re: Update pup is here! I think I've found my new pup!

Lot's of good points on here. My two cents:

-Pedigree certainly matters. But it's not everything. My current lab I found in the classifieds of the advocate for $250, he has far and away been the best dog I have ever had.

-Be patient, very very patient. Most labs want to learn and please you but they have a learning curve just like anything else. I have seen many people lose their shite when their pup can't take hand signals after a week.

-Take feedback from the dog: You can read about force fetch or not, shock collar or not etc. till you are blue in the face. Sometimes you have to see how the dog responds to different things. I was struggling with mine, I talked to a trainer friend of mine and he advised to stop using the shock collar alltogether. It was night and day, I guess the shock spooked the hell out of him and all other training went out the window.

-Most of all enjoy. Having a puppy can be frustrating at times but extremely rewarding by developing that bond from jump. The relationship with your hunting dog is priceless.

plus a couple pics cause I couldn't resist