There isn't a breed of dog that you can't train to do what it is that you want.
A gun dog doesn't need to be a Lab, Chessie or other known water or gun dog breeds. If you're willing to put in the time and have the attutude that you will get the dog to do it, you can take a pound puppy mut and have a dog that will give you years of hunting companionship and retrieve to hand as well as it can.
It's like comparing a VW Bug to a BMW 7 series. There is no comparisons other than both will get you from point A to point B. Blood lines hold true if you really get into the game as I have. We have both the backyard Lab in Sugar that I love with all my heart and the high performance machine in Tango.
Sugar can hunt with any dog, but there are lots of holes in her game that will never be filled. It's on me to except these and enchance the attributes she that she does have.
As for the high end dog like Tango. It's only the trainer that can really screw her up (me). She's a sponge, so much so that what took Sugar 3-4 weeks to pick up, Tango picks up in 3-4 training sessions. There is the basic difference. Both are registered AKC dogs, but it the blood lines that you need to look at.
If all you can afford is a rescued dog, don't give up because there is nothing wrong with that. But understand, saving your pennies and buying a blood line that list Field Champions on the paper is a whole whole other world.
Be it AKC Test, a hunting dog or a house dog you need to start from with the basics. That will be the next post.
All the best-
Joe
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Quality Time:
One of my passions is the outdoors. Another is my family and my friends. My greatest experiences are when these passions come together and blend into something that you might not recognize at first, but your eyes eventually open. That’s when you know you’re on the right path and everything else that comes your way is gravy.
This past weekend, life allowed me this opportunity to bring together my family with my passion of waterfowl hunting. With the candle lit on both ends in all of our lives – it’s so important to stop and cherish these moments. Pushing yourself is a good thing, but when you push yourself out of sight of what is important is when you’ve got to pull up on the e-brake and stop.
Peytra, my beautiful 10 year old daughter had spent the afternoon with me, a few friends and Sugar, our Chocolate Lab, in the duck blind for first time. It was just one of those moments that happen too infrequently when everything is right in the world. We all have these snippets of time and memories, but the unfortunate thing is that we’re all guilty of not really grasping on the meaning. For all the mistakes that my father made as a parent - I forgive him and assure myself, these moments will never evade me.
Through Peytra’s eyes I got to see all the things that mean something special to me. Just the simple joy of sitting next to her in a damp, musty, wet dog smelling duck blind talking and laughing was priceless. How she, at 10 years old can interact with buddies and shared her great sense of humor and a laugh that brightens my every day. Laure, we’ve done not a good job with her, but we’ve done a great job. Proud of all the girls in our little family and the people they are becoming.
Take in the moments, however small they may seem at the time – because the time is all too short. The funny thing is that I found just how wealthy I am in a damp duck blind with a 10 year old, a few buddies and a wet Labrador retriever. I’m a better man because of all of these moments.
This past weekend, life allowed me this opportunity to bring together my family with my passion of waterfowl hunting. With the candle lit on both ends in all of our lives – it’s so important to stop and cherish these moments. Pushing yourself is a good thing, but when you push yourself out of sight of what is important is when you’ve got to pull up on the e-brake and stop.
Peytra, my beautiful 10 year old daughter had spent the afternoon with me, a few friends and Sugar, our Chocolate Lab, in the duck blind for first time. It was just one of those moments that happen too infrequently when everything is right in the world. We all have these snippets of time and memories, but the unfortunate thing is that we’re all guilty of not really grasping on the meaning. For all the mistakes that my father made as a parent - I forgive him and assure myself, these moments will never evade me.
Through Peytra’s eyes I got to see all the things that mean something special to me. Just the simple joy of sitting next to her in a damp, musty, wet dog smelling duck blind talking and laughing was priceless. How she, at 10 years old can interact with buddies and shared her great sense of humor and a laugh that brightens my every day. Laure, we’ve done not a good job with her, but we’ve done a great job. Proud of all the girls in our little family and the people they are becoming.
Take in the moments, however small they may seem at the time – because the time is all too short. The funny thing is that I found just how wealthy I am in a damp duck blind with a 10 year old, a few buddies and a wet Labrador retriever. I’m a better man because of all of these moments.
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