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[Zak406]

I have had them all. Drat, PP, ES, GS, GSP, WH, Visla, Spinoni, more than one of most of them. The PP that I had was a terrific pet/house dog, but I have had 3 buddys that have had them & they all had terrible luck with PPs. I have had over 20 Brits & over 20 EPs. I am shocked that nobody suggested an English Pointer. Very good house dog, like an old hound. I have had 2 40 lb females. If you can grouse hunt the hills and strip mines of southern Ohio, Ky, WV & PA, they do not hunt too far!

not spend real money on a short tailed dog. If you want to discuss advantages/disadvantages of each breed, pls private msg me

@captainshotgun

Do you mind expanding on the issues your buddies have had? I currently have gsp's but am on a list for a pp. Also do you know what breeders they have gone through?

 

[captainshotgun]

I could not tell you the breeding without having my buds doing some digging in their paperwork. I can tell you this tho, I got my dog in Ohio, one bud got his in ND, & the other got his in KS. Those are the states we live in. All 3 dogs have the same grandsire!! I used to have a pic of the pedigree, but I lost it. I believe the breed has a small gene pool, for the most part. My dog had front shoulder weakness, but not too bad. She had a severe overbite & so no papers were available for her. Because of the overbite, she made a mess when eating or drinking. She was shy of people & very shy of men. After about 7-8 years, she finally got past most of the shyness. Very good pet & you could leave food out all night with her loose in the house , except for butter. Butter had to be put up high or she would get it. My ND bud’s dog had very bad hips. He was only able to hunt him as a two yr old & had to retire him. That dog would steal food right off of the table. The KS dog had crazy prey drive & would try to run through the patio door after songbirds or squirrels. Put a collar on her, & she would not hunt at all. I am not sure if he had any health issues with her. None of us would buy a PP again. They were all very soft temperament wise. If you get one, I would not send it to a trainer, unless you knew the guy & he was good with “soft” dogs.

 

[Quailnerd]

I could not tell you the breeding without having my buds doing some digging in their paperwork. I can tell you this tho, I got my dog in Ohio, one bud got his in ND, & the other got his in KS. Those are the states we live in. All 3 dogs have the same grandsire!! I used to have a pic of the pedigree, but I lost it. I believe the breed has a small gene pool, for the most part. My dog had front shoulder weakness, but not too bad. She had a severe overbite & so no papers were available for her. Because of the overbite, she made a mess when eating or drinking. She was shy of people & very shy of men. After about 7-8 years, she finally got past most of the shyness. Very good pet & you could leave food out all night with her loose in the house , except for butter. Butter had to be put up high or she would get it. My ND bud’s dog had very bad hips. He was only able to hunt him as a two yr old & had to retire him. That dog would steal food right off of the table. The KS dog had crazy prey drive & would try to run through the patio door after songbirds or squirrels. Put a collar on her, & she would not hunt at all. I am not sure if he had any health issues with her. None of us would buy a PP again. They were all very soft temperament wise. If you get one, I would not send it to a trainer, unless you knew the guy & he was good with “soft” dogs.

That’s a lot of joint issues.. Ive been around a bunch and haven’t heard of that. Can’t help but think that starts with the breeders

 

[Drew]

Well, as bad as I hate think about it, my old dog will be 9 this coming year. Sadly, she will be the last dog I will be training on mainly wild quail. So, as I'm contemplating a pup in a few years, the thought a cured to me that I really no longer need a dog that covers a bunch of ground. With wild birds all but gone here, all I really do is shoot some flare nares and chuckers and a couple trips to pheasant land yearly. I know I'm asking a lot but I'd like a breed that stays 40 yards or so in cover but stretches to 100 when needed. No bigger than 50 lbs. I also want an above average nose and biddable in the house with limited shedding, Grouse hunting lines from the great north? Brit? I've never owned a flusher, but the thought is intriguing. Longer coats won't work here because of the burs. I think I know the answer but what say you guys??

I love my Griffon. She is small for the breed. During the hunting season she is about 35 pounds and may gain 5 pounds during the off season. The only reason that I became interested in the breed was my age and endurance. she hunts at a pretty fair pace for me and never beyond 40-50 yards. She is an awesome retriever, easy to train, really awesome in cold weather, really effective in thick cover, doesn't collect burs and it just affectionate enough without being a pain in my ass. She is calm when she is at home and can go forever when you are hunting. She is between 8 and 9 and she looks like she might be able to hunt for another 3-4 years.

I would at least look at the breed when you get serious.