The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting Dogs How about pointing labs?Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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As I've been searching for the "right" Golden Retriever, I've come across the pointing lab. I'd never heard of such a thing, and if they are for real, the wife's wishes on a GR are in dire circumstances. Anyone have one or experience with one? | ||
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I certainly do not want to talk you into a swamp collie over a Lab, but be careful, very careful. In the world of Labradors, someone is ALWAYS trying to come up w/ something to "improve" the perfect retrieving athlete. Look at my location and do NOT buy a pointing lab from anyone near me. I would suggest you contact Butch Goodwin at Northern Flight retrievers--www.northernflight.com. and pick his brain on this issue. I have no affiliation with nor have I ever met Mr. Goodwin, but have been reading his articles in the retriever journal for years and do believe he is a very knowlegeable trainer. Also remember--The Lab IS the only love money can buy. I pick up my new little girl on monday. | |||
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I've got experience with not one but two pointing labs... both females and half-sisters. They are fantastic dogs....driven to hunt, egar to please, and easy to handle/train. "My Girls" work equally as well on pheasants as they do quail. And YES they do "point" Try to find "The Pointing Labrador" by Paul & Julie Knutson. A few of the top breeders are: Snake River Pointing Labs, Idaho (home of my 2) Tiger Mountain Pointing Labs, Wash Trieven Kennels, Wyo Black Forest Kennels, CO. I ran some very good German Shorthair Pointers for 25 years... but these pointing labs are great IMO  DRSS & Bolt Action Trash | |||
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+1 on Butch Goodwin and anecdotally: my son-in-law's 13 yr old Lab, Chester, just died; outperformed other "versatile" breeds of his friends since it seems Labs "retain" training better (or his did anyway). Good in thick stuff... and liked the ladies... a lot. | |||
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I've looked into this lately because AZGuy recommended getting one. Here is what I discovered. The 4 breeders listed are probably the best places to look. Be prepared to spend at least $1000 (likely $1500) for a pup. Pointing Labs "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act, but a habit"--Aristotle (384BC-322BC) | |||
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Thanks guys. I've covered some of the same websites and people through my searches, and it's nice to see others have real world experience with these and like them. Aliveincc, I would like to hear about the breeder you have in mind. If you don't want to post them for the world to see, please PM me. I was looking at a breeder in TX that was close enough for me to actually drive to, but they are nearer to DFW and have not responded to my email. Thanks again. | |||
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I have a female from Trieven and am very pleased. "Babe" is an outstanding pet and bird dog. I have previously posted on AR reports with pictures of her good work on pheasants in North Dakota, geese in Saskatchewan and swans in Alaska. As I write this Babe is sleeping under the covers in my bed as usual. The bitch. | |||
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Scott, My 2...Rigby(7) and Xena(3) are not "under the covers" but as I type, they are asleep on the bed. There is a good chance that "your's" and "mine" are related. Most labs are good...most pointing labs are great DRSS & Bolt Action Trash | |||
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I blame myself for letting Babe push me around. I'm comfortable with the responsibility since so much of the time and in so many different venues its usually my fault. Its "old hat," for me. I thought the two previous birds dogs I had were good hunting and home companions. I was wrong about that too. | |||
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Well guys, I guess I should be very proud of our two female pointing poodles. Yes, they do a great job retrieving and also love to sleep on our bed after a run. life member NRA (Endowment) member Arizona Big Horn Sheep Society member Arizona Antelope Foundation member Arizona Wildlife Foundation | |||
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Miss my Belle, a Fox-Red Kellog's pointing lab, Some useful sites: http://redoaklabradors.com/Pedigrees.html http://www.foxredhuntinglabs.com/pedigree_doc.html http://pointinglab.com/classifieds/breeders.html http://www.lankaslabs.com/ DuggaBoye-O NRA-Life Whittington-Life TSRA-Life DRSS DSC HSC SCI | |||
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I have run into several Pointing Labs over the years...half pointed and half did not. Those that did, pointed as well as average pointing dogs but no where near the intensity of the best. They where close working dogs...I would not see them as a grasslands dog. They had very good temperaments and worked well for the handler. They seem to me to have a definite place in the gun dog world but I think dogs from other breeds just do it better from what I have seen. | |||
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JonP, What type of dog(s) do you have? DRSS & Bolt Action Trash | |||
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Thanks for all the replies. I am strongly drawn to the pointing labs and I'm sure that they will more than satisfy my very limited pointing needs. Ducks are my primary concern with quail and pheasant as a bonus. As I stated above, we don't really have upland birds here other than doves, so most of the upland hunting I'll be doing will be with pen raised birds and probably the occasional trip to somewhere that actually has wild birds. Thanks for all the thoughts, and by all means keep them coming. Daniel77 | |||
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Pointing Labs???? A real Trainer can make 'em stop that if they are any good to begin with! | |||
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Looking for a replacement for my 16yo Grouse Ridge Setter gyp i had to put down in July.have had Setters for 35yrs.do the pointing labs give the heart stopping points of a real bird dog?how far out do they cast? can they run all day?Thanks. | |||
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 JTEX...you a funny guy DRSS & Bolt Action Trash | |||
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KimR, A good pointing lab, with lots of field work ("Birds make the dog")will produce rock solid points. As "JonP" noted... not ALL pointing labs will point. Same is true for all breeds. The real difference is when the pointing labs point, the birds will be within shotgun range! I ran GSP for 25+ years and hunted with a buddy who ran English Pointers....key word is "ran". Beautiful dogs to watch work, but as I approach 60, I'm not interested in a dog that is "on point" 400 yards away! Ptg. Labs can be trained to "run big" but more naturally range closer. They can "run all day", but can you? Ive hunted mine as many as 5 days in a row on wild pheasants (ND/SD) and wild quail (Az). Were they worn out...YES, but so was I. But they were productive and hunted hard on day 5. They are more sensitive to heat than GSP/Pointers. Not a big deal. But handle the cold much better. Summary: Pointing labs are a great choice for someone who wants a close working,retrieving anything(land/water)dog. And if they don't point 100% of the time...?...then they will probably flush the bird(s) within shooting range. Truth is 90% of the time our "bird dogs" are family/house pets.... that is where the "lab personality" really shines. DRSS & Bolt Action Trash | |||
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AZ, I run DDs...but I like a dog with some "scoot". 
This is a fair statement...this is really a style issue and what the individual hunter is comfortable with. I don't mind seeing dogs 2-300 yds ahead of me looking for game...as long as they are honest when they find it. Others may not need or want that... Don't know of anyone that came home disappointed with a limit because a dog didn't run far enough...but I now plenty that have complained because a dog didn't handle the birds well on contact!!! Pick what pleases you...and don't let anyone tell you different. | |||
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AZ Guy,Thanks.Will keep looking.my field trial days probably ruined me terminally. | |||
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JonP, Good looking DDs. That looks like grouse country...is it? DRSS & Bolt Action Trash | |||
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Well said and spot on. I have hunted Elhew's, GSP's, Vizlas, etc for long open country Texas Quail hunts. But, overall I prefer a close worker for most upland work. My Brit's were my mainstay, but my last brace was Belle (my Kellog's/Helm's red lab ) and Pep ( my SV/Bandit brit) both bitches that were exceptional individually and incomparable together. Daniel, For a combo duck/upland dog, look hard at a pointing lab. ( Though my Brit,s would sit in the boat and retreive--- The lab's are heartier for the South La. swap muck) DuggaBoye-O NRA-Life Whittington-Life TSRA-Life DRSS DSC HSC SCI | |||
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The more ya'll talk, the more I like the pointing lab. I'm the first to admit that I'm a novice at the upland pointing thing, but I already know that a dog working 100-400 yds out is not what I want. Our cover is fairly thick in most places, and I can't think of anywhere around here where we'd be hunting for miles and miles. You'd never see your dog on point at those longish ranges around here. Keeping the dog at about gun range distances out to maybe 60-70 yds seems to make a lot more sense to me. | |||
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I am not putting down pointing labs but I can't understand the point of taking a retrieving/flushing breed and making a pointing breed out of it. Surely there are breeds that would do the job better such as the "versatile" breeds. I am not a pointer guy and have only been around one pointing lab so I don't have any real experience with them. I'm just curious and not trying to say that pointing labs are not good dogs. | |||
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I should have mentioned that my dog from a pointing lab kennel doesn't point. I never trained for it, she never offered to do it, so I guess she doesn't point. Wasn't something I was interested in. But! Babe is a very fine bird dog and pet. its 6:50am and she's under the covers with my wife as I type. | |||
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daniel - i told you before - nothing beats a golden  they have a quiet nature (every lab i've had took 2-3 years to settle down - then great)and for a family dog they adopt very well. as a retriever they are naturals, only thing about them is that they are normally a bit short lived (10-11 yrs) | |||
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Then a Lab would be great for these conditions. For grouse hunting in heavy cover, I have trained my DD to point but then to flush on command...real useful when wading into the nasties is not an option. Caution....work on pointing seriously...many PL's don't show the strong natural pointing....needs to be nurtured more IMO. My DD's simply pointed from the git go...didn't relly need to steady them much. You may have to "teach" a bit more...but retrieving shouldn't be a problem  | |||
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