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As I understand it, it's not the AKC but rather the breed clubs that determine whether a QAA designation is official & can be designated as part of the dog's official name. The Golden club has...

I agree with Evan. I have had dogs that do it on occasion (never as a habit) & have seen other dogs do it too.

I will repeat what I was told from the owner & promoter of pointing Labs - take it...

I have bred 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8 yr old dogs who are working dogs in good shape with no problems. I have a pregnant 6 yr old first time mom now. But just a comment....I have observed generally that the...

You are asking the dog to distinguish between a tug o war game & a retrieving game...just the potential would keep me from making this a regular routine.

Yep, 61-63 days from ovulation. Not directly related to when the dog was bred but you had good sperm coverage with 3 ties over 6 days & if you don't know exactly when she ovulated during that period...

Bridget this is typically the view of members of the moderation group. But field trials have evolved not so much because the dogs are more capable or more intelligent IMO but primarily because...

Mike, my point has been about how we have historically selected our breeding stock. FCs give breeders a quantifiable means of selecting a sire or dam for a breeding that is universally recognized as...

But if form follows function, these changes if significant or important, take care of themselves over time. And the breed conformation std should represent function and then form as it relates to...

I thought I had explained the historical process in post #96:

"...we have always looked to our champions as the best of our breed. This is done because the champion title has historically been the...

Mike, I'm sorry if you think so but you don't know me or what I think. I have said I am not knocking the hunt test dog or the title. I have said the MH title is a fine achievement & if you are a...

No one has said or implied that "all field Labs of today..." have the conformation of the Grangemead dogs pictured in this thread. I said our dual champions are where we should look for proper...

The functional std has always been & should continue to be our best performers in the field - that would be our field champions - FCs. Not knocking MHs but they aren't FCs with all that it takes to...

Amy the problem with the moderate group is just that, they compromise by accepting that the bench dogs of today have a look to be sought when in fact by just looking at our dual champs (FC/CH) it is...

I have to comment in general - and not specific to this dog not knowing the back ground or training. I am probably the contrarian in this discussion but there are two things that IMO are most always...

One of my dogs (Stella) is absolutely a different dog at a trial versus training. She is very compliant while training in a normal routine but also has very little interest. Not to the point of not...

Actually Renee, IMO if you let the dog beach it's too late. You need to make the correction before the dog beaches...you need to make the correction with the first indication of the dog's intent to...

To your red comments within my previous comment, maybe it's semantics but I don't like to let a dog show what it intends to do on a 2-down-the-shore setup. I prefer to handle as soon as the dog...

While I think most of us test in training even without that being our intention, I don't generally think it is a good idea except when we are possibly stretching the application of training, as we...

Happens frequently & can be a decision of last resort to cure or control a creeping dog. I know a current successful FT handler who did this with one of his dogs for 3 trials in a row (both open &...

But that is exactly what training is supposed to do. It teaches by repetition the manner in which a mark is supposed to be retrieved (in this case). This does not mean repeat the same mark...

You have to consider that many of today's (& yesterday's) field champions are & were in top shape for field work. Those very dogs with a little more weight would look virtually the same as those...

When young dogs are first exposed to retired guns, it's an accepted practice to have a gunner step out to help a lost dog. So gunner help is a generally accepted practice for young dogs being...

How old is the dog & what level of training? Are you teaching retired guns or just interested in your trained dog getting to the AOF?

Change what, don't be so cryptic........

Yes & yes...........and also a handler who has provided part of the training of my dogs who have earned titles for their work, since you have inquired.