small munsterlander & braque francais
 

I've been reading about these two breeds on the veratile dog site. The Sm Munsterlander sounds great and but they seem to say the braque is easier to train.

I hunt rabbit (farm trash piles and open prarie), pheasant, doveand blue grouse. I only get out about 4-5 times a year to hunt. I would like a dog that is easy to train and versatile and might even trail deer and could be a great family dog the other 360 days of the year. I've always thought that I wouldn't get a hunting do until I could hunt more and spend more time in the field with the dog, but some things I've read make it seem that these dog are good to go whatever you do.

Anyone have any thoughts or other suggestions? I also like what I've read about the Draghtther(sp), but that seems to be a bit more dog that I need.

Anyway, I 'd appreciate your thoughts. I'm not jumping into anything.

Spud

RE: small munsterlander & braque francais
 

The question you should be asking isn't how much hunting you can do but how much time you have to train the dog. Of the breeds you have mentioned, all are going to have breeders who are going to want commitments to test the pup you buy. These dogs are very versatile but to bring the versatility out one has to be ready to commit time to train. For what you hunt, any breed of gun dog, terrier, or a beagle, basset or dachshund would be a good choice. I think you would be hard pressed to find a better choice than a beagle or a dachshund. One would be surprized to see how much retrieve is in a dachshund. No matter the breed, the pup will not come from the womb as an obedient hunting dog. This takes time and exposure.

Doc George

RE: small munsterlander & braque francais
 

Firstly, you have to evaluate how much hunting of fur vs. feather you are going to do. Which type of hunting you enjoy more.

Secondly, you must consider the cost of a rare dog.

This includes:
The cost of the actual dog. Rare breeds are usually hard to find. You are gonna have to include air flight if there's not a breeder near.More than likely, it will be a hobby breeder, hencethey won't usually have health certs/guarentees.


Training fees. Figure the cost of your time if you are going to train it yourself or a professional. Considering the rarity of the breed, it maybe hard to find the right professional. If you are going to train yourself, finding the right mentor will be hard.

Vet fees. With rare dogs, you will not have the statistics for baseing genetic problems.

Thirdly, a dog labelled as a versatile does not necessarily mean that their fur drive is strong. Alot of the versatile breeds arebred for water work and upland game vs. fur. So, be very carefulwhen choosing a breed.

RE: small munsterlander & braque francais
 

Excellent point on fir drive Mite. Of the three choices you provide, I'd go the with the small munsterlander. Do you have a size limit? Doesn't sound like it since you're considering the Drahthaar as well. You might want to look at the Large Munsterlander too.

Given how much you hunt, and assuming that doesn't change, I'd stay away from the Drahthaars, Pudelpointers, Kurzhaars.

You might want to look at the Griffon Korthals as well.

Good luck.

RE: small munsterlander & braque francais
 

Thanks for the input. When I decide to get a dog, I will make sure that I have the extensive time for the initial training and set a side more time for exercise etc. I do not want a dog with an excessive exercise requirement. If I have to run the dog every day, it's just not going to happen. I also don't have the patience for hyper or attention hungry dogs. The dogs I've had that I've bonded with the most have been female and very independent, intelligent, but not untrainable. They've known their job and do it with little direction (I'm talking about family dogs not hunting). We did have a walker hound once that I loved to death, but she couldn't be trusted off the leash and was very sweet, but short on obedience unless you cornered her and gave her no alternative. I'm not sure if beagles are the same way. I'm not hung up on rare breeds but want a good dog that isn't poluted by "high production breeding". I do have a strong preference for a small or med dog. I'm thinking beagle and boarder collie sized dogs. I love the bigger dogs but will get more out of a smaller dog for my life style. I want a dog that can be part of the family; hunt, camp, fish, park, travel, etc. I know I'm asking for a lot, but I'm going to be patient and thorough in my search and I have time, because my free time to train won't be available until my kids are older.

Tell me more about beagles. I've known a few, but didn't know that they were capable of hunting upland game. I knew about rabbits and tracking. Since Rabbit, Grouse and Pheasant all overlap in Colorado, I personally don't care if my dog finds a rabbit and then moves on to a bird. I'll take both.

Spud

RE: small munsterlander & braque francais
 

Beagles are not traditionally bird dogs. Docgeorge was referring to the bunnies and tracking deer that you want to do. BTW, make sure your state allows tracking wounded big game with a dog.

RE: small munsterlander & braque francais
 

One of the best pheasant dogs I evershot overwas a beagle. If the birds were dug in this little dog would root them out. There is something unnerving to the pheasant to have a baying squealing little hound on it's butt. We shot quite a few birds overThe Beag. I have seen videos and DVD's of the German tests for Teckels (this is what a German calls a dachshund, just like we call our breed the German wirehaired pointer vs a DD) and these little dogs do an excellent job finding flushing and retrieving birds. I hunt with a Jagdterrier. Hunting with him is a surprize. I never know what I am going to bring home (a bobcat a raccoon 3 grouse and a snowshoe hare on one hunt). Is a hound or terrier as good as a sporting dog for bird hunting? No but they can do a good job and put fur and FEATHERS into the game bag.
If you want a small dog to work with I would suggest a springer spaniel. Easy going, easy to find, Teach them to sit stay come when called and to retrieve and you will have as good of a hunting dog as you can find. It won't quarter and you have to teach it to sit EVERYTIME on command so you can keep it in range but you could do alot worse than a springer.

Doc George (formally Dr Fatguy)

RE: small munsterlander & braque francais
 

I met a lil braque francais at VA Tech's vet school... I instantly fell in love with her. What a SWEET dog. I was told she was a very obedient huntress and a very versatile dog in general. I was actually considering getting a puppy out of her... I started doing my own research when I discovered thather particular line (which was very well known) was corrupt genetically. No puppy for me!
Whatever breed you go with be sure to check the genetics, what health clearances the breed should have, what problem dogs there are out there (and avoiding the lines). I find it's pretty easy to do by contacting some of the top scale breeders and asking questions. Most people love to help people that are interested in their particular breed and will let the information flow...



Good Luck!

:D

RE: small munsterlander & braque francais
 

Thanks. Wise advice.

Spud