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Gove County

Gove County is one of those places where pheasants and cows outnumber people. That is alright in my books! :)
 
Sounds great! I'll probably take you up on that. I have a few places to hunt in Scott county if you would like set up a weekend and spend a day in each location next year. Did you see many quail in your neck of the woods last season? I didn't see any in Scott county, but we were looking for pheasants while we were there.

I love my britts, but I would like to find a brit/shorthair cross for my next pup (which may need to happen before next season). I would buy another britt if the temperment is a little more mellow than the britts I have now.
 
good luck with finding a britt more melow lol.. as for the cross please dont ruin a good britt with a shorthair!! if you are looking for a cross i have a visla english pointer cross with field trial parents
 
Gove County Britts said:
good luck with finding a britt more melow lol.. as for the cross please dont ruin a good britt with a shorthair!! if you are looking for a cross i have a visla english pointer cross with field trial parents
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I'll have to say that the best dog (best according to desirable traits that a dog possesses) I've ever hunted behind was a shorthair/britt cross. Britts have great noses and are exceptional athletes. Shorthairs have the same traits plus brains and loyalty. I'm tired of watching my Britts hunt for themselves. My grampa used to stop that sort of behavior by shooting them in the @$$, but I ain't gonna do it. I don't like shock collars either, though I'm about to come around. I just want a dog that likes me enough to stay with me in the field and one that has enough composure not to chase the birds out the end. The 2 shorthairs I hunted behind this year put my Britts to shame (I'm not talking about scenting ability) in terms of behavior. I'm don't claim to be a good dog trainer, so I'll take some of the credit for my dogs' behavior; however, I don't have many of these problems out of my Griffon. Also, I would much rather have a shorthair in the house than a Britt. I say these things because I believe them to be true. I'm rather fond of Britts, but I'm tired of chasing them;) I don't think that crossing breeds "ruins" the characteristics of any breed. Crossing dogs with different traits is what has given us bird hunters the broad selection of dogs out there today.
 
Shorthairs

I would have to agree with you KB. I have grown up hunting behind every kind of bird dog from setters to shorthairs to english pointers to vislas to britts and I have landed on shorthairs. The amount of loyalty they have towards their owners is unbelieveable. My dad just bought a english pointer pup to try and mix up his arsenal but that dog goes wherever it wants to and doesn't care about finding birds for us. Our three shorthairs are very loyal and follow me where ever i go. They hunt close and if they are to miss a bird and flushes because of it, the bird is still close enough for a shot. That pointer runs miles ahead of us and kicks birds up by accident and are way to far for any kind of shot. When I cut the yard or go get the paper the shorthairs are right behind me, but that pointer is off running miles away. I love any kind of bird dog but the one I find that loves me and his willing to hunt for me is the German shorthair pointer.
And not to mention GS are ver easy to keep clean and your not picking burrs out of their coats all day.
 
hey guys i'm not trying to argue about dogs or start an argument with totall strangers. I also have had many different dogs it all boils down to what we as the hunter want and enjoy. I run three different types always depending on the terain weather, birds i am after so on . i have found that for loyallty and hunting for me the best is my ol lab she hunts close not way out there and has never broken a point on my britts or english pointers ever. and she is always ready to go with me whether for a ride or setting in the shade fishing . but on the other hand my other dogs will do the same just not as long they always have to be hunting and that i think in my opinion is what draws all of us to dogs there constant drive to find game. as far as no problems with burs i us the cheapest cooking spray on the market and coat my dogs until it is running off them since i started that there have been very little burrs if any
 
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to your qustion kansas britt yes we did find good quail this past season but u will just have to come down to see for yourself
 
Gove County Britts said:
hey guys i'm not trying to argue about dogs or start an argument with totall strangers. I also have had many different dogs it all boils down to what we as the hunter want and enjoy. I run three different types always depending on the terain weather, birds i am after so on . i have found that for loyallty and hunting for me the best is my ol lab she hunts close not way out there and has never broken a point on my britts or english pointers ever. and she is always ready to go with me whether for a ride or setting in the shade fishing .

as far as no problems with burs i us the cheapest cooking spray on the market and coat my dogs until it is running off them since i started that there have been very little burrs if any
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Woah! Does cooking spray actually help to minimize sand burrs? If so, that's information I needed to have and I appreciate it.

No, I know you're not trying to start an argument. It doesn't take much to start one though when you're talking about a guy's bird dog around here;) Insult the wife maybe, but not the bird dog:D

I would have to say I've seen some labs that are great for pheasant hunting and I wanted one until I found the Griffon. He hunts a lot like many of the labs I've seen in terms of range and companionship. I would rather hunt with a more "traditional" quail and pheasant dog b/c that's what I grew up with.
When you say you hunt different breeds on different breeds based on terrain or weather, what do you mean? Do you try to keep the britts out of the heat or just out of feilds with light cover?
 
yes the spray works for all stickers you may still get them but it takes no effort to get them out. it all depends on what we are hunting, and conditions as to wich dogs we use at what time but mostly we hunt them all together so they all get the same amount of bird exposure.yep you may be able to get away with small insults on a wife but never a mans dog to each their own they are good in their own way
 
KSbrittany, you have never used an E collar on your britts? If that's the case that might explain the troubles with them. Sounds like you're having more of a training problem instead of a breed problem. jmo Also if you decide to introduce them to the E collar the perfect start tapes by Jon Hann are outstanding for this. To many people misuse the E collar and use it as a punishment tool. I love the Brittany and the GSP and hunt behind both, but to say the GSP hunts for you and the Brittany hunts for it's self is just not my experience.
 
I completely agree with jahawkj as it has been my experiance in the gsp hunts more for itself and the britt more fore u i introduce my dogs nomatter what breed to the e-collor as soon as formal field training comes into play. i put collars on them young and by the time they are 2 never need to use them
 
JayhawkJ said:
KSbrittany, you have never used an E collar on your britts? If that's the case that might explain the troubles with them. Sounds like you're having more of a training problem instead of a breed problem. jmo Also if you decide to introduce them to the E collar the perfect start tapes by Jon Hann are outstanding for this. To many people misuse the E collar and use it as a punishment tool. I love the Brittany and the GSP and hunt behind both, but to say the GSP hunts for you and the Brittany hunts for it's self is just not my experience.
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Training problem indeed! I believe I'd already stated that, but thanks for reiterating. I'm not a professional trainer. I am a dog lover that just happened be raised in a hunting family and took up the hobby as an adult. My dogs aren't my tools; they're my companions. I'd rather not use a shock collar if I don't have to. I realize now that my first bird dog was an exception. He really wanted to be with me while we were out and never really needed discipline or training. I have a Griffon now that is the same way and I really like his style. I guess I'm looking for a dog that doesn't require coercion to hunt for me. My grandfather bred Britts and GSPs so I've hunted behind both breeds at the same time many a time......that's where my observations come from. Don't take offense like I'm bagging on Britts here.....read the screen name. I obviously have some appreciation for them, but the grass is looking greener on the other side (GSPs) right now. Perhpaps it is due to the frustration caused by my own training mistakes and I'm okay with admitting that. Maybe it is because I hunted behind GSPs this season for the first time in a few years and was reminded of how much I liked their style. I've also been wanting a taller dog so I can see em' in the tall grass. Thanks for the recommendation on the tape. I may try to start some e-collar training this summer with a 6yo Britt. Do you think that she is too old for e-collar training?
 
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To old? Not if done correctly, you're dealing with a very smart dog. The brittany and GSP's that I have been around have all been very smart dogs, egar to please. The problems always seem to come from our inability to show them what we want.
 
I agree with that. Both breeds are intelligent. I'm intelligent too, but my spastic nature makes people think otherwise:D Britts are a bit spastic also because of their incredible energy level. I have a hard time with them......I'm just not very patient, which is bad when you're dealing with such high-energy animals. Well-trained, well-mannered Britts are hard to beat!!! Mine are fit neither description. Mine have great noses, were born to hunt, but were not given a fair chance in terms of training. I'll probably always have at least Britt on my future 3 dog teams.
 
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KSbritt, don't take any of my comments as negative towards you, that was never even a thought. I don't know what part of the state your in but I would bet that there's a trainer fairly close that could do wonders for your dogs both in the field and as companions.
 
JayhawkJ said:
KSbritt, don't take any of my comments as negative towards you, that was never even a thought. I don't know what part of the state your in but I would bet that there's a trainer fairly close that could do wonders for your dogs both in the field and as companions.
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I'm not taking your comments personally my friend. I know one vet that says he could do some e-collar training w/ my dogs, but he's a field trial guy so I'm not sure if that's what I want. He saw that they have potential, but at the same time behavioral issues are holding them (us) back. I live just W of Topeka if you know of anyone (pricing within reason) in the area.

Thanks
 
Trainers

KSBritt, add to the list:

Jim Gourley, Setter Dogs Kennel, Beverly, setterdogs.com
Ray Brooks, Quail Rise Kennel, Hutchinson, quailrisekennel.com
Jim Boyles, Rosewood Kennels, Larned, 620-285-3602

The energy level of the brits can make the impatience you possess be magnified. Some setters would fit in the same category. Training with someone else with some more experience can help with the patience as you can adopt or mirror their progress. Just remember with any dog not to expect them to approach perfect until near 2 years old. Also, we're taking a lot of assumptions in what we offer up as we don't know you directly or how long you've had dogs, but there are times when worries about hunting for the gun can just be a prey drive that sometimes exceeds the control level of the dog or the comfort level of the handler with that range. Just points to chew on. Hopefully, you can find someone to train with here on the blog!
 
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