i will be hunting with a Brittany Spaniel this year and was wondering if anyone on here hunts with dogs and wants to have a chat about it. i'm looking forward to getting out and bringing my boys along to watch and work with the dog. we will be after grouse and rabbit most and i'm hoping to get the dog onto sniffing out big game deer moose black bear for on-leash hunting. well drop a line if your interested, bye
Best bird dogs
- Thread starter caw
- Start date
Sounds like you want a versitile dog... Better do some reading on the Drahthaar... As for Brittany's, I love them, but they are not the dog I would choose for the hunting you describe.
Have a look at this thread; http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=694319
Search Drahthaar & German Wirehair Pointers here on CGN and the net. Have a look at the Canadian VDD website & you will see why the breed is so highly regarded!
Cheers
Jay
Have a look at this thread; http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=694319
Search Drahthaar & German Wirehair Pointers here on CGN and the net. Have a look at the Canadian VDD website & you will see why the breed is so highly regarded!
Cheers
Jay
Dont want to hijack this tread but ours was not a bird dog but a rabbit dog, we had a beagle for 10 years, the dog was never trained, it was just natural as soon as we were getting were the rabbits were ,it just start running in the wood and we would follow is WHOOOOO, WHOOOO and sundenly by the WHOOO he was getting closer, we got ready, i was pushing the rabbit toward us, but we had to be careful not to shoot Eclipse ( it's name) he was running 3 feet behind the rabbit, this dog had no discipline whatsoever but so many rabbits were kill this way, over a 100 for sure... JP.
Dogs with good noses can be trained to hunt anything. For example, there is a guy locally who had both a beagle (for rabbit hunting) as well as a english setter (for pointing on birds). Once the bird season here closed he would start hunting rabbits with the beagle. If anyone has an english setter they will know how when he used to leave the house with the beagle and his hunting gear, the setter would get into a terrible tizzy. He started feeling bad about leaving the setter behind so he thought what the hell and started taking the setter and the beagle rabbit hunting. He figured at least the setter would get out for some exercise. Anyway after a few outings like this he hears the dog start a rabbit but this time it isn't the beagle howling, its the setter. He says its now one of the best rabbit dogs he ever had.
So, to the OP, keep at it with your brittany, you never know what it will pick up if given enough opportunity. If you know someone else with hunting dogs, see if you and your brittany can join them.
So, to the OP, keep at it with your brittany, you never know what it will pick up if given enough opportunity. If you know someone else with hunting dogs, see if you and your brittany can join them.
For pheasant, upland game and in some cases waterfowl, I'm voting Springer all the way. They have no problem to chase up fuzzy things that like to run such as rabbits, but finding birds is in their blood. You don't teach Springer Spaniels to find birds, you teach them the bring them back.
Wow - kind of like a best caliber thread. No chance for debate here, eh?
Jay and I are a bit biased towards the Drahthaar, albeit for good reason
I had shorthairs for years prior, but this dog I have now has the same go get 'em attitude with more train-ability. That may be because this dog's ways just suit me better. Researching breeds is fun - if you have a spare c-note lying around, Craig Koshyk's book is functional art that if nothing else would make a great addition to your coffee table.
Jay and I are a bit biased towards the Drahthaar, albeit for good reason
I had shorthairs for years prior, but this dog I have now has the same go get 'em attitude with more train-ability. That may be because this dog's ways just suit me better. Researching breeds is fun - if you have a spare c-note lying around, Craig Koshyk's book is functional art that if nothing else would make a great addition to your coffee table.I have never hunted birds with dogs except labs in water. But I've grown up with beagles and now have a basset hound. A beagle will flush birds and bring them back if found. My basset is great for on leash hunting as his 8" legs don't carry him to fast anyway. He won't howl on anything but rabbit but if I put him on a track he will follow it. I have a friend that used a rotty for pheasant hunting and did will. Generally bird dogs are for birds and hounds are for 4 legged game. Maybe look at vezlof or wamerwinder. I know I spelled those horribly wrong
6mm Shooter
CGN Regular
- Location
- White City, SK
Springers are great for upland bird hunting. Labs are good for waterfowl.
A little off in the spelling...no biggie
I had this little guy {well both of them actually} out all of september for grouse. He's taking to it quite well and I'm excited for next season.
I wish I had just half the motivation and energy as my two partners!
As far as I know they don't have a breed of dog that will do everything that you want it to do. There maybe some particular "individual" dogs of some breeds however that may be especially versitile and very talented.
The German Short Hairs/Draktaars are suppose to be a very versitle and do a bit of everything. There owners will usually proudly make a short story very long on there dogs lofty German registered credentials and superb tracking and fetching abilities on everything from field mice to elephant and anything that can fly.
They usually wear 2 collars. One an indentifing name tag and GPS to find it when it gets lost and runs off. The second a beeping collar. It beeps intermitantly when the dogs on the move and a steady tone when its on point. It sounds exactly like a dump truck backing up. So if your out hunting and hear what sounds like a dump truck backing up through the bush, it's not, Just Helmut's lost dump truck dog coming through your way lost again! Very nice dogs, and good hunters, but very highly over rated and priced.
I hunted pheasant's on Pelee Island for more years that I care to admitt. Three generations of my dogs spent part there entire hunting carriers down there. All yellow labs, all flushers, not pointers. Our hunting party also consisted over the years of Britneys, Springers, Weimaraners, and more labs.
Depending on what type of hunting your going to be doing the most of, will determine what breed is most suited for you. For me I was an avid duck hunter and pheasant man, the labs for me were perfect, and I was partial to the breed and looks.
Some of my good hunting buddies were partial to other breeds and they also got the job done. The labs were better suited for the late season cold water duck hunting though.
Whats the perfect dog that does it all, is like asking what the perfect rifle calibre is. Very controverstial to say the least.
The German Short Hairs/Draktaars are suppose to be a very versitle and do a bit of everything. There owners will usually proudly make a short story very long on there dogs lofty German registered credentials and superb tracking and fetching abilities on everything from field mice to elephant and anything that can fly.
They usually wear 2 collars. One an indentifing name tag and GPS to find it when it gets lost and runs off. The second a beeping collar. It beeps intermitantly when the dogs on the move and a steady tone when its on point. It sounds exactly like a dump truck backing up. So if your out hunting and hear what sounds like a dump truck backing up through the bush, it's not, Just Helmut's lost dump truck dog coming through your way lost again! Very nice dogs, and good hunters, but very highly over rated and priced.
I hunted pheasant's on Pelee Island for more years that I care to admitt. Three generations of my dogs spent part there entire hunting carriers down there. All yellow labs, all flushers, not pointers. Our hunting party also consisted over the years of Britneys, Springers, Weimaraners, and more labs.
Depending on what type of hunting your going to be doing the most of, will determine what breed is most suited for you. For me I was an avid duck hunter and pheasant man, the labs for me were perfect, and I was partial to the breed and looks.
Some of my good hunting buddies were partial to other breeds and they also got the job done. The labs were better suited for the late season cold water duck hunting though.
Whats the perfect dog that does it all, is like asking what the perfect rifle calibre is. Very controverstial to say the least.
john-brennan
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Vancouver Island B.C.
dogs
I am on my second english pointer and for birds (grouse and phesant) they have been easy to train and they are bird crazy at least mine have been.
Too big for thick rabbit cover.
I am on my second english pointer and for birds (grouse and phesant) they have been easy to train and they are bird crazy at least mine have been.
Too big for thick rabbit cover.
An awful lot of truth to that statement....
I have hunted upland birds over Springers, Brittney's, English Pointers, German Shorthairs, Labs and Golden Retrievers.
Each dog breed has it's merits, but in my experience there are "all stars" within each breed. Knowing how to work with the breed you choose to get the most out of the individual dog is the key.
I would say for general purpose dogs you really have 3 choices - Labs, Goldens and Chesepeake's. They are all dual purpose - with the golden being more suited to upland vs. waterfowl. The Chessie is likely better suited to waterfowl.
I have 3 Golden retrievers (field lines at 60 lbs as opposed to the 100 lb family dog).
I also would look to what the working dog (seeing eye, drug dogs and search and rescue) use - show train-ability that might suit your requirements.
That being said - I know guys that seem to do OK hunting behind border collies and mongrels.
Have fun with it and remember - it isn't a linear problem. Its up to you to get the most of your dog.
The best hunting dog is my dog....a shepherd/lab x that comes along on every hunting trip. He flushes, retrieves (land and water), and tracks deer.
Picked him up from the pound when he was 6 months old...I wouldnt trade him for the world.
Picked him up from the pound when he was 6 months old...I wouldnt trade him for the world.
The best lab I ever had was an unwanted nice reddish yellow male. I bailed him out of the vets office for 50 bucks in fees owed as a pup. Smartest most mischeivious dog of the three I had at the time. Had great natural hunting abilities and could anticipate what needed to be done and just did it.
He passed away at 14.5 of old dogs disorders. Miss him to this day and I haven't replaced him.
He passed away at 14.5 of old dogs disorders. Miss him to this day and I haven't replaced him.
CreamySmooth
CGN frequent flyer
I just got a Choc Lab. Very calm and an excellent family dog at 6 months. I hope to use him for duck and geese. Only had him for 3 weeks but they wheedle into your heart somehow. He wears out my throwing arm already.
I love all hunting dogs they make the hunt for me, but I guess I have an extra soft spot for Springers, although the chocolate lab that currently resides at our house is worming her way into my heart as well (even though she's a big pain in the butt). I know that I don't do as much small game hunting or waterfowling since I lost my good hunting dog. Working dogs are a pleasure to watch and hunt behind no matter what the breed!
