i have just bought a drakeshesd puppy and want to know more about its breeding, hve typed it in a search engine and got loads of hits, however is there a stud website or something as alot of the hits were from finland.

I don't think they have a website, but John (who posts here) will be the person able to point you in the right direction.
:)

thanks does here come here alot (that sounds like a corny chat up line lol), shes by drakeshead garth

Hi. Yes, John is often on the boards. You should hear him soon. I am sure- if you tick "send me email notifications of replies"- thenwhen he comes along and finds this post, he will reply to it and you will have an email of the reply. Hope that made sense.

Yes, John looks in here most evenings.

Drakeshead are bred by John & Sandra Halstead. If you ever get to see one of their gundog training exhibitions please go as they are wonderful - they do lots of video's too. I shall have a look in the Shooting Times and see if I can dig up any contact details.

Good luck with pup, you should have a good one there!

Jacky

Field Trials Champion Drakeshead Garth, hip score 4/3, Elbows 0/0 And a lovely dog too!

The Drakeshead Affix is one of the most famous amongst working Labradors. Both John and Sandra Halstead (Who are at Chorley, Lancashire) are Field Trials judges and Sandra Halstead is also a Champ Show judge. I had a Drakeshead puppy working in my class last Sunday, good looking and so bright!

Are you intending to work your puppy? My only reservation is that clever puppies need their minds occupying. You know the old saying about "the devil making work for idle hands"? The person who said that was obviously thinking about working Lab puppies at the time!! ;)

Incidentally they have recorded several gundog training videos

Best wishes, John

my hubby wants to have a go at working her but we dont know where to start

The obvious start is with a gundog training club. Have a look at Mel's post "Dog Boards / General / Info re: working my lab" for the answers to some very early questions.

I'm always happy to answer what I can in the way of questions and there are several other on here who work their dogs.

Best wishes, John

If you are close to Mirfield in West Yorkshire I can offer private tuition in gundog training (through the winter sorry, weekends only - beginner level and for those wanting to 'dip their toe into the water'. Call me on 01924 499170) around 7.00 pm on weekdays for a chat.

We have a Drakeshead bitch (Garth is the Grandpop) and she is a wonderful girl !

Besides her dickie hips she is one of the most wonderful , entertaining, cheeky, lovable, soft, easily trainable girls I have ever had !!:)

I agree with you John about Devils making work for light hands !

We have sussed MB's fettish for Mike's trainers as if he leaves a pair she will grab both and thread the laces out and then slowly chew little bits as to not totally destroy them totally !! :)

Mike left three pairs and he laughed this morning after coming back from their morning run and coming down stairs he found she had all six shoes and was looking at all of them in a quandry (sp) on which one to devour !! :D What a dilema !! :D :D

A born retriever as well ! She did it as soon as we got her home at 8 1/2 weeks !

hi Daisy is from the Drakeshead line, her mum is Drakeshead celia, and her dad is Millbuies magnum of Drakeshead, and she is the cleverest dog i've ever met, sorry to boast!!!I also have two labs from show lines and they are gorgeous but soo dense in comparison:)Thankfully the pups are usually as intelligent as their mum!!

Elisha i have a book by susan scales called Retriever Training .Drakeshead is mentioned in the book .pic of F.T.CH Breeze of Drakeshead.It might be worth looking at if you want to work your pup.
caroline

my dog has drakeshead lines in him including haretor, Mark of Drakeshead, Drakeshead Gypsy, Brenton Dirk od Drakeshead, Drakeshead Anna, drakes head thorne, the list goes on

and he is the most intelligent working dog, he knows, if there is something in there, and if not, he will still work it but will give me thoses, theres nothing here, then the told you eyes

i would seriously traning her to work, even if you never did, just the basics, it would keep her brain active

good luck with your puppy :)

Hi Elisha,

here you have link to Garth's six generation pedigree:

http://labrador.retriever.free.fr/pedig6.php?id=32025&lang=en

I have put my name down on the drakeshead puppy list in june and I am going down on sunday with my friend to see there stud dogs, as he is thinking of breeding from them. Does anyone know how long you think I will need to wait before I get my pup

Andy

I have no idea Gun1dog. A friend of mine who breeds working Labradors has a two year waiting list. I know there are rather more Drakeshead puppies in a year than Endacott but even then there is sure to be a fairly long wait. If you really want a good working dog then it pays to wait for the right one. :)

Regards, John 

Hi Gun1dog, there are some very good & reputable breeders of working/trialling Labradors in Scotland.

Here you have a link: http://www.lab.scot.btinternet.co.uk/Links.htm
Do call them and ask for info.

I've been up there some years ago and met some fine dogs and friendly people, too.

Does anyone know if at gundog clubs they do training days like going out into the shooting field and doing a training day. Has anyone saw all four of the drakeshead videos. I have all four and they are fantastic does eveyone agree

Gun1dog

Certainly my area of the United Retriever Club does not. There are Field Trials training days organised around the country but they assume a certain degree of experience in the field.

A few individuals do organise field training days but they are few and far between. Usually they are advertised in the shooting press it can be quite expensive, the cost to a shoot is about £25 per bird!

Most training clubs have a number of experienced handlers who will take a promising dog and handler under their wing and when ready, take them along to a shoot for experience. The big shoots are always looking for people so it is often a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

Best wishes, John

Hi all I went down to drakeshead on Sunday And they were very helpful. They gave me loads of Information, They put me onto a woman who has a litter of pups sired by Sam. So I have bought two pups from that litter and collect them in 4 weeks when they are 8 weeks old. One is red fox and one is Black.

Two puppies from one litter?   That is surprising!

Anyway, glad that you've got your puppies - but please be prepared to spend THREE times the time it takes to train one!!!  I know - we kept two puppies from our last litter - and it really is hard work - you can't train two at once, so you have to do it once with one, again with the second - and then with both!

Good luck!

Margot

Forgot to say - we're such gluttons for punishment that we are getting our little labrador puppy in 10 days ......just as Beau & Vinnie are beginning to grow up, we're going to start all over again!

Hi all see when you are doing the puppy training, do you let your puppy have alot of free running with other dogs.

Regards

Gundog

Personally, I don't let little puppies run with the big dogs (I'm talking about 2-5 month old puppies here).   They can play with them in the garden for a little while, but we walk ours on "little" walks - using the rule of 5 minutes per month until they are about 8-10 months old.   Hip displasia can also be a result of allowing a puppy to over-exercise/environment as well as breeding, and I feel that the more I can do to ensure that puppies do not over-rerach themselves helps (don't allow them to rush up and down stairs either!!).

Margot

I'm probably going to sound incredibly ignorant here, but 5 mins a month!  I hadn't realised that hip dysplasia prevention/easing was that tender an issue.  I was aware that you had to be very careful with monitering the walks, but not to that extent.

MW

I didnt / dont follow this rule, considering its normaly the dog that runs round for a crazy half hour several times a day when not excersized i take him for a walk round the block maybe 3 or 4 times a day  or depending on the day a good hour or so long walk.

:(

I really think it depends on breeds, seeing as small breeds have almost finished growing by 6/7 months.
I haven't heard of the 5mins x no. of months before, but then I don't exercise them hardly at all when that age, just carry them around!
Char

Sorry - brain dead on a Friday evening :D!!

What I meant was that we exercise puppies PER DAY for 5 mins of every month (sorry as it is now Saturday, my brain has switched off &  can't get the words to come right) - i.e. for a 3 month puppy, it would be exercised for a period of 15 mins per session! - 5 months - 25 mins!

Just imagine.... exercising a puppy for 5mins a month !

Margot (who thinks that she might need a brain transplant.....)