Thank you for the excellent suggestion! A not-too-drivey field lab would be perfect.
What should I look for in order to tell if a breeder of field labs is good? I know that they need to OFA and CERF their dogs, but in addition what kind of tests/trials do field labs go through to be "proven"? What letters after (or in front of) the names will show that a dog is excellent? Do they tend to be AKC registered or are there different registries (or no registries at all) for field dogs? Also, are there any health tests that should be done on labs besides the CERF and OFA?
If anyone knows of any good breeders offhand, I would love to know.
There are 2 rings of competitions for field labs. Hunt tests and Field trials.
For hunt tests these are the titles and what they mean. These titles will be after the name usually but sometimes people in hunt tests will refer to thier dogs with the title before the name..No big deal same difference.
Hunt tests are dogs who are judged under a standard set of regulations. Your dog must perform to meet these standards in order to recieve a pass.
JH--Junior hunter. A basic retrieving dogs who has obediance, drive, and trainablity.
SH Senior hunter...More complicated including the use of hand signals and whistle. Much more obediant for an honor situation which means the dog watches the next dog retrieve its first bird while at a sit/stay no leash or lead.
MHMaster Hunter... Is the highest title and requires the dog to be at top performance.
The only other unofficial title which would be the absolute highest is a dog who wins a Master national. Takes alot to qualify to run your dog in the nationals.
Ok For field trials which are much like a hunt test but the marks are longer and the dogs are judged against eachother instead of a standard. Much more complicated competition and many dogs do not make it.
QAA----Qualified all age. isnt really a title but is a big accomplishment.
AFC ----Ametur field champion. Is a dog who was ran by an ameteur handler and got enough points to recieve a title. Usually takes at least 5 years to earn this title on the average
FC ----Field champion is a dog ran by a pro who got enough points to recieve this title. Usually takes at least 5 years to earn this title on the average.
NAFC--National Ametuer Field Champion. Can take up to 9 years of age to ever get this. Its like the superbowl of dog competitions and you have to have enough points to qualify to run in this event. To win is luck!
NFC National field Champion. Same as above but the handler is a pro trainer.
Here is the pedigree of a couple of my females to give you an example of a well bred field lab. Now all the clearances do not show with this pedigree program but there are plenty of them!
http://www.geocities.com/oaklandbaykennels/molly.htm
http://www.gooddoginfo.com/gdc/asp/viewpedigree.asp?DogNo=82564
Ok Now there are other groups of competitions that have different titles and I will probably run out of room if I list them all. The ones above is the only ones recognized by AKC. Not to make the other titles mean anything less as the competitions are just as hard if not harder to pass.
We do both hunt tests and what is called NAHRA tests.
OFA and Cerfs are certifications that are commonly used just as any test. They do have another test for CNM. Now I am not convinced of this testing as it is new and has had some descrepacies. (SP?) CNM is for Centronuclear Myopathy. Of course there is the heart and thyroid tests as well.
Now there were some good suggestions as far as field dogs go but any pup or no pups out of a litter will or can make it in hunt tests or field trials. Some are too soft and are harder to train or another maybe to hard headed. Really hard to be definate untill they are about 6mo of age. I have all field bred labs and everyone of them know how to be inside dogs (minus normal dog problems) and outside dogs. We rotate them. Many kennels keep thier dogs in kennel runs and they do not make good house pets not to say they couldnt with some time and training. Field bred labs do have alot of energy and arent for the faint of heart. They require alot of patience and have many of the same problems as pets as most other breeds. Sometimes it seems more so though.
I personally will not sell my pups to pet only homes unless they can prove to me that they have considerable knowledge of the breed or have owned one before and can prove that. Labs if left to thier own devices will get into much trouble just like any other breed but on a bigger scale
Like I said mine make good house pets 99 percent of the time but that one percent is enough to drive me crazy at times. It seems when they really screw up they do it to the fullest. But thats a lab for you. They do everything to thier fullest. If trained right they can be the most wonderful dogs in the world.
I can make suggestions for reputable breeders in your area if you like. Personally I would look at
petfinder.com for a rescue since you are just looking for a pet. there are many pures and mixes, pups and older dogs that will make a great pet.
Good luck in your search
Kristine
