re: Labradoodle for duck hunting?

quote:

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IF you bred a smart poodle to a Quality GR I have no doubt there would be players in the litter. The IF is going to be impossible since GR people with players would never do that breeding. GR folks are extremely tight knit and the interview process to buy a $2,500 puppy is difficult. $2,500 GR pups are the low end. My house may end up with a doodle, TWT has a new doodle at his house.

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As an owner of a Topbrass golden, this is accurate. When I bought my puppy 8 years ago, I paid like $1700 and I basically had to prove that I was worthy of working with the dog. Things may have changed, but at the time, the breeder would not sell a dog to a non-working home. It's now difficult to find a Topbrass pup for less than $2500. I will do it again when the time comes, because she's been the best dog I've ever had. She is also the first golden I've trained after having trained numerous labs. I've read a lot of people talk about poodles being finicky, but goldens can also be difficult to train for people accustomed to training labs. Their temperament is similar, but very different in certain ways. Mine responds to pressure differently than any lab I've ever worked with. This is not a good or bad thing - just different. Considering that, though, I'd be skeptical of working with a doodle dog just because of the unpredictability in that regard.