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Lab or Golden?


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Good evening,

I am in the process of looking to get and train my first gun dog. I am a waterfowler hunting anything from bogs, ponds, and tidal rivers. I'm trying to narrow it down between a lab and golden retriever. I've hunted with labs before so I tend to lean that way, but I am also looking for a good family pet when I am not hunting. I welcome your thoughts. Thanks.

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For a house dog and family pet - Golden Retriever hands down. 

But - although they can flush birds, that coat is a mess after a day afield.  Labs from a good hunting breeder all day long for HUNTING over any golden....   Labs are much higher maintainance.   I miss my golden, my yellow lab is a big PITA. 

Nothing spooks deer more than my stank… 

16 3/4” Live Fluke Release Club

I shot a big 10pt once….

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2 minutes ago, Wayne Trojanowski said:

Good evening,

I am in the process of looking to get and train my first gun dog. I am a waterfowler hunting anything from bogs, ponds, and tidal rivers. I'm trying to narrow it down between a lab and golden retriever. I've hunted with labs before so I tend to lean that way, but I am also looking for a good family pet when I am not hunting. I welcome your thoughts. Thanks.

Labs fit both needs

 

 

20211025_191834.jpg

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I had a golden retriever for my hunting companion for 16 yrs and Sierra was a great bird dawg and a loving house pet. We hunted upland mostly along with some waterfowl excursions. I would have to give her a bath after most trips due to mud, burrs, ticks, etc. 

A lot of my pals have had labs as bird dawgs n house pets with great companionship. They tend to do more upland than waterfowl. 
 

They are both awesome breeds for huntin n families. Biggest difference I have seen is their hair….golden has a fine hair and lots of it…requires spoiling her with lots of warm soapy baths after hunts….leaving a beautiful, featherly coat for the family to pet and snuggle with.  The labs coat is shorter coarse hair that’s easier to wash, but not as nice to touch and pet. 
 

Can’t go wrong with either breed!! Good luck and have fun!!

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Hard to say but since you said water fowling....Go with the lab.  I just got a golden (who I love & is an awesome dog) & will be hunting this year,  .   I would have gotten another lab but my last one was so good I couldn't do it.  Here are my reasons.  They will both do great ...upland & waterfowl.   Down side to the golden is Long hair....It will mat.  Also for waterfowling the extra water it will bring into the sneakbox.  The Goldens are also softer.....Labs you can raise your voice too, Goldens not so much.  House pet....both are excellent.  The edge for the golden is a hair better nose than a lab.   Hard choice but you'll be happy with either.   Just get one of each.

Treestands don't demand, treestands don't complain, treestands simply ask me to sit down and listen. :cheers:

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Yeah, labs do it all...

As a toddler I grew up with a hunting lab who was my best buddy--by the time I was 4-5 he'd take me out on long walks in the woods (I'm talking over a mile; imagine Child Protective Services today) and literally guide me along the game trails. My grandparents had no problem with me in the woods all morning as long as the dog was with me. He'd run ahead, come back to check on me, and then we'd circle back home. I'd just follow him, talking to him and him looking back on me.  In the meantime he'd crash into the brambles, rustle up some box turtles, and come back to drop them at my feet. One July I kept 26 in an old pool filled with leaves and worms, going down and feeding them dinner scraps each evening. Thanks, Midnight. And, no, I don't advocate keeping 26 box turtles today, even for the summer month I did it. But a lab like Midnight made my childhood. 

Labs all the way, even though you can't go wrong with a Golden too. Labs just have that 2 drops less silliness that makes them more trustworthy and better to guide a 4 year old down the cliff. 

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Waterfowling ...  my clear choice would be a lab. It's tough work. And, a field-bred "American" lab ... it's all about the individual breeding. Worth the money.

Many breeders don't allow you to choose the pup out of the litter. They do it for you... after they speak with you. They've been with these pups for 8 weeks and are seeing the different personality traits already. Explain to them that "good, family pet" is as important to you has hunting abilities and drive. That's what I've done. Very happy times with the kids.

I've never owned or hunted a Golden. But, I did own what I consider to be something similar ... a Flat-coated Retriever. Again, from hunting stock. There is no better family dog breed ... fun, goofy, energetic. And, she did very well flushing and retrieving pheasants. But definitely less tough and driven than my labs.

I'm getting a pup in the new year, and I'm debating over the breed because I'm having grandchildren now ... I want a real fun dog for them. My only duck hunting now is in the woods, along with stocked pheasants ... so I think I'm going with the "softer" Flat-coated.

Good luck ... and all this is just my 2 cents.

My Flat-coated at the WMA (cancer took way too young)... 

dog.png

Edited by Jim_
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3 hours ago, Jim_ said:

Waterfowling ...  my clear choice would be a lab. It's tough work. And, a field-bred "American" lab ... it's all about the individual breeding. Worth the money.

Many breeders don't allow you to choose the pup out of the litter. They do it for you... after they speak with you. They've been with these pups for 8 weeks and are seeing the different personality traits already. Explain to them that "good, family pet" is as important to you has hunting abilities and drive. That's what I've done. Very happy times with the kids.

I've never owned or hunted a Golden. But, I did own what I consider to be something similar ... a Flat-coated Retriever. Again, from hunting stock. There is no better family dog breed ... fun, goofy, energetic. And, she did very well flushing and retrieving pheasants. But definitely less tough and driven than my labs.

I'm getting a pup in the new year, and I'm debating over the breed because I'm having grandchildren now ... I want a real fun dog for them. My only duck hunting now is in the woods, along with stocked pheasants ... so I think I'm going with the "softer" Flat-coated.

Good luck ... and all this is just my 2 cents.

My Flat-coated at the WMA (cancer took way too young)... 

dog.png

Them choosing gor me would be a deal breaker.  My sister n I got sisters from same litter.  My kids chose well the pups chose them.  They got on the floor they let the puppies out n the 2 that wouldn't leave the kids laps are the 2 we got

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I think you need to consider your expectations first. How often do you waterfowl hunt vs do you plan on upland hunting the dog, etc. How family oriented will the 'family purpose' of the dog be that'll deviate from the training you plan to do? 

If it's a casual Saturday, weekender, fair weather hunting you like, you may get away with a golden. However, I don't think they will nearly take the cold days like a lab will for instance if you're hunting or planning on hunting it September through March. Or are you doing more field hunting versus water hunting...I feel like I tend to see more instances of Goldens that are getting upland hunted or they're doing primarily field hunting for geese. Go to a ramp on any given Saturday - I think you're going to come across 99 labs to 1 golden or off-lab hunting dog. 

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If a hunting dog is going to be expected of it I’d go lab and with good paperwork bloodlines.

golden retriever have been bred out of hunting around here, you would have to do some serious research on reputable breeders.

sure you may get lucky and get a dog off greenfield puppies and it turns out to hunt but that’s a gamble.

 

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