House Dog, Field Dog or a Combination

Whats best

  • House Dog

    Votes: 5 12.2%

  • Field Dog

    Votes: 1 2.4%

  • Combination

    Votes: 35 85.4%
  • Total voters
    41
moellermd

moellermd

Super Moderator
Not saying you can't have both. But this blog was an interesting take on the age old question.

http://www.pheasantblog.org/mherwig/which-is-best-a-house-dog-field-dog-or-a-combination/

My wife would say she wishes they were more of a house dog, meaning pet not inside dog. The two dogs tend to be a little too high energy and I have yet to fully focus there prey dive (any stray cat, chicken, or anything else that wanders on the place becomes prey.) But I kind of like them the way they are.
 
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My dog is a good combo leaning more to the field side of things and that's how I like it. His prey drive is extraordinary, but he knows when to turn it off (at home around my chickens). He is calm in the house and affectionate with my family and other dogs but that's where it ends. Strangers beware my house is gaurded by 45lbs of fury.
 
I question if any dog can be their "best" without being a house dog. A hyper dog indicates poor breeding where as a high drive dog usually only comes from good breeding. I recently went to meet the sire of a litter I am buying a pup from. This dog is a afc/fc who's father is an NFC:D and his mother is a QAA MH:D. Three of his siblings are afc/fc. Yea he is high drive!!! When I went to meet this dog he was sleeping in the living room of Mary Hawley! (lab guys will know the name) She has bred 11 NFCs including 3xNFC Lottie. She and Kathy Swab the owner of the bitch (CH!!! and SH!!!) will not place a pup into a straight kennel enviroment. I'm not saying kennels are bad as I know their are a lot of good reasons for keeping dogs out in kennels. Heck I have 3 runs in the back yard. I just think that if you are going to own a dog treat them the best you can to get the best out of them. Hell 3 labs don't shed that much (I should buy stock in dyson)! Sorry about climbing on the soap box but I am so jacked up about this pup I take any opportunity to brag. Bad part is he isn't due to be whelped till April 1st. Gonna be a long couple of months
 
pheasantaddict said:
If that is the case, I misvoted.
Click to expand...
HA!... "89%+ combination" thus far... NOT counting your misvote 'addict...:cheers:

Looks like the "can't have a pet and a hunter" myth, is being rejected. :thumbsup:
 
I voted combination because I see that as a utopian scenario,and I live with two high energy, cat crap eating, horse crap rolling Britts in the house currently. I will confess that I have and may again have, dogs which were spectacular hunters but downright miserable to live with, in the house. My wife might tell you we are there now!
 
I don't buy the age old question nor the awnsers.

Whether a dog lives in the house or the kennel has zero effect on what kind of a hunter he turns out to be.

My dogs are house dogs. I do think it gives me more of an opportunity to train them and that may have a positive effect in the field, but I certainly don't think a dog has to live in the house to be the best dog he can be. WAY too many kennel dogs pull down championships for it to be a detriment.

In fact, I have seen examples of (and from what that guy posted in the blog about his "wolf" dog, I'd bet he's one of them) dogs that are actually hindered by living in the house. Rules aren't laid down. They run the house. Then the owner takes them on a hunt and expects to be in control. Doesn't work that way.

I abstain. :D
 
All my hunting dogs, past and present, have been both house dogs and hunters. I agree 100% with what others have said about a dog being both. My dogs, regardless of breed, have always been laid back in the house but able to "flip the switch" when it was time to hunt. Elle, my 2 year old Brittany is probably the most loving dog I've ever had. Has to be touching my wife or I all the time and loves to curl up in your lab at night while your watching TV. But she also has the most drive in the field of any dog I've owned. She can go from sound asleep to absolutely nuts in about a milli-second when she sees me getting my hunting clothes on. I don't think you could find a better "Combination" for a hunting dog/ house dog/ companion.
 
I remember growing up as a kid my dad said you would ruin a dog if he stayed in the house, he wouldn't want to get his feet wet. We always had great dogs growing up so I never questioned him. About 20 years ago I started hunting with a guy that let his pointer sleep in bed with him. One of the best dogs I ever hunted with. My dogs have been inside ever since.
 
My first 3 dogs were all field/kennel dogs (primarily because they were mainly used for waterfowling, stayed wet & muddy all the time either from hunting or daily training, and I did not feel like giving them a bath nearly every day just to bring them inside the house).

My 4th/current dog started out the exact same way for the first 3 yrs of his life until we moved to CO & it was downright cruel to leave him out some winter nights. My wife has accepted/bonded/fallen-in-love with him since bringing him into the house in a way that she never showed toward any of my other "hunting"/kennel dogs. He hangs with us in the den (& on the couch) during family/TV time, lays curled beside me during office work, sleeps in our bed at night & will jump in the truck & hunt his fool head off all day long at the drop of a hat - MY DREAM DOG finally, & probably the best of all I've ever had (and all of them were pretty dang good hunters & companions)! I actually think the man/dog bonding between us & his obedience/teamwork/desire-to-please is much better for the indoor experience...Don't think I would ever go back to the kennel route, unless I was a pro trainer who made my living that way & just had way too many dogs to keep 'em all in the house!!!

Oh, one hilarious kink in the system: You should see him immediately drop that head & tail and slink sad-eyed in slow-mo toward his old outdoor kennel now - on the rare occasion that the house is simply too filled with visitors, someone is allergic, and/or somebody brings along their untrained dog that keeps him amped up in the house & I have to separate (although it's usually the relative's or friend's unruly mutt that gets the put-away outside treatment)...
 
I probably mis-voted, our dogs are high energy hunting dogs that live in the house and are calm, loving and spoiled. Plus, I wouldn't want to be the stranger that came into the house without being invited! The two GSP's I think could be pretty viscious if they thought someone was entering their house uninvited or was trying to hurt my wife!
They get a little excited in the house once in awhile but they calm right down, but take them hunting and they will hunt all day long everyday you want to take them.
I honestly think it would break their hearts if we confined them to an outside kennel.
Both my wife and I really enjoy their company. They go where we are in the house, lying on the floor or couch while we watch TV, at our feet when we are working in the office, lying on the bed etc. In fact they follow us from room to room which is sometimes a real PIA but we wouldn't want it any other way!
 
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