Home Forums Birds & Dogs Gun Dogs Potential bird dog?

So my wife convinced me back around Christmas to get a standard Poodle for my kids. He's a red poodle which is pretty rare from my understanding. Handsome fella and smart as a whip. Have a duck guide friend here in NC who said guys in Currituck use them as duck dogs. Anybody here have any experience with them with anything other than ducks? At first I doubted I would ever turn him into a serious dedicated hunting dog, but my vet recommended that I give him a job to keep him from being bored so this just might be the thing for him.

I am open to using him for ducks, but I really dont hunt a lot of places that would require much from a dog. I do however like the idea of him retrieving dove or quail (if I could ever find any). Just curious if anybody on here has ever had any experience with them or know of somebody who has had luck

Also, dont worry I told my wife I would NEVER cut his hair like the fancy poodles most people think about

A club member up here in Connecticut had a standard poodle years ago for duck hunting. He worked pretty well.

Originally, poodles were bred for hunting. Some of them still have the instinct and smarts.

Yup. If you’ve already got the dog, no reason not to try. Maybe he’ll hunt and maybe not. If you’re still in the market, find a breeder who produces gun dogs. You won’t lose anything by doing so.