Fox Red Golden Retriever

[lister1]

Hi All, I’m thinking about getting a new pup, having lost my dogs earlier this year due to age/cancer, I wasn’t going to get another but miss having a dog about and would like to start wildfowling again.

Anyone used a red golden retriever on the shore before? 
 

 

[Arpee]

From the right working bloodline sure thing. 

If you want a alternative I used to have duck tollers for wildfowling and they never let me down. 

[lister1]

Hi Arpee, the pups I’m look  on g at are from a working line, both the parent dogs are keen on the forshore.

I like the look of a Golden Retriever , they seem a good mix of working ability but more settled when at home. 

[mgsontour]

They take a long time to mature and therefore train plus they ain't called swap collies for nothing, so be prepared for extra washing/drying when you get them home as they not a quick rinse like a Labrador

[Arpee]

If you have access to a decent line and it's what you want then go for it! 

Best dog on the foreshore I've seen was a Chessie for working. Never seen such a strong dog. Questionable temperament outside of that. But it was fantastic watch. 

 

[Dave at kelton]

A pal of mine breeds and works them. He is a seasoned dog man and was A Panel spaniel judge. He always describes them as a handful so……..up to you!

I know people love the minor breeds thankfully but there is a reason most fowlers use labradors!

[marsh man]

I have always had thick coated Labradors since I started fowling way back in the late 60s , seen good and bad in all the breeds that come onto the marsh from time to time and none of them have ever changed my mind from having a Labrador , they have done everything I have ever asked them to and can stick any weather we are ever likely to go wildfowling in , if the weather got any worse than that then a ban would go on so we wouldn't be shooting anyway  , here is an ole photo of two of my dogs around 55 years ago . 

[Dave at kelton]

Great photos!

[lister1]

On 02/03/2024 at 09:53, marsh man said:

I have always had thick coated Labradors since I started fowling way back in the late 60s , seen good and bad in all the breeds that come onto the marsh from time to time and none of them have ever changed my mind from having a Labrador , they have done everything I have ever asked them to and can stick any weather we are ever likely to go wildfowling in , if the weather got any worse than that then a ban would go on so we wouldn't be shooting anyway  , here is an ole photo of two of my dogs around 55 years ago . 

Great photos.

I have a put on the way, Rusty will

be his name. I pick him up next week.

I’ll add some photos.

 

[marsh man]

4 hours ago, lister1 said:

Great photos.

I have a put on the way, Rusty will

be his name. I pick him up next week.

I’ll add some photos.

 

Brilliant , I am in two minds to get another puppy as my one now is getting towards ten and showing the first signs of stiffness after a fair bit of work , I will wait a bit longer and see how he get on over the next few weeks .

GOOD LUCK with your new edition to the household and look forward in seeing the photos      MM

[Dave at kelton]

3 hours ago, marsh man said:

Brilliant , I am in two minds to get another puppy as my one now is getting towards ten and showing the first signs of stiffness after a fair bit of work , I will wait a bit longer and see how he get on over the next few weeks .

GOOD LUCK with your new edition to the household and look forward in seeing the photos      MM

It’s worth giving them a glucosamine tablet each day if showing signs of stiffness. I just buy at Holland and Barrett

[marsh man]

1 hour ago, Dave at kelton said:

It’s worth giving them a glucosamine tablet each day if showing signs of stiffness. I just buy at Holland and Barrett

Hi Dave   THANKS for your advice , funny enough he have had one glucosamine tablet a day for a number of years now , my wife used to put one in his meat each morning and for the last year or so he have had three You Move tablets a day , these are wrapped up in three thin slice's of chicken each morning , so up till now he haven't been to the vet since he had his booster when he was about a year old and now he run about like a two year old but sleep very soundly later , a bit like me really , my head say I can do it but my body don'y always agree 

[Yellow Bear]

27 minutes ago, marsh man said:

my head say I can do it but my body don'y always agree 

👍👍 👍👍 👍👍

[Penelope]

On 02/03/2024 at 09:53, marsh man said:

I have always had thick coated Labradors since I started fowling way back in the late 60s , seen good and bad in all the breeds that come onto the marsh from time to time and none of them have ever changed my mind from having a Labrador , they have done everything I have ever asked them to and can stick any weather we are ever likely to go wildfowling in , if the weather got any worse than that then a ban would go on so we wouldn't be shooting anyway  , here is an ole photo of two of my dogs around 55 years ago . 

Cracking photos, John.

[marsh man]

15 minutes ago, Penelope said:

Cracking photos, John.

THANKS Paul ... I was shooting Pigeons on a rape field down the marsh , no need to have a hide you just got down the side of the dyke and way you go , mind you it wouldn't had been very healthy for the dogs if they ran in , note the ole traditional Bulls Eye water boots , while fowling in the punt I had 3/4 Bulls Eye as the full length thigh boots used to leak where you had them constantly folded down ,  Happy days , I could still get down the side of the dyke , the hard part is getting back up 

[Penelope]

18 hours ago, marsh man said:

Brilliant , I am in two minds to get another puppy as my one now is getting towards ten and showing the first signs of stiffness after a fair bit of work , I will wait a bit longer and see how he get on over the next few weeks .

GOOD LUCK with your new edition to the household and look forward in seeing the photos      MM

Mine was 10 on 1st January; slowing up and gets stiff after a day out. Sadly I doubt I'll be in a position to have another.

[marsh man]

1 hour ago, Penelope said:

Mine was 10 on 1st January; slowing up and gets stiff after a day out. Sadly I doubt I'll be in a position to have another.

Your dog sound like exactly how I feel after a good morning out let alone a day , no I am only joking , I still plod on and will do so as long as I am able , I have never been without a dog so I will get another one, at the moment it might be a partly trained one but I might go and look at a litter and all my plans go out of the window with having one of the pups sitting in the back of the motor on the way home , trouble is I don't know if I can be without of a working for the 18 months it will take to train him , not only that , by that time I will be pushing on towards 80 and in the meantime the good lord might want me upstairs to repair the piers on the pearly gates .

[lister1]

On 25/03/2024 at 12:40, marsh man said:

Your dog sound like exactly how I feel after a good morning out let alone a day , no I am only joking , I still plod on and will do so as long as I am able , I have never been without a dog so I will get another one, at the moment it might be a partly trained one but I might go and look at a litter and all my plans go out of the window with having one of the pups sitting in the back of the motor on the way home , trouble is I don't know if I can be without of a working for the 18 months it will take to train him , not only that , by that time I will be pushing on towards 80 and in the meantime the good lord might want me upstairs to repair the piers on the pearly gates .

My two were 12 and 14 when I had to let them go, the eldest one I retired a couple of years ago. She was struggling in the cold at times. Like you I can’t be without a dog, even just to have about the house. I looked at part trained, I thinks that’s a good idea, it’s just the additional cost can be off putting. 
 

This is Rusty. He’s settling in well. 

[Lloyd90]

7 hours ago, lister1 said:

My two were 12 and 14 when I had to let them go, the eldest one I retired a couple of years ago. She was struggling in the cold at times. Like you I can’t be without a dog, even just to have about the house. I looked at part trained, I thinks that’s a good idea, it’s just the additional cost can be off putting. 
 

This is Rusty. He’s settling in well. 

What a beauty  

[lister1]

14 minutes ago, Lloyd90 said:

What a beauty  

He certainly is. He’s settling in well.

I’m going to put a hot water point on outside next to the hose tap, ready to wash him down when we get back from trips to the marsh.

[marsh man]

7 hours ago, lister1 said:

My two were 12 and 14 when I had to let them go, the eldest one I retired a couple of years ago. She was struggling in the cold at times. Like you I can’t be without a dog, even just to have about the house. I looked at part trained, I thinks that’s a good idea, it’s just the additional cost can be off putting. 
 

This is Rusty. He’s settling in well. 

Rusty look a very contented puppy and I am sure he will do you proud , it always seem the milestone when the working dog reach double figures , some can carry on for another year or so without any problem and with others the writing is on the wall , my last one was only ten when we had to part company and my oldest one was 14 , I used to love it when we were on the search for a new puppy , it was always at this time of the year so we had a extra couple of days off work , I remember when we went to look at the one we have got now , we had arranged to look at two litters , one in Swaffham and the other in Kings Lynn , the one in Swaffham had both the mum and dad on show and they were both good looking and friendly dogs , the pups were then about six weeks old and one dog pup kept coming up to my wife , she picked it up and gave him a cuddle and nearly ten years later he is now sound asleep after his early mornings walk , we never got as far as Kings Lynn as our mind's had already been made up , I often look at a lot of ole photos we have got and nearly all of them have got at least one dog on them , dogs have been a huge part of our live's ,and now I am by myself they still are even more so . this is my one this last season.

Edited March 30 by marsh man

[Old Boggy]

3 hours ago, marsh man said:

Rusty look a very contented puppy and I am sure he will do you proud , it always seem the milestone when the working dog reach double figures , some can carry on for another year or so without any problem and with others the writing is on the wall , my last one was only ten when we had to part company and my oldest one was 14 , I used to love it when we were on the search for a new puppy , it was always at this time of the year so we had a extra couple of days off work , I remember when we went to look at the one we have got now , we had arranged to look at two litters , one in Swaffham and the other in Kings Lynn , the one in Swaffham had both the mum and dad on show and they were both good looking and friendly dogs , the pups were then about six weeks old and one dog pup kept coming up to my wife , she picked it up and gave him a cuddle and nearly ten years later he is now sound asleep after his early mornings walk , we never got as far as Kings Lynn as our mind's had already been made up , I often look at a lot of ole photos we have got and nearly all of them have got at least one dog on them , dogs have been a huge part of our live's ,and now I am by myself they still are even more so . this is my one this last season.

Lovely photo of Bobbie there John. I can still remember him patiently waiting in the back of your motor. Always had a good coat on him and was/is beautifully and lovingly looked after.

OB

[marsh man]

3 minutes ago, Old Boggy said:

Lovely photo of Bobbie there John. I can still remember him patiently waiting in the back of your motor. Always had a good coat on him and was/is beautifully and lovingly looked after.

OB

THANKS for your kind words Chris , he should look well , I spend more money on his food and tablets than I do on myself , 

[lister1]

3 hours ago, marsh man said:

Rusty look a very contented puppy and I am sure he will do you proud , it always seem the milestone when the working dog reach double figures , some can carry on for another year or so without any problem and with others the writing is on the wall , my last one was only ten when we had to part company and my oldest one was 14 , I used to love it when we were on the search for a new puppy , it was always at this time of the year so we had a extra couple of days off work , I remember when we went to look at the one we have got now , we had arranged to look at two litters , one in Swaffham and the other in Kings Lynn , the one in Swaffham had both the mum and dad on show and they were both good looking and friendly dogs , the pups were then about six weeks old and one dog pup kept coming up to my wife , she picked it up and gave him a cuddle and nearly ten years later he is now sound asleep after his early mornings walk , we never got as far as Kings Lynn as our mind's had already been made up , I often look at a lot of ole photos we have got and nearly all of them have got at least one dog on them , dogs have been a huge part of our live's ,and now I am by myself they still are even more so . this is my one this last season.

It’s no hardship looking at puppies! This time we were lucky enough to see both parents with the litter. 
Both parents are working dogs, wildfowling mostly. There were a couple of pups I was interested in but this one stood out to me. There was also a bitch I liked but as I’ve never had a dog I thought I’d have a change. Truth is if they weren’t from the same litter I’d probably have both. 
 

I find it equally hard retiring a dog as I do saying good bye, it’s difficult going out on the marsh without them. You get used to them being there, you even get used them drinking your coffee when your not looking. I never could put my flask and cup down without one of them drinking it. 
 

Crate training going well.

A bit of time in the sun.

[Krico woodcock]

On 30/03/2024 at 09:30, marsh man said:

Rusty look a very contented puppy and I am sure he will do you proud , it always seem the milestone when the working dog reach double figures , some can carry on for another year or so without any problem and with others the writing is on the wall , my last one was only ten when we had to part company and my oldest one was 14 , I used to love it when we were on the search for a new puppy , it was always at this time of the year so we had a extra couple of days off work , I remember when we went to look at the one we have got now , we had arranged to look at two litters , one in Swaffham and the other in Kings Lynn , the one in Swaffham had both the mum and dad on show and they were both good looking and friendly dogs , the pups were then about six weeks old and one dog pup kept coming up to my wife , she picked it up and gave him a cuddle and nearly ten years later he is now sound asleep after his early mornings walk , we never got as far as Kings Lynn as our mind's had already been made up , I often look at a lot of ole photos we have got and nearly all of them have got at least one dog on them , dogs have been a huge part of our live's ,and now I am by myself they still are even more so . this is my one this last season.

 Lovely snap marsh man,I think if shooting,  wildfowling, is in your blood , dog's will be too. I couldn't imagine life without dogs in it. All mine are hard working dogs in the shooting season, but are my friends and companions all year round. Get  another pup mash man,  you owe it to yourself ..

Below is bramble,  snap was taken near end of December just gone. he is 12 in June.  He is my eldest dog at the moment. He still gets out for a good run,  as he is as keen as he was at 3 years old. All be it he is stone deaf.And he still does what he's bred to do,  be it ducks or woodcock.. I'd like to see him do another bit come this season,  because like all good working dogs,  they live to work.  Even in their dreams their working. 

 

 

Edited April 4 by Krico woodcock