Help me pick a bird dog breed!

I hunted over a Boykin for 6 years until I lost him to leukemia last year. I used him primarily for pheasants and grouse and shot a ton of birds off him which is not easy in Pa. Boykins are on the small side (under 50 lbs.) but they were originally bred to hunt waterfowl and turkey in the southern states. Most hunters don't know much about them or appreciate how versatile a dog they are. Primarily flushers, they hunt close, love to swim and retrieve, and make great family dogs too. And, if that's not enough, they have the coveted bob-tail mentioned in the previous post. Whatever you choose from those mentioned, I'm sure you'll enjoy the new addition.
 
well guys after doing some serious research i still havent decided lol I do have it narrowed down to two breeds, either a pudelpointer or a drahthaar. Both breeds look like everything Im looking for so I think it will come down to quality breeders available to me and which breed I like the looks of better. I still have some time before i need to decide. Anyone have any comparisons between these breeds or any experience that might help me decide? Thanks guys!
 
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Check out Vdd-gna.org and navhda.com, i also believe that there is a pudelpointer website too. There are a ton of different dogs to look at. Maybe for your location a Deutch Kurzhaar would be good with the short hair. DDs are really sharp on fur, i believe that the pp and dk are too but you hear more about the dds with regards to fur. Some DDs require more "training" to tame the prey drive to get them to the point where they have manners behind game. My female was like that, now she is awesome and i have no problem letting her hunt out of sight because i know when she pins down some game she is gonna wait for the boss to show up.

I hunt squirrels, rabbits, pheasant, quail, ducks, geese, coons, coyotes, and blood track with my dd. However, i do have a weimaraner that is not from hunting stock that does a very good job in all categories too. I feel a lot has to do with putting in the time and exposure.
 
I am going today to look at 6 week old German Short Hair Pointer puppies. 7 males left. I want another female but I believe I am going to fall in love with a puppy today..... I am just saying.
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys but I think Im pretty set on either a drahthaar or a pudelpointer, I just cant decide which one lol If I were to get a short hair I would probably go with a deutsch kurzhaar because I want to insure that my dog has a love of water and retrieving.
 
Great day of dog training. I planted 100 Pheasant today and 18 of us shot close to 70.... I shot 9 and gave 4 away to people who had none or 1 or 2. I was happy with 5 birds. Next thing I know one guy gives me his 3 and two other guys give me the 6 they had between them and somewhere there was another and I end up with 15 Pheasant. I do not ever want to clean 15 Pheasant again. Took me about 3 hours and I have no room in my freezer. I did save a bunch of wings for dog training purposes. Going back to see puppies tomorrow. Taking a friend I think we will both pick a puppy tomorrow.
 
The thing I have noticed about Bird hunters is I have seen lab people change to shorthairs I have never seen a guy with shorthairs change to Labs When the Labs are dragging their butts down the road back to the trucks the shorthairs are still hunting......Just what I have observed in hunting with a lot of different guys with a number of diff Labs. I changed from hunting with several diff
GSHP's I have owned over the years to a Germ wiredhaired pointer for 1 reason Its to [beeep] cold around here for a shorthair.The wire hair is great I wish I would have gotten one years ago..
 
Cant go wrong with a lab. One of the easiest breeds to train. I've also had brittney's, would NOT fetch a ball for the life of it but it they would bring birds back every time? If i had to choose a breed though it would be the lab. Best all around dog in my mind.
 
I have two shorthairs, or gsp's if you want to call them that. I love the fact that they will point when I want them to and flush when I give the command. I have never met a dog with a better nose in the field, I have hunted them side by side with a lot of others. But my next pair might be german wire hairs.... a bit more rugged than the gsp. That said both my dogs have hunted when they were tore up and bleeding. I never even knew they were hurt until that night when we washed them. I am sure that when they get old they will kill themselves in the field because they will never stop hunting. I have only seen it once. -15 with winds topping 30 mph, so around -40 below and i was done hunting then too! Get a GSP and they will be apart of the family and never let you down in the field.
 
Originally Posted By: outdoorguy17hmrI have two shorthairs, or gsp's if you want to call them that. I love the fact that they will point when I want them to and flush when I give the command. I have never met a dog with a better nose in the field, I have hunted them side by side with a lot of others. But my next pair might be german wire hairs.... a bit more rugged than the gsp. That said both my dogs have hunted when they were tore up and bleeding. I never even knew they were hurt until that night when we washed them. I am sure that when they get old they will kill themselves in the field because they will never stop hunting. I have only seen it once. -15 with winds topping 30 mph, so around -40 below and i was done hunting then too! Get a GSP and they will be apart of the family and never let you down in the field.
This is what I have found with the German Shorthairs Tough as nails but the cold will age them Pretty quickly my wire hair dosen't give a [beeep] about the cold and hunts every bit as good if not better............
 
Originally Posted By: featherbomb
msinc said:
I have to elaborate on the Chessies. I have owned 4 of them over the last 40 years. Yes, they are a one man dog however ALL of mine loved our kids and tolerated my wife. You will never have to worry about anybody doing a B & E on your home or vehicle if there is a Chessy around. You will never have to worry about a Chessy becoming a victim of wildlife predation. These dogs take hunting very seriously, they put 100% heart and soul into it. They have unbelieveable stamina, both on the water and in the field. They swim like otters, Have noses second only to hounds and sometimes I question that. Yes, it does take a special type of owner to handle a Chessy, they are NOT for your, take him to the field a few times a year person. If hunting is your passion and addiction this breed excels. Yes, they smell but you get used to it. They will let your hunting buddy in the truck (make sure buddy gets in first and he should keep a good supply of lil Debbie nutty bars in his pocket)-(Chessies favorite snack)They say if a man has one great dog in his lifetime he is blessed. I would classify two of mine that fell in that category. I was truly blessed to have the devotion and companionship these dogs gave me for so many years. Again, these dogs are not for everybody. There is a good reason the breed still exists. I could go on and on telling tales of unbelievable retrieves these dogs have done for me. Being a two fingered typer I have already overtaxed myself.

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my last Chessie (dead grass color)hunted like a pup til she was 12 yrs old, upland and waterfowl in MN, SD, ND and Canada. She had a very mild temperment and was great with my wife and kids, very smart, seemed to understand the tactics of hunting. I never saw the dog act as if it was cold, I have photos of the guard hairs on her back covered with ice when we were late season duck hunting 20 miles north of Devils Lake late season for divers, never whimpered one time. Her only downfall was that she would not tolerate another dog coming ANYWHERE near our dead birds or equipment, there would be an instant dog fight, it got tiring. I cried like a little girl when she passed away.
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I recently lost my Chessy to cancer after 11 memorable waterfowl seasons. I won't try to add to the following except to say that I agree. +1 and +2
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featherbomb: "I have to elaborate on the Chessies. I have owned 4 of them over the last 40 years. Yes, they are a one man dog however ALL of mine loved our kids and tolerated my wife. You will never have to worry about anybody doing a B & E on your home or vehicle if there is a Chessy around. You will never have to worry about a Chessy becoming a victim of wildlife predation. These dogs take hunting very seriously, they put 100% heart and soul into it. They have unbelieveable stamina, both on the water and in the field. They swim like otters, Have noses second only to hounds and sometimes I question that. Yes, it does take a special type of owner to handle a Chessy, they are NOT for your, take him to the field a few times a year person. If hunting is your passion and addiction this breed excels. Yes, they smell but you get used to it. They will let your hunting buddy in the truck (make sure buddy gets in first and he should keep a good supply of lil Debbie nutty bars in his pocket)-(Chessies favorite snack)They say if a man has one great dog in his lifetime he is blessed. I would classify two of mine that fell in that category. I was truly blessed to have the devotion and companionship these dogs gave me for so many years. Again, these dogs are not for everybody. There is a good reason the breed still exists. I could go on and on telling tales of unbelievable retrieves these dogs have done for me. Being a two fingered typer I have already overtaxed myself."

mnblaster: "My last Chessie (dead grass color)hunted like a pup til she was 12 yrs old, upland and waterfowl in MN, SD, ND and Canada. She had a very mild temperment and was great with my wife and kids, very smart, seemed to understand the tactics of hunting. I never saw the dog act as if it was cold, I have photos of the guard hairs on her back covered with ice when we were late season duck hunting 20 miles north of Devils Lake late season for divers, never whimpered one time. Her only downfall was that she would not tolerate another dog coming ANYWHERE near our dead birds or equipment, there would be an instant dog fight, it got tiring. I cried like a little girl when she passed away."
 
i have to say that i had labs back from when i was a kid im 38 now and just put my last lab of 14 years to sleep which was the best family dog ever.i looked and looked and when i decided on my griffon it was the best choice i could have made for a family /hunter.she is 8 months old right know and has more drive to hunt and learn then any other dog i have had.i am no means a dog trainer but with her she has made it easy and when she hears her bell or see's her e-collar she gets estatic and is ready to go [img:center]http://
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I'll have to add another vote for the Chessie.

I've had 4 of them over the years and the one I have now is definitely the best I've ever had. I adopted her from Chesapeake Rescue when she was 4 (a foundation for abused and abandoned Chessies). When I brought her home she ran like the wind when she heard any loud noises, she constantly asserted her dominance over my male Chessie and wouldn't listen to any commands. Through working with here, she now loves to hunt, is friendly to everyone and even sleeps with my wifes cat. Several years ago while calling coyotes I had a wolf come in from my blindside. She stood up and started growling at it, no doubt she saved my hide from a nasty situation (the wolf now hangs in the living room). When she passes, I will go back and adopt another Chessie who has been dealt a bad hand in life at the Chesapeake Rescue http://www.cbrrescue.org/
 
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German Shorthair pointer, out of the box gun dog.
I you are wanting a dog for the water, look at NAVHDA breeding.
North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association.
These dogs are bred and tested for both water and the field I have german shorthairs from navhda breeding and they all love the water.
 
Originally Posted By: sumrifleOriginally Posted By: cayotehunterWell back to the subject.......Ive got it narrowed down to either a lab or wirehair pointing griffon. Thanks for the input guys.

Get a Shorthaired Pointer. You will not be sorry.

I too have a shorthair. Very good dog and great with people. Only down side of the dog is the lack of hair. Dog tends to get more beat up in the brush due to lack of protection from the hair. Also when it gets cold out you have to watch out for hypothermia. Last winter while hunting birds the dog had to be carried back to the truck because he passed out from the cold. It was 35 drgrees with about 6 in of snow.
 
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