Smallest hunting dogs?

Gargoyle said:
I have a seven month old Blue Heeler that is really showing some retrieving skills and very interested in birds in general and am considering doing some more formal training with her for ducks and possibly some upland.
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Individuals within a breed can be very different from one another. I have a Blue heeler as well. He is a very smart and trainable dog, but his hunting instincts are non-existent. I took him grouse hunting, and he just strolled along. My Beagle, on he other hand, has more natural hunting talent. She will find and flush birds wherever they hide, even buried under the snow. My problem with her is keeping her close enough to have a shot on the flushing bird.

Neither of them likes to swim, so retrieving is out of the question. Strangely, my Blue heeler's mother was a great swimmer and retriever. So i guess that when one tries to use a dog breed for something other than the breed's primary purpose, success is a bit of a crap shoot.

I wish you luck with your Blue heeler. Whatever your success is, they are a great breed and fun dogs to have around the family.
 
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If you want a versatile hunting dog, you can get lucky with any breed that is adaptable, trainable and intelligent. Like your Heeler. But your odds are much better if you start with one of the breeds that are designed to be versatile hunting dogs - by definition, dogs that hunt birds on land and water, point upland birds, and track and retrieve furred game and birds. Buying a dog from a reputable breeder who only breeds dogs that have met the requirements of standardized hunting tests ( not trials!) from a recognized testing organization will help your chances of buying a good dog. The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association ( NAVHDA) is one such organization, and the Versatile Hunting Dog Federation (VHDF) is another that I can vouch for. I have no experience with the CKC hunt tests, but since the CKC is not a dedicated hunting organization I do not trust them as much as the previous two. Websoites:
ww w.vhdf.org
ww w.navhda.org.
I have been involved with the Saskatoon Gun Dog club since its founding about 15 years ago, and firmly believe in the value of standardized hunt tests to evaluate the hunting ability of dog breeds and bloodlines. We conduct hunt tests for both the VHDF and NAVHDA.
 
American cocker spaniel.

Love mine, took some time to train (still working on it) but he is really coming along very well for first growing up in a city with no hunting for 5 years.
 
Another vote for Brittany Spaniels (Springer Spaniel as a second choice). HEADS UP: They both require a lot of exercise and are a bit high strung. But, they can't be beat as a versatile hunting dog.

My Brittany was trained for about 5 hours with a grouse wing on a fishing line. It was immediately obvious that she didn't need training - she's got pointing/retrieving built into ROM. We took her out for her first upland hunt at the age of 5 months and she was already fantastic. This fall will be her 7th season.
 
I had a Shiba Inu and they were used for hunting in Japan. I don't thing they were into birds though.
 
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