Hunting Pups

[Fishbitch]

Just bought a house with a nice big lawn and my first order of buisness is to find a good hunting (pointer, flushing dog, etc.) dog. If anyone has any suggestions or knows of any good pups for sale please let me know.

Thanks

[Fox]

Hard to give you suggestions without knowing what hunting you do. My preferred dog is an English Setter. However, if you intend to do more waterfowling and a little upland then a lab maybe more suitable. I'm not a big fan of labs in the upland woods, just my opinion, there's just something about a staunchly pointing setter. What I would recommend is getting the dog into as many birds as you can. I did a trip outwest when my pup was 6 months; best thing I ever did for him.
Good Luck. Fox

[Jay Z]

You should get a pitbull..... Good for everything...... :)

[FMJ]

Cant go wrong with a lab....good hunters and love to hang out with you when hunting trout...just an awesome all around dog....can and will do ANYTHING you train it to do, point, flush,track, guard, or just be a companion.

Now for some gratuitous shots of my Champion (and best compadre)
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb187/FMJ45cal/Champ6months.jpg
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb187/FMJ45cal/Camping125.jpg

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb187/FMJ45cal/Champanda14in.jpg

How can you say no to a face like that!? ;)

[Fox]

I will give you that labs are versatile; kind of the duct tape of dogs. They'll get you by until you get the right tool for the job ;)
Fox

[Direwolf]

A good friend of mine breeds and trains Britneys if that interests you (AKC). M Brother-in-law has a litter of German Short Hairs (AKC) on the way (not my favorite dog TBH) and I may breed my ESS field breed (AKC) in the near future. Or you could check out some of the organizations like the ESS Rescue where some fine animals come through on occasion.

[SuperiorChrome]

The way I looked at it is my hunting season is pretty short in comparison with the rest of the year. I went with a lab for that reason. She hunts well for the two months of the season and I can't ask for a better companion for the other ten months. The neighbor kids like to pull her ears through the fence. She retaliates by licking them. Maddie came from Candlewood Kennels in Wisconsin. If you don't mind the wait, they're worth every penny. I really like the pointing breeds, but I went with the dog that matched my lifestyle.

[Fox]

Supior,
I think you hit the nail on the head. You need to find a breed that fits your life. And not even a breed but a particular litter. Unfortunately, even if you do your home work it can be a gamble.

[FMJ]

Sup, Fox Right on.....GOTTA have that "connection".

No matter the breed, rot, pit, lab, pointer, hound....ALL are good dogs...its bad owners/handlers/trainers. Make every moment a possible training "situation" and end every "situation" on a high note.(love and praise is as good a training tool as ignoring the beast is a reprimand)

DO your research....ask and truthfully answer tough questions about YOUR lifestyle, wants and needs.

Its sad to say (and i just dont see it in this situation, methinks FB will do well) but folk LOVE puppies but cannot handle dogs. Then we end up with "problem" dogs and full shelters.

All this talk is firing my "want" for another beast. FB yer gonna get me in trouble. ;) :D

[Fishbitch]

I appreciate all the input guys. Ive been a dog lover my whole life and unfortuantely, the last couple renting I couldnt have a dog (90% of the reason I got a house). I really like labs, and had a chance to get a great one last year, but was kind of leaning towards a more "sporty" dog. Not insulting any lab or lab owner, I love the things, but I'm scared alot are overbred and for a lack of better words, kind of "slow".
It does all depend on the owner, blood line, and the like, which kind of scares me when picking out dogs.
I am kind of leaning towards german shorthair or wirehair, brittney, weimanreiner, or lab. Of course the lady wants a small dog...terrior or beagle.
Just thought I would get some of your input before making such a big decision.
Thanks

[Direwolf]

I totally agree, I love my Springer because he keeps me moving, is a GREAT family dog, and with some luck and training he should be a great hunting dog. He fits my lifestyle and we have that connection the others mentioned. At ten months old and 58 pounds I have never seen a more gentle dog around the kids (we have little ones). He fits my life style (except for those recurring 10 PM walks... I could live without them but they keep me moving so I suppose it is a good thing) and fits our family. Find a breed that does that for you and you will never regret it.

Like I said, there are some great animals through the rescue organization from pups to dogs that are on the down slope of life so that is something to be considered as well. My wife and I help with the ESS rescue and see many dogs that have lots of life and love left. For what ever breed you decide on, that may be an option as well. I wanted a papered ESS field breed and got one with great blood lines from a reputable breeder and I suggest that, should you go that route, you do your homework on the breeder.

Good Luck!

[morinkev]

For what it's worth, I've got a 2 year old german shorthair, he's an absolute blast to hunt behind, can work close on grouse, and range a little further for pheasants, and you don't have to run behind him just to keep up. He's been great with kids, and around large groups, I had him at Outdoor-Rama in Novi for almost 4 hours last spring at a booth I was helping work (Pheasants Forever) and had kids tugging and pulling on him all day long, only problem was he had cottonmouth from licking all those kids faces. Loves being on the river as well, had him up two weeks ago on the PM and had a blast.

The biggest issue is good breeders, and like the other posters have said...GOOD TRAINING. It sounds like common sense but I have a friend who takes in rescues for shorthairs and he's had a full house for over 2 years (13+ rescues). He gets them from families that aren't prepared to handle the requirements of a shorthair. Much like weims, setters, etc. they REQUIRE a lot of exercise, but that's easy, a great excuse to work on retrieving, water work, whatever you need to get the dog to work the way you want. It's work, but all good dogs need that.

OK enough rambling, this isn't anything anyone else hasn't said, but I wanted a vote out there for the shorthairs, oh yeah, and to those lab lovers out there, I've shot grouse, pheasant, chukar, geese, and ducks with this dog, so they aren't the only "catch-all" out there!!! :D

[FMJ]

Morinkev;

LOL @ "Lab lover"....Truth being told.....i was hunting a German Short/wire hair myself when i met Dexter.......Champs (my yella dawg) sire.....I wont tell the entire story....lets just say he "convinced" me (as did his 4 week old son) that i wanted one of his boys.

Glad to hear a shout out for the Kraut pointers! :)

[Fishbitch]

I've got it down to a GSP or, just yesterday I was handling a labradoodle pup and fell in love with it. I am going to see it parents today.
Anyone have any labradoodle experiences?

[FMJ]

High priced MUTTS....nothing more or less!! I cant get over the idea of paying $1000 to $1500 for an unregistered, unpaperable, unshowable/trialable dog.

That being said, Check close and hang out with the parents....My dog has papers and has yet in 7 years, for all his pedigreed and inteligence, to read me the sunday paper.

Poodles are the ORIGINAL water dog/retriever....Poodles are THE highest ranked (and have been for some time) dog in "inteligence". Labs rank third or so. (they were just upgraded 1 or 2 spots recently)

I have been seriously looking at this "breed" for my next dog for 1 reason....SHEDDING....this lab here sheds more fur than a husky;) . Poodles having "hair" and not "fur" are said to not shed but need a haircut 2 or more times a year. Also, they are supposedly "allergy friendly".

If someone out there has more experience with "non shedding" breeds, please speak up here....is it true you do not have shedding issues with these breeds?
I would hate to get a rig like this and find out the beast still sheds AND i have to cut its hair 2 or more times a year.

[Fox]

FMJ,
I can't cite references but I have also heard that they don't shed (take that with a grain of salt, show me a critter that doesn't lose some hair!). I have also heard that the poodles are great for those with allergies. Personally, I'm always a little skeptical with the "specialty breeds"
Fox

[Red Moose Lodge]

I found a 1 to 2 year old pure breed German Wire Hair Pointer it is at the pound and ready for adoption. Seemed to be a good dog. Hunted with us back to the truck. I had it here overnight in a kennel out in the driveway not a peep out of him. Call Animal Control 231-745-3079 I have 2 dogs already or I would.:)

Thank You
Clint