FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is your breeding philosophy?

Through selective breeding, Valley Gate Labradors has developed premier upland and waterfowl dogs. We review pedigree and health clearances (OFA Excellent or Good with current CERF) initially, then evaluate temperament, trainability, conformation and desire. We feel that breeding dogs that produce these traits is of great value to our clients as well as the breed as a whole.

What is a pointing lab?

Pointing labs have been selective bred for over 70 years. They have been of particular interest in the last fifteen years. Recently, a few breeders have achieved their goal of producing litters with a significant depth of the pointing trait. We have at least seven Grand Master Pointing Retrievers in our puppies bloodlines and six generations of pointing labs. This depth of the pointing trait helps assure the natural pointing ability will be present in your puppy.

Because there are field trial champions in the bloodline, will the dog be high-strung?

This is one of the biggest myths out there. We feel that dogs that have a field trial background bring intelligence, marking ability and the desire to retrieve. All of these characteristics help make a solid lab that is a pleasure to own. The versatility of the pointing lab to transition from upland hunting, to waterfowl retriever to family pet is what makes these dogs the ultimate hunting dog.

Do you have special programs you put your puppies through?

The puppies have their dewclaws removed between the 3rd and 5th day of life. This reduces stress on the puppies and minimizes scaring.

The puppies are wormed at two, four and six weeks of age.

While the puppies still have their eyes shut, we put them through Dr. Battaglia's "Super Dog" program of early neurological stimulation. There are five simple stimulations the pups are exposed to each day that help improve cardiovascular performance, produce stronger heart beats, stronger adrenal glands, more tolerance to stress, and greater tolerance to disease.

Puppies receive their first round of shots when they are six weeks old. We use the Fort Dodge "Puppy Shot" which protects them from Corona Virus, Parvo, Distemper, Parainfluenza and Adenovirus. We also microchip every puppy. We use the Home Again chips and provide the registration papers when the pup goes home.

Starting at four weeks, the puppies are introduced to pheasant wings. The wings are left with the puppies and help develop a sense of competition. At six weeks of age, the puppies are introduced, as a litter, to a clipped wing quail.

Unstructured handling and play by adults and children takes place from the fourth week of age. This time promotes human bonding and socialization.

How do you train a pointing lab?

We recommend you train the pointing lab as you would any other retriever with the addition of the "whoa" command once bird work begins. The general order of training is obedience (sit, stay, come), retrieving and bird work in the field. We like to have the dog solid with its obedience and retrieving before the bird work begins. When the upland work begins, you can change to a more traditional pointing dog approach.

What training books do you recommend?

I personally referred to Water Dog and Game Dog by Richard Wolters for training my pointing retrievers. Other good books include: Training Retrievers by Tri-Tronics and Training the Pointing Labrador by Julie Knutson.

Do you hunt your dogs?

All of our dogs are trained and hunted regularly on pheasant, quail, various grouse, ducks and geese. We also test our dogs in APLA and AKC events

How important is order of "pick" for a puppy?

Here is where perception is much different than reality. Most puppies are chosen at six to eight weeks of age. Though some general tendencies can be seen, this is too young to be able to predict what the dog will ultimately become. Personalities change the moment they leave the litter. Dr. Carmen Battaglia, Ph.D., canine behaviorist, put it this way. "What a dog ultimately becomes is 35% genetic and 65% other." Dr. Battaglia defines "other" as environment, nutrition, training and socialization.