Wildirishman

Our family pet Zoey appears " birdy" , would like to break him in on some Southeastern KY Grouse this year. How do I prepare this animal for the " hunt" ? Is he trainable at this age? Please help

seattlesetters

Did you have any idea that some of the finest English Setters in the world are bred in Berea, KY?

Big Lead

Does he listen to commands like come and sit. I would make sure he is birdy by taking him to a preserve, or seeing how he acts around some pen raised pigeons or quail. Then I would see if he has some fetch in him. If your lab is birdy, and is eager to fetch, they have the possibility of being a good hunting dog. If you introduce him to the pen raised birds, and all he wants to do is catch them. I mean bouncing off the walls jumping in the air trying to get his mouth on one, that is a good sign. If he does it half heartedly or not at all, keep him as a pet, and start over for a hunting dog. Don' t let anybody tell you that labs as a breed are' nt good at upland game hunting. There is a scientific name to describe this way of thinking. Its called " Hogwash"

HikeNHunter

My first Lab was 2 years old when he came to live with me. He had no formal training of any kind but with persistance and alot of patience I trained him to be one of the best all around dogs ever. He was first a great family dog, next he was one of my very best friends, and he was a great hunting companion. Your dog can learn to do anything reasonable that you want him to but it is up to you to put in the time and training neccesary to get him there.