I've had just wonderful dogs over the years, a couple labs early on, GSPs, GWHP, and AWS plus I was a Spaniel hunt test judge for a number of years. The very most important part of having a good bird dog is training. That said they know how to hunt making the a decent hunting companion is what is important. I'm getting older and would want a bird dog that be a good companion. For me for my last dog would be a field bred English Cocker, more than adequate for my waterfowl hunting, finding quail here in the SW or chasing upland birds in the midwest. My days of running one dog in the morning and another in the afternoon are gone , now I hunt little pockets of cover .
