Goldendoodles can do it, too
Here are some pics of my Roxy. She is going on 6 years old and has been dove hunting with me for the last three years. She was bought as a companion dog first and hunting dog second. I figured if I could train my great household companion, that was icing on the cake. Not only has she been extremely trainable, but she thrives on it. She has turned in to quite the formidable retriever in the dove field and is 100% on 49 retrieves so far in the 2011 Texas South Zone for doves, plus a few other birds she has picked up for some friends and other hunters that say "hey, do you think your dog might be able to find my bird, he went down over there...".
I was a very proud owner last week when she made three blind retrieves in a row. I had knocked one bird down and sent her to fetch it. By the time she got it back to me, I knocked three others down and she didn't mark any of them. I got her in the general area and she got all three.
I am hesitant to make any comparisons of Roxy's ability to a Lab, or any other dog for that matter. I have no idea of her bloodline, other than the breeder breeds for disposition only. I have never trained or owned a lab, mainly due to allergies. I have hunted with a Master Hunter, Field Champion...whatever he was called. He was BY FAR superior to Roxy, but had also spent 8 months at a trainer. The owner of that dog (now deceased) got another puppy from the same lineage and has pedigrees as long as the Dead Sea Scrolls. He won't even fetch a tennis ball.
What I will say is that I am extremely pleased with my dog and her abilities. She has turned out to be better than I ever hoped for her to be, and that is saying something. As stated, I've never trained a retriever and she has turned out pretty darn good!
Here are some pics of my Roxy. She is going on 6 years old and has been dove hunting with me for the last three years. She was bought as a companion dog first and hunting dog second. I figured if I could train my great household companion, that was icing on the cake. Not only has she been extremely trainable, but she thrives on it. She has turned in to quite the formidable retriever in the dove field and is 100% on 49 retrieves so far in the 2011 Texas South Zone for doves, plus a few other birds she has picked up for some friends and other hunters that say "hey, do you think your dog might be able to find my bird, he went down over there...".
I was a very proud owner last week when she made three blind retrieves in a row. I had knocked one bird down and sent her to fetch it. By the time she got it back to me, I knocked three others down and she didn't mark any of them. I got her in the general area and she got all three.
I am hesitant to make any comparisons of Roxy's ability to a Lab, or any other dog for that matter. I have no idea of her bloodline, other than the breeder breeds for disposition only. I have never trained or owned a lab, mainly due to allergies. I have hunted with a Master Hunter, Field Champion...whatever he was called. He was BY FAR superior to Roxy, but had also spent 8 months at a trainer. The owner of that dog (now deceased) got another puppy from the same lineage and has pedigrees as long as the Dead Sea Scrolls. He won't even fetch a tennis ball.
What I will say is that I am extremely pleased with my dog and her abilities. She has turned out to be better than I ever hoped for her to be, and that is saying something. As stated, I've never trained a retriever and she has turned out pretty darn good!
