what do you think.....

[fieldwanderer]

Right, still not getting any signs to the contrary- I've been looking at what's in my price range (£under 200).

 

The bits you need to know; would much preffer a dog under 6-9mths so I can get to work with training. No kids in the household but 5 ferrets roam the garden at set times of day. Will be working 2-4 days a week (eventually) but only rough vermin shooting.

 

I've found this mottly crew, none are kc reg'd or any particular bloodline but this is what I can afford and I don't mind putting the time and effort in to "make the best". So here goes, which would you go for (if you had to), why? and what do you make of the choc lab / springer cross - sounds like it might be a good 'un to me but I know next to nothing

 

FOR SALE

£175 9 week old male springer spaniel

Leicester, Leicestershire, UK

buster is a 9 week old springer spaniel, only selling due to relationship breakdown and cant keep him. hes very lively and needs a forever home. buster is puppy pad trained and is good with...

[Full details...]

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

9 Month old choc lab x springer spaniel bitch free to good home, House trained, Crate trained, Fully vaccinated and wormed, Brought up with my kids, youngest is 2 and shes BRILLIANT with them, Good Temperment, Only looking to rehome due to new baby due in march. My work load will be overloaded without having a dog aswell. Any questions just give me a call..

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

FOR SALE

£180 no offers10 week old english springer spaniel dog

Oldham, Lancs, UK

Re-posted due to timewasters...i have a 10 week old english springer spaniel puppy for sale. He is very playfull and good with children,we are sad to see him go but a change in work hours leaves no choice...

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

FOR SALE

£150 no offersSpringer Spaniel Puppy

Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK

Liver and White springer spaniel, 16 week old dog. Had injections up to date and micro-chipped. reason for sale is that i start a new job in 2 weeks and do not have any time for him and they need lots of attention.

[darren m]

any of the from working stock , any been docked and dewed

 

if your willing to put the time in mate , then any would be worth a go, but if there was working stock in the pedigree , it might just be a little easier

 

good luck

[fieldwanderer]

Cheers Darren -I've only seen one that said docked and seen one that was "kept back for a worker" but that's about it. Does docked just mean it's tail's been trimmed? I also assume the ones that have been vaccinated etc would save me paying to have it done

 

Would you say I'm about right with age - anything up to about 9 mnths?

[fieldwanderer]

What about this one then;

 

6months old, black and white £150 but a bit of a treck to fetch him;

 

docked, house/crate trained,

good age to start training!!!

make good pet or working dog.

Sire; a stylish working dog, he is b/w

dam l/w.

he is a smaller springer

no papers

was kept by for a working dog i can no longer keep him.

 

Out of all of them, I'm most tempted by this one and the choc lab cross but your advice would be much appreciated...

Edited January 8, 2010 by fieldwanderer

[cocker boy]

My advice would be to save up some more money,for as long as it takes,so you can choose the dog/bitch you want from traceable parents.It will then come with all the relevant paperwork ie:KC reg,docking certificaterochip etc.

[darren m]

yes mate everything your doing sounds ok to me

 

for less than £200 they look bargains , but you never know

 

if your going to beat with it a docked tail is much better IMO , otherwise it does,nt really matter

 

re- tracable parentage -- very important if your spending a lot of money , or you think you may want to breed from it , or you want it as proof of FTCH etc otherwise it means nothing .

if its from working stock its got a good chance as long as you do right by it.

some of the best dogs i,ve seen are often keeper bred , proper working parents but no KC...

 

you'll have to talk to the sellers etc and ask them for as much info as poss , remembering that not everyone tells the whole truth

its something only you can decide

[darren m]

do you have any pics of them ?

[fieldwanderer]

I can see your way of thinking c.b - are those things really all that important to me though?

 

I'm only ever after vermin (can't really see that changing) and I'm not interested in breeding really unless he/she turns out to be a cracker and I decide I want it's pup for my next dog.

 

wouldn't you say as long as it's healthy, does the job required of it and I'm happy with it - it's good enough?

 

Don't get me wrong though, I've got a lot to learn and any advice is appreciated

[fieldwanderer]

do you have any pics of them ?

Here's the two that have caught my eye the most:

 

Choc lab + springer cross;

 

 

Free to a good home but at least £60 in fuel to fetch her.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The Worker mentioned above, £150 but again would cost at least a tank of fuel (£55) to fetch!

 

 

Must admit I really like the look of this one and will be asking for more details I think...

[stu_young]

i would go for the springer,,,,, as the lab cross might not like cover as much as a full blooded springer

[Tom&Dexter]

Whers the springer at ? looks lovley

 

If i wer you i would wait till you have a decent float put aside to take one on

I made 3 Trips to coventry from newcastle to see the litter of my pup and well over 200+ in fuel Dogs aint cheap and if

50 quid in fuel is putting you off maybe its best to wait ?

[Lloyd90]

My advice would be to save up some more money,for as long as it takes,so you can choose the dog/bitch you want from traceable parents.It will then come with all the relevant paperwork ie:KC reg,docking certificaterochip etc.

 

 

I second this!! Dogs dont come cheap, they need vaccinations, regular worming and fleeing, feeding and LOTS AND LOTS of time and care.

 

Id go for a KC dog aswell, look at the thread below the guy dont have papers for his dog and regardless that Its a fantastic worker, he cant find anyone who wants to breed with it because he has no papers

 

Also no offence but you don't seem to know that much about the breed's or what you want or to get. Id spend alot more time reading about them and looking into it before you pick a dog

[fieldwanderer]

Hmm, fair points to a certain extent.

 

You're right - I don't know much but isn't that the whole point in forums - for people to ask questions and learn

 

I do consider fuel - I'm not so flush that I can dismiss £50 for something that may be un-nescesary (why do a 300mile round trip if an equally good looking dog turned up in my home town for the same price?)

 

Compare the cost of the two if you like;

 

The cross would cost me £65 max because it's free and would cost about £65 in fuel to fetch

 

the springer (who's apparently from working background) would cost me £150 to buy and a further £55 in fuel so £205

 

A kc reg's springer from on my doorstep (no fuel involved) would cost me £300 and up from what I've seen - so at least half as much again before I've even started paying for food, bedding, training stuff, any vets fees etc

 

See what I'm getting at? I can see your point but I'm neither in a position nor willing to spend money I don't have to. Of course, if I had to - I'd spend it; an un-expected vet's fee for example but I'm not too keen spending £100+ for a piece of paper that can't garantee anything.

[cocker boy]

Hmm, fair points to a certain extent.

 

You're right - I don't know much but isn't that the whole point in forums - for people to ask questions and learn

 

I do consider fuel - I'm not so flush that I can dismiss £50 for something that may be un-nescesary (why do a 300mile round trip if an equally good looking dog turned up in my home town for the same price?)

 

Compare the cost of the two if you like;

 

The cross would cost me £65 max because it's free and would cost about £65 in fuel to fetch

 

the springer (who's apparently from working background) would cost me £150 to buy and a further £55 in fuel so £205

 

A kc reg's springer from on my doorstep (no fuel involved) would cost me £300 and up from what I've seen - so at least half as much again before I've even started paying for food, bedding, training stuff, any vets fees etc

 

See what I'm getting at? I can see your point but I'm neither in a position nor willing to spend money I don't have to. Of course, if I had to - I'd spend it; an un-expected vet's fee for example but I'm not too keen spending £100+ for a piece of paper that can't garantee anything.

Well just go and get the free one then

[Tom&Dexter]

Dont forget to add At least another £200 on top of anything you get

vets check up when you first get the dog

wormers

fleat tick treatment

bed

Food supplys

toys

crate if needed

treats

training aids, dummys, lead, tags, collar, whistle etc

 

Like a said they aint cheap

[fieldwanderer]

That's the point though T&d - I know it's not cheap, that's why I'm not overly keen on spending extra for a registered dog.

 

Of course, I've got a budget in mind for the dog itself, and more that I can spend on the other things that'll be needed but As has been pointed out (and something I've been careful to make clear) I don't know a great deal and need your help to make the best choice possible within certain limits......

[Lloyd90]

http://classifieds.country-classifieds.com...;query=category

 

 

Get a part trained dog ? Have to save up more money but alot of the base work is done

[fieldwanderer]

Thanks Bigthug, sounds like a good Idea - I'll have a think about it but I was looking forward to the training as much as having a shooting companion to be honest. I have found a couple that are kc reg'd etc and are just within my budget - I need to speak to the sellers though as the adverts don't say whether they're from a working background or not.

[Tom&Dexter]

good luck with the hunt,

Let us know when you get sorted

[Mec 9000]

A lot of pups on sale at this time of year are xmas presents that are no longer wanted for whatever reason, others are for sale or free to good homes because there is something wrong with the dog, others are quite genuine. If you want a dog as a pet then pick what you like it won't matter much but if you want the best chance of having a biddable working dog it must come from a proven working background and that being within recent generations and even then you pay your money and take your chances. The tail being docked tells little, it's what is on the other side of the tail that counts. I cannot advise what to do but I can say what I would do if in the same situation. Save up and buy from a good working kennel in the first instance. Get one from a known working source if I have seen the parents work or if like yourself I consider taking my chances with with one of the dogs you are looking at I would make sure that a vet gave it the once over re it's state of health, If it was from show lines I would leave well alone as I have seen many dogs whose owners bought them in your type of situation thinking they would suddenly be shooting dogs only to become a headache.

The instinct to work is in a working dog but can be diluted by show breeding. You don't need to train a working dog to work just train it to do it in the way you wish it to be done. If you don't go beating at a shoot it might be a good idea to look for some as it will let you see good and not so good dogs and handlers do their stuff , it might also put you in touch with some good pups.

Whichever you chose to do I wish you all the best.

Gerry

[fieldwanderer]

Thanks fellas, guess I wasn't wording things very well yesterday.

 

Have emailed a couple of the sellers but no replies as yet. Have even managed to find a couple around the £200 mark which seem to have it all - kc reg'd up to date with jabs, vet check included, working parents, docked and dew clawed (whatever that is?) 5generations of pedigree! Sounds good to me - if only they'd reply

 

Will be needing quite a bit of support on here when it comes to training as I'm sure I'll have as much if not more to learn than the dog! On the other hand, it'll be just one man and his dog so no need for anything fancy as long as he/she will stay put, fetch, and heel when asked to I'm sure we'll get on pretty well - anything else is a bonus but obviously can't be gun-shy.

 

Would you go for a dog or a bitch and why?

[Mec 9000]

Dog or a Bitch, Take the one you like most as it will be with you a long time, no great difference in ability to do the job although some dogs can be a little bolder and try it on. There are no two alike. Remember that a bitch is in season twice per year and out the game for a few weeks and those few weeks could be during the shooting season for game.

Re training, I can't understand why people don't wish to train their dogs to field trial standard or as close as they can get as the pleasure of working a well trained dog is immense and you will puff out your chest at the compliments you and your dog will get.

The best advice I can give at present is Get a good book, Gundogs, Their learning chain is excellent but can't remember the author. Bond with the dog, let it be a pup and instill the recall to the whistle early, get it retrieving little things early, make it fun, be firm when you have to but never ever hit the dog, remember the dog may do the right things but not in the right order and that is up to you. Train for short periods 15 mins twice a day when you start and finish with the dog wanting more rather than it doing too much at the one time.

Work things out in advance of training re what the sessions are to achieve and try to think about what could go wrong. If no mistakes are made then they don't have to be corrected. And above all don't introduce it to gunfire too early as you may riun a good dog leave that at least a year. Protect from the noise of fireworks too if young. Your dog is a life investment take your time and all should be well.

Gerry

[fieldwanderer]

Gerry; Don't get me wrong -I'm going to do my very best, but what I meant was if the dog "won't" get any better than the basics, he'll still be plenty good enough for me.

 

I'm coming round to the black and white springer in the pic above, the only details I've got sofar are in one of the posts above the picture (he's 6mnths old), they've still got him as I asked last night but I'm going to have a further look around before I commit to anything - I like the sound of the ones that have been docked, clawed, will be vet checked and are up to date with jabs (though more expensive) but sofar I've not been able to contact their owners

 

 

Any opinions on the b/w 6month old above? Should I be trying for a younger pup?

[beerdeor]

Sorry for my ignorance but where are the best places to look for a dog I was bought up with dogs and always fancied one and now I have permission would like to own one

So where do I start

many thanks Jim

[Lloyd90]

Sorry for my ignorance but where are the best places to look for a dog I was bought up with dogs and always fancied one and now I have permission would like to own one

So where do I start

many thanks Jim

 

Do ALOT of research about what dog you want. Lots of people get the wrong dog for the job and they end up down the rescue centre. Once you know what your after use the link I posted Above to find one