Hi. I am interested in getting an upland hunting dog. My mom does not think that I will take care of the animal well. Is there any way that I could convince her? What breed of dog doesn' t need as much attention as others, and are there breeds that can live indoors without being spoiled to the point of becoming lazy? Thanks!

plinker,

All dogs no matter what type they are require a great deal of attention. I myself have a German Shorthair pointer. I spend at least 1 hour a day working on his hunting techniques/skills. Sounds like you are still in school, and if that is the case I would recommend spending the winter researching the exact type of dog you and your family would like. Then next summer, find a dog that you like. Then you can spend the summer house breaking him and working on his hunting ect. Just a thought, and remember that all dogs need a home and love.

Eric

I' m sorry to say there is only one point of view here. Quote from Duffy Book " EXPERT ADVICE ON GUN DOG TRANING." " You and your dog are a team, Like a baseball team. The more you work/train together the better team you become." In my book that means you have got to give the dog 4 times a week, more if possible, about 45 minutes to 1 hour of serious working. It does not all have to be training just going out a running the dog and giving a few obedience commands it fine. He/she has to have some play time afield where it does what it likes to do, namely run and hunt.

If your going to go in with how little do I have to do to keep it happy. Forget it son your not ready. I can see why Mom is baulking, I would be too. Bob

I am not saying that I am not going to love or give attention to the dog. I was simply asking if there were dogs that did not need constant attention. I would certainly never neglect a dog (or any pet for that matter). You do not understand my mom bobeyerite. We have a er spaniel and she fattened that thing up so much he can barely walk. She buys him double cheeseburgers at McDonalds. She feeds him before she feeds me. He once ate a bag of Hersheys Kisses whole...and pooped silver for a week. He has no obedience whatsoever. I want my own dog so that I can train it the way a dog should be trained. I do not think you should be the judge of whether or not I' m ready to take care of a dog either.




EJDoane, the only reason I am even asking anyones opinion on this forum is because my dad passed away when I was nine. My mom has no basic hunting knowledge and does not understand that I want a dog to spend time with in the field since my dad is not here to share hunting with me. A dog could never be a replacement for a father, but I would be a bit happier nonetheless.






Thank you anyway.

If you don' t plan on doing much work with the dog and you want to hunt upland birds (mostly pheasant) get a Springer Spaniel. Make sure it is from field stock, and you won' t have to do too much to make it into a serviceable hunting dog.

It is a shame, though, that you don' t want to work with your dog very much...it is one of the great pleasures in life to fully partner with what is truly your best friend for hours at a time in the cold, quiet uplands and to take on such worthy adversaries as the chukar and hungarian partridges, or the valley quail, or the king, the ruffed grouse. If this is what you truly are looking to do, you better get an English Setter, like the 12-week-old pup below, delivering a bird to hand.