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Bird dogs anyone?


Liberty or death Jr.

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Hey all, I know this is the wrong forum but I was wondering if any of you could recommend a good bird dog. I want it to be able to retrieve ducks and geese off of fields or water and I want it to be able to flush birds and retrieve them. I was thinking lab but was also looking into weimaraners, but I don't know how a weimaraner would do as a water dog.

 

Also, I'm not sure if a flushing dog or a pointing dog would be good for pheasant. I have always just flushed them myself and I bring my jack russel cause he likes jumping through the brush too. I have never hunted with a pointing dog and don't know if that would be better. Also, if I were to go hunting for doves and quail would I want a pointer or a flusher. Thanks

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Thanks again Tuck, I looked a little more into the Weimaraners and they are not for me. I was told an Irish setter would be good for all around hunting like that but I don't like their long hair and they are a large dog. I was leaning on the lab anyway. Does color and gender have any influence on training? I have heard female weimaraners are easier to train the males. I was just curious if labs were the same.

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Try to find a "Pointing Lab" I have one, she is one of the most versitile dogs I have ever seen. We also use a German Shorthair, she is a great pointing dog and does well with water retrieves on ducks.

 

Both breeds have made good hunting dogs and good companion dogs.

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Pudel Pointer.

 

Used in upland game hunting and waterfowl, point and retrieve. This dog will most likely cost you more than what a lab would, but were I to do it again I would have bought a PP. I currently have a German Shorthair, and he's great, but I worry about him retrieving in the cold water here in Idaho during waterfowl season.

 

If cost is a concern then a lab probably is your best bet. Granted I don't know what a quality lab goes for, but around here labs are about half of what my GSP was.

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Would having two different dogs be out of the question? A good friend of mine, and hunting partner, has a Black Lab for waterfowl, and a German Shorthair for upland. Both will work for the other role, but we have the best results with two separate dogs. Just a thought.

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Personally I like the Lab, any color you want or either sex - just a nice all around breed. Dont rule out a Golden Retriever, a good friend of mine has one and he hunts equally well as my Yellow Lab. Pay what you can afford but in the end the time you spend training is was matters the most, a little everyday will go a long ways after your first year.

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Would having two different dogs be out of the question?

 

Nope, nothing wrong with that at all. There are several breeds that do well in both settings though, and it's all a matter of preference and how much time you spend with your hound I think.

 

Pay what you can afford but in the end the time you spend training is was matters the most, a little everyday will go a long ways after your first year.

 

Great advice.

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Well I am a hard core waterfowler. I would much perfer a dog made for duck and goose hunting, I don't hunt pheasant much, but I was hoping for a dog that would do well when I do go. I don't really want two dogs, we already have 3, 2 Jacks and a Chihuahua.

 

This dog is going to get strict training, and I hope to spend a lot of time with it. I am looking for the best breed possible. I'll look into the pudel pointers you mentioned Sdkidaho, I was planning on spending premium for a lab with good genetics and backround, which typically run from $350-600 here. I want to get it very soon and have it trained and ready for this fall though so the pudel might be out of the quesion just because I read about how booked they are from the site you gave me. Thanks for the suggestions, my personal preference is a male black lab from naturally small parents.

 

I was offered a small 4 year old male black lab today but the dog didn't know anything about hunting and had been living in someones back yard with hardly any attention since it was a pup.

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Well, I talked it over with my dad, he thinks I should get a black lab because, "its tried and true" Basically, we don't know anyone with a pudel pointer and he doesn't know anything about them. And he think that since smarter dogs bad habits are harder to break he thinks a big dumb lab would do well.

 

Just about all our hunting friends have labs or pointers or both. Not one has a PP. I don't know a whole lot about training, and my dad figured it would be better to get a dog that a lot of people had so they could show me a bit about it. What do y'all think? I've talked to the guy who sells them, he assured me they were the best hunting dogs out there. And just reading about them has sparked my interest.

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My female black lab just turned 10 weeks yesterday. I chose the Richard Wolters Game Dog book and video for training. So far it's been pretty easy and she's really catching on. I also have George Hickox's The Flushing DVD Collection, which seems pretty good if you're going to use an electronic collar. And I'm also reading Paul Knutson's The Pointing Labrador book since her granny points and there is a slight chance she may have inherited that trait...we'll see.

 

The reason I chose a female is I wanted a slightly smaller lab without a dominance issue. I chose black over yellow (only two choices at the time) for fall turkey hunting. However, none of this realistically matters since either sex would have been fixed and I will most likely have to use some sort of blind to conceal the dog anyway. So I guess I saved 10-15 pounds of dog.

 

I suggest reading some training books in advance before buying the pup. It makes it easier to be ahead of the game because they learn so fast. Game Dog is very simple and was suggested by some of my friends who have excellent upland and waterfowl labs & goldens.

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I think if I was going to get a lab for waterfowl I would get either black or chocolate as the darker color attracts heat better, and if I was going to use the dog more for upland then I'd go with the yellow as hopefully the lighter color would keep him from heating up too quick with all the running and no water to jump in. I know my GSP heats up fairly quick as he is mostly the dark liver color, and he puts on ten miles for every one that I walk. :D

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I'm going to call Bob tomarrow, I have emailed him a few times about the PP's. He asked me to call him because it was easier to talk then to write. How close are you to Boise? That is where Bob lives, do you know him?

 

Nice dog box, everyone I know just lets their dog sit in the cab, the back, or just puts them in a kennel in the back. I don't think a dog needs a $500 box just to ride around in. I read PP's don't shed, don't know how true that is.

 

Are those Chukar? Kinda wierd looking.

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The Richard Wolters books are an excellent choice, I have read both Game Dog and Water Dog - the techniques described in these books does work. I trained my Yellow Lab and my black before him using Wolters books and if you stick with it they bring nice results, everything may not happen in the time frame described in the books but if are persistant you will get the results your looking for.

 

There are other resources that cover similar techniques but in the beginning keep it simple and just follow the directions. I believe you are rather young and single, so believe me you have lots of time to do this right. Each dog has its own personality and speed at which it learn, so your results will vary a little from the text but in the end it will work.

 

If you purchase a pup soon I would expect him/her able to hunt this fall if you stick to it, dont expect miracles the first year but they will keep learning as each season passes. My Lab Tread is two right now and he had a really nice year retrieving ducks, geese, and later in December he did a nice job flushing/retrieving pheasants.

 

Keep it fun for both of you and good luck.

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Yep, 16 and single, got plenty of training time. If I am going with a PP, then it will be in the next few months that I get him, this fall, I am only really worried about water retrieval. Next summer is when I would get him on pheasants, and improved water training. Forgot to call Bob today, to late now, I call him tomarrow.

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I have a yellow lab female that weighs a little over 50 lbs and is extremely versatile. She is normally out on goose hunts with us, but has picked up crows and doves when we hunt them. I took her on a Pheasent hunt for the first time this year, and she was fantastic. She even pointed twice before flushing. As long as you train your dog to stay within a resonable working distance they will do fine pheasent hunting. I haven't done anything special with her for pheasent hunting. Labs are definately some of the most versatile hunting dogs you can get.

 

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