How do you pick a dog
 

Do you pick a dog by color, Pedigree. breed, or sex
Most people call wanting a certain type of dog and they want it to look a certain way.
What is your Critieria for picking out a new dog

RE: How do you pick a dog
 

well i did this a year ago. and its pretty much everything for me. i first knew i wanted a setter or pointer, i knew i wanted a male. so i started looking at breeders and found the ones i wanted. i looked at the females and watched a few hunt and i fell in love w/ this one, so i said i wanted pups from her. i then got on the list, i ended up having 2nd pick of the males. then i knew i wanted blk and wht so between the 2 i had to pick from one was blk and wht and the other was liver and wht. i then played w/ them both and found the blk and wht to be the one i wanted.
thats how i did it

RE: How do you pick a dog
 

You figure out what you want first. Hunting, companion, foo foo dog, whatever. Then you look for a breed organization or club for that breed. Research breeders looking for guarantees on things such as hips eyes elbows, blood diseases, or whatever may have a high occurance in that breed. Decide male or female. Grab one and bond with it.

RE: How do you pick a dog
 

depends on what your hunting for ducks and geese cant beat a lab

phesants quail i like pointers they are funner to hunt over

my buddies has a choc lab that does both and thats real fun

i have a 1.5 year old female choc and i new what i wanted so i let my fience pick which one (she liked her eyes) but great pick though

RE: How do you pick a dog
 

My wife and I had a black lab once and it was a great dog after 17 years we had to say our good byes. Knowing we would notbe able to replace her I told her we needed a hunting dog. I wanted aGPS or the Irish Setter. Mywife didn't like the looks of the GPS and we went with the Irish. Having one as a child and hunting over a friend's as a teenager I felt pretty good over this decision. With 2 children becoming teenagers I do not thinkwe could have found a better pick. Looking into finding one was very difficult and took a lot of research. To me it was worth all the work, and I love the hunting style of the Irish.

RE: How do you pick a dog
 

For me, pedigree is the first thing I look at.I'm assuming the litter does hunt. I took second pick from a litter unseen. This was a second breeding and the owners of the first breeding gave high recommendations. Next requirement for me is the size as I live in the suburbs and a large breed dog is too hard to maintain. Next, is female. Mainly becuase of the size, and perhaps breeding (I since had her spayed as she isn't breed quality, great hunter but doesn't have the style). Looks is way down on my list. First picktook the pupI wanted then everyone said I just have to take this one. They said this one was the cutest one of the bunch but I don't know, to each his own. BTW, first pick was the best hunter out of the bunch.

RE: How do you pick a dog
 

Ikinda inheritedmy Springer a few years back when he was less than a yr. old and I (we) got an awful lot of help and support from one of the folks on this forum. I was greener than my dog.

After two years of taking advantage of his knowledge and experience and some positive hand-holding and great comrauderie, with the help of my buddy, my Springer and I have graduated to being half decent meat hunters. The big change is he isbeginning to understand what he is hunting for. (big change from tennis balls to wild birds).All I know is I love being out with him and he loves doing what he was bred to do. It is a whole new experience for both of us.

Why am I saying all this? Because I know little about other hunting breeds but my Springer has done everything (and more) than I ever hoped for. He is a loving, caring, family member all the time but when Fall comes and he starts getting his refresher course using pheasantwings while running the woods, he is a completely different dog. To see him working alone or with (one other special, female Springer) is a thing of beauty. He learned from her and watching her is like watching a pro at work. Dedicated and focused sums it up pretty well.

One word to describe him is relentless. He would ratherbe in the woods trying to pick up a scent trail, than anything else, and I do mean anything else. There has been a lot of good info shared here, butnot much about the SpringerSpaniel.

The reason I wrote in detail about this is to say: "Don't deny yourself the opprotunity to look into this breed. You will not be disappointed."

Good luck!!

RE: How do you pick a dog
 

daleh just want our opinions on how we actually pick a dog. He own a few dogs already and I assume is wanting to sell litters.

As I said, I personally look at pedigree first as chances are much better of getting a real hunter. The last criteria is looks. When I mean looks it based upon looks between breed (setters or pointers). I prefer setters and a heavily spotted one vs. an almost all white onedon't truely factor in my opinion. Its the one with the best nose and which has the more drive or is the boldest, etc.

RE: How do you pick a dog
 

I have to agree with Mite on the pedigree, when my setters camein I never saw themuntil pickingthem up at the airport. I had already known what an Irish Setter would look like prior to sending for it. So I had a
copy of the pedigree faxed to me. Then I made my final decision and went with it. It was better to decide knowing that there was champion bloodlines in the pedigrees.

RE: How do you pick a dog
 

just whatever looks good and what breed is bred for that hunting, ie. beagle-rabbit!