Originally Posted by low wall
Originally Posted by TickaTicka
The cost of the puppy is the smallest expense in raising a hunting or working dog.

Absolutely. We've been to the vet twice;once for a digestive issue, and once for 2nd set of shots. 2 more sets of shots to go. We've only had the pup 3 weeks.
I'm working from home, so I stand up from the desk every hour or so to let him outside, call his name a couple of times, and get him to sit. He's pretty close to housebroken, but we'll work on sit, stay come, whistle commands, and dummy yard work 4-5 times a day for the next year. Those hours add up. Forget the money, just to invest that amount of TIME, I want the best bloodlines I can afford.

And my earlier remark about $1,500 to $2,000 is fairly narrow minded. It's just a reflection of the little I know about retrieving/flushing breeds. I understand that some of the working breeds, such as German Shepherds or a Malinois, can run multiples of that.

I see labs from good pedigreed and proven lines going up in value not far off. You can't beat a driven field lab with hunt drive for days. The pointed ear dogs will always have their place in work but today's times are steering toward a less threatening looking canine that can hunt/find in my opinion. Thing is though I've seen several labs and chessies do grip work on hard sleeves,suits and hidden equipment with a few accidental live bites. A duel purpose lab at about 65-70lbs would be a wolf in sheep's clothing. Not all labs are soft mouthed.

Last edited by furnfeather; 08/27/20 02:55 PM.
“Discipline is the refining fire by which talent becomes ability “—RLS