Dog Dilemma

Dakotazeb

Dakotazeb

Well-known member
Any of you on this site that follow some of my posts know that I had to put down my "once in a lifetime dog" (Elle) last November at age 8 due to a cancerous mass on her spine and that in January I bought a 6 month Brittany pup, Bree. Well here we are 9 months later and I realize I probably bought the wrong dog out of the wrong breeding. Bree came from a breeding of big running AKC horseback dogs and she certainly has the run.But even after 2 months at my trainers she still is not pointing wild birds and shows no inclination to back. Retrieving is so-so. I had her to Montana last weekend and she ran hard and big. But she ran right through birds and never point one bird in 2 days. The first day, according to my GPS, she ran 30 miles. I held her back a little the 2nd day and she only put on 15 miles. I do believe she have a lot of potential and my trainer also sees that. But her potential is running in AKC horseback trials. Not pheasant hunting and running NSTRA trials like I do. My trainer says that the line of dogs she is out of takes a lot of training. And since he is now involved in AKC horseback he is willing to take her and in exchange he will give me a pup out of his November litter and provide me with 2-3 months of training when the dog is older. He will also loan me the sire of the litter (Bam) to use for hunting this fall and if I want to trial Bam in NSTRA next spring I can use him for that also. The trainer ran Bam in NSTRA for a short time before he quit NSTRA. In only 5-6 trials Bam has 4 first places.

My wife and I have really become attached to Bree in 9 months but I think the best for us and her is to take my trainer up on his offer. I know Bree will have a good home and will be doing what she was bred to do. I really didn't want to start over with a new pup at age 71 but I guess it will keep me young. And I look forward to hunting and trialing behind her sire until the new pup is ready. This has really been a tough decision. What do you think?
 
Zeb,

This is a tough question! I know the bond you make with a dog over those first few months. I think you probably already know the answer you are looking for but let me ask you a few questions that maybe you have overlooked. Will you get frustrated with her big running style? How will you handle or allow those frustrations to impact the dog? Will it get in better in two or three years? When you are 5 years older and the dog is in its prime will the two of you be a match or a mismatch? i know you like to trial are you ready to give that up for this dog? I feel for you buddy but I think you have a fair offer from your trainer and a way to hunt this fall with a dog. I tell my kids all the time that "You always pay for your education." We never stop learning. Let us know what you decide.
 
Hey Joel,

The wife and I are about 99% sure we will be going with my trainers offer, but it's a really tough decision. Bree is such a sweetheart and loving dog around the house. But you hit the nail on the head. If I give her 2-3 more years and put more money into her will she ever be the dog I want. Chances are not. The odds of me ending up with what I want are much better with a pup from this upcoming litter. I know the breeding and my trainer knows what I want. He is the breeder I got Elle from and she was a natural. Great pet, super pheasant dog and a NSTRA champion without any formal training. That's the kind of dogs he attempts to breed. Those that do it all with little training.
 
Tough to give up a dog to which you have become quite attached. Very tough.

Any possibility of keeping Bree and just buying a pup from the breeder? Keep Bree as the house dog and work the pup that will work with your style of hunting?

I'm a little bit younger than you are but I would think in a few more years I'd have a hard time working with the wide running dog you describe. I think it would frustrate me and my days afield don't need to include dog frustration. I like it pretty relaxed.

If it was my call, and it's not, I'd keep Bree as the family pet, get the pup I think I want and start anew. I'm a sucker for all dogs and I don't think I could let one go that means a lot to me. Just my two cents.
 
While Bree is a great dog around the house it's really not fair to her to not be out running the wide open spaces. That's what she would get with my breeder/trainer. Believe me, we have thought about keeping her and getting a pup but she needs to be with someone that will trial her.

Here's my thoughts on getting older. Most people think that as they get older they need a closer and slower working dog. I feel just the opposite. Since I can't cover as much ground anymore I want a bigger running dog to do so for me. I don't care if they point a bird 200-300 yards out, I can still get there. Not in a wheelchair yet! :D
 
Zeb, I admire you for your considerations of the dog ... it is all about the best outcome, isn't it? It is all about the dog, afterall ... cannot wait to read of your new puppy ... as for your thoughts on getting older, even though the hips and shoulders yodel after being out in the field behind the dogs all day, I cannot imagine not being out there ... nothing beats that Opening Day morning ... :)
 
George,

Just read aboiut yoiur trip to MT, sorry to hear your dog didn't meet expectations. Does your trainer have any thoughts as to why a pointer doesn't point? Immature? Low prey drive? Or just loves to romp? Just curious...
 
I bred a trial line GSP dog with FTC rawhides clown and ended up with seven pups like that, kept everyone of them their entire lives

they acted exactly like you described until they were about 3 1/2 then they turned into the best bird dogs I've ever had. I am primarily a pheasant hunter.

if the trainers going to make her a house dog and not just throw her in a kennel like a lot of trial dogs are treated then maybe I'd give it to them

but if they're going to put her in a kennel and just use her for competition I would keep her and see how she works out

you've kept her for the worse time when the good ones are often crazy I think it will start to get better from this point forward

just my opinion
 
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jonnyB said:
George,

Just read aboiut yoiur trip to MT, sorry to hear your dog didn't meet expectations. Does your trainer have any thoughts as to why a pointer doesn't point? Immature? Low prey drive? Or just loves to romp? Just curious...
Click to expand...

Jon, from what I've found out the line of dogs she is out of are slow to mature and require a lot of training. Wish I had know this 9 months ago. My bad! She may turn out to be a very good trial dog but at my age I can't wait 3-4 years to find out.
 
Boy, this just gets more and more difficult. I thought the wife and I had pretty much decided to re-home her and now this morning we get up and are both having second thoughts. These darn dogs really do take over your life. :) I guess another option is to keep her and still get one of the pups my breeder is going to have. If Bree works out in a couple years fine and if not I'll have a pup old enough that I know will work. Got to make a final decision soon, this is driving me nuts.
 
i'll make you a deal keep her another year if you still find she's too much to handle I'll take her

my dogs live very well they are part of my family and live in my house sleep on my couches and sneak in my bed and they go hunting in Mt, ND and Kansas about 6 weeks every year

I have two retiring pointers that won't be hunted after this year so I will be down to just 3 bird dogs at that time and will be looking for new recruits

just thought I would throw that out there
I like dogs like her, she would be loved as part of my family not a tool to win trials ( not saying all trialers are like that)

Bob
 
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bobman said:
i'll make you a deal keep her another year if you still find she's too much to handle I'll take her

my dogs live very well they are part of my family and live in my house sleep on my couches and sneak in my bed and they go hunting in Mt, ND and Kansas about 6 weeks every year

I have two retiring pointers that won't be hunted after this year so I will be down to just 3 bird dogs at that time and will be looking for new recruits

just thought I would throw that out there
I like dogs like her, she would be loved as part of my family not a tool to win trials ( not saying all trialers are like that)

Bob
Click to expand...

Thanks for providing another option. This has become a much more difficult decision than I thought. Have you clicked on her pedigree in my signature?
 
yes i did and it looks very impressive I let dogs mature at their natural pace and it's always worked out fine

I've had a few that made me wonder what I got into and they turned out great
 
George,
I hate that you and your wife are dealing with this. As we all know, attachment is tough to overcome; however, do what's best for the dog. You have the option to get another. Bree doesn't have that luxury. Let her do what is best. If you know your breeder will care for her and work her then let her go. You can always visit her with your new pup.
Jim
 
Well guys, I think the final decision has been made. We have decided to keep Bree. My wife and I are the type of people that bond so strongly with our dogs that we just couldn't let her go. I'll keep working/hunting her and may get her to a trainer again in the future. I hope that in another year or two the "light will come on". We have also decided to still get one of the pups from the November litter. We had 2 dogs for 12 years up until 2015 so having two won't be anything new.
 
good decision IMO

give her a good scratch for me

PS I am down to 7 dogs lowest level since about 1980
dog hair is a clothing fashion accessory at my house hahahaha
 
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George:

Seems like there are three issues - wide ranging, no pointing and passive retrieving. Would assume the retrieving will come in time. Wide ranging could be curtailed with a collar or at least limited for pheasant hunting? As for the pointing part - have you worked with the dog on this? Could you teach her to point? What did the trainer do re the pointing issue?

Sounds like the dog has a lot of puppy left...and may be very slow to "catch on".
 
jonnyB said:
George:

Seems like there are three issues - wide ranging, no pointing and passive retrieving. Would assume the retrieving will come in time. Wide ranging could be curtailed with a collar or at least limited for pheasant hunting? As for the pointing part - have you worked with the dog on this? Could you teach her to point? What did the trainer do re the pointing issue?

Sounds like the dog has a lot of puppy left...and may be very slow to "catch on".
Click to expand...

When the trainer first got her she was over running her birds but after a couple of weeks she starting pointing very well. The trainer called her the "real deal". When I picked her up he planted some birds for her and took me in the field to show me how to work her. She hit her birds hard and was very steady on point. I could walk around her and kick the weeds and she never moved. With a check cord she was even steady to wind and shot. I don't know what happened between then and now other than I have no way to get her on birds around here. Pheasants are scarce around here. Walked a quarter section of GPA with her this morning and never saw a bird. No even any sign. I know a trainer that is very familiar with this line of dogs and I have a call in to him. Hopefully he can shed some light on the subject. Like bobman said, maybe in another year or two she will figure it out. I'm not worried about the retrieve as that can always be fixed. I'll hunt the crap out of her and see what happens. If nothing else I'll have another one coming up behind her that should be a natural.
 
George,

Have you thought about working your dog at a preserve? Assume you know about the one at Clear Lake. I found investing in working the dog under a semi-controlled setting does wonders for the dog and the trainer. When Max was a puppy (at 7yr still?) we would hunt at Major Ave.. Still try and get out every fall for a tuned up...
 
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