# new dog



## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

I am looking at getting a dog in the future. I want to get a lab. I don't really know what to look for. The last two dogs my grandpa and I had were crap, and expensive at that. What should I be looking for when getting a dog? I will only be able to spend $500 at the very most. I understand all the training and things like that so should be alright in that area. How does food cost and vet bills?
Thanks for your help.


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## BROWNDOG (Nov 2, 2004)

Sound genetics, and a hunting background, health guarn. hips eyes ect. stayaway from newspaper puppys, most nice litters are sold befor they hit the ground. You should be able to find a nicely bred puppy for 500, just remember the cost of the puppy will be the least expensive cost of owning a dog. We have (had ) 3 dogs and our vet bills average about 500 per dog per year. Food about 30.00 per dog. per monthe.

There not cheap.


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## MallardMayhem21 (Mar 8, 2006)

When looking at getting a new dog look for traits that would fit you best. Meaning parents are high driven trial/hunting dogs or more of a family dog history. Look for bloodlines and make sure that they have hips/eyes certification. Dont just see one litter and be sold on them there are numerous breeders out there. Not saying that one is better than the other but listen to them all and you will know when you find the right one. As for cost of a dog. I heard once that expect a dog is about a $1000 expense over a year with food, vet bills, etc. I can probably say that is about true maybe a little less or more depending on how much you spoil them!!!


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## Chaws (Oct 12, 2007)

Right now you can find a really really well bread dog for $500 on many of the forums out there (RTF, Waterdog, etc). You may even be able to find a very high quality dog for the price in the area. I just recently seen an SRS winning QAA stud bread to a decently strong pedigree go for around $300. If you find something like that you'll probably be looking outside of the area so either driving or shipping the dog will be additional cost. Last I heard it's about $250 or so to ship a dog on one of the airlines.

Vet costs are the most expensive the first year with all the shots and whatnot. The $30 to $50 a month in feed is going to be very common along with about another $100 a year or so on vet bills as long as you don't have a barbed wire runner like me  $300 for an emergency vet visit to get her stapled up. Things like that are something to keep in mind as they say, **** happens.


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## Maverick (Mar 4, 2002)

> Vet costs are the most expensive the first year with all the shots and whatnot. The $30 to $50 a month in feed is going to be very common along with about another $100 a year or so on vet bills as long as you don't have a barbed wire runner like me $300 for an emergency vet visit to get her stapled up. Things like that are something to keep in mind as they say, &$#* happens.


Funny you say that. My Britt is having his ACL redone today! Not sure how he tore it but like you said.....&$#* happens!


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## Chaws (Oct 12, 2007)

Offda! Talk about long recovery time, especially for a dog of caliber like a brit. Good luck with that. There are lots of great recover discussions on RTF about people that have gone through the same thing.


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## Maverick (Mar 4, 2002)

Chaws said:


> Offda! Talk about long recovery time, especially for a dog of caliber like a brit. Good luck with that. There are lots of great recover discussions on RTF about people that have gone through the same thing.


You don't happen to have the link to the website? Any advice will be needed as this is the first dog I have had that blew it out!

Thanks Troy!


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## USAlx50 (Nov 30, 2004)

Maverick said:


> Chaws said:
> 
> 
> > Offda! Talk about long recovery time, especially for a dog of caliber like a brit. Good luck with that. There are lots of great recover discussions on RTF about people that have gone through the same thing.
> ...


http://retrievertraining.net/forums/


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## Lucky Lab (Apr 28, 2006)

Chaws Mallard Mayhem21 bought one of my hunting stock dogs see how he likes him


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## Maverick (Mar 4, 2002)

Thanks USA!!! :beer:


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## crewhunting (Mar 29, 2007)

There is a great trainer and breeder in Mahnomen mn. Talk to doug he is the owner and he will have something for you if not he w9ill find you something he is have some great litters this summer. I have hunted with five or six of his dog and i have my own dogs from him they are great. ARe you looking for a male or female? His Chocolate labs he is having this summer i am geting one of them i have hunted with both the males and female they have great drive and personalty greats dogs. If they sound like something ask him about the same litter that jake came from Chad dog he will know.


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## gonehuntin' (Jul 27, 2006)

In my lifetime I have been incredibly successful or lucky in picking great pups. I use a set program to do it. Here it is, many great hunting and trial dog's have been chosen using this method.:

PICKING A PUPPY
You'll get a lot of conflicting views on this, but I would never buy a pup without being able to pick it myself. First, the age. Pick it no sooner that 8 weeks and it's better if the breeder holds it until 10 weeks. You can really tell a lot about them then.

You know you want a female, so that's half the battle. You've gotten some horrible advice on them though. First, they are not smarter than a male. They are equal. Not stubborn........hmmmmmmmmm. Are you married? Is your wife stubborn? I rest my case. Females are temper mental dog's to train. If you lose your patience with one, you'll end up apologizing to that dog until she decides it's time to forgive you? Tough? They can be
tougher than any male God ever created. Having said all that, I'd never own any other dog.

Before you pick the pup, you have to mark the pup. Take different color electrical ties and put a different color tie on each pup's neck. Separate the males and females. You're not interested in the males. Test only the females. They'll always fool you at this age; the females will always be ahead of the males but they'll catch up later.

Testing. Sit on the kennel floor and see which pups crawl all over you. They probably all will. Note which ones stay with you the longest and which lose interest and wander off. Now roll one over on it's back. It'll fight and squirm around. Time it and see how long is fights before it plain gives up. Record the color of tie and time. Have three puppy
bumpers with you. Test each pup alone. Throw one bumper and see if pup retrieves it. If it does, hold the pup and throw two bumpers 180 degrees from each other. Does pup bring one back and immediately leave to get the other one? Make a note of it. Don't throw the bumpers more than 10-15 feet. If it get's two, try three. Throw them like an inverted
T. One straight out, one to each side. Turn pup loose. See if it remembers all three or only two of them. Make a note. Now introduce a clip wing pigeon with it's wing's and feet taped so it can't move around. Throw the bird and see what the pup does. Does he go right out, grab it and return? Is he afraid of it? Does he ignore it? Make notes.

See what we've done? We've found out which one is the people dog. We've found out who is the most tractable (by holding it on his back). We've found out who's the most intelligent by seeing who remembers the most bird's. We've seen who loves birds. In a nutshell, that's it. Pick the highest scoring pup and make him a great gun dog.

Last part is this. Save every cent of your money and buy the pup with the greatest field trial lineage you can find. Expect to pay $800.00 to $1000.00 for him. He'll be worth it.
_________________


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Thanks for the info. but all I can care less about field trails. Im not trying to be an a$$, but I hate field trails. Really good advice from everyone thank you.


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## BROWNDOG (Nov 2, 2004)

blhunter3 said:


> Thanks for the info. but all I can care less about field trails. Im not trying to be an a$$, but I hate field trails. Really good advice from everyone thank you.[/quote
> 
> Not trying to be an *** either but HATE is a strong word, I can't imagine anyone hateing a FT . Have you ever ran one ? Have you ever seen one? Have you ever sat in a chair for 8 hours and thrown birds at one? Have you ever trained with dog that ran FT? If you can't answer yes to any of these questions, try it you will be amazed at the work being done. Whether you ever participate in a FT or HT, be thankfull there are people running them, most if not ALL good dogs have linnage back to them.


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## gonehuntin' (Jul 27, 2006)

blhunter3 said:


> Thanks for the info. but all I can care less about field trails. Im not trying to be an a$$, but I hate field trails. Really good advice from everyone thank you.


A field trial dog makes the finest hunting animal on the face of this earth. This test determines a fine hunting dog a well as a fine field trial dog.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

My reason for hating them, is... I house sit for a couple that shelters FT burnout dogs. It is sickening how shatty their life is. The dogs are ruined as hunting dogs just because of some trail. All in all they have had 5 dogs. All from different places and all dogs are the same. :eyeroll: 
Yeah hate is a strom word, but when a FT dog is a burn out it has three options, put to sleep, crank babies out like no tomorrow, or get taken in by some one else. Maybe this is not what really happens, but until I see otherwise I will continue to hate them.


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## BROWNDOG (Nov 2, 2004)

blhunter3 said:


> My reason for hating them, is... I house sit for a couple that shelters FT burnout dogs. It is sickening how shatty their life is. The dogs are ruined as hunting dogs just because of some trail. All in all they have had 5 dogs. All from different places and all dogs are the same. :eyeroll:
> Yeah hate is a strom word, but when a FT dog is a burn out it has three options, put to sleep, crank babies out like no tomorrow, or get taken in by some one else. Maybe this is not what really happens, but until I see otherwise I will continue to hate them.


Wow that was a very interesting view.

I think the term you are looking for here is "Washout" not burnout.. I guess I have not seen a FT washout ever go to a shelter, most of them go on to be great hunting/ family pets and live the good life, and being sold for a fraction of the cost that has been put into them. I know of a couple right now that will most likely make someone the best hunting dog they ever imagined. They just don't have the skills or the personallity to deal with the situations put in front of them as they progress.

I honestly don't know of any that had to be put to sleep, and I don't know where you are going with the crack baby comment ( would you care to elaberate??) . Bottom line there are very few dogs that can excell at that level, just like any other sport you have to make cuts , not every one can be on the team. Some go on to be HT dogs , some go on to be hunting dogs and some go on to be very well behaved and trained pets.

To some it may seem like a tough life for a dog living on a truck in a 2x4 hole all winter, but to alot of these dogs it is all about picking up birds. I know my young dog would rather be on a truck getting birds every day in the winter than laying here on the couch getting his ears scratched.

You never did answer any of my questions from my previous post..

You say you hate FT but if you want to put the odds in your favor on getting the best hunting dog you can you will buy from FT stock or better yet buy one of them burnouts.........


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## gonehuntin' (Jul 27, 2006)

OK, I call BULLSIHIT. A washed out field trial dog is simply a dog that has been sent home to the owner because they don't have the tractability or natural ability to become a field trial dog. They have not been abused or destroyed to become a field trial dog.

The fact is, trainers usually have a long waiting list of people wanting these washouts because they have been raised by a family in a home and are well socialized, and in their training they have been made handling retrievers. Once they also learn to quarter, they become the finest hunting animal around.

You HAVE NOT seen field trial washouts. You have seen abandoned or abused lab's, but what you have not seen is field trial washouts. Very few people could afford to own five of them because they are fairly expensive dog's to buy.


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## Fosse (Jan 5, 2007)

:bs:

I must also throw the BS flag on the play.

WASHOUTS are every thing and more that gonehuntin' has said. I know many people that own gun dogs that look for these dogs and these dogs only to own. They are not thrown into shelters, they are sold for $5000+.

Please come to this forum with facts and not rumors to slander people and thier traning. Alot of false info on this site the last week or so.. :roll:


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

So what I have seen with my own eyes, and have house sit them is all a lie. These dogs where kept is a crate until they we they needed for training. Well I guess my eyes are lying.

Well I have learned alot about getting a dog. Now I just need to save the money. Thank you.


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