Home Forums Birds & Dogs Hunting Dogs Smaller Hunting Labs ???

Good looking dog there Passport.

Thanks He's my best bud. Love to hunt with just he and I.

+1 Throw in pointing labs with the color breeders too. Lots of great pointing breeds out there, no need to try making labs one of them. If you want a small dog, then buy a pup from a small breed. No sense in perpetuating a practice that is detrimental to a whole breed.

That's funny right there.

You are aware that each breed has a standard which equates to parameters that are set to maintain the look, conformation, and performance of the breed??? Breeding for non-breed standard colors, size, or skills pollutes the breed with individuals that will continue to deliver these non-standard qualities. If someone began breeding labs to have pointed ears like a German Shepard, for instance, would you see that as not being a problem? The standard is there to protect the breed, ignoring it does damage. Not sure why this is so hard to understand.

Well said ranger1.

My female lab weighs in at 55lbs and comes from pretty good hunting stock. At first I was a bit disappointed how small she ended up but her size has worked out well for not only our house but the overgrown cover I hunt in. What she lacks in size she more then makes up for with an incredible nose and desire to get after birds.



Resting near the wood stove after a day of Grouse hunting


as a pup

Someone earlier in this post mentioned a Boykin. I would second that and wouldn't think twice. I used to have one and he was a great dog. Loved water, was extremely affectionate, and always wanted to please you in his tasks.

I now have a black lab. He's also a great dog, but dammm if he doesn't take up a lot of space when you have to go somewhere. My lab isn't huge for labs...roughly 85 pounds. Compare that to the Boykin who weighed 47.

My lab, while a fetching machine (but is gun shy) is not a hunting dog. He weighs in at a svelt 65 pounds. Both of his parents are an honest 80+ ounds SOLID muscle.

Huntinaz (Jake) has his sister she is maybe 45 pounds or so?? Tiny female chocolate.

My male goes right around 60# in hunting trim without an ounce of fat. His mom is right around 50-55#'s. Absolutely bred true to breed and from some of the best bloodlines in the US. They are out there but most of the folks who are super anal on breeding and have the titles to prove it waiting lists and the pups go $1-2k

Well you lab purists can have them however you want them...I'm sticking with my spaniels for awhile If I venture away from spaniels again, it'll probably be for a bearded faced dog.

I've had Labs for some time now. Started with a great male out of Super Chief's line and I've kept it going for 3 generations. Last breeding was a female I had with a dog from Ducks Unlimited Dog of the Year's litter; Super Tanker line

Two of the males in my litter went 100 pounds plus while the females were all in the 55# range. I kept a female that was the litter's bully.





As you can see, the smaller Labs can take down a 6X6 and completely devour it down to the femurs.

Hahaha...see guys, little dogs kick ass. Plain and simple.

I think so.

I've hunted both. The dog above is lightning on retrieves and has all day stamina

That is a dog that is true to confirmation standard. Not a 35 to 45 pound Lab. Big difference.

rcamuglia,

That is indeed a fine looking Lab. Unfortunately, she came from a litter that produced 100 lb. males and so carries genes that are prone to produce animals that are far out of the confirmation standard for this breed.

Had he been a responsible breeder (and decent human being), the villan who commited such a crime against the breed would have killed the entire litter and the sire and dam. He would have caned anyone who expressed interest in the pups, burned his house and kennels and then, after writing a letter of apology to the world, hung himself.

RS

What do you think about the 100lb dogs in that same litter then?

Breeding animals, horses, dogs, whatever, requires that one behave responsibly. This is particularly true when we speak of registered animals. I'm thinking that this is going to be a shocker for you, but the registry and accompanying standards are there to preserve the breed. Breeding mini-labs, silver labs, pointing labs, etc. and then registering them, pollutes the breed with individuals that carry traits that are not within the standards of the breed. When/if those individuals are irresponsibly bred and the offspring are registered, the breed slides further down the slope of destruction. It has happened to many different breeds, it will likely happen to labs, and it's a shame. Guys like you are second only to the irresponsible breeders in creating the problem (color breeders, no genetic testing, no hip/eye/elbow check, no hunting skill, etc.). Buy a nice springer if you want a small retriever/flusher. If you want a larger dog, then by all means, buy a lab!!

Might not be the best gun dog around, but he LOVED watching me canoe the head on this coyote...

Folks seem really down on breeders breeding smaller labs, but no problems with the 100 pounders? From the AKC:



If my math is correct, 100lbs is 20lbs over 80lbs. If that's acceptable, then 45lbs for a dog(or 35lbs for a bitch) should be also be acceptable to those same people. I'd much rather a dog be under a breed standard than over. An over-sized dog is going to have more health issues than a smaller one 99% of the time.