royalrepis

Hello everyone, first time posting. I am looking to get a good dog for upland bird hunting. I will be hunting Pheasant, chukar, woodcock, quail and dove. I would like a versatile breed, but since I live in a small house then size is a factor. Also, I want a dog that is more of a reliable retriever and flusher than pointer. And a dog that will not be so hyper when in the house. I will have lots of time to train & work the dog. I will do the basic obedince training myself and then find a reputable trainer to help me on the bird dog training (also already have some videos and books on retrieving training). I have been looking at three breeds all in the Spaniel category. First off I have been giving the most thought and researching on English Springer Spaniels. The Springer seems to be intelligent, and reliable in the field. The Brittany Spaniel is another breed on my list. I have only heard good things about the Brittany for upland bird hunting. Boykin Spaniels also seem to be in the range of what I am looking for. Two breeds that I would like to touch on really quick are the small Musterlander and the Viszla. I am aware that Viszlas are great bird dog's. Are they hyper dog's and would they be suitable dog's for a small two bedroom home?

Any advice or suggestions that any of you may be able to offer on any of the upland bird hunting breed's would be greatly appreciated. By the way, this will be my first bird hunting dog. I have had a couple of Labrador's in the past but they were only used for retrieving waterfowl. Thanks in advance.

Doc E

Fropm your description, I'd say to look into German Wirehairs

royalrepis

I'm not so sure about the German Wirehair. While I would love to own a Germain Wirehair hunting dog, the breed seems to be a little bit larger than what I need. Although, I do agree that from research they certainly seem to be supreme on upland birds. Thank you for your input.

royalrepis

Forgot to even ask if English Springer's will point.

versdog

You can get a female Wirehair or drahthaar. They are about the size of a male brit.

drfatguy

I am the odd man out on this topic because I would stronly suggest the Boykin. Neither the springer or the Boykin are trained to point, being flushing dogs. Both will handle whatever you are going to do. The Boykin is probably the best small retriever one could have. One has to be careful because the inccidence of hip dysplasia is very high in Boykins, but they are a small dog so the hips won't break down as in a larger dog. I would not hesitate bringing a Boykin in my home.

Dr Fatguy

royalrepis

The Boykin is high on my list right now. I am not so sure about the Springer anymore.
Now the breeds I am looking into are Boykin spaniel, Brittany & Small Musterlander.

The small musterlander seems to be what I am looking for, but boy are they expensive dogs. I don't that I would be comfortable paying $1000.00 for a dog. German Wirehair's are in my price range but exceed the size limitations that I am looking for. Is it possible to find a German wirehair that would not exceed 55 pounds? Gordon Setters were at one time on my list, but they are too large as well.

I guess know I will focus on Brittany's and Small Musterlander. The Boykin seems to be a good, small flushing and retrieving dog. But I think that I would prefer something with a little more of pointer instincts.

drfatguy

Why do you want a pointing dog? I have hunted over fluching dogs for years and have always been satisfied. The flusher goes into the nasty places instead of pointing outside of it. One never has to wonder where the bird is or if it ran out from under the point. Flushers on the whole have better retrieving instincts than pointing dogs on the whole. No go with the Boykin. You won't regret it.

Dr Fatguy

I told you I would be the odd man out

royalrepis

You may not be the odd man out. I agree with you on the Boykin breed. I'm just looking for the best all around, versatile small dog. Who know's the Boykin may be the best choice for me at this given point. It's just that I have a lot of questions. I want to be certain that when I get a dog that I know what it is that I am getting.

And I thought that a pointing breed may be the way to go. I figure if the dog can point a bird until I get there, then I could flush the bird and shoot it. with flushers it seems that they spook the bird into the air and you have to be ready at any given time to shoot that bird out of the air when your dog does run across one and sends it flying. I would think that you would have to be a quick shot due to the fact that you do not know when your flushing dog may send a bird up. On the other hand, if you had a pointer, then you can take a few more seconds to get ready for your shot. I don't know for sure, that it is just my opinion.

drfatguy

If a person isn't ready when the dog flushes the bird, it's because the person can't read his dog. If one watches their dog they will know when the bird is coming up. It's just that easy. The dogs get real birdy and you can tell by the tail and the body language the dog is going to flush. Most think a pointing dog is the best bird dog but this isn't necessarily the case. Versadog would disagree with me but this is what makes the world go 'round. If you want to see some great dog work go to a springer or cocker trial. You will see dogs which mark as well as and maybe better than a retriever. These dogs also have a tremendous amont of hunt. This is the way to determine what you want, go see them hunt.

Dr Fatguy