I've had four of them over twenty years and haven seen anything different. I would call it loyalty and, yes, protection of their owner. Granted, it takes about three years to see this in them (my wife says it takes three years for them to get brains and stop eating her shoes), but once there it's unshakable. If they go after a raccoon and you say "no" and they stop. Find me another breed that does that. My current female has taken an interest in wild turkeys. Hasn't caught one yet but I think it's just a mater of time.
Dog advice / experiences
- Thread starter Jäger1
- Start date
I've had four of them over twenty years and haven seen anything different. I would call it loyalty and, yes, protection of their owner. Granted, it takes about three years to see this in them (my wife says it takes three years for them to get brains and stop eating her shoes), but once there it's unshakable. If they go after a raccoon and you say "no" and they stop. Find me another breed that does that. My current female has taken an interest in wild turkeys. Hasn't caught one yet but I think it's just a mater of time.
well I have had at least three labs , two black, and one yellow, now I have a springer spaniel ... I wish I would have gotten springer s the whole time. My old labs were amazing dogs don't get me wrong loved them all. However the springer is much better all around dog, family , non-aggressive, and well simply wants to please...
What bogusiii says! Protection and herding instincts. My previous male GSD never went out further than 25 - 30 feet before doubling pack and checking on us. Especially alert if the kids were with us on the hike. I had 50 acres, he was never on a leash once. 100% recall and wanted to be nowhere else but with the family. You really have to put your work in when they are a pup but the payoff is tremendous.
I should have also mentioned this in my earlier post. The amount of exercise you can realistically give a dog is a very important consideration. My Brittany needs long hard daily exercise, if this does not happen there will be trouble. Factor that into your decision. A high energy dog, like many of the hunting breeds, requires a lot of attention. There are breeds that will hunt just fine that are easier keepers.
This risks turning into a love-in for shepards. I agree with you about them and kids. Our last one raised our kids. She never let them wonder out of the back yard and we sure knew when anybody was around. She 'herded' them to bed (in a very gentle but insistent way) at the appropriate time and often got better results than we as parents did. I see a lot of ads for people giving away shepards at about three years old and it's probably because they've been little terrors until then. Every time I see it I wish I could tell them to just stick it out for a few more months.
(I think I just admitted to raising kids in a household with both firearms and vicious dogs. I wonder what the anti-gun types will make of that?)
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Tree a racoon or go up the tree after them? I digress, that is a story for another time.
Back to your question. From the game you wish to hunt a Jagd would fit the bill but they are an INTENSE dog, more so probably than a DD. Definitely not a breed for a beginner or even an average dog owner, but a hardcore dogman. A working bred terrier could be a possiblity as well, a shame so many of the breeds have been bred down for pets. Small package and cute factor for the kids but tough as well. Borders have a better personality on average then a JRT, or you could get one that is a mix of both.
Mukinfutch
Regular
- Location
- Durham Region, Ontario
I am suprised no Golden love out there. Love mine!
The the Airedale is a great choice. Join the Traditional Working Airedale forum and you will get lots of excellent advice. Additionally, those folks who live/eat/breath hunting with their dogs won't charge you an arm and a leg for a good pup. My Airedale cost 1/3 of what a typical show breeder wanted!
I should point out that racoons are tough - as are coyotes. I would not pick a Lab for that kind of work.
Here is a picture of my pup's Sire chasing off a grizzly:
My pup on a racoon:
digging for clams:
on a deer hunt:
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Okay, okay... Seeing as how we are showing pics now... Here's Nos doing his thang!!!
Retrieving
First AND successful blood trail.
Geese
Ducks
Grouse
Rabbit
Squirrel
Porcupine.. And yes, this was expensive...
Retrieving
First AND successful blood trail.
Geese
Ducks
Grouse
Rabbit
Squirrel
Porcupine.. And yes, this was expensive...
Thanks! But sometimes I feel like taking away all his MilkBones! Dang dog cost me more than 2000 bucks in additional vet bills this year alone! The 4.5 hours of surgery for the porcupine he killed was $1271... And two fights cost another $780...
Nos doesn't do anything half a$$ed... He's a hell of a hunting dog, but man 'oh man, he's hard on the head sometimes!
Cheers
Jay
P.S. When Nos was 10.5 months old he did a superjump off the front of my jon boat @ 40 km/h & I ran him over!!! I turned the boat around, expecting to have to shoot him in the water because he was chopped up... NOPE, the little bastard hit the bottom of the boat & got pushed deep enough into the water to miss the short shaft Honda 4 stroke... LUCKY PUPPY! And, he never batted an eye, acts like it never happened... Ugh, puppies!
If you're going to enjoy hunting over a dog, choose a dog that was bred to hunt. Although Malmutes, Elkhounds and such might be fine dogs they were not bred or designed for the type of hunting we do in North America. Some of the breeds you have listed may be trainable for deer hunting in Ontario where you can run dogs, but are you willing to lose your family pet in the bush on a deer chase? In my humble opinion a retrieving breed makes not only a good family pet but also a fine hunting companion. There are scores of good working dog breeds out there. Do some research, share some pics with the family and let them choose one. Good luck.
P.S There will be a never ending debate amongst gun dog owners as to which is the best breed....my vote goes to Springers
P.S There will be a never ending debate amongst gun dog owners as to which is the best breed....my vote goes to Springers
English Springer Spaniel (Chewy) lots of drive definitely needed more exercise. I would say he would hunt any bird (grouse/ducks/pheasant/geese) and maybe rabbits but I don't think I would try him on anything else. Mostly because he had no fear and would end up hurting himself.
6 months old 3 grouse
playing fetch to try and tire him out
English Setter (Hershey) more of a family dog but he is fun to hunt with. Doesn't like water and not much of a retriever but when he locks up on point you can see the intensity. I don't think he would be much help on anything but grouse/woodcock. He does need exercise but (I didn't believe this either) he is like a light switch, quiet in the house but outside he turns into a high energy game finder.
first bird
pointing a cottontail on the lawn
first Manitoba bird
I think Golden Retrievers, Labs, Brittanies (maybe beagles?) would be worth looking at. The main thing is to get them from a hunting line, visit the breeder and get a feel for the "fit". Most of these have a reputation of liking their people and are common enough to be able to find good hunting lines fairly easy.
I have zero experience with dogs on big game so can't contribute anything there. The hounds commonly used for raccoons and such are not typically house dogs, usually kept in a kennel and run in packs.
Two pieces of advice that seem to go against each other;
You'll live with the dog 12 months of the year and be lucky to hunt for two so get one you can live with,
You'll probably love any dog you get so you might as well get one that comes from proven hunting lines.
Good luck, hope you find a dog that makes you happy.
6 months old 3 grouse
playing fetch to try and tire him out
English Setter (Hershey) more of a family dog but he is fun to hunt with. Doesn't like water and not much of a retriever but when he locks up on point you can see the intensity. I don't think he would be much help on anything but grouse/woodcock. He does need exercise but (I didn't believe this either) he is like a light switch, quiet in the house but outside he turns into a high energy game finder.
first bird
pointing a cottontail on the lawn
first Manitoba bird
I think Golden Retrievers, Labs, Brittanies (maybe beagles?) would be worth looking at. The main thing is to get them from a hunting line, visit the breeder and get a feel for the "fit". Most of these have a reputation of liking their people and are common enough to be able to find good hunting lines fairly easy.
I have zero experience with dogs on big game so can't contribute anything there. The hounds commonly used for raccoons and such are not typically house dogs, usually kept in a kennel and run in packs.
Two pieces of advice that seem to go against each other;
You'll live with the dog 12 months of the year and be lucky to hunt for two so get one you can live with,
You'll probably love any dog you get so you might as well get one that comes from proven hunting lines.
Good luck, hope you find a dog that makes you happy.
Mount Sweetness
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Ontario
For hunting I would not choice any of the breeds that you have listed. It seems that you are stuck on a certain appearance, you should at least consider other breeds - take a look at a Vizsla, they do what you want.
I looked at the Visula breed many years back. There were two types the longer wire haired ones and the more common short haired variety. Seems the longer haired ones are very scarce in north america, almost exclusive short hairs over here. Any owners I spoke with said due to there lack of a good undercoat they get cold easy, and therefore do not tolerate cold water well. Fine warm weather upland dogs. Liz Outram a trainer out of Norwood Ont was one person who educated me on the breed. So I stuck with my tried and true labrador.
