RE: springer for ducks?
English Springer Spaniel was the only breed of dog my father would hunt with. His dog took phesants, grouse, and was a fantastic duck dog. In fact he tells the story of the the time he knocked a mallard down in the Wisconsin River and it was not dead, his big male Butch went after it in the cold swift water and chased that duck until my father feared the dog would die from exhaustion. He said after what seemed a life time the dog caught the duck, and returned to the blind, crawled up on the ground and just layed there, with the duck still alive, in his mouth.
After I moved out, the first dog I got was a female springer spaniel. She was the runt of the litter, and I got her cheap. In fact the owner of the litter I think was going to put her down. He sold her to me for $10.00 and no papers. She turned out to be one hunting whirlwind. Although she never got big, actually she was the size of a cocker, she was a fantastic grouse dog. She would retreive ducks, but when she was young tried to bring in a wounded goose and got the raw end of the deal. After that she would stand next to them and bark. So to help her out a little I got a big male black lab. He would retreive a anything.
Springer Spaniels are a little on the over active side, so you have to train them to slow down. They love to please their owner, and would make a great puddle jump dog. I feel they are one of the finest hunting dogs a person can have. They also make great family pets.
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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, a total wreck, screaming Yahoo, with a big smile on your face."
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