[QUOTE=jnicholes;4400712]Hi everyone,
So, I am thinking about getting a dog specifically for hunting when my current 11 year old dog passes away sometime in the future.
I have a few simple questions about hunting dogs. How useful is it to hunt with a trained hunting dog? What can dogs do that benefit the hunter?
I have NEVER hunted with a dog, so this is why I am asking.
Any help or advice understanding this will be much appreciated.
Jared[/QUOTE
I will answer you this way. It is foolish and a waste of time to hut with an untrained dog!! I repeat, stupid. While dogs may have the inherent genes to hunt they have to be fined tuned and the dog must be trained to hunt for
you and not its self. To simply turn an untrained dog loose in a field and expect good results is a delusion. First of all you must decide if you want a flushing dog or a pointing breed, Having had and trained both I prefer a pointing breed, my dogs are setters. If you do get a dog, make sure you set aside enough time to properly train the dog, not just a few sessions and then go hunting, I am talking moths, which bleed into years and if you do not have the time or the inclination to get involved with training, don't get a dog, it will not be fair to the dog. You should study the breeds and find the one that suits you and go from there. There are plenty of books available for learning how to train your dog. Next do be in a hurry, take your time and find what best suits you. What ever you do don't buy some crossbreed that is an unknown. I am sure there is someone here who will tell you that cheap crossbreeds will be fine. To that I say BS! While it is true there have been some mutts that turned out ok but they are in the vast minority. Do you really want to waste time and money on an unknown, simply to have a dog that may or may not hunt? With the time I put into my dogs I am not willing to waste it and take a chance.. You should buy a dog from a breeder wo has a good reputation and his dogs an even better reputation. One last thing, good dogs are not cheap, you will pay for all the years of breeding for a certain traits. This is not something to be taken lightly unless you want simply a dog to lay on the sofa and lick your face. The more work you put in, the better your dog will be. No insult intended but you have exhibited a tendency to look for shortcuts in the past and there are no shortcuts to training a dog. The connection between man and dog has to be experienced to
be appreciated. When you see something like this with your dog you will understand.
