Lab/Pit Mix Hunter

[odustbrown]

Anyone have any experience with hunting lab/pit mixes? I'm not talking about a trials dog or anything. Just a hunting buddy.

My daughter took in a stray that showed up at her house about a year ago. Based on looks, our best guess was pit. She doesn't have any of the personality traits of a pit though. Last spring her neighbor's black lab got across the fence, and then came the puppies. She was so nervous about being able to place them all, so my wife suggested we take one. My daughter kept the runt and placed the rest, including the one that came to us. She also got the mother speyed, thank God.

My last lab was a great working dog, but she developed an autoimmune disorder at about 2-1/2 yrs. She couldn't hunt anymore and only lived for about another year. I never put much thought into getting another after she died.

As the new puppy got bigger I noticed that she has a lab build and friendly, playful disposition. Well that got my wheels a turning. She's taken well to basic obedience training and will get in the water without a second thought. I'm trying to decide how far to go with training her, and whether or not I'm gonna put her through force breaking. I don't wanna put her through that if she doesn't have a chance.

Let me know if any of you guys have had success training a lab/pit mix to hunt.

Thanks.

[HNTFSH]

I don't recall anyone here specifically with a Lab/Pit cross. You can try if you want but no one can say if you and the dog will be successful with it. It's kind of like hoping a plow horse will run like a thorough bred. There's a lot to be said for genetics and having them on your side training a dog to actually work. Probably wouldn't mess with force fetch...if the dog won't pick-up and fetch birds to you without it, maybe that's a sign.

Proper gun intro and really strong distraction obedience (after establishing good general obedience) might be the place to start?

JMHO - training a good gun dog takes a real commitment so starting with the right equipment works out better than experiments most of the time. But...my expectations may be different than yours.

[California Sprig]

Totally agree with HNTFSH. Get all the basics down first. I’d definitely stay away from force fetch until she has some basics and she shows significant potential for hunting. Does she readily retrieve bumpers, do water retrieves? Has she retrieved dead birds? Is she gun shy? If she shows potential go for it.

[Bluesky2012]

Force fetching a pit bull is very far down my bucket list.


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[ohio mike]

Force fetching a pit bull is very far down my bucket list.


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Yep mine too. You already have her and she's staying so give it a go. Can't do any worse then have a more obedient dog. It's all about the fun! Keep that in mind. You'll be the only judge she will ever have to please.

[HNTFSH]

Force fetching a pit bull is very far down my bucket list.


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Yep mine too. You already have her and she's staying so give it a go. Can't do any worse then have a more obedient dog. It's all about the fun! Keep that in mind. You'll be the only judge she will ever have to please.

Except for the other guys that may be in the marsh hunting.

[odustbrown]

Thanks for the replies fellas. The only indicator that she's got any pit is that we think her mom's at least part pit. I can't see any in her. That being said, I'm gonna need to have fast hands when I pinch that ear. I'll have to see a lot of natural potential and get a lot of feedback from the experienced guys before we force though.

[HNTFSH]

Thanks for the replies fellas. The only indicator that she's got any pit is that we think her mom's at least part pit. I can't see any in her. That being said, I'm gonna need to have fast hands when I pinch that ear. I'll have to see a lot of natural potential before we force though.

And the ability to take the pressure required for working dog training. Not necessarily force but the rigors and corrections. Dogs from unknown origins are a total crap shoot. To be fair to the dog.

[dogyak]

Agreed with HNTFSH , it's a crap shoot . But , who knows unless you try . Some have gotten mutt's that have worked out . I do recall Chris Atkins had a pit that would mark singles like a champ and retrieved them with gunfire , while remaining steady until released . So , go for it ! Let us know how it turns out . Good luck

[RShockley]

I have seen one run as a test dog for an AKC senior test here in Texas. My best suggestion would be to find a training group and a good program to follow and give it a go. Checkout Bill Hillmann's Training a Retriever Puppy and Jackie Mertens Sound Beginnings. Both are great DVDs for getting a puppy started. I have worked with a few mixes, not pit mixes, and as long as you bring out the desired traits it can workout. No harm in giving it a try and seeing what you end up with. However, try not to fall into the trap of just saying the dog isn't going to work out just because you hit a tough spot in training. At the end of the day just go into it without expectations and the dog will ultimately be better of regardless how far they make it on the retrieving side of things.

[Rat Creek]

Force fetching a pit bull is very far down my bucket list.

[HNTFSH]