"Pickin' Pups"
by Steve Smith
I think most of us, given the option, would prefer to have the pick of the litter when it's time to get a new pup, I know I do, and once I paid extra ahead of time for the right to do that.
But most breeders and pro trainers say it's more important to "pick the litter" rather than get the pick of the litter. If the bloodlines are good, all the pups are going to share the same gene pool, so you could almost close your eyes and pick a puppy and be safe.
But we don't, do we? We look them all over and play with them, and see who's shy and who's outgoing, and finally make our choice.
You've probably heard about this test or that test to determine a pup's disposition, but one method I got from an old-time breeder-trainer is to take a pup at six or seven weeks, put it on its back, and hold it there. If it doesn't struggle much or at all, it may be too docile for your needs. If it struggles and yelps and doesn't stop, it may be too hard for an amateur to train easily. You may want the one that struggles for a bit, and then submits and lies still. That may be the one with the drive to be a good hunter, and the disposition to accept your training.
Of course, if you do have the pick of the litter, you can test all the pups, can't you?
“A Few Words on Selecting and Training a Labrador”
by Larry Dablemont
(The following was written for his book, “Memories From a Misty Morning Marsh” and I would encourage you to check it out. The article is printed on this website with his permission.)
I'll be the first to concede that I'm no expert on retrievers, and I'm not a very good dog trainer either. But I've raised a number of Labrador puppies over the past thirty some years and I've learned a few things here and there which might be of help to you if you aren't yet an expert either. First of all, Labradors were developed a long time ago primarily to swim out into the cold water off the east coast of Canada to retrieve the tow ropes of ships coming into a harbor. They were developed as heavy-bodied animals with stamina and strength... the body mass to help them take the cold water temperatures. Therefore, they originated as highly intelligent, heavy dogs in the 80 to 100 pound range, and they were retrievers. I'm sure it didn't take much to get them to retrieve ducks instead of tow ropes.
They were recognized as a distinct breed only about 1904, which is probably about the time they came into their own as duck dogs for market hunters. But Labs weren't the first choice of those commercial hunters who made their living selling ducks. Those men preferred the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and with good reason. The Chessie was a very aggressive and protective dog, built like a Lab with a longer and wavier coat, and a real attitude. They would sit in the back of a pick-up and guard the whole truck with their lives. If you walked by and looked inside at the contents, you'd best keep your distance. Pick up one of those ducks or decoys and you might lose an arm.
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Chessies are a little more powerful than Labs, with somewhat greater stamina.. prone to be a one man dog, and darned independent. I remember trying to photograph a Chesapeake Bay Retriever once holding a blue-winged teal. He'd hold it awhile, and then put it down. His owner kept putting it back in his mouth so I could get more pictures. After three or four times, the dog got tired of it, and growled menacingly at his owner. The guy patted his dog's head and responded, "whatever you say". That's the way it is with Chessies. Individuals I have seen have been friendly and outgoing, but the breed as a whole is made of hard working, tough, no-nonsense dogs.
The Labrador's popularity has risen from his entirely different attitude. He likes everybody, and if you'll throw a stick for him, he'll go home with you. The kids can pull his ears, the baby can crawl all over him, and you can yell at him and he'll lick your hand. He has the nose to find birds with the best of them course. He loves the cold water, and he loves to retrieve.
And remember something, he IS a retriever. The breed was developed for that purpose. I know about the pointing Labs, and you can have them. Some are the results of past Labrador and German Short-Hair crosses.
My pointing dog is an English setter, and I have no reason to try to make him into a stock dog. Why would I want my Lab to point? He could never outpoint that setter. And the setter won't charge out in that cold water and swim down a crippled mallard. Labradors over the years have been bred to be smaller and faster, for the field trial people, and rangier because of the pointing dog ancestry which no one will own up to. The old-style, heavy, blocky hunting dogs are strong and slower, with big, blocky heads and bodies. And they are low-keyed and intelligent, they sit down in a duck blind or family room and stay put and behave themselves. You may prefer the field trial Labs and the pointing Labs, but I don't. I wouldn't have one! I want the dogs like the ones you saw in the hunting magazines 40 or 50 years ago. I don't have time for field trials and dog shows, my Labs and I spend our time hunting. And I don't want any ribbons or trophies, I want days afield and priceless memories.
On occasion, I hunt pheasant and grouse with my Labradors. I want them to hunt close, flush tight sitting birds within range and allow no cripple to escape. A Labrador which points is as unnatural as a coonhound that chases rabbits and a fast Labrador is about as useful as a fast beagle. I like all three colors of the breed, black, chocolate or yellow. Those who are trying to breed red ones or white ones belong in the same category as those who breed pointing Labs.
You can't know a thing about a Lab's hunting qualities according to his color. In fact, on occasion there will be pups of all three colors from one litter. The chromosome that determines color isn't linked to the ones which determine temperament, nose or the retrieving instinct. You'll be told, by someone who raises yellow Labs, that chocolate dogs have this and that problem, and then perhaps hear, from someone trying to sell you a black puppy, that the yellow dogs are more likely to become blind, or have arthritis or retrieve terrapins instead of ducks, but take all that with a grain of sand or salt or the baloney that it is.
I've seen great dogs of all colors and I've seen worthless dogs of all colors. What he will be isn't determined by color. Although I might say that chocolate and yellow labs should not be interbred, because yellow Labs with chocolate parents have a tendency to have the liver pigment in nose and eye-rings. Yellow dogs should retain black noses, so breed yellow to black or black to chocolate if you wish, but don't breed chocolate and yellow.
Don't ever buy a hunter a puppy for a gift unless you know about hunting Labs yourself and what to look for. If distant pedigree means a lot to you, that's fine, but I go by the parents and I couldn't care less how many champions there are in his ancestry. The very best of the Labradors never got into any championship competition. If the sire and dam are both the kind of Labs I want I'll probably find puppies in their litter I'm really going to like. If a six week old pup carries things around in his mouth, and will chase a rolled up sock a few feet and pick it up, I'm impressed with that kind of puppy.
Don't pick a big, fat slow one, and don't pick a runt. Watch for well-built, outgoing, happy, bouncy little pups that run out of the kennel and tug on your shoe-laces. Out of the kennel, he should use his nose as he explores his surroundings, and carry a leaf in his mouth when he comes across it. He should be well-proportioned, with a short, sleek pelt and a blocky, short nose, short ears and otter tail which he holds straight. If you can't see both parents, beware. And if you don't like one of the two, think twice about getting the pup.
Puppies should be wormed at three to four weeks, then again at six weeks. First shots should be given at six to seven weeks, then again at nine weeks and twelve weeks. If you take a young puppy to a vet's office, you are taking a chance that he will pick up a disease there. The sickest dogs in the country come there every day, and I believe there's a better chance of a puppy getting parvo in a vets office than anywhere else.
Buy the shots from your vet and give the pup all three at home. Then if you want the puppy checked out, take him to the vet a couple of weeks after his last shot. When he gets his rabies shots at five or six months, he should have a booster to his puppy shots which includes a vaccine against leptosclerosis. And you should get a guarantee against hip dysplasia and any other genetic problems. Anyone who sells you a puppy should also give you thirty day money-back guarantee as long as the puppy is returned healthy. I've always done that, and it gives people who buy a pup from me the assurance that I have confidence in the puppies I raise. And you'll know within thirty days if you've got a puppy you can make into a hunter.
You'll probably have to have a kennel, because you need to keep your dog up when you have to be at work, or can't have him with you. Keep him in it when you have to, but as little as possible. Make the kennel as large and roomy as possible and be sure that at least 60 percent of it is soft ground. Gravel part of it, not all of it. If possible, don't let your Labrador spend one hour of his life on concrete or pavement because those hard surfaces will hurt his joints and muscles. I know it's easier to keep clean, but you spend a day on concrete and you'll understand why I won't have it except for a whelping kennel.
On occasion, a puppy has to be returned. I had one returned when a child was allergic to it, another one was brought back when the new owner found out it wasn't house-broken at seven weeks. She said she didn't know they would pee that often! Both puppies were resold and made fine dogs, although the latter one still has to pee every four or five hours. He became a big high-dollar drug dog with a local sheriff's department.
Pick your puppy and take it home between 45 and 49 days, and immediately begin playing with it if you want a hunting dog. Spend ten minutes each evening rolling an old sock or tennis ball around, and watch how quickly he begins to retrieve. Make him come to you with his prize, --don't ever go after him. He'll lose interest quickly when he's young, so don't push it. Quit and try again the next evening. You can take him hunting when he's eight or ten months old and he'll look like a champion on one occasion and a real dud on another. Remember that before he goes out! Real training begins after six months of age, up until then you are just playing so act like it, don't get too harsh with the pup. In time, you have to know that he isn't bothered by a shotgun blast. When you are sure he isn't afraid of the shotgun blast, past six months of age and he's physically big and strong enough to go, take him hunting with you.
What makes a good hunting dog of any breed is lots of hunting. A Lab which gets out and watches lots of ducks go down, becomes a good hunting dog if he has anything in him... what you have to teach him to do first is to obey you. Nothing works until that is accomplished. He should come to you on command, sit and stay at least-- beside you.... though young dogs won't stay long when you leave them. Teach him to heel, bring a dummy and drop it at your command. That's all basic stuff that isn't hard to teach him. Teaching him to respond to hand signals and whistles is a great deal more complicated.
I don't think much of sending a good Lab to a trainer, because for every good one there's a half dozen bad ones, and the good ones don't have time for you. The bad ones do! A Lab is so smart, anyone can train a good one. Find some training books and read them thoroughly! I recommend one -called TRAINING A RETRIEVER by James Lamb Free, or Richard Wolters' book, WATER DOG. There are others, so read several if you can. Get lots of opinions. I wish I could say more about training a good hunting Labrador, but that's another book, and unfortunately, my Labs become good hunting dogs in spite of me, rather than because of me. But as I said, a dog that gets to go hunting a lot, and sees it all happen, becomes a retriever eventually, if he's got it in him.
I made the mistake of letting old Rambunctious get too old before I started trying to make a new hunting dog to take his place. I did that because Ram didn't like other dogs interfering with his hunting. But when your hunting Labrador reaches eight or nine years old and you begin to see him slow down and age, start a young dog which you can take along. The older dog will help you train him. It is amazing what a young dog learns just by hunting with an older retriever that knows what he is doing.
Remember, if you can, what I keep forgetting.... It takes while to see a young Lab mature and reach his potential. some of the best take two or three years to get there. Training books will help you with the various problems you encounter, and it helps to ask the advice of someone who owns a good Lab. But don't take the advice of someone who has a poor one!
Remember this: the best hunting dogs are someone's best partners, buddies, pals. As I write this, Lad is lying beside my desk, so close I can reach down and scratch his ears. He sleeps on his own rug beside my bed, he goes to town in my pick-up when it's cool enough, and he goes to the lake with me for a swim or a fishing trip when there isn't a duck with 40 miles. Sometimes he gets half my sandwich in the duck blind, and he likes his coffee with cream and sugar. If you had a Lab that would retrieve three ducks at once and could shoot his own limit, I wouldn't trade, and one of these days, when I bury him out there beside old Ram and Freckles and Beau and the other great dogs I've owned, I'll do it by myself, so no one can see the tears.
That bond begins when you take your Lab home as a puppy sitting on the seat beside you with his head on your lap... not inside a crate in the back where his first experience away from the litter has him scared and confused. If that bond develops and he's not always shut up in a kennel, but going places with you and sitting beside you while you read this book and explain it to him... you'll have an easier job ahead of you. I tell folks who come to buy a puppy from me that I can pick the pup which will turn out to be the best dog on the day he is born. It will be the one which gets the most time and attention and love, all other things being the same. If your Lab is a part of your family, you'll lose a lot fewer ducks because of it. And your wife won't worry about you near as much when you go hunting, because she knows she can always trust your Labrador!