dog

[kash koester]

does anybody know any good kennels to find a started dog in oklahoma in high school so i dont want to spend a arm and a leg but want something that will work want to keep it around 800 at the most

[SGTSLTR]

800 is a darn good price for a lab. You can get one heck of a dog for 400 if you look in the right place.

Price doesn't always mean "you get what you pay for". I know a guy that has a $300 lab that is doing field trials with him and doing very well for himself.

[kash koester]

if i could find one that would be good but i cant find a started one for that near oklahoma

[nitrousneil]

dennis taylor had two males left from hawks litter, i dont know if there still available after ww4, he was asking 750 for them and they have a great blood line. he is located in brighton, il. pm me if you want his number.

[Save Hens]

I currently own a $300 purebred lab that my buddy gave me first pick of the litter and she has done better than any $500+ lab that I have ever owned or hunted with. A more expensive dog will not preform better than a less expensive dog. Bottom line is, You get out of them, what you put into them.

[spaightlabs]

y'all know what a started dog is right? not a puppy...

you'll find a lot of variability in what sellers refer to as 'started'...some will indded have some or most of their OB done, some will be able to mark long singles and some doubles and some have no other skills than being able to eat a few cups of kibble a day - don't take somone's word that a dog is started - decide what you want in a started dog and ask the questions before you go look - unless you're ok with a dog that isn't really started. In my experience most people that go look at a dog, come home with a dog...

You can ocassionallly find a pretty nice started dog for 800 - i got my female pointing lab for 700 and she's a good little hunter with a lot of go - she was a fine upland hnter when I got her and her marking was pretty good, though she still had a looooong way to go to where I'd truly call her started...

poke around, look in the city papers, look in the classified on the retriever training forums and elsewhere. Make sure the time is right for you - if you are going to college away from home it probably isn't - your parents will end up with a dog you wanted - not fair to either of 'em...

Good luck in your search, and hope you get a good one.