Yes, of course all Labs were born to retrieve. But not all Labs are made the same. Sometimes we get lucky and own a puppy that shows signs of great potential right away. This is a story, in my opinion, about one of those Labs. At the time of this video, Rocky (owned by Mark T. from North Hero, Vermont) was only 11-weeks old. I was impressed; and here is why.

First, he was sent from a distance away from shore and not the water’s edge. The fact that he entered the water without hesitation and went straight for the big boy bumper shows great focus and potentially excellent marking ability. He did not stop at the water’s edge and look out at the bumper deciding his next move. Being sent from that distance away, many pups so young would be uncertain, wait and fiddle around. Rocky charges straight for the bumper. That shows great drive and more focus to the job at hand. When he gets to the bumper, he quickly snaps it up, turns and comes straight back hard. Again, with no hesitation about what to do next. When he gets back to shore, he makes a beeline back to Mark who obviously is still a distance away. And he does that over rocky terrain. Most puppies and even some older dogs  would stop and shake, maybe drop and play with the bumper and run in a different direction.

Rocky was not ‘trained’ to do all this yet. And that is why I am so impressed. It is not that he made the retrieve. It is the technical things he did so well that he had no idea what he was doing – he just did them. These are things that guys like me say it takes time to get right. To do them at 11-weeks old makes guys like me want to get started on dogs like this ASAP.

I don’t want to sound all mushy here saying this is the duck dog for the ages. But I am saying, “Mark, you got lucky – but do not let your luck run out.” You got a ‘good one’ but Rocky needs your training, patience, and commitment. It would be a shame not to develop his natural ability. I would go so far as to say you owe him that. Hey, a little pressure on the owner is a good thing(!)

If Rocky goes missing, you should probably first look in my house!

Good luck!!