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RE: All around hunting dog breed?
Mite,
I was raised in Utah, a climate similar to Eastern Wahington. I've hunted chukar with flushers, close working pointing dogs and wide rangers. I kept track of the birds I shot and I shot just as many over flushing dogs as I did over the pointing breeds I had. I worked the chukars the same, walked up to the top of the ridge and worked across the mountain. What I found is, people like what they like, it's the best and it is for them.The advantage ofa pointing dog over a retrieverworking the uplands is endurance. The Lab carries weight to keep them warmwhile retrieving, a pointer doesnt. This advantage disappears when we discuss spaniels. As I stated earlier, I think a German breed tested in the German style is the best choice for Npaden. It's just a question ofwhether or nothe wants to work hard enough to train one. Doc George |
RE: All around hunting dog breed?
Thanks for the comments so far. I'm a 100% newbie with sporting dogs so I really don't know what to think. (I have 3 dogs but they are not working dogs by any means)
I guess I need to do some more research on the subject. I was thinking that if I got the right breed of dog I could get by with about an houror two of training once a monthand have a workable dog. I have a 1/2 rotweiler 1/2 brittany spaniel that does an acceptable job of retrieving if I'm right there with him (he can usually find a downed bird for me but not really retrieve it - but he only has 3 legs and is 8 years old and is having a harder and harder time getting around) and I have a 1/2 lab 1/2 unknown that works pretty good as a flusher, but she is 13 years old and about 95% deaf so she doesn't respond to commands very well and she has never been much help at finding a downed bird. Both of themget zero training other than the times we go out bird hunting and I think they do amazing for their limitations and little amount of training. My other dog is a 1 year old full blood rotweiler and I'm not sure if she's going to be much help as a hunting dog yet. ;) I was hoping that a pure bred bird dog could do a decent job with a limited amount of training. I would not be working a dog extremely hard on a day in and day out basis, (I only have 160 acres one place and 40 acres at my house) but would be working it a couple hours or so every couple weeks so endurance would not be a big issue for me I don't think. Thinking it through maybe my priorities were messed up. The dog would probably spend more time retrieving dove than anything else. In my limited experience I never have felt like a lab has a good enough nose for finding dove in tall grass. I know spaniels would be good at that but not sure if they would work at all for quail? Thanks for the input so far. Any additional comments are appreciated. Nathan |
RE: All around hunting dog breed?
When started talking chukar hunting, we were talking some very tough terrain and some very tough hunting. I can't do it, bad knee, but I used to hunt them every so often when I was young in Hawai'i. They are in some of the mostin-hospitable places,top of lava rock mountains, side ofsteepgullies.
But for you situation, I would go ahead and get a flusher. A labcan find anything a pointer can birdwise its just the lab must work closerso you can get a shot when the dog flushes. 160 acres you can prolly cover in an hour. Willyou be hunting anywhere else? First dayyou'll probably flush a few,second day one or two. You probably have to wait a month until any birds come back (talking quail). There's aprofessional trainer in Waco that I know. I don't know if he's training right now or going on the trailing circuit but give him a call. His website is http://www.bootleatherllew.com/.And if you do get another dog, you can always turn to him for help. |
RE: All around hunting dog breed?
for coons go with the treeing walker or blue tick i perfer walkers though
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RE: All around hunting dog breed?
I am More Valid then you might ever expect. All my dogs are registered as they are born not in January nor do i run a dog thet is 4 years old as a derby. Mite, i think you kniow what i am talking about. Your Pro Friends and mine.
If we were talking about hunting Chukars i would have a much different opoinion. (You can have them and the grouse on mountains or in thick woods.) Texas is different and Southerm Plantations are different too. I have trained in the prairies and run trials al over the place. Each is different and i can win at places and have no hope in ahell at others. Not to take away from other folks but none will ever go to WA. OR. or Idaho and win against Rich's Setters. At the Same none can come to the south and beat a Miller Pointer run by the Ga team. If you are tired of the all-age stuff. just think about running a dog with the boys from new north that have 50 to put on the ground just to mess you up. To some up,the trials in this manner i put the AF All-Age as the Cup race. The Shooting Dog is Bush series and walking guys are a Truck race or Arca series. Everything else is a Late Model Race at a local track. No real Compettion. I endevor to change things however, The Best Dog should always be the Winner. Breeding should reflect this also. Allot of dogs that have never been in the field still sale allot of pupies to hunting people. Buyer Be Ware. |
RE: All around hunting dog breed?
Yeah, I hear the same complaints. Do you know Joe Vicari?He schooled someone running in amateur trials. Boy, was he upset but apparently it quite common. I also hear that the local boys have the advantage in any trial due to familiarity of running the area. I would like to enter a trial venue but don't have the cash to board/train multiple dogs nor do I have access to open land nor birds. The closestopen area where I can run a dog loose without being bothered is public hunting grounds which are open year round but sixty miles away.
Oh well, I have a over-weight, spoiled hunting dog that I'm stuck with. |
RE: All around hunting dog breed?
for all around dog, i would say LAB but not in that type of hunting..
you want skinny body dog,like pointer type.. labs tire out real quick, heck, they are carrying 80 pds around on male.. pointers got 40 pds.. labs are always looking for WATER..for hunting here in pa in woods with water and shade etc, lab is fine but out in sun, NO WAY!! |
RE: All around hunting dog breed?
ORIGINAL: npaden Thanks for the comments so far. I'm a 100% newbie with sporting dogs so I really don't know what to think. (I have 3 dogs but they are not working dogs by any means) I guess I need to do some more research on the subject. I was thinking that if I got the right breed of dog I could get by with about an hour or two of training once a month and have a workable dog. I have a 1/2 rotweiler 1/2 brittany spaniel that does an acceptable job of retrieving if I'm right there with him (he can usually find a downed bird for me but not really retrieve it - but he only has 3 legs and is 8 years old and is having a harder and harder time getting around) and I have a 1/2 lab 1/2 unknown that works pretty good as a flusher, but she is 13 years old and about 95% deaf so she doesn't respond to commands very well and she has never been much help at finding a downed bird. Both of them get zero training other than the times we go out bird hunting and I think they do amazing for their limitations and little amount of training. My other dog is a 1 year old full blood rotweiler and I'm not sure if she's going to be much help as a hunting dog yet. ;) I was hoping that a pure bred bird dog could do a decent job with a limited amount of training. I would not be working a dog extremely hard on a day in and day out basis, (I only have 160 acres one place and 40 acres at my house) but would be working it a couple hours or so every couple weeks so endurance would not be a big issue for me I don't think. Thinking it through maybe my priorities were messed up. The dog would probably spend more time retrieving dove than anything else. In my limited experience I never have felt like a lab has a good enough nose for finding dove in tall grass. I know spaniels would be good at that but not sure if they would work at all for quail? Thanks for the input so far. Any additional comments are appreciated. Nathan For doves, which are tough because they don't smell like much and its usually hot and their feathers come out easily, I would consider a Boykin. Great little all around dogs. They will do waterfowl too, and I suppose they could be used for quail...that I'm not sure on. For quail...I'd want a pointing dog. Its tough to have one dog that does everything well. |
RE: All around hunting dog breed?
Pointing lab, all day!! Yes, they will keep up. Mine keeps up with my GSP and does an awesomejob with birds. P/L=the best all around dog imho.
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RE: All around hunting dog breed?
ORIGINAL: SwampCollie I don't mean to sound condiscending here....but an hour or two of training PER MONTH!!!! No way...unless of course, you mean 5 minutes everyday. Five minutes a day (although 10-15 is better) will do you plenty of good...but one long session once a month won't get you anywhere but dissapointed and confused. For doves, which are tough because they don't smell like much and its usually hot and their feathers come out easily, I would consider a Boykin. Great little all around dogs. They will do waterfowl too, and I suppose they could be used for quail...that I'm not sure on. For quail...I'd want a pointing dog. Its tough to have one dog that does everything well. If it is going to take a serious committment to train a decent bird dog I think I won't be able to do it. I would prefer to have a below average dog that takes very limited amount of time to train than an awesome dog that needs constant training. I would be using the dog to retrieve dove probably 30 times a year (I live out in the country and can go out and shoot 5 or 6 dove in the evenings when I get home from work) and I would be using the dog to hunt quail maybe 4 times a year. I'm probably jumping the gun because we probably don't need anymore dogs at the present time. |
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