herd1

I need some advice. My two boys, 9 and 7 are heartbroken. Our one year old black lab, Molly, died unexpectantly yesterday. She was a loving housepet and companion to us all. I'm considering a smaller dog, she was 90 lbs. Maybe a dog to bird hunt with while raising my sons. The dog will be kept in the house. I live in WV and hunt very rough terrain. I've read through a lot of threads about housepets and hunting dogs and see GSP's spoke highly of often. What do you think? Can anyone recommend a breed or breeder located in or around Charleston, WV or another breed I should consider?

WAYNE1

Dang.....So Sorry to hear about your pup....been there...it's heart breaking. I own a lab for both bird hunting and and water fowl....great dog's...but if your just going to hunt bird's...ya might want to look at the pointing breed's I personaly don't have much insite to them since I've never owned one....but there's plenty to good folk's here and are able to steer ya in the right direction.....best medicine for loosing a loved family dog...is puppy breath... Good luck with your choice. Wayne

Mite

Sorry to hear about your dog. How did she die?

Anyway, it all depends upon what are you hunting for, what are you comfortable with (dog that runs big or stays close). Almost any hunting dog will work in rough terrain but the smaller the better. If you're hunting strictly upland then a springer spaniel if you like flushing breeds. For pointing breeds, I went with a Llewellin setter (English setter). Very personable and hunt close. http://www.twincedarskennel.com/ has Llews, Britts and Pointers. They are out of KY. They can steer you to the right breed for you. Another suggestion would be a french britt.

There are alot of people who like GSPs but when considering an AKC registered dog, take a careful look at it's ancestry. GSPs are gaining in popularity so alot of them are showing up in the show ring. Field Dog Stud Book registered dogs are mainly setters and pointers. Alot of these dogs are for field trails, hence run big. Llews are an abhoration. FDSB is the only registry that will recognize Llews, but they are rarely seen in the field trail circuit because they hunt close.

Good luck to whatever you decide.

CDover

I have 6year OLD GSP that lives indoors with 2 cats and 3 kids 11,9 and 2. She is machine in the field. A endless ball chaser and play buddy. She runs as big as needed. But like everyone says do your home work when you look at bloodlines. I like GSP for the lack of feathery hair![/align][/align]

herd1

Great advice all. My wife has gotten involved and now I must consider a labradoodle. They look like cute dogs but not to sure about their hunting stock.

Molly died when struck by a car while visiting our family out of town. She was chasing a cat in the yard and ran into the street, a neighborhood street. We took her everywhere with us. Thanks again for the help, I'll let you know when we decide.

Mite

I would still recommend the Springer Spaniel for flushing dog or French Brittany for pointing dog. I'm assuming you are hunting upland birds not waterfowl because you said you have very rough terrain. But both are small, generally < 35lbs. Take a look at this site: http://www.petersonkennels.com/puppies.htm. Personally, I don't know them just found them on the web. Most other hunting breeds, available in the U.S.are +40lbs. You can find smaller individuals, usually females and the smallest in the litter but that is never a guarentee. Sometimes they grow bigger than their littermates.

Goodluck and keep us posted.

Doc E

Big $$ for a Mutt.
For purely Upland, I'd go with a GSP -- for a mix of Upland and Waterfowl, I'd go with a Pointing Lab and a close 2nd would be a GWP (German Wirehair).

porknbeans

I'm not sure I agree with a labradoodle as a mutt, but to each his own. I know of a couple of people that have them. The good thing is that they don't shed and gain the additional intelligence of the Poodle (it hurts to say that). The bad thing is that you are breeding out part of the hunting stock. I've had good friends that had GSP as house pets, but they are dramatically different than a lab in temperment. Labs (generally) are more laid back. I have a Brit and she has been wonderful. My wife didn't want the big dog either and this was a good compromise. An English Setter is another nice option. Although it has been said several times earlier, do your homework on the breeding and you will be much better off on whichever dog you choose.

Doc E

Websters says: Mutt = (Cur/Mongrel) = An individual resulting from the interbreeding of diverse breeds or strains.

If it's a mixed breed, it's a Mutt.

porknbeans

I understand the definition of mutt. If we want to be that literal about it, most dog breeds are mutts. Traits from different breeds found desirable were mated to come up with a better dog having both qualities. It's not my intention to get into a debate.My belief is that a mutt is an undesirable or unexpected mating of different breeds of dogs.Again, I understand what you're stating, my opinion on the term mutt differs.