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Posted: 6/14/2011 1:19:35 AM
Standard Poodles. Bred for hunting, they don't shed, loyal and all around great dogs. They make excellent water dogs too.
It also depends on what kind of hunting you do. I compare hunting with dogs to fly fishing. Hunting with dogs is more about working the dogs and just enjoying the interactions between prey, dog and human. After a few years of hunting with the dogs I had I preferred taking others hunting and just enjoying the dogs. Pointers are fun as hell to hunt behind and seeing a GSP locked up is such a pretty sight. I had a GSP as my pointer and used my female Rottie as my flusher, they became such a pair that watching them work was worth all the effort in training. The Rottie stayed by my side until the GSP locked up, then she circled out to the front of the GSP and moved in toward him. He would tip his head right or left and she would guide on his cues and move where he wanted. When he was ready to let her flush he would drop his chin just a bit and she would run in and flush. They had so much fun hunting together it was the highest point in my dog hunting life. Sadly. life got in the way and I am now dogless, but someday I will get hunting dogs again... |
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mcculver5
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Joined: Oct 2004  CO, USA
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Posted: 6/14/2011 1:26:13 AM
I've always had field bred springers or setters.
Good disposition, obedient, happy, loyal, good noses, soft mouths, great with kids and good buddies. But, as noted, dogs are work. No matter the pedigree or the will to hunt, they need to be in the field working. |
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Posted: 6/14/2011 1:19:57 PM
GSPS are not suppose to by hyper, not to say they aren't but it depends upon the breeding. Typically the whiter they are, the more hyper they are, though this isn't always true. Look at pedigrees though, if there are a lot of field champions in the pedigree these dogs are bred to run and IF you can't commit to running your dog 60-70 miles a week look for one without so many field champions. Spend sometime with the breeder before you pick any puppy. Its typical for a bitch to be on guard with her pups when a stranger is near by but this should not last too long. It is also typical that they dogs will be wound up from attention but after five or ten minutes they should settle down. If they don't be on the suspect. I went to see a litter of pups last night and within five minutes my son was in the whelping box with the pups and the bitch had her head in my lap, laying next to me soaking up the petters.
The sire who was outside came in and was wound up for 2-3 minutes, spent the next 2-3 minutes sniffing everything and then settled right down. GSPS are not suppose to by hyper. The German Peasants created the breed to be versatile hunting dogs. You can't assume 150 years ago a family would tolerate a hyper dog! |
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mcculver5
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Posted: 6/14/2011 3:26:15 PM
I like GSPs and they are great pointers and tremendous all-rounders.
IME, if you are only going to hunt pheasants a close hunting dog that springs the game (hence the name springer) works a little better. But if you are going to hunt a mixed bag that includes quail, waterfowl and doves... hard to argue with a GSP or other pointing breed. When we moved to CO I opted for the setter because he's still good on big goofy ringnecks when I go back to Kansas and does a good job chasing the scaled quail all over earth. Honestly, a GSP, English pointer or Visla might be a better choice for quail only in this hot land... but like the FAL and the 870, I've found the mild mannered field bred English Setter to be a good all-rounder choice for me. Dogs are a very personal choice. Go visit several breeders and even the local rescue. I found a wonderful GSP at the pound that ended up in a home with a girl that needed a hunting dog. He was a natural, fast as lightening and quick on the scent. Don't know who gave that dog away... but I'm glad we were able to get him back. Let me also put in a word for the wirehaired pointing griffon. Met a couple of those dogs and they are the bees knees for close hunting. Finally, don't rule out the popular dogs like goldens and labs. From field bred lines they are great hunting dogs. As with all popular dogs, however, paying close attention to the breeder... there's a lot of junk out there. |
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endlesssummer
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Posted: 6/14/2011 3:38:59 PM
Originally Posted By Nate7out:
I've hunted pheasants behind Vizslas for 22 years. I have a three year old I just hunted with yesterday. They are a very loyal breed, good pointing instincts, but very hyper / high energy. They will follow you around everywhere you go. They are not so difficult to train, they want to please the master. Other breeds are more stubborn IMHO. They may or may not be good guard dogs, I've had a couple that were a bit timid. Of course they all willl bark at intruders etc. I've had a couple males that were pretty aggressive. They would probably appear intimidating because they are medium size, 50-60 lbs. and pretty muscular. When I take my 3 year old to the dog park people are always asking me "How old is your puppy?" 
Same with my Vizsla...had a GSP before her, much prefer the V..but she does get cold easily... |
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Posted: 10/10/2011 2:25:45 AM
Get a field bred Springer Spaniel –– birds are in their blood. Had one as a kid and it was spooky scary how birding came naturally to her. If it flew her attention was on it.
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Posted: 1/27/2012 11:59:15 PM
I had an English Setter that I hunted with for 13 years. He was a phenomenal pheasant hunting dog. I absolutely loved watching him work. He was very persistent and not many birds could fool him. Growing up my dad had a Vizsla, he too was a good bird dog. I would recommend either one.
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Posted: 3/17/2012 12:20:24 PM
Deutch Draathar. Awesome hunting dogs!!
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ReaperWaterfowl
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Posted: 2/6/2013 8:00:57 PM
I agree with vizslas. Grew up hunting behind one from when she was 9 months old to present, and she just turned 11. Great instincts and nose, she's been afraid of jumping and lakes and whatnot. But if a bird falls in there, she'll do anything to get it. They are very energetic but calm down with age. After a hunt now she won't leave her bed for 2 days unless its to eat or shit.
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Posted: 3/6/2013 8:23:33 PM
I've had Brittany's and Vizslas and i think that they (and the GSP) are the best - but its a very biased opinion. If i had to choose i'd give the Vizsla the edge.
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Posted: 3/11/2013 5:21:37 AM
Your perfect Pheasant dog will depend on you. Are you going to be hunting in SD for pheasant or Ohio...or anywhere in between? Also how do you like to hunt? Are you a slow pace take your time guy or do you want a dog that gets up and hauls ass? Do you want a dog to hold birds for you or flush them for you?
For a general bird dog I would go with a Brittany. They can handle the cold well, usually are a medium pace dog, and have a great temperament. A quality dog can be had for $1000. My favorite bird dog is the GSP. I don't know if I would recommend them for everyone. Some cons I have seen is the younger ones need about 15 minutes to get their game face on...they have a lot of penned up energy and need a 15 min romp to get into the bird hunting zone. That goes away around 2-3 years. They need a lot more exercise than many of the hunting dog breeds. My current GSP can run from sun up to sun down and be ready to do it all over again every day of the week. The down side to that is if she doesn't get at least 3 hours of hard play time she gets naughty. |
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Posted: 3/11/2013 5:24:52 AM
German Short Hair, Lab, Springer. I have hunted with all three and they are all great. The shorthair can sniff birds out in the rain.
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