# Who are the top hunting dogs in the US?



## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

google master national qualifiers. You could also look @ AFTC FTC on the yearbook.


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## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

<————<<<
look left of this post or maybe above it depending on your device


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## FTGoldens (Dec 20, 2012)

SRW said:


> <————<<<
> look left of this post or maybe above it depending on your device


And is that a totally unbiased opinion???


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## FTGoldens (Dec 20, 2012)

Hildae said:


> I tried to google, but I must be using incorrect search terms. I'm just interested to see who the "top" goldens are in the hunting world. Anyone know?


There is no list of the top Goldens in the "hunting world," however you can find the currently running and successful Goldens running Field Trials and Hunt Tests by checking the Results on Entry Express. Also, each GRNews has a list of Goldens earning points in the Open, Am and Derby, as well as short articles about the dogs who earn Qualified All Age or Master Hunter status, although the latter are available only if the owners submit the article. Plus, the GRNews reports are a bit dated due to built-in delays ... but it's still a source.

FTGoldens


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## Hildae (Aug 15, 2012)

It's a shame that this isn't more readily available. I see lots of top show dog photos. I'd like to see the top winning hunters/field trial dogs.


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## Hildae (Aug 15, 2012)

SRW said:


> <————<<<
> look left of this post or maybe above it depending on your device


I saw he had won amateur high points for a male golden.  Congrats


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## FTGoldens (Dec 20, 2012)

Hildae said:


> It's a shame that this isn't more readily available. I see lots of top show dog photos. I'd like to see the top winning hunters/field trial dogs.


I totally agree!
One difference between the show/conformation competitions vs, field trial competitions and hunt tests that makes such evaluation difficult is that in the latter events, Goldens are running with the Labs (and the occasional Chessie), so there's not really a similar measure of Golden vs. Golden in field work except the annual tallies or the Specialty, and the Specialty shows the best dogs only at that one event.
Also, bear in mind that in any given year, we typically have 1 or 2 Goldens achieve FC and 2 or 3 achieve AFC ... those are two mighty high mountains to climb! (I once heard that there's a couple hundred Goldens that earn a Ch. title each year, but I really don't know if that is accurate.)


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

AKC organizes the show point scale so that roughly 200 dogs a year per breed earn their championship.
I think about 70 Goldens a year earn a Master Hunter title.
Random thoughts...


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## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

FTGoldens said:


> And is that a totally unbiased opinion???


Trust me, I fact checked it.


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## holycarp (Jan 3, 2021)

I'm quite curious- why is it that labs are more popular than goldens for field trials, despite both being retrievers?


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## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

holycarp said:


> I'm quite curious- why is it that labs are more popular than goldens for field trials, despite both being retrievers?


The gene pool of good field trial Labradors is large. The gene pool of Goldens with the talent and physical abilities required for field trials is extremely small.
It takes a great deal of time and dedication to compete in field trials. Most who do it want the odds in their favor, that means going with Labs.


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## Hildae (Aug 15, 2012)

SRW said:


> The gene pool of good field trial Labradors is large. The gene pool of Goldens with the talent and physical abilities required for field trials is extremely small.
> It takes a great deal of time and dedication to compete in field trials. Most who do it want the odds in their favor, that means going with Labs.


Don't you think that SOME of it is just the fact that when people think hunting they picture a lab because that is what is shown so much? In advertising Goldens are always shown as (the hugely fluffy light gold conformation types) cuddly family pets going for a car ride or playing in the yard with the kids. Labs are usually depicted with a pheasant in their mouth or jumping in a lake to get a downed duck etc.

I feel like some of it is that people are given the wrong idea and just go with what they see most often?


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## holycarp (Jan 3, 2021)

SRW said:


> The gene pool of good field trial Labradors is large. The gene pool of Goldens with the talent and physical abilities required for field trials is extremely small.
> It takes a great deal of time and dedication to compete in field trials. Most who do it want the odds in their favor, that means going with Labs.


Ah, gotcha. Would you expanding a little bit? I think the main part that confuses me is that goldens seem to be preferred for a lot of other sports, like rally, obedience, and especially agility (which is also physically demanding). Maybe not to the same extent as labs in field trials, but at least 2x as many RACHs, OTCHs, and MACHs are given out to goldens compared to labs. So there are clearly enough goldens that are smart and athletic. So what's missing?


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

holycarp said:


> Ah, gotcha. Would you expanding a little bit? I think the main part that confuses me is that goldens seem to be preferred for a lot of other sports, like rally, obedience, and especially agility (which is also physically demanding). Maybe not to the same extent as labs in field trials, but at least 2x as many RACHs, OTCHs, and MACHs are given out to goldens compared to labs. So there are clearly enough goldens that are smart and athletic. So what's missing?


For obedience, golden retrievers are more trainable and eager to please than labs in general. Some of that is because of a lot of softness and owner-focused traits bred into them - which make them ideal as a breed that works very closely with their owners. With a golden retriever who is well-trained through utility level in obedience, as example - I would expect a very efficient and serious worker who will run out to the article piles and check each article in the pile while searching for the one handled by his owner/trainer, select the correct one and quietly run back - all without running through the pile or juggling the retrieve. Separately, many of the behaviors that obedience trainers work very hard to instill in their canine partners are very natural behaviors with a golden retriever. There is less work training. Different exercises might be taught in only a handful of sessions, perhaps only a week or so.

With other breeds who have been force trained to retrieve or naturally have very high retrieve drives, there may be issues getting a dog to learn scent discrimination because the dog is only focused on retrieving. Heeling and other very control and focused exercises might be more difficult to train.

Even with people who have obedience line labs that they are doing obedience with - it's a lot more work training their dogs because they have so much dog to instill some self-control into. And these are pretty big dogs some of them. Lot of the obedience line goldens are itty bitty dogs.

For field - I think labs are preferred because it's OK to have a LOT of dog there.... and these dogs are quite a bit tougher. A friend of mine through obedience commented that she believes the reason why some of these trainers stick with labs over goldens is because labs can handle pressure better.


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## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

Hildae said:


> Don't you think that SOME of it is just the fact that when people think hunting they picture a lab because that is what is shown so much? In advertising Goldens are always shown as (the hugely fluffy light gold conformation types) cuddly family pets going for a car ride or playing in the yard with the kids. Labs are usually depicted with a pheasant in their mouth or jumping in a lake to get a downed duck etc.
> 
> I feel like some of it is that people are given the wrong idea and just go with what they see most often?


I'm sure that is part of it.


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## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

holycarp said:


> So there are clearly enough goldens that are smart and athletic. So what's missing?


I don't know about "enough". Seems like people struggle to find healthy Golden puppies and have to wait a year or more to get one.
One thing that is often missing in Goldens (and Labs) is the ability to "mark". Marking is the ability to locate and remember the exact spots where birds fall. In a typical field trial test there could be 2 to 4 birds to remember. Often the throwers are "retired", hidden after the throw. The rule of thumb for where the birds are thrown is to "put them where the dogs don't want to go".
It is hard to explain all the factors involved if you have never trained for or competed in a field trial.


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## Ruttin1 (Aug 20, 2017)

Hildae said:


> I tried to google, but I must be using incorrect search terms. I'm just interested to see who the "top" goldens are in the hunting world. Anyone know?


A good place to start would be your local Golden Retriever club. That and local trainers. Go have some conversations and you will find some good lines.


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

My take on things from experience: The Lab is seen much more often and generally puts on a better/flashier performance. This is in addition to many Goldens at a hunt test that look terrible at the water. As a result people want Labs. A few years back, John Sutherland (Sans Peur) called me and asked if I could help him place his dogs. His wife had just passed and he wanted out. He had five field trial dogs. I couldn't take one but I put an ad in the SOUTH SHORE WATERFOWLERS ASSOCIATION newsletter. I didn't get a single inquiry. And these were trained dogs running Amateur, free, there for the taking.


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