Help Choosing a Breed?

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parooster

New member
Well Guys I think it's about time! After hunting with friends and families bird dogs, and reading and looking at all the pictures on this forum, I want my own pup. But I would like some help deciding what dog is right for me. I will be hunting pheasants mostly"no surprise" with some grouse when I can find them. It has to be a good family dog first and VERY easy to train. Not sure about pointer or flusher but leaning towards a flusher because of the training.Believe me, I respect you guys here opinions!
 
I am partial to English Springer Spaniels and love how they attack the field. There are lots of other options and when talking flushers you can't have a discussion without including Lab's in there. Try and get out and hunt with different breeds and see what you like and what you don't like.

You mentioned easy training. Might want to consider and explore the possibility of getting a started dog that has a good foundation.

If you want to look harder at the ESS then i would recommend getting in touch with FCSpringer on this sight. That is where my next one is coming from and he is a wealth of information.

Good luck in your search.
 
That's a difficult question! In the end it has to come down to what you want. If you need someone to convince you of a breed then your probably not ready to make the choice. You should start doing some research to see what type of breed you would like best. Have any considerations?
 
Well I can see why you would be undecided if you been following all these Posts! lol. Looking at pictures of all the different breeds having the success they are, would make it tough for anyone to choose.
It no secret how I feel about the Springer Spaniel and pheasant hunting,but as the pictures and stories show, other well trained breeds will put birds in your bag.

If you were to choose a field bred Springer you couldn't ask for a better hunting buddy, that is easy to train, a great house dog and will rip his heart out for you in the pursuit of ole Mr. Ringneck!

I love all the sporting breeds and wish I had a few life times to hunt with all of them!
 
HollowWatcher said:
That's a difficult question! In the end it has to come down to what you want. If you need someone to convince you of a breed then your probably not ready to make the choice. You should start doing some research to see what type of breed you would like best. Have any considerations?
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I know I would like the dog to hunt close, and some pointing breeds range out pretty far, and they are supposed to, so it wouldn't be fair to try to force it to hunt close. I have hunted with Britts that hunted close, so I would consider the them. In the flushers I like the springer and labs.
 
parooster said:
I know I would like the dog to hunt close, and some pointing breeds range out pretty far, and they are supposed to, so it wouldn't be fair to try to force it to hunt close. I have hunted with Britts that hunted close, so I would consider the them. In the flushers I like the springer and labs.
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Now your talking..It's going to be a difficult decision but make sure you enjoy the process because this is all apart of what we do here!
 
Think about what you will be doing with the dog when you're not hunting. You'll be spending a lot of time with him when you're not in the field and you want that to be enjoyable, too.

Check and see if there are any field trials or hunt tests in your area. That might give you a good chance to see different breeds at one time. Good luck and enjoy your search.
 
Don't know much about pointers but would assume a lot of breeds could be trained to work close and probably some breeders that specialize in such. I would guess that pointing labs would be one close working pointer and think a lot of Brittany's are typically close working.

Good luck with your search.
 
parooster said:
Thanks for the responses! Are there pointing breeds that naturally hunt close?
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While there are some breeds that tend to range a little closer, like MattD stated, some "breeders" look for that trait. I remember an English Setter breeder from North West NJ, that had a line of very small tri-color setters that would range about 60-80 yards out. Now this is not enough range for most setter guys but it worked for him, and he always had a waiting list for pups, point being sometimes it's the bloodline and not the breed.
An intresting breed that you might want to take a look at is the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon. Also I think Mr. Baurline's dogs are closer ranging and as you can see they are certainly successful!
 
I agree with everything that everyone has said. You certainly have many choices and I hats off to you for doing the research before hand. As many have already said, it certainly comes down to the individual bloodlines. Find a quality reputable breeder and go meet the sire/dam before putting any money down. You can learn a lot about what type of pup you are going to get by the qualities/personalities of the parents. I am personally partial to labs. I have had them since I was 5, so I have seen their interaction as a family dog, their tolerance of toddlers and kids, and their loyalty to you. I don't get out hunting nearly as much as I would like to, so the family interaction was the most important factor to me. Good look in your search!
 
parooster said:
I know I would like the dog to hunt close, and some pointing breeds range out pretty far, and they are supposed to, so it wouldn't be fair to try to force it to hunt close. I have hunted with Britts that hunted close, so I would consider the them. In the flushers I like the springer and labs.
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I also saw the post by Matt D that said "Brittanys are typically close working." But as a Brittany owner for nearly 20 years I want to reiterate what others have said about how dogs within a breed vary. My younger Britt is anything but close working. But I can keep her fairly close if need be. However, she will normally range out 100-200 yds. She has got some wheels but then her pedigree is all field trial champs. You really need to watch the breeding on any breed you choose.
 
Being a 3 time lab owner and a 2 of them I hunt with, so I can only give you a lab perspective. The 2 that I hunt with both didn't come from hunting stock, with that said they were very very easy to train to hunt ( no they are not perfect but neither am I, I don't care.we're just having fun hunting) and when not hunting I can't ask for better dogs. Great with babies, kids, adults and weary of strangers.

The want to be part of the family they don't want to be kennel hunting dogs, they want to hunt the pheasant, duck,deer, rabbit and lay on top of you on your recliner while watching T.V. The yellow ones are very obsessed over the owner and laid back but very loyal to other family members, the chocolate ones are a little more head strong, more high strung but not over the top and very loyal. If you do chose a lab under no circumstance trust it with food around. I'm sure any lab owner can agree to that.
 
There are other breeds besides a GSP!!!!

j/k..as mentioned there are breeders whom breed for close working pointing dogs. Often dogs will range dependant upon cover however that typically requires a rather smart dog & lots of experience. One of the absolutes no matter the breed is that you will want a dog hunting for and with you instead of simply hunting for itself. The building blocks for this will begin from nearly day one & a good strategy will pay dividends toward this effort.

Keep in mind - it is far easier to reel in a big runner than it is to push out a close working dog. It requires a lot of work & commitment training a bird dog..be patient and do your homework as you seem to be doing. You can look up your local NAVHDA chapter - those folks are typically very inviting & that could give you a nice opportunity to put your eyes on many breeds in their environment - also could get a lot of questions answered.

Good Luck
 
I think you will get a lot of biased opinions here based on the dogs guys hunt with. I am a Golden Retriever guy. Always loved them, their temperament, and I happen to have some great hunters. That being said check your breeder out closely. Ask for references, bring someone knowledgeable with you when you talk to the breeder. If you don't have a friend like then stick to some of the more known breeds. You can find good hunting dogs in lots of breeds but when you get to some of the minority breeds (those with fewer numbers) you might find it hard to find a good one unless you are willing to wait a year or two!
 
Be very patient and study the breeds while also making a very honest decision on what you want out of a dog - the level of commitment is very dependent upon your true intentions w/a bird dog.

I have thrown out my preference (GSP)..having said that, far too often folks choose them w/very little wisdom. As a general rule - A GSP, an English Pointer etc is NOT the dog you want unless you are going to remain very active w/them and train them to a fairly high level. They are an extremely active breed and LIVE TO HUNT - they are also wonderful pets in the home but generally only coupled w/a lot of hunting/training activity. If somebody that did not hunt consistently asked my advice w/a GSP that was a family pet having never had bird exposure - I would discourage them from even putting them on birds at all unless they intended (realistically) to train/hunt them often. They are bred for this big time and it is as if once you turn that switch on there is no stopping it & that is simply unfair and ultimately could become very stressful to the dog which could easily lead to difficulty & frustration in the home. Be patient and be honest w/yourself before making your final selection.
 
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