Originally Posted by
sproulman
all of above seem about right.NO, i would not use golden for grouse or pheasants for that matter.i use SMALL BLACK LAB for grouse and i am only one,i mean only one....
but TOBY is better than golden for all reasons above mentioned.
every golden i ever saw does not listen,they just dont listen.that could be training BUT I DOUBT IT.
english setter is dog for grouse .but i like LAB for hunting and home.
see if you can talk family into getting a AMERICAN HUNTING LAB.
good at home and they listen.
Part of this I agree with - The English Setter is the one,if you are just Grouse hunting, and the Lab is a good second choice - after the Golden. If you have seen Goldens that don't listen - believe me for the most part, it is training plus - more than likely, they were males, I too, have seen a few male Goldens that were total boneheads. I have owned and trained several Labs and one Golden, and that one Golden was more intelligent than all of the Labs combined.
I know - it's a real touchy area and I will probably get bombed for this, but it is from my own experience that I say these things. They have to be handled and trained differently and a lot of people never understand that. In my experience - if you try to obedience train a Golden with the same methods you would use on a Lab, you will ruin the dog. In my experience - The Goldens have a totally different, more sensitive temperament than the Labs and they will do more thinking for themselves,so you need to be aware of that and train accordingly.
If it was me buying a Golden for a Grouse hunting family dog, I would find a breeder who has good hunting stock in the background and also a laid back disposition - then I would pick a female and have her spayed.
This is strictly one mans opinion. I hope it helps.