Labrador Retriever Pups, Where to begin.

Cray Stephenson, Creighton Kennels Hunting Retrievers

A lot has been written about picking a Lab pup, there are many methods and many tests designed to aid in finding that "perfect" pup for your needs. These tests can produce varying results depending on what time of day they are administered and how long it has been since the litter’s last feeding. To summarize how we narrow it down: I pick the breeding/litter. Then, pick the preferred Gender. Next, the preferred color. If there are colors to choose from, don’t let color be your first choice. And then, the individual pup out of the pups that have met the above criteria.

Picking a Breeding/Litter

Research! Research the sire and dam, research their pedigrees and research their health clearances. Research the same on as many dogs in their pedigrees as you are able to.

Since we are discussing retrievers as hunting companions you should know what to look for on a pedigree. We look for Field Titles or I personally want to have experience hunting with the dog. The Field Titles that we look for are Field Champion (FC), Amateur Field Champion (AFC) Qualified All Age (QAA), Master Hunter (MH), Senior Hunter (SH) and Junior Hunter (JH). The proceeding are American Kennel Club (AKC) designated titles. The United Kennel Club/Hunting Retriever Club (UKC/HRC) designated titles that we look for are, Grand Hunting Retriever Champion (GRHRCH), Hunting Retriever Champion (HRCH), Hunting Retriever (HR) and Started Hunting Retriever (SHR). There are also NAHRA titles that are of equal value when researching a pedigree; they are Grand Master Hunting Retriever (GMHR), Master Hunting Retriever (MHR), Working Retriever (WR) and Started Retriever (SR).

These titles give us a standardized method of communication. When a breeder says, "Yeah, my dog hunts", this communicates little on how the dog is hunted or what level of training the dog has aspired to. Instead, we can hear "My dog has an HRCH title" or "My dog has a GMHR title" and that tells us much more about the level of work that this dog is capable of.

We also want to look for OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) clearances on the hips and elbows as well as a CERF (Canine Eye Registration Foundation) eye certification. Pup’s health is a crapshoot and by demanding these clearances we are hedging the odds of getting a healthy pup in our favor. Little is worse than falling in love with a pup, investing emotions, time and money into training it for upland or waterfowl hunting only to have it physically unable to complete it’s life’s work and passion due to conditions like hip/elbow dysplasia or Progressive Retinal Atrophy.

Once we have picked the breeding, we pick the gender. Ask yourself, "Do I want a little girl or a little boy pup?" there are advantages and disadvantages to each and this is a personal choice. Remember that females have an average of 2 heat cycles per year, this can happen during hunting season limiting your ability to hunt within nose distance of any male dog.

Next, if colors are available, pick the color that most suits you. As long as color was not the main factor in the pairing of this sire and dam, then all the pups should do well for you. Avoid litters that were bred only to produce color, they do not have the best interest of the breed and it’s working ability in mind. Stay away from breeders specializing in a color or a fad color, there are 3 colors of Labrador Retriever acknowledged by the AKC, Black, Chocolate and Yellow (Light Cream to Fox Red are yellow). Silver is not and has never been an acknowledged color of the Labrador Retriever.

Once you have picked the litter, picked the gender and picked the color, you put all of the pups that meet your criteria into a box and you can close your eyes and pick one or you can let your wife and/or kids pick out your pup. This way, they feel part of the process and you can always blame them if something goes wrong.

What’s Next?

At about 7-8 weeks of age, you will bring your pup home. Make an appointment with your Veterinarian to give the pup a physical and recommend a protocol to complete the pups series of shots. This time is a great time for the pup and should be spent bonding with the pup. Take the pup with you places, let it socialize with strangers (not strange dogs until after all of the pup’s shots are done). Lab pups have a way of opening doors and getting people to ooooh and ahhhh all over them, this is good for them and will help them to socialize.

Begin teaching the "Sit", "Lay/Down" and "Here" commands. Food rewards are fine at this level, but should be used with praise, not instead of it. Find a book, video, program to use, some are better than others for different stages of training. Whatever method you set your mind to, don’t fall into the timeline fallacy. Each dog is and individual and learns at different rates. Allow your dog to learn at his/her own pace. As your pup progresses, take it to different areas to work on obedience. Basic Obedience is the foundation that supports all future training and you don’t want to lay a weak foundation. These different areas will present new distractions and will help to solidify your training. Do not test your pup, by this I am saying, never give a command that you can’t enforce or aid the dog in complying. If you allow a dog not to comply, then you have taught the dog that commands are actually requests and do not need to be followed. A "Check Cord" or long leash is a good way to enforce the "Here" command. When you give the command, you can reel in the pup.

Housebreaking a pup can be frustrating, but if you have a little patience and consistency, it can be accomplished fairly quickly and easily. The place to start is Crate Training. Crate training is very important to the pup’s development. It gives them a safe, controlled environment to be when you can’t watch them or when you are traveling. In time, it will give them a safe zone, a "den" to call their own, to get away from stresses and to go sleep in. Since canines normally do not "soil" in their dens, this can be used easily and effectively to housebreak your pup. At first your pup will bark to get out, if you give in, you have allowed the pup to train you and it will be hard to break. If you allow the pup to bark, it will soon tire out and go to sleep, learning that it is supposed to remain quiet and sleep while in the crate.

If you decide to Crate Train, a proper sized kennel is required. Do not use a crate that is adult sized for your pup unless you can divide the crate and let it grow with the pup. If the crate is too large, the pup will divide the area into a sleeping area and a potty area. By dividing the crate or using a smaller crate, you can give the pup just enough room to have a sleeping area. Do not make the mistake of putting water into the crate with the pup. This will give the pup something to tip over and wet the bedding material in the crate and the pup will also drink it and his bladder will fill up, leaving urinating in the bed as the only option. Instead, give pup water when it is out with you and take the pup outside to "potty" shortly after allowing it to drink and/or eat. Do not come back in until the pup has done his or her business and you have praised it lavishly for doing so.

Be consistent, set a schedule and stick with it. At this time, the pup’s bowels and bladder are small and it can only "hold it" for short amounts of time. This time will extend as your pup grows. With a little time and patience, your pup will learn to love its crate and will virtually housebreak itself.

Since we are discussing retrievers, you will want the pup to retrieve objects. This is only natural. Retrieving should be controlled and use either puppy bumpers or a paint roller. Do these retrieves in a closed off hallway or with the pup on a check cord so you can enforce the here command and keep the pup honestly working for you. There will also come a time early in your training that you will want to introduce the pup to birds. Pigeons are good birds to introduce young dogs to feathers with. They are small and hardy and will not do the damage to a pup like live pheasants or ducks can. This introduction will wake up some genetics that momma and pappa dog have given your pup. Introduce birds in a controlled environment. Don’t allow the pup to destroy the bird and don’t allow the pup to claim the bird. Do encourage the drive and desire to chase the bird.

Transitional Training

As a trainer, you need to think ahead and decide if you will use electronic collars in the future or train "Amish" (without electricity) and whether or not you will "Force Fetch" your dog (when the adult teeth have fully emerged). At 6-7 months is the normal time that these tools should be started. Force Fetching has little to do with fetching and a lot to do with building momentum and laying foundations for advance work. Electronic Collars are no longer the "Shock Collars" used only for negative reinforcement that were implemented years ago. They have progressed amazingly in the last 15 years. They are no longer just for the "Hard" dogs and are so fine tunable that they work wonders on dogs once thought too soft for training.

With the improvements of "E Collars" has come improved electronic training techniques. If you decide to use an electronic collar, there is a wealth of written material to pull from. Correct Collar Conditioning is a must. Follow a program that will teach the pup to succeed and how to turn off or avoid the stimulation. If you feel overwhelmed by the thought of Collar Conditioning and/or Force Fetching you dog, remember that there are several professional trainers offering their services. Many will do the job for you or mentor you while you work through this transitional phase of training.

With a little patience, love and solid training you and your pup can be on your way to a quality, enjoyable relationship at home, in the Field or in the Hunting Blind. Enjoy the journey, it's over way too fast.

About the Author:

About the Author:

Cray Stephenson lives in Milton, Fl with his wife Michelle Stephenson, DVM and their 2 sons, Patrick and Kelton. Together they own and operate Creighton Kennels Hunting Retrievers; a breeding and training facility dedicated to improving our hunting retriever breeds.

He was a founding member and Vice President of the Central Kentucky Hunting Retriever Association (http://www.ckhra.us), Has been active in the Super Retriever Series (http://www.superretrieverseries.com/) as both a judge and a handler and was one of only four judges chosen for the Innaugural World Retriever Championship (http://www.worldretrieverchampionship.com) in Oxford, MS, March 2005.

Cray can be reached at 850-983-0943, http://www.creightonkennels.net and contacted via email at patchio@bellsouth.net