My 9 month old yellow lab (Sniner) is very smart. He is a great retreiver and very loyal. I live in the city and me and him have a language down. When I say rabbit, he knows what it is and we run around the landscape and he flushes rabbits but has never caught one. He runs in and out of the bushes and makes his own trails. I have been around quail dogs before and have seen the point before. When he gets a scent he stops, points his tail, picks his front paw up waits like he needs a command. Can he be trained to point and flush quail? I would say yes, but as a yound man, i always thought only certain breeds would point.

Absolutely. I have several dogs that can point. I knew Rascal had pointer in her, but never really saw it til we chanced upon some quail last year. This year, I've seen it plenty. I don't use her to hold point, but she's so steady, I'm wondering if I couldn't develop that if I wanted to. Not sure how that would work with her waterfowling and that's her primary use, so I don't want to mess anything up. I do use her to flush, however - and she's great at it!

Oh boy can of worms opened.

I have never seen a pic of a "pointing lab" with the same kind of intensity, style of a pointer.

There is a lot more to it then lifting a paw up and stopping for a second or two.

No, I don't think a can of worms. I think you make an excellent point! (ha, ha, pun intended!) Well, at least, I for one would not argue what you said. Pointers are pointers for a reason, after all. And not just the intensity on the point, but the mileage and energy and drive for the upland hunt. So... Yes, Labs CAN point. They DO point, but no, it's not their strength and they would never take the place of a dog primarily used for pointing - ie "a pointer." If all dogs were equal, we'd have no need for different, specialized breeds. So as you say, I have dogs that "just lift a paw" and I discovered that by accident, because of course, it wasn't my primary purpose for breeding/buying the dogs... so they flush, instead.

Why I have Labs is because I don't do much upland hunting - I'm a waterfowler. A Lab is about as good a first choice for upland/pointing as a pointer is for waterfowl. *GASP* Did I just type that out loud? Maybe NOW the can of worms!

But Labs were made for what they do and their focus and intensity comes out when looking out over a spread on the water. No pointer can touch the Lab's ability to withstand freezing cold water and hours of sitting quietly in the blind. They simply don't have the coat, feet, tail & head structure that is uniquely the Lab's which was designed for work in & around the water.

Of course we can all teach our dogs to be versatile to a given degree, but none of us has the ability to change a dog's genetically driven innate skills and anatomy. MS, I love my Labs, but I agree with you concerning their limitations.

Agreed. Good post

yes they can

if you can train them to to get a beer out of the fridge then pointing is nothin

Dogs are "scent" creatures my nature... they all will point to some degree at a sudden or unfamiliar scent, even if it is just a pause or freeze if you will. Pointers don't just point, but they hold game also. It is bred into their hunting nature and this is how they acquire their prey. most of them do it naturally. My GSP will spend 10 minutes pointing and stalking lizards and will catch them 9 out of 10 times. he knows if he holds still and just inches toward them at a very slow steady pace... he won't scare them off and will eventually catch them. this is the whole premise of the pointing breeds. They learn quickly that if they stay still, the prey stays still until t can be captured or killed.

do labs point and can they be taught to do it for prey?... of course they can, but ISL brings up the whole "knife at a gun fight argument". If you want a dog that primarily points... get a pointer, if you want a dog that primarily retrieves... get a retriever. can you get either that will do both, yes, but there are always compromises with that!!

Many flash point naturally... Which is what your dog is doing. If you want them to "whoa" on point then you'll need to train it..

I personally wouldn't bother. It will take quite a bit of effort.

How often do you think you would need your lab to be a solid pointer in the field?

Angie

My son's old black Lab Hunter points quail and rattlesnakes..
but not like a English Pointer, GSP,Setter, ect..he has a great
nose but doesn't cover ground anything like one of my bird dogs.

DD