What should you look for in a dog?

Question
Hi Karen,

We are looking for a dog right now.  We have 4 children under the age of 8.  
We would like a friendly dog but also a good hunting dog.  We just went and
looked at golden labs that were already being bird trained.  They were a little
nippy (which I am sure most puppies are).  My questions are:  1.  What kind of
dog do you think would fit our description?  2.  What do you look for when
looking for a puppy to see if it is a good one?  3.  What can you do to train a
dog not to nip?

Thanks for your help,

Michele

Answer
That rather depends on the type of hunting the hunter in the family plans on doing. Labradors are good water dogs, while something like a golden retriever is better in the field with game birds rather than water fowl. (Or maybe you want something that finds the birds first, like one of the pointing breeds.) The selection is really quite extensive. Either a lab or a golden should make a good family dog as long as you choose wisely.

Pick a puppy that is more submissive. You cannot have a dominant dog in the house with children that young as you will have nothing but problems. Don't pick a puppy that comes running up and gets in your face as that will be a more dominant dog. Roll the puppy over on its back and hold it down. It should struggle and settle, and struggle and settle with some eye contact. (Do not let it up while it is struggling.)

Since you want one for hunting, test to see if it retrieves. A natural retriever is a lot easier than one that has to be forced-trained.

As to the nipping, when a puppy nips at you, pinch it HARD on the lips and loudly tell it "No Biting!" (or whatever your command is going to be) as you stare it in the eyes. Do this quickly and in a deep angry voice, and release just as quickly. If the puppy licks you, praise it.