Lab Owners Succeed In Making Point Properly Bred, Venerable Retrievers Can Become Excellent Pointers, Too
At dawn, Delta was helping her master hunt waterfowl, retrieving five wood ducks that he shot early Saturday morning.
By noon, the black Labrador had her nose hard to the ground at an upland bird hunting area, eager to find any pheasants that might be lurking in the tall grass and brush, and then point out their location to her owner and hunting partner, J.D. Gore.
That’s right, a retriever pointing out birds in classic upland bird dog fashion.
Delta is a “pointing Labrador” - an evolution of a classic breed to suit hunters who want it both ways.
Some Labs are being bred to combine the traditional retrieving qualities of the Labrador with a genetic inclination to “point” similar to that displayed by setters, Brittanys, German shorthairs and other standard pointing breeds.
A dog that’s proficient at ducks and geese as well as upland game birds is to be cherished by hunters at this time of year, with waterfowl and upland game bird hunting under way.
Gore, of Springfield, Ore., said many of the pointing dogs he previously owned didn’t care for splashing into the water to retrieve a duck or goose.
He’s convinced pointing Labs offer bird hunters “the best of both worlds.”
“Delta will point birds that hold and flush others in gun range. She will also retrieve all birds to hand.”
Gore said his dog makes him look like he’s a better trainer than he is.
“I am not a dog trainer,” Gore said, “but with the dog’s natural ability, it makes it easy for me. I just have to provide her an opportunity and her natural ability takes over.”
In Labradors, “pointing is a recessive genetic characteristic,” according to “Outdoor Life” hunting dog editor Larry Mueller, whose article on pointing Labs sparked Gore’s interest in the breed.
Mueller explained that some Labs have always pointed instinctively. What the founders of the American Point Lab Association did was selectively breed for that characteristic until they could consistently produce dogs that pointed.
“Why in the world would anyone want a pointing Labrador retriever?” Mueller wrote. “There are lots of reasons, but the primary one is that the dog is great on upland game and retrieves waterfowl, too. Try it, and you’ll believe it.”
Gore decided to try it, forking over $700 for a pup in September 1994. He was one of the first people in Oregon to obtain a dog registered with the American Pointing Lab Association.
While she leaves no doubt about what’s happening when she’s pointing to a holding bird, Delta probably wouldn’t win very high style marks from pointing purists. She doesn’t freeze like a statue into that classic pointer pose.
He says pointing Labs are ideal for people who want a versatile working hunting dog and don’t have a tremendous amount of time to invest in training them.
“The truth is that almost any bird dog is more difficult to train than a Lab,” Mueller wrote in “Outdoor Life.”