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Anyone here know anything about Irish Water Spaniels? I've been trying to find a hunting dog that hunts both waterfowl and upland but doesn't shed much and is less allergenic.

I read about this breed and found someone local that had one. They brought it over and let my boy play with it and he didn't have an allergic response. It seemed like a good dog but they are very hard to find. They say it can take years to get a pup because they breed so few.

I'd like one but I'm not sure if it's worth the wait, politics, and hassle. A lot of the people I've talked to about it seem pretty elitist about it all and say you have to be scrutinized for years before you'll be allowed to buy one. Some have even said I may not be approved because my last dog was not a purebred.

What other breeds should I look at?

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Last edited by Burleyboy; 12/27/19.
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I have allergies and went with a griff.

Little shedding, intelligent, very personable and good upland and waterfowl dogs.

find the right breeder.

the other day chasing late season nd pheasants

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day chasing upland and ducks

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Last edited by ribka; 12/28/19.
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I have heard Griffs are fairly hypoallergenic as well. And if I’m not wrong, so are poodles. I’ve never had or even seen a hunting poodle but I think you’d be able to make a decent flusher out of it if you can get it on some birds, and their fur will keep them warm retrieving in cold water. Can’t speak to how hard they would be to find/get though.

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I trained and hunted with a couple guys that had IWS and they are a little slow to mature but make fine hunting dogs(I ran AWS's). My X-FnL was an avid duck hunter and survivor of the Armistice Day 1940 storm on the Mississippi River. He hunted it a lot and said Rat Tails(IWS's) were pretty popular back then on the river. Go to the IWS national club site and look up some breeders that do field work with their dogs, you will get some good answers.

Poodles make good retrievers, there are some breeders doing field work with them and I did know a fellow that put a Master Hunter on one.

https://www.iwsca.org/breedersdirectory.htm



Last edited by erich; 12/28/19.

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Our dog that just passed was half standard poodle and half golden retriever. I called her a pooh retriever. She was a great family dog but didn't hunt because of bad hips that went bad very early.

My wife bought her from a back yard breader before we were married. I told my wife we are going with a registered purebred this time from a reputable breeder. A friend of mine has wire hair pointing Griffs so 9 just got of the phone with him. His has a litter right now that are all sold but he bred his male to a friends dog and hers are expected Jan 11. I may have to try one.

He said he can get me one for $1200. The mom is from a top breeder and they paid $2000 for her. Do those sound like the right price ranges for good Griffs. I know Irish water spaniels start at $2000 after a 3 year wait if they decide you're good enough to own one.

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$1200 is actually a bit cheap.It usually takes a year or 2 on waiting list for the reputable Griff breeders and the good ones won't sell to non hunting owners and conduct an interview of prospective owner.

Id make sure he has all health certs on parents and puppies.Are his dogs in NAVHDA?Does the breeder hunt his dogs?

These are a few basic questions Id ask before. purchasing.

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Originally Posted by Burleyboy
Our dog that just passed was half standard poodle and half golden retriever. I called her a pooh retriever. She was a great family dog but didn't hunt because of bad hips that went bad very early.

My wife bought her from a back yard breader before we were married. I told my wife we are going with a registered purebred this time from a reputable breeder. A friend of mine has wire hair pointing Griffs so 9 just got of the phone with him. His has a litter right now that are all sold but he bred his male to a friends dog and hers are expected Jan 11. I may have to try one.

He said he can get me one for $1200. The mom is from a top breeder and they paid $2000 for her. Do those sound like the right price ranges for good Griffs. I know Irish water spaniels start at $2000 after a 3 year wait if they decide you're good enough to own one.

Bb




What is your first priority, a pointing Dog or a flushing Dog? Start with the basics....


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A good waterfowl dog is probably a priority. If it wasnt for my boys allergies I'd just get a lab. However, I love hunting upland behind a pointer.

I think hunting upland with a pointer usually works out better for young learning hunters. It gives them a bit of a chance to get ready for the bird. I've hunted a lot of upland with vizslas over the years and really enjoyed hunting with them.

I unfortunately can't walk the upland fields like I used to but I still do ok in a duck blind some days. My friend says his Griffs are doing pretty well at retrieving ducks but he doesn't hunt waterfowl as much as upland.

I'm going to look into this upcoming litter of Griffs and if the health checks look good I'll get on the list. My wife thinks their ugly but she'll just have to learn to accept it. She's still trying to with me.

I really liked the Irish water spaniel we met the other day too. I think I'll try to get one of those eventually too but they say it will take a few years. We'd like to have 2 dogs anyways.

My brother always has at least one lab and one Vizsla. Between the two they cover all the different bird hunting we've done over the years. His last Vizsla kind of taught the lab to point. We hunted them together on a lot of pheasants over the years and they learned to hunt well together. They would honor each others points and stuff. The lab seemed to have its nose on the ground sniffing tracks a lot and the Vizsla had his nose mostly in the air winding things.

The company I used to work for used to buy a lot of birds at a hunting club and towards the end of the season they'd always tell me to go use them because no one else made time to go hunting. My brother would always come with and we got his dogs on lots of pheasants, guns, and even some chuckers. Mostly planted birds with some wild but the dogs did get the chance to be on dozens of birds several times each year.

I personally have a lot to learn about bird dogs because I've mostly hunted with my brothers over the years.

Thanks,
Bb

Last edited by Burleyboy; 12/30/19.
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The problems that you need to consider when going for a not so common dog is the genes, it can be difficult to find a great parentage when there is limited breeding. Limited means look out for questionable breeders who go after people with the mind set on hard to come by breeding. My wife was interested in that breed or the Portuguese water spaniels we have always had Labs and a friend who has been active with retrievers publishes a magazine on obedience and agility in additional certified as an AKC conformation judge told her and I quote " Rare dogs are rare for cause, so be careful"


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My lab is almost 13 and I have spent a long time researching my next dog. I hunt IL/WI waterfowl, upland and doves. For health reasons need hypoallergenic dog. I’ve concluded that my next dog is going to be Pudelpointer with semi long coat. More than likely waiting list and trip west like Idaho. They have closer ones but this will probably involve family trip/vacation.

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Originally Posted by raamw
The problems that you need to consider when going for a not so common dog is the genes, it can be difficult to find a great parentage when there is limited breeding. Limited means look out for questionable breeders who go after people with the mind set on hard to come by breeding. My wife was interested in that breed or the Portuguese water spaniels we have always had Labs and a friend who has been active with retrievers publishes a magazine on obedience and agility in additional certified as an AKC conformation judge told her and I quote " Rare dogs are rare for cause, so be careful"


Spot on.


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I’d look at GWP or a Griff first. Maybe a pudelpointer.

Talk to Frank Puccio/Hun Hill Kennel about a Griff. No idea about current wait or price, but good guy with solid dogs that hunt. Your local NAVHDA is a great place to start as well.


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I've got money down on a wirehaired pointing griffon. She was born Jan 10th. We're going to get her the first week of March. Turns out an old friend of mine on the other side of the state has 3 of them and he bred his male to another friends female. They all hunt well and are registered.

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Originally Posted by ribka
I have allergies and went with a griff.

Little shedding, intelligent, very personable and good upland and waterfowl dogs.

find the right breeder.

the other day chasing late season nd pheasants

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

day chasing upland and ducks

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]



You WON'T go wrong with a griff! I've been around them and owned them long enough to know. wink They are one of the most versitile dogs around, and they are great with kids and family. Little Rosie is family.


[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]
[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]
[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]


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Originally Posted by Burleyboy
I've got money down on a wirehaired pointing griffon. She was born Jan 10th. We're going to get her the first week of March. Turns out an old friend of mine on the other side of the state has 3 of them and he bred his male to another friends female. They all hunt well and are registered.

Bb


Pics and progress reports would be great to hear. Always been a fan of most any decent bird dog!


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