Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Starting search for a dog

Agreed. Plus, they keep an eye on your guns when you're not around......

Beautiful!!!

My GSP Roxy points like a champ and you could hunt behind her on foot or horseback. She'll retrieve a goose from the water or a dove from thick grass.....and will work like hell to find it. She's really getting up there but here's a pic of her retrieving a dove this year......and getting some grilled dove nuggets when we got home!

My daughter has two Brittany Spaniels. *Way* too high strung for my tastes. I've got a field bred Lab. He's 4 years old now and has calmed down quite a bit. If you want to get him stirred up he exhibits some high energy. But he's also content to nap if nothing exciting is going on.

I'd get another one. They tune into their people very well and are eager to please once they learn what you want.

Mine is very upbeat and content with the world. Everything is an adventure to him. He even likes going to the Vet.

Even the Vet commented on his positive, upbeat nature,....said, "He seems like a very happy dog".

This guy breeds good, healthy Labs.

https://www.holzingerkennels.com/puppies.html

No beagle. Dachshunds are crazy fun, but they are a hound - see above. I don't know how many hours on "walks" that I've waited for our first (now deceased) Doxy to get tired of running rabbits - or trying to ambush him as he came by me after one...

The current one minds much better, but still. 20 minutes wait until he decides to come is a huge improvement over an hour or two,....

I vote Lab or Lab-mix. Can usually find one on rescue sites/animal shelters/pounds. If mixed with a smaller dog such as Spanial they will likely be good hunters as well - certainly sufficient for the casual user. That Lab hunting instinct carries over well in mixes. They do require exercise, and Labs are pretty bad shedders. My current one (Lab/sled dog/whippet???) is the worst shedder I've ever had. Daily brushing required, or highly recommended (by my wife!!) - takes me 5 minutes.

Even that doesn't help completely during the twice yearly shedding times...

Be aware that with Labradoodle or Goldoodle 50-50 mix pup, you still have a one in four chance that it will be a shedder. The other 3 will require clipping, but not often. Also be aware that many pups advertised as "lab-mix". are actually pit mix, to get around anti- pit laws and prejudices, which doesn't mean they won't be excellent family dogs, paranoia not-withstanding. As hunters maybe not so much.

A mid-sized poodle might be good for you, if it still has hunting instinct. My brother has a 3/4 poodle/1/4 golden, no shedding, and no hunting instinct at all... Spendy designer dogs....

Just a few days ago I got slobbered all over by a full-sized, 9 month old poodle in the airport. I'd take him home....

Good thing I'm retired - we have a Lab-mix (I think) rescue dog (darned smart and mostly minds well) AND a Dachshund, who largely takes his clues from the bigger dog.

That's great! That little mutt holed up in a blanket on the back of the big dog. Maximum cute.

We have a schipperkee. Nothing goes un noticed around our house. Good companion and very protective. Even though he is a small dog, someone would have to kill him to get into our house.

I’m a lab guy and have one of those, hard to go wrong. But also have a young miniature golden doodle. Non shedding and a really neat and intelligent little dog. Although dogs that don’t shed require additional grooming and dirt, burrs and other things make their coats seem like a lot of work.

Another vote here for labs. We currently have two chocolate labs and have had labs in our home as part of the family for the past 25 years. Great with kids.

A lot of good choices and opinions. No hounds as they run off. My best breeds for companion have been a Brittany or doberman. Both are super loyal. I like the size of the Brittany better as they are easy in and out of the truck. They are my farm dogs and help me feed cows and check fences!

I grew up with labs. I got out of college, employed, ready for a dog and happened into an impossible to pass situation for an English Cocker. That was 2001. Now on my 3rd EC, he's 1 and just as delightful as the last 2. He's a loyal and affectionate pet for 9Mo of the year then turns into an upland bird hunting machine for 3Mo.

Opening morning of Pheasant season @ ~9Mo old he spent 10Min in 8'+ tall cattails, part of that time having to swim to find a dead bird that sailed into them. Came out with the dead bird. He was soaked, muddy, and proudly wagging his tail just under the speed of light.

This is not the bird from the cattails described above but is the dog described:



He's resting quietly on his bed in my office. When he needs an ear-scratch or tummy-rub he'll come over and paw softly for a bit of attention. We hunted Sharptails, huns, ruffed grouse, and pheasants this fall and he'll suffice for all of them.

This is hilarious to me. Describes my 8 y.o. Doxy to a T!

GSP

I have been considering an English Cocker as my next dog. Do you have any recommended breeders?

Doesn't fit your criteria at all, but I don't think I'll ever have another dog that isn't a Border Collie. Difficult dogs, but are above and beyond other breeds. Just get a good Lab or Golden.

I sure wish they made a Labrador retriever in 50% size.

Picking up two Boykins in April. Always loved them, always had labs, never owned Boykins but they’ve always intrigued me. I’m not getting any younger.

Agreed . But they aren't for casual, usual 'dog people'....

+1

Border Collies are good dogs. I have one friend who has five. Another friend has three.

If you get one that has been overdosed with the herding gene they can be knotheads, however.

Two of the Border Collies that my friend with three has are content to go around doing doggy things, but the third won't allow it. The third one is always trying to herd the other two. It crouches down close to the other two and if they get too far apart it rushes out and pushes them back together.

It lives to herd.