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Labs can be good for SOME things...
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It's just another odor.
DFrost
DFrost
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I'm just wondering what took them so long to figure to train dogs for this!
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Probably because it brings some legal questions into play. It's not against the law to own CD's. Is there a difference between the material used to make a legitmate CD and a blackmarket variety. Under what circumstances is the dog employed etc. I wish I had been the first one to train the dog to find termites. Darn it.
DFrost
DFrost
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Wait a sec. Dogs can find termites?David Frost said:
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·I find fewer uses for labs than termites. 
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You probably don't hunt, right?Jenni Williams said:I find fewer uses for labs than termites.
But what uses do you find for termites?
One of the first termite dogs was a beagle, down in Fla I think. That's a couple of yrs ago now.
Like David said, "Just another odor".
SOOOO simple! ](*,) ](*,) ](*,)
I've also seen articles on detector dogos that find mold, mercury, gas, you name it. If it has ANY odor, it can be taught.
Like David said, "Just another odor".
SOOOO simple! ](*,) ](*,) ](*,)
I've also seen articles on detector dogos that find mold, mercury, gas, you name it. If it has ANY odor, it can be taught.
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<<<I find fewer uses for labs than termites.>>>
Maybe that's because what you do is a hobby. I make my living working with dogs.
DFrost
Maybe that's because what you do is a hobby. I make my living working with dogs.
DFrost
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<<< articles on detector dogos that find mold, mercury, gas, you name it. If it has ANY odor, it can be taught.>>>
Along with what Bob said, you can also add extensive work done on detecting cancer. I've heard some theories about seizure dogs, ranging from a disturbance in the natural odor a person puts out, to different chemicals being released by a person, pre-seizure. I don't know if any of those studies have been peer reviewed.
One of my favorite uses, we trained dogs to detect SCUBA bubbles as they burst on the surface to locate divers. I thought that was neat as well.
Having been in the business as long as I have, I'm still amazed at times of uses they come up with for dogs. They are truly an amazing animal. I feel very fortunate to have been involved in this as a livlihood for more than 40 years and still have a passion for it.
DFrost
Along with what Bob said, you can also add extensive work done on detecting cancer. I've heard some theories about seizure dogs, ranging from a disturbance in the natural odor a person puts out, to different chemicals being released by a person, pre-seizure. I don't know if any of those studies have been peer reviewed.
One of my favorite uses, we trained dogs to detect SCUBA bubbles as they burst on the surface to locate divers. I thought that was neat as well.
Having been in the business as long as I have, I'm still amazed at times of uses they come up with for dogs. They are truly an amazing animal. I feel very fortunate to have been involved in this as a livlihood for more than 40 years and still have a passion for it.
DFrost
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·I was just kidding (see smiley face after comment). I couldn't have imagined in my wildest dreams that my one goofy comment would lead to me having to explain my take on labs. :? But, here goes David:
The labs I have to deal with in my business are just unbearable. No discipline, over bred, under-worked, hyper, dense, etc. They're sooo popular here that they outnumber termites tenfold. It's the fact that people are breeding them as pets that's the problem-not so much the dogs themselves. Generations upon generations of pet-bred labs running wild all over town.
People think b/c "it's just a lab" that they don't have to train them. I've been told "Well, YOU have dogs you HAVE to train or they could be dangerous. That's why I got a Lab." :roll: I'm not talking about dangerous, I'm talking about annoying! :wink: Labs seem to be quite different in other parts of the country.
Oh, and termites: Connie, I'll tell you a professional secret. If real estate gets slow, termites are a great tool to unleash into someone's home; pretty soon, they need a new one.
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What I get from this post is that Lab-owners (people) in your area are a problem.
To me, that's so different from saying what was said (that the breed is useless).
I know I'm showing my age, but it's too late to hide that now. :lol: Many years of dog involvement and training have exposed me to good and bad of just about every breed. I'm long over the idea that I can predict an animal's traits based on the breed.
To me, that's so different from saying what was said (that the breed is useless).
I know I'm showing my age, but it's too late to hide that now. :lol: Many years of dog involvement and training have exposed me to good and bad of just about every breed. I'm long over the idea that I can predict an animal's traits based on the breed.
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·Connie, it was such a lighthearted comment that I never even checked the thread again until today. I had no idea anyone could take it seriously, it was so ridiculous. I was just in a goofy mood. It's a running joke among the trainers I'm involved with that I ALWAYS get stuck dealing with/petsitting for the most rambunctious, unruly labs you've ever encountered.
About useless...while I never said they were useless, I have a Chihuahua, remember :lol: ?
About your age...um, well, you look much better than Greg's truck. :lol: You're younger than my parents, if that helps. And there's always the fine wine analogy...
About useless...while I never said they were useless, I have a Chihuahua, remember
:lol: ?About your age...um, well, you look much better than Greg's truck. :lol: You're younger than my parents, if that helps.
And there's always the fine wine analogy...
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I thought of you, David, when I worked with a group of service dogs and their handlers and trainers recently, because one of the dogs (by far the best of them) was a Lab. 8) I was impressed with all these dogs (alert dogs), although together they were a motley crew indeed, of varied sizes, ages, and breeds. :lol:David Frost said:
I guess we can all fall into the trap of starting to consider dogs who do something other than what we personally train for (or know, or own)* as "less than." But all of us who think that can't be right. So maybe all of us who think that are wrong.
*like sport, or PPD, or even well-mannered pets ....... and on and on, ad infinitum
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Labs are great working dogs. People are relaxed around them and they are not known as biting dogs. Narcotics and explosives are what we train them for in schools and airports. If anyone is looking for a good green dog with the drives, I have one that I can part with.
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<<It's the fact that people are breeding them as pets that's the problem-not so much the dogs themselves.>>
Unfortunately, the Lab is not the only dog this is affecting. I see it in the GSD and the Mal as well. It will get worse with the Mal as time goes on.
DFrost
Unfortunately, the Lab is not the only dog this is affecting. I see it in the GSD and the Mal as well. It will get worse with the Mal as time goes on.
DFrost
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I caught the joke. I knew she was kidding.
You just HAVE to poke fun at labs because the good ones are so darned good at scentwork! Maybe not so good to live with but good working dogs.
Those pet ones are awful but then, look at what the fanciers have done to GSDs.
Just call it *floppy-ear envy* 8) 8) 8)
You just HAVE to poke fun at labs because the good ones are so darned good at scentwork! Maybe not so good to live with but good working dogs.
Those pet ones are awful but then, look at what the fanciers have done to GSDs.
Just call it *floppy-ear envy* 8) 8) 8)
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unfortunately i share jenni's disdain for labs, but curiously, it only extends to yellow labs. i LOVE black labs, chocolate labs, etc. i know it is totally illogical, but it's real for me. just seems to me the vast majority of the yellow labs i've been unfortunate enough to be around were very dumb and annoying dogs (yes, i know that is more a reflection of the owners). now i know that is NOT the breed and my irrational hatred of them stems from a few bad examples of the breed.
as a side note, the best drug dog i've ever had the pleasure of watching was a yellow lab. that's one of the only scent labs i've seen. they're just not very common in my area. cross trained dogs are common place here, so 90% of the working dogs i see are cross trained GSD, Mals and dutchies...
as a side note, the best drug dog i've ever had the pleasure of watching was a yellow lab. that's one of the only scent labs i've seen. they're just not very common in my area. cross trained dogs are common place here, so 90% of the working dogs i see are cross trained GSD, Mals and dutchies...
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