Bird Dog Questions

Smokin250

New member
First off let me start off with a little background. I am 22 years old and have hunted since I was around 10 or so. In the past few years I have hunted waterfowl here and there, and the past 3 years I have gone to Iowa for Pheasant. I hunt dove every year here in Ohio. Now, I told myself that when I graduate from college (in about a year or year and a half) that my gift to myself would be a dog. I have been looking for about the past two years, and here is the list i have come up with.

German Shorthair pointer
English setter
Springer Spaniel
Lab

Now i want a dog that will be able to do everything basically, and still be able to be inside from time to time. I know that the only dog on the list realy that will be able to hunt COLD water, and hunt pheasant, and pretty much anything i want would be more than likely the lab.

I really would like to hear your advice on this guys. Any help or information would be appreciated. Offer new breeds too.

Thanks
Brian
 
The shorthair will do all. From hunting birds to rabbits to tracking down wounded big game. They are great with kids and uninvited visitors. I'm not biased just because I've got a couple either. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-006.gif
 
I've have/had Brittany Spaniels (close enough to a Springer to compare) and English Setters and as a whole if they come from hunting dogs parents are very birdy and don't take a lot to teach them to hunt. They are both however not water dogs. Sure they will swim... but they are known for their noses and finding birds in the bush.

Setters and Spaniels are not known for their retrieveing skills but they can be taught.

Labs on the other hand are great retrievers and swimmers but their ability to find hiding birds on the ground doesn't even come close. Dead birds are another story and they find those easily.

Of course this is only my opinion and I have only been training dogs and bird hunting for about 35 years.
 
When I was a kid, my stepdad raised and trained bird dogs.

We had Setters, Pointers and a variety of Spaniels.

The Brittany Spaniels and the German Shorthairs always seemed to take the least training and were pretty much all around retrievers as well as holding a point just a little longer.

We had a couple of English Setters that were outstanding as well, but they were the oddity, rather than the norm when compared with the others..
 
I forgot Brittany's, thanks for bringing that up. Thats another breed i am very interested in.

Like i had mentionted i want a dog that will be able to do everything, since i hunt just about everything. The lab at first was not appealing to me at all just because of the sterotypical picture of the suburban soccer mom having one (i know thats an incredibly stupid idea, but bear with me). My friedns father (whom i have gone to iowa with the past two years) got a chocolate lab two years ago, and took it to iwoa with us last year to hunt for its first time. I saw that dog swim and retrieve with the best of them, and on top of that he was flushing birds and POINTING birds. This year he was the best dog we took i would say. He was a flsuhing fool (even with 45-50 mph winds), and found more birds than any other dog. He minds better than any other dog there two. You can stop him on a dead run.

After seeing this my mind has changed clightly about owning a lab.
 
If you ask about what breed of dog, you are going to get a ton of different opinions.

When searching, don't forget about Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. I've had 9 of them and they will out-do a lab every single time in EVERYTHING!

(I've got labs too)
 
I would look at FIELD BRED English Springer Spaniels. They are great pheasant dogs and will do everything else as well. Field Breds are alot different from the show dogs and are far superior (to show bred springers) in every hunting situation.
 
if ya want a all around hunting dog, get a lab, if trained they will hunt everything including rabbits. the are great around kids and people and are a great watch dog when needed /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif I had one that wasn't trained very well but she would point and retrieve pheasants, woodcocks, quail, and rabbits and retrieve ducks and geese. cold weather hunting didnt vaze her, and she was a loyal pet, she was friendly with everyone at the boat ramps and was a powerhouse of a swimmer, in the evenings she would lay at my feet and sleep. I don't think you can beat a lab unless you get one of those bearded dogs, I think they are called a Drathar or something like that, they are great bird dogs also, so check them out.
 
http://www.predatormastersforums.com/ubb...page=0#52954919

Here is the link to my post when we were in Montana. You will see three differnt dog types.

Brittanies, A lab , and a German Wirehair.

All are great dogs, I own the Brittany's and they found and pointed most of the birds on the trip, but the Wirehair had not much experince in the uplands but caught on quick, the lab retrived alot and did a wondeful job in the really thick cattails along a lake we hunted.

I hunt 25 to 30 days in the uplands between dove, Prairie chicken and pheasant and qauil , the Brittany is the dog for me. I probably waterfowl hunt 4 or 5 times a year.

When I go waterfowl hunting I hunt with my buddy who has a lab or the one with the wirehair. They upland hunt 4 or 5 times a year and waterfowl hunt 25 to 35 times a year.

I would suggest making your descicion on what type of hunting you will do the most of and pick a breed that will benefit you the most at what you will be doing most often.

I assume waterfowling might be real popoular in your state?
 
Quote:
if ya want a all around hunting dog, get a lab, if trained they will hunt everything including rabbits. the are great around kids and people and are a great watch dog when needed /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif I had one that wasn't trained very well but she would point and retrieve pheasants, woodcocks, quail, and rabbits and retrieve ducks and geese. cold weather hunting didnt vaze her, and she was a loyal pet, she was friendly with everyone at the boat ramps and was a powerhouse of a swimmer, in the evenings she would lay at my feet and sleep. I don't think you can beat a lab unless you get one of those bearded dogs, I think they are called a Drathar or something like that, they are great bird dogs also, so check them out.



This is exactly what I was going to say. The good ole American Lab is pretty tough to beat at doing a little bit of everything. The Drathar or German Wirehaired Pointer [pretty much the same breed for all intents and purposes] is very well rounded too. The Shorthair, in my opinion, doesn't have the coat for cold weather waterfowling. Not that they won't do it, it's just that a lab or GWP are physically better suited for it. Heck, you could train a weiner dog to fetch ducks but they're not built for it either. I love my lab. He'll point pheasants and quail, retrieve them to hand when shot, retrieve ducks and geese in icy water, then play Barbies with my daughter all evening. After that, he'll lay by my side and watch T.V. He's not the best at any one thing, but he's pretty good at it all. The only drawback for me about the GWP's is maintainence. If you don't keep them clipped, they look like a big wooly sheep dog. The upside to this is they don't shed like a lab. There's trade offs in everything I guess. Whatever breed you decide, choose a reputable breeder and don't be afraid to spend a little money on some good blood lines. It's usually worth it in the long run. Good luck. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
PM return Gonzaga.


Thanks guys.
You have pretty much confirmed by thoughts that the RIGHT lab would suit me. I Don't intend on hunting one thing more than other as of right now. I hunt ducks and geese around here a few times a year, hunt doves in early september, and go to iowa once a year. IF i had a dog though i would prolly hunt birds more often.

If i end up getting a lab i want to get a smaller lab, with shorter hair. That won't shed. My buddies dad that went to iowa with us (had the lab i was talking about) his lab is perfect. Smaller lab, does shed, it almost seems like he is streamline. Swims great, and can run through some serious marshes. and did i mention he doesn't shed...its great. After getting back from hunting, i am really starting to lean towards a lab for a good all around dog.
 
Get a German Shorthair Pointer. GSP is the top versatile hunting dog. They point like an English pointer, retrieve on land and in the water like a lab and track like a bloodhound. Their natural instincts make them easy to train. They are great family dogs. In the records of the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association GSP outscore all other dogs combined. I have hunted turkey, ducks, quail, pheasants, goose and grouse with my GSP. They have boundless energy. Good luck!!
9th
 
As my username suggests I am a devoted fan of the German Shorthaired. I love to watch a Shorthaired running along then slam on the brakes almost turning themselves inside out.
I guess what you need to decide is are you a person who likes to have birds flushed or pointed. That would be my first step in deciding what breed you wanted.
Trust me in this though. Buy a well bred pup so you stack your odds in getting the type of dog you are looking for.
As far as breeds I think you will find after you get your pup start to train it and after spending hours upon hours working with it that whatever breed you decide on you'll think you have the perfect breed.
With that being said if I couldn't have a Shorthaired I would have a Lab. Hands down my second favorite breed.
 
Its not too late to throw in your input guys. I have at leasst 1 1/2 years to figure it out. Planning is everything though i have heard with something like this.

So, you guys are saying that a GSH can hunt icy water for waterfowl with no problems like a lab will?
 
Back
Top