HikeNHunter

I hunted over three cockers in the early 80's. 2 ofthem were English/American cross, the other was an American cocker. They were great flushers, and all of them retrieved without fail. As family dogs they were great around adults but they weren't very child friendly. They were more challenging to train than the Labs I have had since. I enjoyed hunting over them but they moved under brush at a quick pace and if a bird would run close all three of them would sometimes break and run the bird a bit far ahead of the gun. Not that they did it all the time but every now and again. An English Springer would probably be a better choice because, they are a little larger than a cocker, yet they are not as large as your visla, andthey wouldn't be able to run under the brush quite as quickly wich helps to keep them in range. I have also hunted over a few Brittany spaniels. To the best of my knowledge they are the only pointing spaniels. They have the natural instinct to point game, this is not a trait of any of the other spaniels. I've never hunted over a cumberland spaniel but I have read that they are slower moving in the field and more mild mannered than the others. Alot of what you get is going to depend on the bloodlines your pup comes from, as well as your particular training program, and how you interact with the pup. I hope I have been of some help to you and I wish you well with whatever dog you choose.