new to hunting WITH dogs need help

cwillard · 01-01-2011, 02:43 PM

Hey everyone, I am thinking about buying a new hunting dog and need some help. I am a avid deer hunter but I also enjoy squirrel, coon, and bird hunting. I am very new to hunting with dogs, so obviously I am also new to training. I was thinking about either getting a squirrel or coon dog and was wondering what y'all think about the diff. breeds for each. I know I need to consider ease of training and best breeds for each. Any help would be much appreciated.

Outdoor · 01-01-2011, 07:05 PM

I have owned Shorthairs, Labs and English setters. Setters are my favorite no question about it. But I just can't see any of the dogs I had or presently have coon hunting. So my thoughts would be if you want to bird hunt that pedigree will not work efficiently on squirrels or coons.
I think you need to decide which you would like to most pursue and then choose the breed. It’s tough enough getting a dog trained for what you want let alone crossing over to other animals.

cwillard · 01-02-2011, 08:32 AM

i am sorry i meant that I was going to get a specific breed for a specific hunt. I am not looking for a universal one. I am thinking I want a squirrel dog since i squirrel hunt more than I coon hunt.

Buck_Slayer · 01-02-2011, 02:40 PM

Sfury · 01-02-2011, 02:52 PM

Squirrel hunting doesn't require anything outside of sitting patiently, or being a quiet stalker.

I've never coon hunted, but I have gone bird hunting. As far as that goes I'm partial to golden retrievers for the job, but there are many good bird dog breeds out there. Springer spaniels, labs, and brittanys also come to mind right away.

wheelie · 01-02-2011, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buck_Slayer

LMAO! I want one of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My bloodhound and squirel dog would look good together.

cwillard · 01-03-2011, 06:51 PM

[quote=Sfury;3751661]Squirrel hunting doesn't require anything outside of sitting patiently, or being a quiet stalker.

I understand this very well, after all thats the way I have done it for most of my life. I also have squirrel hunted with someone who had a dog and it was so much fun. This is the reason I want to do it.