Which is the best hunt, point and retrieve gundog?

Chestle

Chestle

Well-known member
Which is the best....whatever is always good for a spirited discussion.

This is a view from across the pond of what I believe we Yanks would call Versatile breeds. I found it interesting because it features some hunting dogs I had never even heard of with pics included.

Which is the best hunt, point and retrieve gundog?
 
....eerrrr.. didn't think much of THAT list.... written across the pond, many breeds not EVER seen in these here parts.... which you pointed out
Plus, all you had to do was ask... he's right here...
 

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I was surprised they mentioned Large Munsterlanders but had Small Munsterlanders at the bottom. Granted the writer said they hadn't ever encountered them.

And Good Boy, you're wrong. They're right here! 😂

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Good Boy! said:
written across the pond, many breeds not EVER seen in these here parts....
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That's what I thought was interesting about it.

So I checked the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association list. Even MORE breeds I had not seen.

Recognized Versatile Hunting Dog Breeds

A Cesky Fousek? Anyway, I like learning about various breeds of hunting dogs.

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Chestle said:
That's what I thought was interesting about it.

So I checked the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association list. Even MORE breeds I had not seen.

Recognized Versatile Hunting Dog Breeds
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Judging by your picture that you're a lab guy, you probably haven't been involved too much with NAVHDA? With my 2 dogs being versatile breeds (and NAVHDA being the only place that provides registration papers for litters, the AKC just recently started recognizing Small Munsterlanders) I've been to training groups and hunt tests and I'm with you that there are some STRANGE breeds out there. My favorite ones are Griffons and German Wirehaired Pointers, they look the same to me haha I've talked to guys that own both and they can hardly tell me what the differences are even.
 
Yeah I'm on my 2nd Small Munsterlander and I don't think I'll ever have a different breed. I'm hooked on them now.
 
Hands down Braque Du Bourbonnais. But since there are about 8 of them in the us I’ll say German shorthair.
 
Anyone for Sprockers? I was reading that Brit shooting website and apparently there's a fairly large movement to get their Kennel Club to recognize Springer X Cocker crosses.

This tidbit is interesting:

The land spaniel is the ancestor of both cockers and springers. Once the same litter could be used to breed cockers and springers – the bigger animals above 21″ at the shoulder were springers, the ones below this cockers. Over time selective breeding of the sizes resulted in the two breeds.
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Just why is the “sprocker spaniel” becoming so popular?
 
Chestle said:
Anyone for Sprockers? I was reading that Brit shooting website and apparently there's a fairly large movement to get their Kennel Club to recognize Springer X Cocker crosses.

This tidbit is interesting:



Just why is the “sprocker spaniel” becoming so popular?
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Those sound like the "field cockers" my dad remembers when he was young. He talks about how cocker spaniels used to be hunting dogs until they got so watered down as just house dogs. So it must be related to getting the hunting back into cockers
 
My personal experience with pointing breeds has been terrible every time. I've hunted with 4 different breeds of pointers that colleagues owned: German Wire Hair Pointer, Munsterlander, German Shorthair, and a Vizsla. They were all males that weren't nudered. None of them listened very well and 3 of them damn near ruined the hunt because their owners didn't have them under control. None of them retrieved and they all had hard mouths. They would run up to a dead bird and chew it into hamburger. None of those guys got invited back to hunt with me again with their dog present.

I am positive that there are some fantastic pointing dogs out there. I've just never seen one in person. I also think that my personal experience could have been a result of their owners not training them properly too.
 
gimruis said:
I am positive that there are some fantastic pointing dogs out there. I've just never seen one in person. I also think that my personal experience could have been a result of their owners not training them properly too.
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There's definitely some fantastic pointing dogs out there. Alot of guys get into a trap of "this dog breed is fantastic, I don't need to train it at all" and then you get what you experienced. Pointers and flushers alike. Pointing dogs are, from my experience, VERY independent. I'll often find my dogs hunting on their own in the back yard, or when I'm at my cabin, they're somewhere in the woods hunting something.

So if you own a pointing dog and you do yourself and your dog the disservice of not training basic obedience, it's over before it started. I have both of my Munsterlanders whistle trained. 1 whistle means far enough, change direction. 2 whistles, come back. They know hand signals, etc. My youngest retrieves to hand, my oldest does not but was a training mistake i never corrected. She would have retrieved had I known what I know now.

I will say, having hunted over labs and my Munsterlanders over my life. You wont find more birds with a lab/flusher compared to a pointing dog. In my (not scientific and probably rose colored glasses) opinion. The labs I hunted over were incredibly intelligent, and awesome dogs. I'll never say a bad thing about a lab. But, the amount of bird contacts my pointers have been me on vastly out weighs my experience with Labs.

Again, probably rose colored glasses. Can you tell I love my dogs? Haha
 
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