Duck Dog

Get a $2,000 wildrose dog and spend another few thousand and be done with it.

That being said, my $200 lab is having a good season. And he's self trained.





Now that I've gotten that out of the way. I'll let those dog trainers come in and tell you how there's no such thing as a good dog under $1000

Wait, you have a $200 lab and brought it duck hunting with no formal training? It retrieves well?

I'll be damned if I'm letting a 4k dog leave outside. That thing would be next to me constantly to protect my investment.

All that bragging and not a single mention of good genes from the sire....

Get a started dog from a good trainer/breeder. Skip the puppy stage and its ready to roll when you pick him/her up.

Tough crowd

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Personally I don't think you have to spend a lot of money to have a good dog.

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It takes a lot of hours to develop a finished working dog that will act right when the shite hits the fan in a duck blind. No matter how you slice it those hours are going to cost you. You can choose to put them in yourself or pay someone else to do it. Even if you pay someone you better be prepared to dedicate a good bit of time with the trainer learning how to properly handle your dog.

There is no disputing a trainer will typically develop a finished working dog quicker and more efficiently than the typical amateur.

Look for a 3 year old finished dog trained by a pro that has actually been hunted (not a Field Trial reject), that way you know exactly what you are buying and be prepared to work with whoever trained her. Add in the the $ you will save on food and shots that you would have to pay if you started with a puppy and you could easily bump up your budget to 5g's and you will still probably come out ahead.

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Interesting. I guess I never thought of DYI training. May pick up a few dvd's and books and give it a shot myself.

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It's easy if you get the right dog.

Lol wut