally accepted minimum for Labs. AKC will prove purity. That's about all you need. If you can get it for $250, all the better. 
On the other hand if you are considering getting into the AKC hunting games (a lot of fun by the way) and if you may look to produce a litter down the road, then the more health tests and titles in the pedigree the better.
Buying a Lab is kind of like buying a car. When you pay low dollar, you might get a lemon...then again you might get a steal. Paying top dollar will usually get your money's worth, it just might be more money than you want to spend.

As for a "Duck Dog" I like this one :lol: 









Bet you cant guess how it was made :mrgreen:


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## deadicated1

i think it helps to go out and look at some litters. look at different colors, shades, shapes, individual puppies, personalities, and how they respond to a wing, and to people. i agree that especially if money is an issue, akc isnt critical. my first dog, and best of my 3 i have owned, was a mutt (chocolate/chesepeake). no hip certification or anything like that. she hunted hard, 4-5 days a week every season, and lasted 11 years before an injury made her go downhill. like others have stated in the past when this has come up, all that certification helps to better the chances of good health, but what your dog turns into is what you put into the training. good luck though. let us know what you decide and how the search goes


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## Loke

It all depends on what you expect from your dog. Do you want a field trial or show champion? Or simply a dog to fetch the occasional duck for you? How much money, time and/or effort are you willing and able to spend training your dog? Most of the dogs you find in the marsh have little to no training, and the breeding to match. If you are not going to participate in the hunt test games, then you might be better off picking out a dog from the shelter, do a little training (for both you and the dog), and have some fun.


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## Digi-Troller

Hey, thanks a lot for all of the advice, and laughs, guys! Definately a lot to consider. I'll be doing a lot more research before deciding anything. I'll let you know what I decide and I'll post some pics... probably going to be a while though (I don't want to rush into anything). You've definately given me some things to consider.


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## Ironman

Regardless of the pup you end up with, I think it would only be an asset to join one of the local retriever clubs. They provide training help and most are run by avid hunters (who if you buddy up with will likely take you hunting with them.) :wink: Last I checked club membership in Utah runs around $20-30 annually. Not bad for the benifits.


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## LickinLips

I am currently going through the same process and it has been very beneficial for me to ask questions on these hunting forums. Great information has been given so far, decide what you want and go from their. One thing that was mentioned to me and I think mentioned in this thread as well was talk to others who own the type of pups you are looking for, ask them on health clearances, trainability, breeder information, to me there is nothing better than referrals from people who have already been through this process! I have definitely been steered in the right direction!!!


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## cootshooter2

Utah 11/10/2008 10:06:56 AM CST
Black puppies due dec.6. Sire:AFC-CFC-CAFC-GMPR-MHR Jazztime Last Chance v Pekisko. Dam: Break the Bank MH ( FC-AFC Chavez x FC Cream). Call Dr. Rod Gardner for more info. 435 230-2900.
Dr. Rod Gardner 435 230-2900
[email protected]

This add is on entryexpress.com a place for dog hunt tests. I have inquired about these pups and the parents look great. These pups will be worth the money and time. Like some others akc doesn't mean much. Look for good parents with some type of working record. (NFC, AFC, MH) These are good titles.
Let me know how it goes!


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## utfireman

What was the price for one of those pups?


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## Artoxx

One thing that has not been mentioned that you might want to look into is how I got MY dog.
He was a "cull" from a large kennel in Central Idaho. For the life of me I cannot remember the name. Sorry.
He was twice as big as his siblings at the age of 6 weeks. The father was well over 100lbs and my dog is about 100 at full growth. They were aparently looking for dogs in the 60-70lb range and did not want to breed the larger pups or encourage them to be bred by others.
Yes I agree that this makes little or no sense to breed a HUGE male to a small female in order to reduce the average size, but from the original list of Champions and Grand champions in the genealogies of the parents I guess it make sense to preserve the bloodline and still try to reduce the overall size.
ANYWAY, the siblings of my pup that were being sold were going for around $500+, Mine was $20, and that was mostly gas money. The breeder was meeting my friends brother at the UT/ID border with a black male he was buying and brought my pup along for the cost of gas or whatever.
My buddy did all this as a surprize for me as I had recently lost a dog and he felt I NEEDED one immediately if not sooner. *-HELP!-* I was not sure whether to be mad or grateful so I compromised by being thankful. hehe
ANYWAY again, it might be possible to get a better than average dog for a lower than expected price, simply by not being concerned about paperwork. At least beyond health certs. My pup was from a litter that had been certified in all sorts of ways that I can no longer remember either, but I am sure of hips, which was my biggest concern at the time.
My dog is awesome, and has been impressing people since his first trip out, and I have NO claim to that being my doing. I am a poor trainer at best so his genetics is beyond good. I hate to think how good he would be if he had gotten proper training.
Something to consider.


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## Steve Shaver

cootshooter2 said:


> Utah 11/10/2008 10:06:56 AM CST
> Black puppies due dec.6. Sire:AFC-CFC-CAFC-GMPR-MHR Jazztime Last Chance v Pekisko. Dam: Break the Bank MH ( FC-AFC Chavez x FC Cream). Call Dr. Rod Gardner for more info. 435 230-2900.
> Dr. Rod Gardner 435 230-2900
> [email protected]
> 
> This add is on entryexpress.com a place for dog hunt tests. I have inquired about these pups and the parents look great. These pups will be worth the money and time. Like some others akc doesn't mean much. Look for good parents with some type of working record. (NFC, AFC, MH) These are good titles.
> Let me know how it goes!


Pretty nice litter here. I have trained a dog from this female by a different sire and he was an excellent dog. I also know this sire and he is a fine animal.


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## Digi-Troller

Hey guys, in way of update... We picked out a new black lab sunday Afternoon. We heard some endorcements for Snake River Retrievers out of Idaho, and visited their website. After looking through a few pics and videos we decided to give him a call. He was very nice and happened to be coming to the salt lake area friday evening. So, we agreed to meet him and see some pups. We were also introduced to the pups mother. She was an impressive dog. We really weren't 100% planning on buying one right away, but I guess we have weak sales resistence! It was tough to pick out a dog though because they all looked great. They were active, interested in duck wings, and very personable. We narrowed it down to two, and made our final pick Sunday when we met the owner again. Here is a pic of the dog... we haven't chosen a name yet.










Thanks to all here that helped us make our decision. I appreciate all of the advice that was given here, and through PM. Also, thanks to Eli of Snake River Retrievers for taking the time to answer all of our questions, and commit to helping us along the way. He is very helpful and seems to really know his stuff. He even invited us to do some hunting with him, and we'll be taking him up on that offer.

For those who may find this thread later, check out http://www.snakeriverretrievers.com


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## Poo Pie

Digi-Troller said:


> Hey guys, in way of update... We picked out a new black lab sunday Afternoon. We heard some endorcements for Snake River Retrievers out of Idaho, and visited their website. After looking through a few pics and videos we decided to give him a call. He was very nice and happened to be coming to the salt lake area friday evening. So, we agreed to meet him and see some pups. We were also introduced to the pups mother. She was an impressive dog. We really weren't 100% planning on buying one right away, but I guess we have weak sales resistence! It was tough to pick out a dog though because they all looked great. They were active, interested in duck wings, and very personable. We narrowed it down to two, and made our final pick Sunday when we met the owner again. Here is a pic of the dog... we haven't chosen a name yet.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks to all here that helped us make our decision. I appreciate all of the advice that was given here, and through PM. Also, thanks to Eli of Snake River Retrievers for taking the time to answer all of our questions, and commit to helping us along the way. He is very helpful and seems to really know his stuff. He even invited us to do some hunting with him, and we'll be taking him up on that offer.
> 
> For those who may find this thread later, check out http://www.snakeriverretrievers.com


That sir is a fine looking pup and I'm sure it will be a great addition to your family. Congrats Digi... You should run a poll for picking a name, might be kind of fun.


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## Virgil

Which one did you end up getting? (I assume you changed his collar)
Were you the guys there at Sportsmans on Firday looking?

I have a pup from that litter I picked up Friday, he's doing great.
They are very independent and bold pups for sure. I'm excited to see how they do as they progress.


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## Artoxx

That pup is just about as cute as anything I ever saw.

Hope his cuteness translates into hunting drive/ability. Every time I see pups like that I wish I had another one, then I look out in my kennel at the two I already have and shudder. :lol: Just kidding.
If all goes as planned I will have a litter of GSP pups arriving the end of Dec. (my female got boinked on the opening day of the pheasant hunt) It will be all I can do not to keep any. Particularly since I WANT ONE! :twisted: 

This silly censorship program won't let me call a female dog by the B word, but it will let me call them DIP****S! :? :roll: :lol: Go figure.

Great looking dog, good luck, and have fun. :mrgreen:


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## Digi-Troller

I was there with my brother Friday night. That must of been you, and I suppose your wife, picking out the other dog. They all looked great, but we actually chose the one without a collar. On sunday the Red collar dog was still available, as was the one with the white speck on his foot. 

He actually made two retrieves today (not bad since my brother only tried twice). Granted, they were 5 foot retrieves... but, its a start!


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## Ironman

> He actually made two retrieves today (not bad since my brother only tried twice). Granted, they were 5 foot retrieves... but, its a start!


And so it begins!!

Congrats on the new pup.


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## Virgil

Digi-Troller said:


> I was there with my brother Friday night. That must of been you, and I suppose your wife, picking out the other dog. They all looked great, but we actually chose the one without a collar. On sunday the Red collar dog was still available, as was the one with the white speck on his foot.
> 
> He actually made two retrieves today (not bad since my brother only tried twice). Granted, they were 5 foot retrieves... but, its a start!


That one without the collar was a real nice dog. I was tempted on him as well.
Hope he does well for you. I'm sure he will though.

My pup has been retrieving great so far, and loving every minute of it.


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