Which would be best for retreiving Quail and Doves.A English cocker or Lab?

Neither would be a better retriever, if the both had the right blood. However, the pocket rocket travels easier and in most cases will handle the heat better.

Both will work for those two examples…. But the Cockers in most cases will rip up the cover with more speed than the Labs.

EC are some of the best little hunting dogs. I suspect that they are easier to train than a lab and have better noses. They do very well in light water work also. It is one of the dogs on my short list if I decide to get a dog again, at 75 I've outlived too many and it has been really hard on me the last two, don't know if I can do it again.

English Cockers are the Tasmanian Devils of the hunting breeds...Independence is one of their endearing traits. Easy to train may not always be exactly true..Have had 3 and working on number 4...They like to do things their way....but once they come around, things are mostly good.

77 here...I doubt I will have to worry about putting him down...

Them wanting to do it their way isn't always a bad thing. I find that once they learn something it take and very little drilling is needed to reinforce what they've learned. I've judged a lot of spaniels when I was a hunt test judge. The little EC was one of my favorites to udge.

English Cockers are the only Bird Dog I need...

Veteran on Wild SD Roosters this year...




New guy on the right....

NICE!

Now you just need to get a decent shotgun.

I had an English Cocker as a kid and without any training at all I killed more birds than the guy in the neighborhood did with his fancy pointer. This was with me nor my parents providing any training because we did not no how, we just took him hunting.

We would walk threw the fields or woods and he would stay close while working cover and when that little tail started twitching and a couple of little yelps came then it was time to get your gun ready. Now we did not know if it was going to be flying (birds) or running (rabbits) but it was going to be game. After the shot he would retrieve the game and bring it back, again with no training just nature instinct and desire to please.

Ya maybe someday, I’ll move up to the good guns.

I'm on my 3rd one.Great little dogs.

However, if I feel the need to put on the Ritz....I often will go with one of these..











Occasionally one of these....




However, if I'm really slumming it is a Model 12 16 gauge...It all seems to make little difference to the Dogs or Birds...

I love the look on that little guy's face..

Last weekend

Nice pic….congrats!!!!

An English Cocker is ideal for your intended purposes. As a fellow Carolinian, you know how hot the dove fields can get in September. The Cocker will fair a bit better than most Labs in those conditions. They are tenacious bird dogs and they make great companions. There is an English Cocker AKC field trial each year in the Rural Hall area of N.C. It is usually in mid to late January. I suggest you check it out, as you will be thoroughly impressed with the dogs. Battue knows the breed very well, and his dog Merlot, is the real deal. I’ve had the pleasure of watching him burn up the South Dakota prairie. . Take any of his advice that you can get.

Nothing wrong with Labs either, as there is a lot of overlap in ability between the two breeds. As a breed, the Labrador is an absolute waterfowl specialist, ideally suited for the task. I’m doing my best to raise one into a hunting dog right now. A man should consider himself lucky to have a specimen of either breed.

Guys who is a good source for these dogs. I am considering one for the future. I hunt in MT and ND for sharpies and Huns and do Rocky Mt Roosters for most of my off season training in Colorado. Right now I am running an English Pointer and Lab female but cannot stop thinking about a Cocker. Will be looking for a good breeding line that won't break the bank. Tom

Backyard Kennels Jerry Cooper Camilla GA 229/328-6603 He supplies most of the cockers to the Quail Plantations around Albany/Thomasville area in georgia.He also has a facebook page at Backyard Kennels Hopeful Ga.

Thanks, battue!

I'm lucky to be in a strong spaniel community with three top professional trainers/trialers within 30 min of my house. Check out Dan Murray with Absolute Gun Dogs and Tom Ness with Oahe Kennels.

Tim,
Merlot gets the credit, not me.

NDHuntr,
Ness has a great rep…expensive as can be, but a great rep.

Thanks for info guys, got a lot to consider. I am in the same age bracket but love working with bird dogs. 😏

When it comes to Quail, it's hard to beat an English Cocker. This is my female from Southern Country Kennels in Sycamore, GA

Quail is just scratching the surface on what they are capable of. You clearly have a fine example of an English Cocker.

Love the pictures. Have a 2.5yr old Springer. They are eager to please.

You should really look into the Boykin Spaniel, the American version of the cocker. Great on dove where labs really don't like to retrieve dove,waterfowl and quail, grouse and Ptarmigan (alaska)

Cocker