National Field Champions (Retrievers) since 1941.

[losthwy]

Since 1941 at the National Field Championship there have been 66 events. 62 of them have been won by a Lab. Goldens have won it 4 times, in 1941, 44, 50 and 51.No other retriever breed has been NFC.

[sproulman]

ORIGINAL: losthwy

Since 1941 at the National Field Championship there have been 66 events. 62 of them have been won by a Lab. Goldens have won it 4 times, in 1941, 44, 50 and 51.No other retriever breed has been NFC.

ALL AROUND DOG,nothing else to say.

[Mite]

Since 1941 at the National Field Championship there have been 66 events. 62 of them have been won by a Lab. Goldens have won it 4 times, in 1941, 44, 50 and 51.No other retriever breed has been NFC.

Since 1896 at the National Field Championship for Field Trialing Bird Dogs (Ames) there hasn't been any retriever breed wins ever. Every venue plays on the strength for a certain class of dogs. I bet the lab that won the National this year couldn't pass the German test for DD or VDD blood tracking and neither could Funseeker's Rebel (this year winner at Ames).

[sproulman]

lab did not get in top 4 at EUKANUBA show at harrisburg,pa.
springer spaniel, setter,gsp,IRISH setter were in top 4.

this is not hunting group,they are show dog group as phil said .

[Phil from Maine]

The American Field the sportsman journal Hall of Fame there is 7 Irish Setters...

Also please reconize that certain persons reconized the fundamental importance of intensity, style, and staunchness in a gundog. They used only certain hunting strands like the blood of Smada Byrd, Cheiftan Law, Joffre Rookwood to name a few. These were the old world setters that seemed to carry the instinct to point and to retrieve naturally from land and water..

Todays working with the selective breedings are showing great progress in what was once a great hunting dog. The instinct has been bred back! The future of the Irish is looking brighter today as long as it is kept away from the show people.

[Mite]

This was in answer to losthwy's post. It basically says that only labs and goldies win retriever trials which the only other retriever that is well known being the chessie (but that is because of popularity). I don't know what his intent was but aretriever will never win atAmes and a pointer willnever win at retriever trials.

And since we are talking labs, most dedicated upland hunters here hunt with labs. There are two strategies here, hunt along the hedgerows or in the open fields. Labs will avoid the hedgerows (thick blackberry bushes) whereas a springer will dive right in. A lab won't cover as much ground in the open field as a pointing breed will. So, for dedicated upland hunters, why wouldyou choose a (non-pointing) lab? I'm not knocking them as I think they are great if you hunt waterfowl also but I would think you would want a springer instead for pure upland hunting.

Also, these same people usually run more than one dog like more dogs equals more birds. But since you want the lab to be in gun range, you are not covering more ground and any lab worth it's nose should be able to pick up any bird within that range.

[reswire]

Sorry guys, but we all love our own breed. I have Chessies, don't know much about field trials, but when the ice is on the Chesapeake bay or Potomac, I'll put my Chessies against any Lab you got!! 1-2 foot icy seas are for real dogs, and I don't suppose the field trials have any of that!! I'll try eating a rubber decoy when rubber decoys start to fly!!

Can't beat a Chessie on the water!! LOL

[sproulman]

ORIGINAL: Mite

This was in answer to losthwy's post. It basically says that only labs and goldies win retriever trials which the only other retriever that is well known being the chessie (but that is because of popularity). I don't know what his intent was but aretriever will never win atAmes and a pointer willnever win at retriever trials.

And since we are talking labs, most dedicated upland hunters here hunt with labs. There are two strategies here, hunt along the hedgerows or in the open fields. Labs will avoid the hedgerows (thick blackberry bushes) whereas a springer will dive right in. A lab won't cover as much ground in the open field as a pointing breed will. So, for dedicated upland hunters, why wouldyou choose a (non-pointing) lab? I'm not knocking them as I think they are great if you hunt waterfowl also but I would think you would want a springer instead for pure upland hunting.

Also, these same people usually run more than one dog like more dogs equals more birds. But since you want the lab to be in gun range, you are not covering more ground and any lab worth it's nose should be able to pick up any bird within that range.

my lab goes into hedgerows,but you are right,he cant do it real good..
i never saw a springer go into it, briars get stuck on their hair..

the only dog i saw go into it is BEAGLE and mix beagle i had..

many of beagle hunters get MORE pheasants than some of best bird dogs after birds are hunted hard..

you are right, having a LAB/SETTER/POINTER/SPRINGER and add dog that goes into those briars, man, you have hunting machine then..

i know guy that does that, he has setter that hunts along with a mix beagle..
beagle goes into briars and setter covers outside..

he ALWAYS gets 2 pheasants here in pa. daily after everyone has already hunted the fields,i saw it many times....

[Phil from Maine]

I am not sure but what the heck are briars? Is it anything like rasberry bushes? I believe that if the dog has a strong bird drive it will go where you want it to. Mine has gone through brush piles and the like as well as gone over them. Here is a pic of him going intosome rasberry bushes after scenting a bird in there.

[sproulman]

ORIGINAL: Phil from Maine

I am not sure but what the heck are briars? Is it anything like rasberry bushes? I believe that if the dog has a strong bird drive it will go where you want it to. Mine has gone through brush piles and the like as well as gone over them. Here is a pic of him going intosome rasberry bushes after scenting a bird in there.

these hedgerows phil are full of long stems with 1/4 inch TORNS on them..

your dog would never get in there and come out alive.
he is to big and too much hair.....my lab crawls on his belly to hunt in there,his hair is short but TORNS cut him bigtime ,sometimes, he backs out of holes and lays on his side to go under those nasty things...

my lab got his left ear caught on 1 branch, it tore a cut 1 inch long on inside of his ear,he was screaming in there,i could do nothing to get to him unless i had a chain saw..

i wish i could remember name of these torn bushes, i call them briars as that is what dad called them when we were growing up..

they will slice your throat open, your hands, your legs at waist.they are nasty.......