ok, so i have a lab, i want to try grouse hunting, never done it before. can a lab do the trick, or do i need a dog that points. a friend told me grouse are not like pheasent, they live in the woods, if you have a lab he will go too far ahead and you will not be able to get to the bird in time because you have to work your way through the thicket. so what are your oppinions, should i get a new dog for grouse hunting or not.
A lab will work for grouse. Just don’t let him get too far out in front. Take him out, see how he does. 
I have a lab/shorthair mix, and she is a great grouse dog. She tends to work pretty close, in fact, a little too close for my liking when we’re after pheasants…but absolutely perfect when in the thick stuff after grouse. Every dog has thier own personality, but most can be trained to work where you want them. Take the dog out, see how it does, and if you don’t like it get to work training it so you do.
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A lab will work for grouse. Just don’t let him get too far out in front. Take him out, see how he does.
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Depends on your dogs range, keep him close and watch for him to get birdy. Good Luck 
Ive been training my pups (lab/short hair and lab/hound mix) to heal without the leash. Just wamt them to keep their nose down. A quick whistle and they look uo to see where you are or come back at little closer.
It’s been working good so far. At least for pheasant. Not too many grouse around for us to look for.
A lot of time and patience goes a long way.
By the way, we got them from a shelter. Not a mill.
A lab will work but it is a heck of a lot more fun with a pointer. I’d say the “quality” shots with a pointer compared to a flusher is around 3 to 1. Try it and see what you think before comitting to a differant breed. Then when you are ready to take it to the next level get yourself a good grouse dog. One more thing to think about if you believe in grouse cycles, is that if we are at the high point now and you get a pup next spring, the dog will be old by the time the good years come back.
The range problem is not really an issue for a good dog. My pointers will range 100+ sometimes while hunting pheasants. They will also just as easy run at 5-20 in the woods, corn, and catails. Just depends on the cover they are in and how far I let them go.
CW
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