Backed up by facts? Really? I read some opinions based on ignorance or just a lack of understanding. Instead of hijacking this thread to point out the wrong in your post, all I can do is Face Palm.

There is almost 0 chance that you can take a bench dog, a guard dog, a toy dog, or any other dog not bred for hunting and turn into anything adequate for hunting upland birds. There would be a bunch of frustrations for you and the dog and it is not fair to the dog. It is that simple.

To fight, my pint was that some pits are fighting dogs, but others are pet surrenders, bred as pets.

They were not bred to "bite" nescessarily as you pu it, but rather to fight, which does involve biting. But pits are bred as good FIGHTERS, not got biters. Any dog can bite.

I was not saying using a pit for field is a good choice, a setter or a lab is going to be much more effective, but you guys were being so harsh on the person!
I know how this feels too. I had a backyard bred four year old golden I wanted to hunt upland birds with. Around here you dont see goldens hunting uplands in the first place, and everyone said because of her breeding and age I wouldn't be able to train her. She turned out to be one of the best gundogs you'll eer see.

And as for your signature, I suggest buzzing off. I am by no means ignorant. Did you eer hear of something called a friendly debate? I am not about to entirely reject your opinion, even though I do not agree. Getting mean and getting defensive is childish and will get you no where.

+1 Yote Anybody that has that tagline is probably experienced and knowledgeable on the subject, LOL! My Dad's friend had a very smart Pit Bull and he decided to take him out dove hunting with him after some training in the back yard. The dog sat real quiet and John made a nice crossing shot on a dove as it went by and he told Bubba to fetch him up. Bubba ran right out and brought the bird back and dropped it right at John's feet. Then he dug a hole and buried it, LOL!!! End of Bubba's hunting career!

1. So a dog can fight withour biting ?:sad:Could my Lab be trained to be a good fighter/biter :D
2. Get a dog that has been bred (for centuries) to do the job you want.
3. Goldens hunt Upland game very well.



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1. So a dog can fight withour biting ?:sad:Could my Lab be trained to be a good fighter/biter :D

I believe I CLEARLY stated that fighting does involve biting, but more so skill. The way pits fight is much like how a wolf hunts, they make quick nips circling the opponent without stopping to avoid being pinned. Once the opponent is confused is when they go for actually biting. Main point here is that a fighting dog will not nescessarily tear up a bird in the field.

And as for your lab, of course. My golden who is a very good natured dog got into a fight once with a stray lab that tried attacking me. Would I suggest fighting your dog? Of course not. But since you were being sarcastic, let's leae it at that.


2. Get a dog that has been bred (for centuries) to do the job you want.

No duh. But this person has A DOG, not a bred bird dog, but a dog. They obviously have to work with what they've got, so why not try helping them with it instead of knowcking them down?


3. Goldens hunt Upland game very well.

I realize this, I wasn't using her as an example of using a breed that is unlikely to use for upland game, i was saying it hurts to be riticuled by everyone about it. It hurts, and is very discouraging.

Exactly! And since this dog is so young, I think it really does have a chance.

Any dog can be trained to hunt but for the amateur trainer, there will be a lot of frustration for both the trainer/owner and the dog. A good bird dog naturally has 'birdiness' instilled into its gene through centuries of breeding. It takes the trainer very little effort to bring it out but will spend the majority of time teaching the dog how to hunt (one of the reason why gun shyness is so difficult to break; the dog is associating what it wants with what it is afraid of - most trainers will use the dogs natural birdiness to overcome it). A dog without the birdiness has to have it taught or encouraged above its wanting to play and want to chase other game.

Once that is done, they will have to train it to hunt for them and not for itself. It will take a strong trainer and an exceptional smart dog.

I agree...

My uncle used to breed Labs, at the time I had a German shepard, ( I bought it for the girl I was dating and when we split up I ended up with it, the dog didn't care for her at all.) I trained him to retrieve dove/ quail quite well, didnt point or anything. (I didn't need another dog, or i would have gotten a pup from my uncle and wasn't going to give up my German Shepard) He picked it up with minimal training, just being out hunting with my uncles labs. I believe this was a rare case.

My uncle also had a Dogo named cracker who was a damn good bird dog... another rare case.

Dogs are bred with certain attributes to aid them in their purpose.

Pits were bred for bull baiting and fighting....

Bird dogs were bred to hunt birds.

Some dogs can pick up hunting but I don't believe they will be great at it.

One of my good buddies hunts hogs and one his catch dog2 is a shar pei one is a boxer the other is a pit.

Right now my two dogs are a shar pei, and a boxer both trained guard dogs, and don't hunt. My father-in-law has a brittany pup that i'm going to start training when I get home from the desert.



YMMV...

Go ahead and take your dog hunting. Train much and in a way that you and the dog enjoy. The results will be what it is. Beyond all that be nice to the dog. Retrieving is not hunting.

Don't be ignorant.
 

"Their physically ability to run in all wrong..." Ignoring your grammatical error, JW, that comment makes absolutely no sense. And stating "Nor will they have the stamina to stay out there long" just proves your ignorance of the breed. Admitting my bias, I have a pit that pheasant hunts thousands of acres in western KS with me every year. The Brittany that hunts with us quits first. Then the Lab. Then the German Short Hair. The pit never quits. She outruns a much longer and bigger GSH. I have seen that dog out-hunt and out-work "Champion" and "pure-bred" bird dogs. The gameness of the pitbull makes it a great hunting dog- seeing as they were originally bred for bull and bear baiting. The pitbull I had before her never hunted- he was an abused rescue dog that was for obvious reasons gunshy. He was bitten twice, once by a Lab and once by a Golden. Both were the instigators. So, speaking from my experience, pits make great companion dogs, and every once in a while you will find one that can hunt. Do your best. If the dog isn't gunshy, there's a good chance he has a strong prey drive and if you train him well, he will be a great addition to your hunting party.