I'm considering buying a pretty expensive black lab for duck hunting.?

What all should I know/consider before making this purchase? I've owned/trained a lab before but nothing ever of this caliber. Please give me any and all suggestions and things to consider/look out for.I'm considering buying a pretty expensive black lab for duck hunting.?
If you purchased an adult dog that was either trained or even just started, you would not have to deal with isuues like ';WHAT IF?'; With an adult what you see is what you get, and that makes life alot easier. I purchase all my dogs between the ages of 18 months to 2 years that way I KNOW what I am getting into.I'm considering buying a pretty expensive black lab for duck hunting.?
If you're paying good money, make sure the puppy is from a hunting blood line. Heredetary traits include retrieval skills so if you want to guarantee retrieval skill, by all means pay for it.





The old English saying is that a puppy is like a piece of lined paper. You can write on it a bit but the lines are inherited, and always there.
Hey that is a great choice! Did you know that labs are the smartest when it comes to hunting! Stick with the Black lab or the yellow because they are the smartest only get a chocolate if you breed two black dogs and wind up with a chocolate pup then pick that one! We own a Kennel here where I live and my dad wound up breeding two black labs and got a chocolate dog that was the smartest dog we've ever had! And when you pick from the litter always carry what is called a dummy or a dead bird and play with the pups with it and witch ever one is the most interested in the bird and will carry it around every where he goes then that's the one you need to get!
Keep in mind that no dog is a sure thing when it comes to hunting. My cousin got a dog bred for hunting from a reputable breeder out west. The dog did great hunting when she lived out there. When my cousin brought her home she was very shy, acted like a totally different dog. After a few attempts at bringing her out hunting, it was apparent that it just wasn't meant to be. She's a family dog now. They have little personalities, just like people
Find out if the parents hunted. If they did ask how well they did with gunshots, cold water, retrieving, etc. Find out if they were hard to train as well. A good bit of a hunting dog's instincts are in place at birth but needs to be brought out. Some do better than others. When looking at potential puppies, see if they will fetch, bring back whatever you toss and release. That will be a good indicator as well.
This is the wrong place to be asking that type of question. You need to find a board dedicated to hunting and retrievers...





I would spend some time reading this board:


http://www.working-retriever.com/
If you plan to buy an ';expensive'; dog.


It should be AKC Champion sired or at least have Champ bloodlines. Call the breeder's vet %26amp; ask how well they care for their dogs, if the vet does a thorough checkup on the dam before, during %26amp; after she has pups, checks the pups by 2 days old, vet NOT breeder gives shots %26amp; worming. The dam %26amp; sire should have been tested for any %26amp; all possible defects the breed generally has. Then consider buying from them.


Do your homework. You may get a much better dog from a hunting dog rescue, it may even be pre-trained.
Be sure that you get the lab from a reputable breeder. Try to evaluate its genetics and history to analyze its temperament, just to be sure that it turns out to be the dog you wanted...And make sure that you get the dog when it is between 8-10 weeks old if you're getting a puppy. My golden retriever was sold to me too early from a horrible breeder. The poor dog has terrible seperation anxiety...so I'm rewarded with tons of destruction. She's one of those dogs that even though you love them, you wouldn't redo them!
Since you're looking for a hunting lab, concentrate on breeders that hunt and trial their dogs.





Check out the Labrador Retriever Club


http://thelabradorclub.com/





They have a breeders directory


http://thelabradorclub.com/breeders/inde鈥?/a>





It would also be a good idea to attend as many field trials and hunt tests as possible. This way you can get an idea of which breeders have dogs that work the way you're interested in, and also which breeders are likely to have the knowledge to be breeding good dogs and to help you with training if you need it.





You can use the AKC events search page to find trials and tests in your area.


https://www.akc.org/events/search/
I have a 11 mth old lab that was to be used for hunting too. Paid almost 800. She was supposed to be introduced to some things for hunting, well when we got her home, she is gun shy, wants nothing to do with it. So I guess just make sure they are either already trained and of course good health, you never know what your dog will do once it gets home!!! I love her either way though even if she doesnt want to hunt. Just make sure they are from a good breeder!and trained a bit!!
I have had two Field Trial Labs before. They are amazing, but can be higher strung than your average lab.





My dog was trained early on around guns, loud noises and lots of fun retrieval games.





Just look for a reputable field trial breeder and read up. It does require a lot of work, but they are so incredibly smart!





Just don't accidently shoot him, Dick Cheney style!