Pondering a pup!

Well, we’re finally pretty well settled in to the new house here in Rochester and we’ve started the puppy conversation. Tossed a bit between a Chessie and a Lab.

We’re looking for a field/water waterfowling dog(possibly pheasants) equally as much as adding it as a family member that we can enjoy and take camping/fishing/playing in the yard/whatever with us.

My dad had a Chessie when I was growing up and while he was kinda bull headed he was great family dog and loved waterfowling. Dad got him when I was 4 and an only child and the dog passed away when I was 13 and had 2 younger siblings. Tons of great memories with him at the lake with all us kids as well as the few years I got to hunt with him.

The scenario for us is pretty good, the FW works from home, we have a good sized lot with a large grassland area behind and grassland with a small marshy area/pond across the road from us.

This will be our first dog as a family, I’ve hunted over both as well as Goldens and I’ve seen good and….not so good dogs. Chessies that wouldn’t water retrieve, labs with no drive, pro trained dogs that were out performed by barely trained couch potato pooches etc etc.

Labs are super popular and there are tons of breeders….what do I look for/ask to make sure I am working with a good one?

Chessies are a lot less popular with fewer breeders. I only know a couple people that own/owned them you just don’t see many…which coupled with my good childhood experience kind of adds something to the idea of having a Chessie.

Thoughts from my fellow IDOers??

buckshot wrote:

Labs are super popular and there are tons of breeders….what do I look for/ask to make sure I am working with a good one?

There’s the problem with labs. Tough to sort out the good from the bad because every Tom, Richard, and Harry thinks they can breed a good lab.

buckshot wrote:

Chessies are a lot less popular with fewer breeders. I only know a couple people that own/owned them you just don’t see many…which coupled with my good childhood experience kind of adds something to the idea of having a Chessie.

I think it’s a good idea to talk with multiple breeders and get references. Call people and ask them all about their dogs and about the breeder. Only you know what you’re looking for, and if something trips a red flag in your mind, keep looking.

Breed-specific clubs can be a good starting place, as can dog shows. The Land O’ Lakes show is coming up the weekend of January 7th in St. Paul. Especially when you’re looking for a less-common breed, it can be a good way to make contact with owners and/or breeders and meet multiple dogs.

If it ever came to it and you wanted to look at a Brit Lab get in touch with me as I can put you in touch where I got mine. Lots of great options out there. Fun times! RR

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Chessies are great dogs and do well even in the extreme cold. They can be a more stubborn breed, however. They can also be very grouchy, but that can be trained out of most any dog. In all the Chessies I’ve been around, I have yet to see a bad one. They are great family dogs and people who own them talk nothing but good about them.

Between the two dogs you are debating, it would be tough to decide between a true Brit lab or a Chessie. Both have great drive and strive in all sorts of situations. Specially at being a couch hog right by your side…

Can’t go wrong with either, and any dog is what it is trained to do. Some may have a better nose, or drive but that is usual (not always) a marginal difference that can be made up for with training. I’m partial to labs, as that’s what I’ve always had, and they take training well. The only experience with a Chessie I had was a neighbors growing up on the farm, and as you stated that thing was a bull. In fact one duck opener they locked it up in the barn so it wouldn’t jump the pond early, and it knocked the 20 foot barn door off it’s hinges. That door hitting the ground made sure there were no ducks on the pond…

Brings back memories….. neighbor had a Chessie when I was a kid. Put me or any other kid that got too close to their property line on their backside. He loved to ambush you.

Never bit or growled, just knocked you on your butt. Never bothered adults.

Must have been > 80 lbs. What a brute.

If Chessies bring fond memories then I say go for it. Labs are easier to obtain but you may be that much happier with your decision if getting a chessie is a challenge. Always nice to hear somebody exited about getting a dog.

My vote is chocolate lab. Best dog I’ve ever had and I’ve also had yellow lab and a couple of shorthairs. In picking a breeder I’d look for one that might also do some training. But not do the training without you. My trainer met with me every week and he trained me as much as the dog. We had weekly homework which really created the bond between Jake and I. A smart lab will have a bigger vocabulary than most kids these days.

if you decide to go the chessie route. Check my buddy Craig Kline out at Fischers kennels in Albany Minnesota up by st.cloud. He has unbelievable chessies. Fischers has trained a handful of dogs for me and I have been pleased with them all.

Thanks for the replies!!
I’ve reached out to the places suggested above and via PM so I’m excited to hear back from them on what they have planned for litters this coming year.

I vote for Chessies! I always have and always will! Yes they are hard headed dogs but once you get them trained they are unbelievably smart and fantastic hunting dogs. Very loyal family dogs as well. My whole family has chessies and we have zero issues with them. They are harder to find good breeders for but that makes it so there aren’t so many puppy mills. They can get some hip problems in their older years but so can labs. I also think that they don’t have quite as long of a wild streak when they are little as labs do. My current chessie was retrieving at 8 weeks and he is still going strong despite him about to turn 10 in April. I don’t know how many ducks, pheasants and grouse he has retrieved for me but it is a ton. I have hunted with him in -10 degree weather and he will go jump in the half frozen river to go get my duck with no hesitation and does just fine. I can go on and on about them but here are some pictures of my buddy.

Great question, and as far as a breed, this is completely up to you, and we all have our personal favorites based on past performance, breed specifics, personalities, etc. I would not own a lab if you gave it to me, but I am far from the norm in this situation. The dog that each person has is the greatest breed/dog in the history of the world

The bare minimum for me is to have all hips and eyes certified. This eliminates any of the “backyard breeders” because a dog needs to be a couple years old to be certified, and it is very expensive (a couple grand for the male and female). If a breeder does not want to spend the money for this, they can be eliminated. Getting a new dog is hopefully a minimum of 10 years, and I want to stack the deck in my favor as much as possible.

I also want to see the papers on both parents and grandparents and get an understanding of the type of dog they are, i.e. drive, endurance, body type (with labs especially there are huge size differences through the breed). See if they have any hunt papers or advanced certifications. These can all help point you to a dog that fits your personality/style. Also check out if this breeding has been done before and how those pups turned out. Contact people who have the breeders dogs and see what they say. Take your time and do your research. Don’t jump onto the first person you talk to, or be convinced to get a dog because the breeder has it for sale right now. I also check how many dogs they have sold in the past year as I don’t want to buy from a puppy mill. The breeder should ALWAYS put the best interests of the breed, and then the dog first.

After you have done all your homework, and it does take a ton of time, go to the site and meet the breeder and see their dogs. If possible watch them work and see how they interact. There are many breeders that look great online, but their facilities are not what you want to see.

After all this, get your name on a list for the next breeding that you want (may not be the next available), and get your home set up for a new puppy! Decide how you want to train (you vs pro) and if you choose to do it yourself, read up on different methods and theories. A dog is only as good as the training it is given, and consistency is more important than anything else.

Good luck and post pictures.

Farmboy1 how can you say to eliminate a back yard breeder cause they don’t have there dogs tested. So you are saying we don’t get are dogs tested? Well I’m a backyard breeder and all my dogs get hips,eyes,elbows, and Eic tested. I have sold many dogs to people on Ido and have had nothing but great results. Also still keep in contact with a ton of people that have got a dog from me. I understand somethings you say with looking at pedigree and so fourth. But to say eliminate a back yard breeder is wrong. Many great dogs have come from me and I have raised some good ones as well from a back yard breeder. My best dog came from a blank pedigree of on both sides and tested perfect on everything out there. If anything I would be skeptical of some breeders out there that do it for a living they are out to make a buck. I myself do it cause I love labs and my parents always did litters when I was growing up. The tradition has carried on and I take the money I make and put it in my kids accounts for collage or whatever they decide to do with it some day. And for what u make on them after all the work. I could make just as much installing a couple furnaces on the side. But I love labs and it’s a great experience for my kids.

I choose to try to stack the deck in my favor, and that means I want to see the dog tested for anything and everything I can before I get it. I know there are a lot of great dogs that have not been tested, but I personally would not do it because it takes a chance on that dog having a genetic problem, and this is a risk that I am simply not willing to take. I stand behind my belief that if they do not have hips and eyes certified, I would not get a dog from that breeder. I can certainly not eliminate everything by doing this, and it does not mean there are not great dogs without these tests, but it does give me a sense that I am getting the best dog I can, and it will be by my side for many years.

I am not saying that all small breeders are bad, or that their dogs are poor, or that they do not get the certifications on them. I used the term “backyard breeder” to mean the guy who breeds their dog to the neighbor dog because they happen to meet at the wrong time, not the guy who takes the time and effort necessary to have a great litter, but only does it once or twice a year. These are 2 completely different situations IMHO.

I think you took it as a personal attack, and that was not the way it was meant at all. These are my personal beliefs, and how I approached getting a dog. Take it for what its worth

So, I’ve spoken to and or met a couple different breeders and trainers. I ran across a trainer that came highly recommended by a guide I know that has gotten several dogs from him.

He isn’t a breeder but has connections all over the country. I talked to him about what we were looking for and he was incredibly helpful and freely shared tons of info and was completely unassuming that I’d work through him for training or securing a pup. It really felt like the most important thing to him was providing me with as much knowledge as he could to help me make a good decision no matter where I go.

He did have a line on a potential litter so I’ve already spoken to both the M and F owners about the dogs, their certifications, demeanors, size, on/off switch etc etc.

Should be working through getting a deposit set up this week to secure one of the pups. Really excited about adding a new member to the family.
Thanks for all the info everyone!!

Gotcha. No worries I get what your saying. Ya guys dog gets knocked up by Fido down the street and he thinks he can get 1000 a dog. I see where you are coming from. Hope you had a great holiday.
Matt.

Ottertailretreivers.com. I got the name from somebody on this site and got one of their labs. I have never been happier with a dog. Gentle and trainable. 7 months old retrieves to hand with very little correction necessary. Good with the kids too.

I got one from them as well. She is 11 months old and just a great dog. Fox red lab.