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where should i get my hunting buddy?

2K views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  AnonymousDuck 
#1 ·
Hello guys. So I'm looking at getting a puppy next yr. Any one have a good recemmondation on a good breeder? I'm open to going to Idaho or Oregon to if I have to. I'm looking for a dog that will be a good hunting dog that will be hunting primarily waterfowl but also do a little bit of upland hunting then at the end of the day be a good family dog, I've got a young daughter so the last part is a must. That is for the help guys!
 
#3 ·
The good news is you have a lot of good breeders in Washington producing very good labs. The bad news is you'll have to sort through them to find the best fit for you.

Personally, I bought my new pup from Wind River Labs in Ephrata. http://www.windriverlabs.com/
I wanted a dog that would rather die than quit on a retrieve and that's just what I got. You may be different than me.
You'll find the majority of lab breeders have terrible websites, here's the exception, he has an excellent website.
http://www.longhollowretrievers.com/

A few more breeders I've either hunted over their dogs or heard good things about.
http://www.pointinglabs.com/pages/home
http://www.rockingmlabs.com/
http://www.blueskylabradors.com/

Just make sure to do your own research and buy a pup from a litter that you'll be happy with. You'll have him or her for a long time!
 
#4 ·
To all of you guys that recently purchased pups (seems like we've had quite a few this year), did you go and visit the kennel prior to putting down a deposit? As BbyD pointed out, we seem to have a lot of really good breeders and dog lines in our area, should I be visiting some of them to check out the sire/dam and trainer?
 
#7 · (Edited by Moderator)
Tool-man and Broker are right on point with Tiger Mtn and Longhollow. LH is the protege of TM and both guys are great to talk to and are in it for the right reasons. These dogs have much more natural talent than most kennels. If you're mostly waterfowl hunting you might want to talk to Ryan at LH. Here's my dog from TM!
IMG_0019 - Copy.jpg
. Long story short about my dog. I was a novice and crippled a bird. Dog was year and half old. Wouldn't call off. Crossed the Snake River. Tried to come back but had to rest. I freaked and drove 45 min to other side. Hiked 5 miles to crosspoint. Dog wasn't there. Pitch black out, couldn't find him. Got dads boat to go look for him before dawn. I pull in same spot i was hunting while waiting for dad. Pulled truck in and there sitting in the headlights was my dog. He had crossed back over when he saw me leave and stayed there till early morning. Like i said, i was a novice and will never make that mistake again but, goes to show what sort of dogs they have.
 

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#9 ·
SnoGeez said:
To all of you guys that recently purchased pups (seems like we've had quite a few this year), did you go and visit the kennel prior to putting down a deposit? As BbyD pointed out, we seem to have a lot of really good breeders and dog lines in our area, should I be visiting some of them to check out the sire/dam and trainer?
It sure couldn't hurt to visit some of the breeders. The problem is many won't have both parents there for you to see in person.

It might make more sense if you were going to have them train the dog as well. Then things like quality kennels, training grounds etc become more important.

Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong if you stick with the more well known (by duckhunters) breeders. They are all producing really nice dogs, just depends on what you are looking for in a dog.
 
#13 ·
An important question to ask yourself (IMO) is what kind of temperament are you looking for when you're NOT hunting and around the house? Sometimes we focus on all the hunting behavior, which is important too. But, what about the rest of the year? Do you want a fire cracker 24/7, a dog that's more relaxed in the house when you're not training or hunting? Or does it matter? Know the personality of a line is helpful for those non hunting days. People get focused so much on the dogs hunting ability they forget the rest of the year lol. Just some food for thought, if it helps great, if not no harm no foul. Good luck. :thumbsup:
 
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