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Leos last season. Bit the bullet

Kaiser878

Kaiser878

Senior Member
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ohio
I have.been very fortunate with how strong Leo has.been so late into his career. He will be ten this winter ....The thought of getting a pup has.been on my mind. I had intentions of getting a pup from Milos dog, for whom is Leos daughter.

Unfortunately I had to make a decision quicker than expected. In the last two months Leos hearing has really deteriorated. 10 years of having.guns blazing over his head has.taken its toll. He.is still very spry and in good shape.for a 10 to dog. But I noticed last year he didnt have the stamina he once did.
It bothers me to have to think his career is almost over. But he has been a good dog and.has been a lot of places with me. I think he has earned a plush retirement. He will still hunt this fall/winter. Its going.to be tough with his hearing, but we still will try.

I want.to thank Zach(rutin) fore pointing me in a direction of a male dog. I aid some calling and found two litters he fathered on the eastern side of the US. One in Tennessee and one in Arkansas. I called both places and spoke with the owners. I did some research and decided to go with the litter in Tennessee. So I sent my deposit in yesterday. I am.hoping for another.cchocolate, but I don't think its gonna happen. I will probably have to get a black.

Here is the male and hos pedigree
http://www.huntinglabpedigree.com/puppy.asp?id=4496

Apparently he is a pretty hot dog around the country in field trials.

Here is the mom
uploadfromtaptalk1402778545438.jpg
 
Rutin

Rutin

Senior Member
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Ina Duck Blind
Glad to see it all worked out! Your going to have your hands full with that pup! Lot of strong lineage and few dogs that any man would be proud to own. Cant wait to see how this new guys plays out for you.

As for Leo.... I wish I had the pleasure of hunting with him. Sometimes its not the pedigree in a dog but more so the heart, and I can tell you that dog has HEART! Unfortunately mans best friend doesn't live as long as WE want them too. Retirement hurts us (humans) more than it does them I think, dogs will work til they die but he has deserved a well placed seat on the couch for the rest of his days. Hell maybe even an ice cold beer for retirement!:smiley_crocodile:
 
jagermeister

jagermeister

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Supporting Member
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Ohio
It's exciting and it's tough at the same time. It's a damn shame to retire Leo but damn, that dog's done his share of work over the past ten years. I'm thankful to have hunted over him... He's one of the better gundogs I've ever been around.

Looks like a nice pedigree. Do you know if the sire and dam were DNA tested for color genotypes? If so, you'll know pretty easily what the probability is for a choco pup.

Looks like there's a GMPR in that line. There's a slim chance this pup could point birds for you. It's pretty cool having a Lab that throws a point.

Happy for you man. You know as well as I that getting a new pup is about as fun as it gets. With that pedigree you'll be in good shape. Work with him at least as much as you did with Leo and you'll have nothing to worry about. If you ever have any training questions don't hesitate to hit me up. I'm no expert obviously but it never hurts to bounce ideas off one another. Different perspectives often help solve "insolvable" problems.
 
Kaiser878

Kaiser878

Senior Member
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ohio
Jim, the father is a pointing lab.

The mother was dna tested. And its looking like black will be the color if the litter.
 
hickslawns

hickslawns

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Bittersweet. Leo is a legend around here. Never met him or hunted over him, and I am not a waterfowl guy. I still know all about him though. Sounds like one heckuva dog. Good luck with the new pup bud.
 
Kaiser878

Kaiser878

Senior Member
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ohio
He really is.nothing special in the world of retrievers. He is a meat dog that was a training experiment for me. He was the first dog I ever trained. I did a lot of stuff incorrectly. But he.was my first and he has retrieved a TON of birds. Do I really can't complain. Although, he was one hell of a river dog for some reason. Not real sure why.

I wish I could find the video Aaron filmed of.jimbo shooting a double with one shot.and.Leo retrieving them.
 
jagermeister

jagermeister

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Ohio
Kaiser878 said:
I looked for it.Jim. but it says its not there any longer
Click to expand...

Yep you're right. Video no longer exists. Damn it, Aaron! LOL

---

Back to the pup.... I don't know if you're planning on following a structured training program or not, but if you are I would recommend either Evan Graham's Smartwork series or Mike Lardy's Total Retriever. Smartwork is what I am following with Betty. It's easy to move along with and does a nice job laying a good foundation with the dog. That being said, I think for my next dog I will try going with the Total Retriever program. From what I've read it's a bit more advanced than the Smartwork system. Basically, Smartwork is more user-friendly for new or relatively-new dog trainers. They both teach much of the same concepts, I think it's just delivered differently in each program. I'm sure you'd have no problem following either program. Hell, even following Walter's older "Gun Dog" or "Water Dog" books would result in a great duck dog. IMO following a program, ANY program, will yield much better results than no program at all.
 
Kaiser878

Kaiser878

Senior Member
2,633
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ohio
Leos training was based off water dog. Ha I didn't have the patience then that I do now. Which anyone who knows me knows how little patience I have now. So you can imagine how bad I was then
Haha
 
bowhunter1023

bowhunter1023

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Appalachia
Milo said:
Should be early November....
Click to expand...

Good. Some of us are tired of waiting! lmao

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I don't know shit about dogs when it comes to training them for waterfowl and whose dog is the best retriever. What I do know is that Leo is one of the best dogs I've ever been around whether it was hunting or just dicking around at the house. When I got to hunt over him, it was brutal conditions for man and dog, but he didn't give a shit. Hell he was pissed when we put him in the truck to defrost! I'll never forget watching him work on that ice!
 
Kaiser878

Kaiser878

Senior Member
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ohio
That was the coldest day ive ever hunted in my life. -12 pre wind chill....-23 post wind chill. He looked like a chocolate fudge sickle....
 
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