xX Hunter UK Xx Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 ok looking to get a lab and seen one on RSPCA appox 1 year old and looking to train for picking up pigeons etc and just be out on field working my question would it be a bad idear to get from rspca to train or is it best to go for a puppy but have the problem that getting part time job as gamekeeper and not got the money and need a dog for pest control Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshLamb Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 I wouldn't touch with someone elses bargepole!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
working dog Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 From a selfish point of view I steer clear of dogs where I dont know their history. I know plenty who have great rescue dogs but also plenty who have real problems sorting out the previous owners mistakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xX Hunter UK Xx Posted November 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 is it that bad then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclestuffy Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 We got a dog from the RSPCA many years ago and it took longer for the dog to bond with the family. During trianing the dog just cowered on the floor initially and it took ages for him to come round to proper obiedience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 It would be a gamble not knowing if the dog comes from working lines or not but you could end up with a decent dog for not much money and its a the right age to start serious training once its feeling at home ,but like i said a gamble you may just end up with a pet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshLamb Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 (edited) In my experience, rescue dogs come with too much baggage. We've got a mongrel that we rehomed from my brothers girlfriends family - the dog is nicknamed 'B@$t@rd', as we cant do a damn thing with it! We were discussing this at a working test I recently went to. A lady there had a rescue lab, and swore she would never have another as you dont know what the dog has been through prior to being rehomed. You'd be better off having a pup. Put the groundwork in from day one and that way you'll get what you want out of a dog and not end up with just a pet Edited November 1, 2011 by WelshLamb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
straightbarrel Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 ok looking to get a lab and seen one on RSPCA appox 1 year old and looking to train for picking up pigeons etc and just be out on field working my question would it be a bad idear to get from rspca to train or is it best to go for a puppy but have the problem that getting part time job as gamekeeper and not got the money and need a dog for pest control It's an excellent idea, especially if you are getting it for nothing or a donation to the RSPCA. You will have to put a lot of work in, even if it is a dog from working lines, also there is the chance the dog might have been badly treated or even very well treated but allowed it's own way too much, either way, as an earlier poster said, you have nothing to loose. It could actually work out a quicker route to getting a trained gundog than going for a pup. If you could get the dog on a trial basis from them, even better, gives you the chance to sus things out a bit. Try to ask the advice of someone who has good gundog experience locally, and if at all possble ask them to view the dog with you initially. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
straightbarrel Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 In my experience, rescue dogs come with too much baggage. We've got a mongrel that we rehomed from my brothers girlfriends family - the dog is nicknamed 'B@$t@rd', :unsure: Is it's real name Lucky? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 as an earlier poster said, you have nothing to loose. nothing to loose :blink: you could take on a dog that won't do what you want and either face re homing it or keeping and feeding it for 10 years plus that to me is a very expensive mistake. Training wise its a lab so you stand a chance of getting it retrieving and working for you but I'd never buy or even take on free an unknown lab as if you get one with hip issues it will cost you a fortune. By the sounds of it you're 17 so are you ready for what goes with dog ownership and the costs of it, By the sounds of it if you can't afford a pup then you probably can't afford the running costs of ownership, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshLamb Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 (edited) :unsure: Is it's real name Lucky? Its real name is "Currant Bun" (I kid you not!) Edited November 1, 2011 by WelshLamb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
working dog Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 The danger with a trial period with a dog is that you bond with the dog, accept issues, thinking that you can overcome them and end up with a dog that wont do the job that you got it for which amounts to a waste of dog food for the next ten years. Cost is a big consideration as said above. The purchase price of a dog is such a small percentage of the 'running costs' when you factor in food, injections, vet visits, insurance (if you go that route). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
straightbarrel Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 (edited) nothing to loose :blink: you could take on a dog that won't do what you want and either face re homing it or keeping and feeding it for 10 years plus that to me is a very expensive mistake. Training wise its a lab so you stand a chance of getting it retrieving and working for you but I'd never buy or even take on free an unknown lab as if you get one with hip issues it will cost you a fortune. By the sounds of it you're 17 so are you ready for what goes with dog ownership and the costs of it, By the sounds of it if you can't afford a pup then you probably can't afford the running costs of ownership, Nothing at all to loose, only experience to gain. You could pay £600 quid and spend 8 months trying to do the basics with a pup and still end up loosing one hell of a lot time-wise, feeding cost-wise/insurance-wise/injections, vets bills-wise/. With this dog, it is possible the OP will get it for nothing and spend four weeks with it before making a decision. Sure, he probably wont end up with a field trial champion but he will gain valuable experience...good or bad, at little financial and emotional cost. What sane person looking for a dog to use for pest control, a working dog, would allow themselves to fall in love with an animal in four weeks and end up being it's carer for 10 years? We are talking here to use as a working dog here, aren't we? Not to take into the home as part of the family for all to spoil and drool over...are we??? Anyway, the bottom line is, you take the dog on and make sure it does as you need/want it to, if it's not fit for purpose, get rid,simple as that. Back to the RSPCA or a good family home, for free. Have a look at the dog with someone knowledgeable on gundogs, if the dog has a chance,ask the RSPCA if they will accept the dog back, within a timescale, should it not be fit for purpose. Working dog, You are correct in saying there are big cost considerations with a working dog but you are completely wrong when you say the purchase price is a small percentage. In this case, with a dog for free and all the vet things taken care of, and by the way, it will have a clean bill of health fleas, worming m.o.t etc,the OP will have saved a fortune, take time and money into consideration. The cost will be greater starting from new with a pup up to it's first year, not including the time issue, just the initial outlay, feeding,vets,wormers,flea treatments, insurance etc etc just to get it through the first year! This dog is already there. It's at a perfect age to start training (if it is mentally and physically sound), so why not have a go? Four weeks, five weeks, if all is well after a month or two, great, cheap gundog at this point. Of course there are the on-going costs but that will be exactly the same with any dog he purchases, with this one, all the expense during the first year, and the initial outlay, does not exist.If all go's well a cheap gundog, if not, hand it back or find a family home for it. Edited November 1, 2011 by straightbarrel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigger Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Dont do it its just to much of a risk buddy you will probably end up getting rid yourself when its not up to the job then the poor ****** has to go through the rehoming process again leave it for a family to have as a pet where it will be happy and content :good: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Girlfriends parents just a got a "mostly lab" from a resuce centre as a pet stunning dog 6 years old ish brilliantly behaved very well mannered much better than most "pet" dogs you meet. a filed champ she is not, working i doubt (seems to be lab/spaniel mix)most rescue places allow you to return an unsuitable dog, i would enquire, not sure how the RSPCA would take to a possible "working" environment home tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
straightbarrel Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Its real name is "Currant Bun" (I kid you not!) I'd rather shout 'B45st4rd come here' down the street than currant bun. No wonder it's a ba5t@rd, giving it a name like currant bun.Fancy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
straightbarrel Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Dont do it its just to much of a risk buddy you will probably end up getting rid yourself when its not up to the job then the poor ****** has to go through the rehoming process again leave it for a family to have as a pet where it will be happy and content :good: I will give you a little snippet of something that happened to me a while ago regarding the re-homing of a dog. The dog in question was a black working cocker. The owner had purchased the dog totally unaware of what he was taking on. I contacted the owner and asked the usual questions.The dog was four years old and was "climbing the walls". By the time I got the chance to view it, the guy was a nervous wreck. when I turned up he said "It is emotionless, I've tried but I cant do anything with it" The dog was one day away from being handed over as a 'found stray', to the RSPCA or local cat and dog shelter. To cut a long story short, the bloke had not tried a whistle with it, he said it would sit if he was offering it food. I offered to take the dog for an hour or two and possibly for a day or two after that. He agreed, it was free to good home so there was no trust issue regarding money . I was amazed when the chap produced the dogs pedigree, he had no idea what 'FTCh' was that was pinted along side many of the dogs in the recent pedigree. I took the dog for three weeks, daily, and returned it to him to feed and house every day, he fed it and tucked it up at night, through the day it came with me, and my whistle. It could hunt for fun,was fast, had an excellent nose but needed a lot more time spending on steadying it up.It retreived for fun, stopped on the whistle and recalled every time. One month later the dog was sold for £800's. There was nothing wrong with the dog although the bloke that advertised it beleived it was not fit for purpose, his purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wharf Rat Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 All dogs are a gamble. My rescue whippet cross is coming on really well. A family lurcher from "well known working stock/show winning lines" etc etc was useless and bloody expensive. Never caught a rabit in it's life 'till put down. Tigger has a point though - if it doesn't work out, the dog will be the one to suffer more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Not for you its not! maybee ok for some, at your age and possision you do not want to be burdened by a useless working dog. Phone round all the Gundog guys you can explain what you want,why you want it and someone might sort you something at a good price, accidental (springadoors etc) matings without papers should not be scoffed at but pure labs without health tests on both sides are IMO. Remember though with luck you could be working that dog in another ten years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
straightbarrel Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Why assume he will be burdened with a useless dog? In his position he should be trying to find something that he can easily afford or afford if things dont work out,looking on the bleak side. looking on the bright side, and there is no reason at this point to think anything else, he could end up with a cracking gundog, very soon, for next to nothing. Yes the health side is important but I would bet that over 50% of people working their labs have no idea what the hip score is on their dogs. I say 50% consevatively, if i had to stake my life on it I would go higher than 60%. My bet is this dog has chewed someone out of house and home through sheer boredom, a non working home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
working dog Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Working dog, You are correct in saying there are big cost considerations with a working dog but you are completely wrong when you say the purchase price is a small percentage. In this case, with a dog for free and all the vet things taken care of, and by the way, it will have a clean bill of health fleas, worming m.o.t etc,the OP will have saved a fortune, take time and money into consideration. The cost will be greater starting from new with a pup up to it's first year, not including the time issue, just the initial outlay, feeding,vets,wormers,flea treatments, insurance etc etc just to get it through the first year! This dog is already there. It's at a perfect age to start training (if it is mentally and physically sound), so why not have a go? Four weeks, five weeks, if all is well after a month or two, great, cheap gundog at this point. Of course there are the on-going costs but that will be exactly the same with any dog he purchases, with this one, all the expense during the first year, and the initial outlay, does not exist.If all go's well a cheap gundog, if not, hand it back or find a family home for it. Agree that if the dog is free then there is no real initial outlay although ongoing costs far outweigh the purchase price. There are other options than pup or rescue dog and there are dogs out there that have the basics already, from working lines that are a year or so old. Granted, not as many as there are pups or rescues and you may pay a bit more but youre buying more of a known quantity. Having the genetics and the basics there is a big help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferguson_tom Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 (edited) It is a risk no doubt but at a year old there is the strong possibility it come from a loving home who simply could not handle it or circumstances have changed. I would see what it is like with new people and other dogs you should be able to see from its initial reaction if anything major happens. I am no expert but most dogs can be trained to do most things with time, you know there will be compromises by not spending the money on an pedigree dog with history but if you can give it a good home and it provides you with most things you want I would say go for it. The amount of people that buy a working dog as a a pet then realise they cant provide it a suitable home is surprising and then they wonder why the dog is chewing the house to bits or nipping the children or not listening to the owner at all. All it needs is time and a decent walk everyday with retrieves or training not just walking around a field. This includes springers, labs, collies, shepherds all clever dogs that will go all day long on a walk but need mental stimulation as well. Edited November 2, 2011 by ferguson_tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
straightbarrel Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Agree that if the dog is free then there is no real initial outlay although ongoing costs far outweigh the purchase price. The "ongoing costs" are there with any dog? If he buys a pup the ongoing costs are there, probably more expensive actually, but the costs are there, and ongoing, whatever dog he decides on.The costs with this dog will be next to nil to start with, just to find out how well in itself it is, and how well it takes to the basics at first. A 17 Kg bag of food that will last him a few weeks or so, maybe two bags of food? Maybe only a bowl of food if the dog is a non starter after a day! Either way,the possibility of a dog for next to nothing but of course, with all the ongoing running costs that come naturally in time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleeh Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 All dogs can be trained. Most people buy expensive puppies that come with loads of letters after their name and bits of paperwork, and they still act like little ********. 99.999% of the time it's not the dog, it's the trainer. You get a rescue dog and any bad habits can be changed, given enough patience, time, love and experience. You should give the dog a chance, I have known several rescue dogs that have become fine working dogs. You must remember that dogs see working as one massive game, any dog would love it, you just have to teach them the rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Why assume he will be burdened with a useless dog? In his position he should be trying to find something that he can easily afford or afford if things dont work out,looking on the bleak side. looking on the bright side, and there is no reason at this point to think anything else, he could end up with a cracking gundog, very soon, for next to nothing. Yes the health side is important but I would bet that over 50% of people working their labs have no idea what the hip score is on their dogs. I say 50% consevatively, if i had to stake my life on it I would go higher than 60%. My bet is this dog has chewed someone out of house and home through sheer boredom, a non working home. I'd say thats rubbish, people may not know their own pups hip score but the vast majority of people who buy a working lab will know the sire and dams score. Its not the be all and end all but with a lab you are very foolish to even be given one with no idea of parents. Simply you won't know there are issues till the dog is 4 or older and then its expensive drugs and no work for the rest of its life or a bullet if you are that way inclined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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