sproulman

i agree with what you have seen with lab vrs gsp..BUT here is what i also saw..

at preserve where i see lots of different dogs,some are born and raised there..dogs like the GSP.ES,BRITTANYS all seem to have body and stamania too go all day hunting if in shape..

now on to LABS..the big labs over 80 pds have a very difficult time in oct in warm weather hunting..most only hunt about 2 hours..those dogs are great in water but not so good on upland do to heat and their size..

now on toLABS that do much better and if conditioned and not overfed by wife on table scraps and cookies, they do fine..

the LAB that has long rear legs, round head not boxy head,AMERICAN LAB are ones i want to be hunting behind..they are real thin loking and females go no more than 60 or so and males no more than 80..

a 80 pd lab male really looks skinny to me with muscles on those rear legs..labs just were not bred to hunt all day in woods and brushBUT they do if you get a AMERICAN LAB..

what i do is after 2 hours, i sit down, put leash on my dog and give him some water..also if you have creek nearby, which i always hunt where i know there is water..my dog will go into water and cool down,thats secret to having lab that will hunt all day..WATER to cool them down..

most of time i do not hunt more than 4 hours when we go out..lab can hunt everyday but i dont do it..they do get real tired as all dogs do..

dog i want is one that hunts CLOSE,20 yds out,that looks for you and makes sure that he or she is right out in front of you..that is not afraid of bears, deer ,yotes,fischers,raccoons,porcupines, bobcats,other dogs,other people,wind, rain, thunder, hail, snow blizzards,heat,hunters traps..

i want dog that hunts rabbits, squirreals,raccoons,grouse, woodcock,pheasants,ducks,yotes..i want dog that does not chase deer..

i want dog that almost takes shotgun out of your hand..one that sits and finds and retrieves a lost grouse or pheasant or rabbit..try getting the other breeds other than beagle to go into a thick briar bush after a dead rabbit..

the dog that i have seen that does this is AMERICAN LAB, long legged ones with skinny waist..

is lab best for lets say ,GROUSE noooooooooooo.. GSP/ES/BRITTANYS all exceed in that area..with me it all comes down to this..i want dog that does it all, not great but does it..

lab is one that does..i am looking at llewellin setter in next few years as i only hunt grouse now, BUT i may go with POINTING LAB..if i can find a POINTING LAB FROM HUNTING STOCK THAT IS UNDER 80 PDS, LONG LEGS,ROUNDHEAD,ole sproul may stay with lab ..

this is not to take away anything from other breeds, i already said that those others hunt grouse better,most of time BUT not all of time..

if you only take what i say is this GET A DOG THAT HUNTS CLOSE..train them or get breed that it is born into them..lab has it in them..

uplandhunter605

my favorites

pointer: weimaraner
flusher: springers

seattlesetters

It's pretty hard to beat an English Setter for a quail dog that will do double duty as a family pet. They are calm and mellow from a very young age, and among the best with children.

A good one will also make pheasants a lot of fun and a little less work than a flushing spaniel or a lab trained to flush like spaniel.

camelcluch

I'm going to put my vote for a pointing lab. It's the best of both worlds. However, I would be careful with the kennel. There seems to be a lot of kennels claiming pointing labs but have no real credentials. Check out pointinglabs.com for some good info.

sproulman

i want to see parents of pointing lab before i would buy one..i want to see them pointing on birds..here is good one..i started training our labs to SHAKE HANDS..

guess what, now he lifts that left front leg and points everything in yard, birds,mice,other dogs,dog poo,cats,snakes, he is 4 years oldtoo..

it took me 2 days to train him to shake a nd now, i have POINTING LAB..

camelcluch

Like I said, check it out. I am sure you will be like most, all upset that your "upland" dog gets out hunted by a water dog that throws a nice point. No, it's not a flash point.

camelcluch

Just so you all know that is not me. The dog is out of Tiger Mountain and that is a point.

seattlesetters

That's not a point. This is a point:



And so is this:




And this:




Yep. This, too:




[&:]

sproulman

seattle, look at pictures of that pointing lab,not lab the surrounding..

that is only the open areas i hunt here in pa. in that picture, now add laural over your head,clearcuts so thick in some areas you cant get through easy and visability about 20 ft..

now ,on too your pictures of the OPEN areas you can see miles..

those 2 dogs were perfect MATCH for the terrain being hunted,BUT if you wanted a dog that could do both, not great ,lab is good one..lab pointing could be great thing if they come from a hunting background..

just because a lab points does not mean they are great hunter,i think you agree on that..

those mountains you hunt are something also..i could get used to no trees, briars in my face, laural over my head,1 second to shoot at grouse thru a small opening..

yes, that would be nice for change..

stratofisher1

I would say a pointing lab is hard to beat. I have one out of the blackjack kennels line in Kansas and she is 60 lbs and tough as nails. Hunts all day long and has an excellent point. Not to mention she is a great duck dog. When I was in Kansas she out hunted my buddies English pointer hands down. Many more pheasant killed over my lab than the pointer. I think it is all a matter of blood lines. You get what you pay for in any dog breed.