Hooked On a Sporting Breed…At HGT we know why!
Written by Pam on March 28, 2016
At HomeGrown Trilogy we are hooked on two sporting breeds, that of the Labrador and Golden Retriever. We have HGT families that love both breeds – are hooked on one or the other…and we understand why!
I want to talk about each breed separately so that new family members can think beyond the thoughts of a cute puppy – there is a lot of work as well as enjoyment when owning a pup from one of the sporting breeds ~
The Labrador. 
(HGT’s Kissakee Crest)
Most labradors are very easy to train – we start the training here at HGT once I capture their attention and while they are still in the whelping box. The labrador is a quick learner only when the trainer shows them repetition, respect and of course, the reward. My 3 R’s! As a puppy, we first want them to know we exist, we exist to be a companion and we exist to protect and feed them – with this, they will soon understand that we are critical things in their lives. You will see in their soulful eyes, that willingness to do anything you want – but sometimes the ‘something’ can turn into boredom – a LABRADOR IS NOT HAPPY DOING…NOTHING!
As a pup and into their teenage years, you need to keep them busy, give them jobs, run your lab – or else they will find things to do – not knowing that these things will not please but present problems. Labradors need agility, they need companionship and the love that goes with it, they need direction and training and most importantly they need boundaries set from the first day they are brought home. (Just like our kids!) They already know what Pam expects, now they need to follow what their new families expect. You need to set them straight (which is not that hard) and to lay down the law right from the start – No middle of the road, allowing him to sit on the sofa but when guests are there, then the sofa is off-limits. They do not think like we do, it is either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to a certain activity.
The Golden Retriever. 
(HGT’s Ozzy Azlon)
I have never met a golden retriever that is hard to train. They too start their training with us once I notice that they are following me from one side of the whelping box to the other but with the golden, they tend to always want to be around the human – they want to actually learn from the human – and they do. Our Golden Grands eye contact simply amazes me. When I start training them to walk by my left side, their eyes are on me constantly waiting and watching for my next command. I often wonder how do they walk w/o tripping. They must have very good peripheral vision.
We have Wilhelmina, the grandmother of many here, she is the smartest, resourceful, agile golden retriever that we have EVER had here at HGT and we have had many. They figure things out. When in the rain, go for shelter, when having to go-go, they go to the outskirts of the property and do their business, when having to please, right in my path to do what they anticipate I want. Amazing creatures! Goldens as they age, they seem to be okay with not having something to do all the time. They tend to find a toy and bunker down and wait for one of us to come back home. They do not need a lot of agility but do need to go on a walk each day – the walk is not just for exercise, it is for meeting other people and other dogs, and most important it is the necessary time to bond with your golden grand! They too need limits – from the very start and as soon as they join their new families.
When families are uncertain which sporting breed to gravitate to I always give them this example of what happens more times than not here are HGT. When I walk my dogs, I always take a lab and a golden together for a walk. I always get the high accolades for both breeds, but after our walk it becomes crystal clear to me as to the sole difference in both breeds. We get home, the golden is all set, goes to their water bowl, allows me to take their lead off and lays down happily. Now the lab, also goes for their water, normally runs away from me as they do not want the fun to stop and does not want me to take their lead off – most often they go back to the same door we just came in from, as to tell me … ok let’s go back for another walk!