finished labs

Kline2054

Member
By “finished lab” I assume that it would have an HRCH title, which must consider to be a “finished dog” without the title, it is not really considered a finished dog by everyone except for the person selling its opinion (this is also my opinion)

Does the lab have any OFA certifications such as hips, heart, etc?

Age, pedigree, attitude and other factors would be of great consideration as well
 

Melvin4730

Senior Member
Having a title has nothing to do with being a finished dog, in my opinion. There are a lot of hunters/ trainers that never run their dogs in field trials or hunt test.
This doesn’t mean those dogs aren’t trained to a finished level.

There are a lot of hard running well trained dogs that don’t play dog games.

Have the owner run the dog for you. As noted above, the dog would need to have all health clearances.
 
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Kline2054

Member
Having a title has nothing to do with being a finished dog, in my opinion. There are a lot of hunters/ trainers that never run their dogs in field trials or hunt test.
This doesn’t mean those dogs aren’t trained to a finished level.

There are a lot of hard running well trained dogs that don’t play dog games.

Have the owner run the dog for you.


Yes, it is possible that a dog can perform to a finished level without having a title.... but then its just the opinion of the person who trained the dog that the dog is at a finished level.

My personal opinion is that I am not paying the price tag on a finished dog, without a finished title
 

Melvin4730

Senior Member
The dog can be shown. It has nothing to do with what the seller thinks. Run the dog. The dog will prove itself.
 

krazybronco2

Senior Member
first question is why they owner is selling the dog? next is what training has the dog had? if you can see the dog work then even better (and i would highly recommend) next is the pedigree and the health certs at least on the parents of the pup.

I sold a dog last year that didnt have any titles or health certs (18mo at the time) but had a good pedigree and had been with jason baker for almost a year. he was a field trial washout but has been an awesome dog for the guy and has picked up a pile of birds since the guy got him.
 

Tag-a-long

Senior Member
As you can see - "Finished" means different things to different people. I've got two females that are more than finished (spent 18-20 mos with a pro, Master titled with a MN plate) but neither of them carries an HRCH (yet!)

Questions for you:
What are your expectations, what are you looking for in a dog?
If the dog doesn't currently meet your expectations do you have the means to 'finish' it?

Questions for the seller:
How do you define "Finished"?
Why are they selling?
What training has the dog had and who did the training (if not the seller can you speak to the trainer)?
Does the dog have any known health issues?
Has the dog been hunted?
Any training or temperament issues need to know about?
Do they have a written sales agreement?
What recourse do you have if you are not satisfied with dog?
 

oochee hunter

Senior Member
Thanks

The dog is with a trainer, for sale by him. I have watched the dog work and to me he is quite amazing! This dog is expensive so i'm wanting to ask the questions that need to be asked. The dog is close to being a grand champion if I understand the wording correctly. So the trainer should be able to provide all the health certifications if asked? Also , how will the transition from field trial to hunting normally go? Vague questions I know but starting to get very interested in a dog. Thanks for the replies.
 

Kline2054

Member
The dog is with a trainer, for sale by him. I have watched the dog work and to me he is quite amazing! This dog is expensive so i'm wanting to ask the questions that need to be asked. The dog is close to being a grand champion if I understand the wording correctly. So the trainer should be able to provide all the health certifications if asked? Also , how will the transition from field trial to hunting normally go? Vague questions I know but starting to get very interested in a dog. Thanks for the replies.

If the dog is “almost a grand champion” then I would assume it has completed a pass at the HRC Grand? If you have the registered name of the dog you could look up its hunt test record online
 

Tag-a-long

Senior Member
The dog is with a trainer, for sale by him. I have watched the dog work and to me he is quite amazing! This dog is expensive so i'm wanting to ask the questions that need to be asked. The dog is close to being a grand champion if I understand the wording correctly. So the trainer should be able to provide all the health certifications if asked? Also , how will the transition from field trial to hunting normally go? Vague questions I know but starting to get very interested in a dog. Thanks for the replies.

It is pretty common for trainers to take puppies, raise them and sell them as finished dogs. Or sometimes they'll sell them for clients that need to move in a different direction. And they ARE expensive. Be careful ... I was amazed the first time I watched a well trained finished dog run. 5 dogs later I am spending my son's inheritance faster than it can accumulate! :D

You're talking about buying a finely tuned machine, you're going to need to be taught how to drive it. I would expect the trainer to be open to you coming by from time to time to train with the dog and to be available to help troubleshoot any issues you run into.

Depending on how old the dog is, it's entirely possible that they have not done any health clearances on him - and that would NOT be a deal breaker for me. Some of them like hips you can't do until they are are 24 months old. Frankly, as long as he appears healthy and your vet gives him a clean bill of health, there is not much need to spend the money unless you plan to breed him.

What WOULD be of interest to me is a copy of his pedigree or at minimum his and his parents registered names. With that you can do some research online to see what clearances his parents had done. That will tell you a lot about what you can expect out of him. You can also research their AKC hunt test or field trial record and get some idea of they have done but I am not aware of anywhere you can get a record of their accomplishments in UKC/HRC.

Depending on his personality, the transition should go just fine. Mine are all pretty hard charging in the field but all of them are house dogs when they come home. They need to get out and burn some steam from time to time but it's nothing a good run or throwing some bumpers in the yard won't fix. I try to work them once a week but that's not always possible.
 

Water Swat

Senior Member
If the dog is “almost a grand champion” then I would assume it has completed a pass at the HRC Grand? If you have the registered name of the dog you could look up its hunt test record online

Where can you look up hrc passes/titles online?
 
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