LABRADOR RETRIEVER Genetics have become quite diluted. Since 1991 the Labrador Retriever has been the most popular registered dog in America. Unfortunately they have not all been bred as working dogs 1st and companion pets 2nd.
This dilution has made pedigree selection all the more important. Can we make a solid retriever from any Labrador? No, we have seen plenty of Labradors that have very little Natural instincts to retrieve birds. We can and do make dogs retrieve, we cannot teach them to love retrieving.
So how do we narrow our search for that once in a lifetime Retriever, thats biddable, controlled desire and loves their job?
Most likely it won't come from an ad in the PETS section of the daily newspaper, there are lots of Retriever training forums that post quality dogs, then look for a repeat breeding, this gives you an idea what the Sire and Dam will actually produce, Not all great dogs pass along their traits, some produce great dogs from unproven Dams, the offspring is the only true way to tell what the breeding will produce. Once you have spotted a repeat breeding litter ask for references from previous owners and especially trainers. They can give you insight regarding the trainabliity of your future pup. Some great Retrievers were very difficult to train and then it all came together, others were quick learners from day one and continued their improvement throughout their career.
Decide what personality type your best suited for: TYPE "A" personalities, hard going, hard wired, rarely at rest love to go,needs high volume corrections to obtain a response, have a no quit attitude
TYPE "B" personalities eager to please, very responsive , low pressure gets a quick response, will not tolerate a lot of heavy handed training, on/off button is easy to find
TYPE "C" personalities very soft, training is mostly lightly structured, lots of confidence building drills, responds to treats better than pressure, quick to quit if the going gets rough
Now do you choose a Male or a Female?