hawryli

Has anyone ever gotten a lab to point or heard of one doing so? I've got a 11 month old lab that I'm going to start training and he'll be good for flushing and retrieving (I hope) but I was wondering whether it was possible for me to get him to point as well?

Thanks

Whizbang

labs that point are usually bred from lines that have that instinct. There is a big difference in field labs and pointing labs, the latter generally a bit smaller statured, but that is not always the case. Alot of dogs will sjow a natural pointing instinct, and if yours does, it will be incumbant upon you to bring that out in him. I used to manage a pointing lab kennel in Wyoming, out of the Twist and Shout lines. Google Trieven kennels.

hawryli

For training, should I bring him to a game farm or start with dummies

Whizbang

start him with the basics, it's easier to control training durring planned exercises than it is to get into a bunch of birds where his natural tendencies will surface.

Also do your self a favor and research a book or two beofre you get started on the wrong foot. Get ahold of Val at Trieven or call Black Forrest and see what books they recommend. It will save you lots of headache and mistakes!

Cessna Flyer

If your dog doesn't have the gene naturally then he will not point naturally. then you would have to train it to stand at game when scented and that is not pointing. if the later is the case, stick with flushing. At 11 months if your pup points you should have seen it already.

what breeder did you get the dog from?
I used the book Water Dog by Richard Wolters and after my dog pointed naturally on a hunt I also used a book by Julie Knutson on training your pointing lab. For your training you can use wild birds. but preserve birds work best that way you can set the bird and know to an extent the bird will stay until real close.
Whizbang has some good points.