what hunting dog is right for me

What kind of hunting do you do? How many days are you in the field? What accomodations do you have for the dog, as in, will it be an indoor dog, or will it spend the winter in the garage or outside? Where do you live? Do you have room to exercise it when you aren't hunting?

that's like asking us what color underwear you should buy,lol.  without knowing your favorite color it would be hard to say.

devinspitfire Said:
what dog should i get

Yup, we need more information.  Your hunting style, locations, what game you like to hunt, what kind of yard you have, if you mind dogs in the house, if you mind dogs in your vehicle, if you hunt a lot in cold weather, if you want a dog to be a decent water dog, etc, etc are all things we need to know.

Get us some of that and everyone will be happy to help out as they can.

I hunt pheasent ,it would be an outdooor dog one that would be good around little kids and is  easy to take care of  and is loveing . It would be in the feild most of the pheasent season.

well, if you have to keep a dog outside, i would recommend you not getting a dog, just hunting with friends that have dogs. North Dakota winters are too harsh to keep a dog outside all winter long. Even the thickest coated dog can get frost bite. No dog is really that easy to take care of, they all require time and attention, and MONEY. They only perform as well as the feed you give them, and behave as well as they are trained. A dog is a serious commitment that will last 10-15 years. Are you sure this is  a commitment that you have thought about seriously enough?

My guess on what devin is talking about is the dog will be what our dogs are.  They live in the garage but spend half that time in the house.  I'd suggest that be the living arrangement for your hunting dog devin.  Of course, that depends on your parents and if they will allow your dog in the house.

Having hunting dogs and keeping them outside is totally doable but you'll have extra work.  First you'll need a kennel run and a heated dog house.  In addition, you'll need to make sure your water supply for the dog is heated so it cannot freeze from the cold.

Second, you'll have to be willing to constantly clean the dog kennel and house.  If you have one dog it isn't too bad but even still, it is a lot of work.  Of course, any "in town" hunting dog is going to be work to clean up after.  I grew up on the farm and our dogs had several acres to run around on.  Cleaning up after them was hardly an issue as they were trained to exit the garage when it was time for you know what.

If you want a dog that is going to be around kids most will work.  The hunting breeds (or pretty much any breed now a days) are or have been mostly domesticated where they are calm breeds.  There's always an exception out there.  Something I like is smaller stature dogs.  The shorthair breed is a pretty big dog.  Very long legged and have big paws with lengthy claws.  They are a good dog but for me, just too big.  Labs are pretty much the same thing.  Big dogs and normally you don't dock the tails so they are whipping around.  Each of those two breeds is pretty good with kids but the issue is their size.  They can be bullies just because they have size on their side.

Other breeds?  Well, I haven't been around enough of them to comment so I'm going to leave it at that.  Many have similarities and differences so you quote a couple examples and you should have what you need to compare and contrast.

As you can see, I'm leading up to my springer push.  Why do I like them?  There are many reasons and this topic always seems to offend some.  Quite honestly, I like all dogs but the springers have fit and will continue to fit my lifestyle.  They are small, have great ambition, quality noses, have coats that will survive both wet and cold environments and work as both water dogs and field dogs (if you are a diehard waterfowl hunter and want a retrieving dog a springer might not work...they just aren't big enough).

Other things I like about them is they have long hair for the house.  Might sound contradictory but long hair is ten times easier to clean than say hair from a shorthair or lab.  The hair just isn't as stiff and needle like making for easy clean up. 

Specifically for hunting, the springer breed has a ton of drive.  When in shape they can handle the hottest of hunting days (with shaved coat) and can handle the coldest of days.  Like other breeds their natural instinct to hunt, retrieve and smell are right up there with other dogs.

As far as terrain.  Like I said, if you want to hunt a lot of waterfowl and that's that, a springer doesn't make a good retriever for big honkers.  Ducks, no problem.  But geese are just too big.  Also, if you plan to hunt a ton of cattail water logged areas for waterfowl a more powerful dog like a lab would be necessary (in my opinion anyway).

I personally hunt an array of cover from CRP, prairie, coulees to very thick lake shore stuff.  While I have never hunted behind a lab that has been in tip top shape the ones I have been behind tire very quickly under upland type conditions.  Springers are small and don't have to bulldoze through cover.  They go in-between and slide through it much easier.  Shorthairs have that capability too but in real heavy cover I still haven't seen much from other dogs I have hunted with that like to deal with thickets, buck brush, etc.  I mean, all dogs will do it but will they do it minute after minute.  That's something to consider and don't get me wrong.  It doesn't matter what dog you have, if it is not in shape it will tire quickly.  We have a male that is aging and he doesn't exercise himself as much anymore.  He'll tucker out quickly.  Just wanted to say that so people don't take offense.

Now comes the flush versus point.  Springers are very limited on pointing potential.  I have had them point but it is just for a few moments most times.  A few times they will lock but that's because they have a direct bead on the bird and know where it is.  Their next step is to calculate their pounce.  Point being, if you hunt a lot of thick cover a pointing dog isn't going to be your best friend.  If you hunt a lot of open country then a springer sometimes has its issues with wanting to get ahead to much and flush.  Getting ahead isn't all that bad but the issue is flush versus point.  So you need to consider that sort of stuff as well.

Finally, what dog do you like the best via appearance.  Me, I'm totally sold on the springer.  Other's like their dogs for similar reasons.  To me, they all hunt and I basically go off of the look, size and versatility.

If you think everything through you'll find a perfect addition to your family.  Labs, shorthairs, springers, etc, etc are all quality dogs.  Each have their advantage over the other but in the long run many are similar too.  Basically the size is the deciding factor along with flush versus point.  Good luck and if you have any other questions just shout.

beedoggs1 Said:
well, if you have to keep a dog outside, i would recommend you not getting a dog, just hunting with friends that have dogs. North Dakota winters are too harsh to keep a dog outside all winter long. Even the thickest coated dog can get frost bite. No dog is really that easy to take care of, they all require time and attention, and MONEY. They only perform as well as the feed you give them, and behave as well as they are trained. A dog is a serious commitment that will last 10-15 years. Are you sure this is  a commitment that you have thought about seriously enough?

+1 . . . well said.

English Cocker

I would first match the temperment of the dog to the temperment of you and your family.  A high energy family can support a high energy dog and vice versa.  Then I would match your style of hunting to the breeds style.  Slow and methodical vs. fast and furious.   These aspects are of course just the beginning, but can go a long way when starting your search.  Good luck. 

Buy a Brittany!

I support most everything that tim said shot of the springer part, lol. Me, I like a brittany for most of the same reasons Tim likes springers except instead of chasing an "unguided missle" I much perfer the "point and hold" of a brit.

The bottom line is asking about dogs is a very touchy thing, everyone either thinks there's is the best or the worst, Kinda like talking about a guys wife, it can be a tough subject only the dogs probably get defended more, lol! Only you can decide which breed is right for your style of hunting and living. If you take nothing else away from this board remember on thing, a dog is a serious comitment of time and money and without proper care & training you'll end up with nothing more than a glorified pet regardless of howmuch the dog cost or what breeder it came out of, well that and the other thing to remember is brittany's rule, ha ha!

SPRINGER

Yar,

I'd go with a britt too but I like the face of a springer better.  Only reason.  Stupid I know but some folks like blonds and some folks like brunettes, some like blue eyes some like green eyes.  I like springers.

And I don't know.  I've hunted under poorly trained pointers.  Nothing worse than a dog that is allowed to range because they point but don't point long enough!  And hey, kdm says match the dog to the family.  Springers keep me young!

Tim, I'm just bustin your chopps cause I can, I really don't have a problem with those unguided missles, it's just you never know when they're gonna blow, lol. It's no different than hunting with the pointers because I compare hunting with a pointer to looking for land mines with you're feet, you know there's one within a step of you, you just don't know exactly where it's at or when it's gonna blow! I hate to even admit it, but if I was handcuffed, detained, threatened with pulling my figner nails out one at a time slowly and getting casterated, or owning a flusher, I garentee under those conditions I'd pick a springer!