Corpusfishing.com

Ol Sanch · Flour Bluffian in training Joined: 05 Jun 2006 Posts: 320

With the kids finally getting a little older I'll be purchasing a new dog coming up here in a year or so. I have narrowed the breads to either a Lab or a Golden Retriever. I was hoping to get some feed back from hunters who own those breeds, particularly the Golden. To give some background, I have two small boys, 2 and 4, so the dog needs to be a family dog. Inside/outside dog. I've never trained a dog before but I would plan to do the basic obedience stuff and possibly send him to be trained for retrieving. He won't need to be a master retriever but I'd want him to sit still while we're hunting and follow some hand commands. Mostly we hunt dove but I do get down to the ULM come duck season more and more. The smaller animal the better as far as I'm concerned. Not a big fan of hyper so the one that's more calm I'd likely prefer. Please tell me about grooming. That's probably my main concern with the Golden. Any feedback is appreciated.
_________________
Do you even fish, Bro?

Cricket · Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 12:25 pm Post subject:

I've always had labs so I'm partial. But my neighbor had a beautiful golden retriever. No question, ether will be great family dogs. But for my money if you want a family dog that will hunt, you get a Lab.

fairhunt1 · Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 12:31 pm Post subject:

Either one will do well for both family and hunting dog . I have always had labs and doubt I will ever change.
They just always want to please you. I have a yellow that is just coming 2 and still has alot of puppy in him . I had him at Best Retreivers in Paige Tex. for several months and also do some training myself.
He did well this past Jan. sits well watches birds etc.
The one thing that a golden is going to have issues on is grooming , in Texas they pick up every available burr known to man.
Good luck and let us know what you end up with .

TexGator · Flour Bluffian in training Joined: 22 May 2012 Posts: 429

X2 on the grooming issues with the Goldens. Just my own experience but Labs seem to be a little smarter across the board. Don't get me wrong I have seen some really smart Goldens but I have seen some dumb ones also. Never really seen a dumb lab all things being equal in regards to the owner and time taken with the animal.

deputydawg · Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 1:30 pm Post subject:

Both are great dogs. I had several Goldens thru the years so I'm kind of partial to them. I have been around and hunted over a lot of labs as well though. If you do a little research and pick from a good ancestory you can have a great hunter with a golden. Just like a lab though don't just pick a dog out of the newspaper and expect the best.

If you want a smaller animal think about a female. The big block head males can get pretty large. The best hunting golden I ever saw was dark colored ugly female but man she was on fire when it came to birds or any type of obedience work.

If you not a fan of hyper you may want to think again about getting a lab puppy. The lab guys may correct me but every one I have ever seen is in the "puppy"stage for the first couple of years. Full of energy, chewing, digging, and pretty much bouncing off the walls but eventual grow out of it. I guess that energy is part of what gives them their drive to hunt so its kind of a good thing but has really driven some friends crazy with their pups.

Labs win hands down when it come to grooming. The goldens will pick up the burs and need brushing especially when they come from a hunt. They will also "blow their coat" a couple times a year and shed bad but again its controlable.

One other thing you need to watch is the hips of the parents. Goldens can have very bad hips. Do a some research on what to look for and pay attention to the parents certifications. Again if you want a lasting companion don't just snatch up the first paper dog.

I hope you find the right pup for you and those boys!

Tyler · Site Admin Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 12865

Great Advice Deputy
_________________
Like Corpusfishing.com on Facebook!

Drake · Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 7:06 pm Post subject: Labs

Up front I will say I am a lab guy all the way. DD nailed it on all the points. But I have to stress the puppy stage issue with lads. Chocolates are a handfuls for two - 3 years. Yellows and black give them two years. Females train easier and tend to be smaller. Males are stronger and I think are generally a little tougher to fine tune.

You really can't miss with either breed.

Cricket · Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 8:47 am Post subject:

Drake is on the money with his advice. Nothing is any sweeter than a big ole female Lab and then the bonus is she is a hell of a hunter if you work with her and teach her. Retrieving will come naturally, but it's the obedience things starting at 7 weeks that you will want to work on. It won't take long until your wife will comment on how obedient you have gotten and the puppy will model you. :) All's good.