which gundog?

[tulkyuk]

unless you have a mad lab like me

 

I too also have one of the above - mad is a word i would use but there are plenty more - most not suitable for a public forum :blink:

[bobby dazzler]

a lab all day long great partners

[Briarscratch]

I already posted my opinion for an all around gundog - Labs!

 

BUT

 

My second choice would be a good field bred Cocker or Springer. A friend from a US bird hunting board described them this way:

 

"They're like the Marines. They can stand at attention or they can blow things up."

 

LOL!

[ratus]

Like you say Blackbart you some times get a rogue in a litter, My Lab was mad as a box of frogs till 6 months old, then someone swapped him.

[MC]

It makes no difference at all what breed you have, if you don't put the time in training then no dog will be trained.

[al4x]

that is true to a point, but for a first dog a labrador bitch would be the easiest to learn to train with and give you the highest chance of success. Springers are fine but they do need a lot more effort to train and getting them to steady up takes a while, it helps to have more training experience when you get one.

[Browning]

It makes no difference at all what breed you have, if you don't put the time in training then no dog will be trained.

 

Martin is absolutely spot on !

 

You can have the best pup, with the best breed lines available, but if you don't put the time in it will never

make a good working dog.

 

On the opposite side of the fence, you can get a show pup that failed to make the grade, with no FTCh names

in his breed, and still make him into a creditable gundog....if you put in the time and effort.

[MC]

that is true to a point, but for a first dog a labrador bitch would be the easiest to learn to train with and give you the highest chance of success. Springers are fine but they do need a lot more effort to train and getting them to steady up takes a while, it helps to have more training experience when you get one.

 

I disagree totally with that, from my experience my first dog is a springer dog, and I put the time in and listened to people that know. NOw Merlin may not ever make Ftch but is certainly a creditable gundog.

 

It is the same with everything in life, you only get out what you are prepared to put in.

[new to the flock]

Before you choose a breed, sit down and make a list of the type of hunting that you do now. Then make a list of the types of hunting that you wish to do in 5 years time, Now make a list of the breeds of dogs that are suitable to the type of hunting you do a t present, and a list of dogs that are suitable to the type of hunting you wish to partake in. There will be several breeds that over lap and several that do not.

 

From your list of overlapping breeds decide which ones will suit your housing style.....remember German Shorthairs do not do well outside in winter and if you get a fretter it can drop 5 pounds of body weight overnight. Look at how the breeds respond to training and how you train.....if you have a short fuse and tend to raise your voice again stay away from the pointing breeds as 30 seconds of yelling or scruffing etc will cost you 2 weeks of training. How often do you have to train, and what style of hunting are you wanting to hunt......pointed birds where you walk up and flush the bird, spaniel to bust cover, cold water duck hunting. Keep stroking off the breeds that dont fit, and be honest If you are a waterfowler mainly, come december/january there are only 2 breeds I would put in the water and they are lab and chessy. Others can do it but it puts a very heavy toll on their bodies.

 

Narrow your breed list down to what is going to be suitable, and then research the breeds, and get out to see the different breeds working....as often as possible and as many different representatives of each breed that you can. Seeing one dog and deciding that that is the dog for me is a sure fire way to end up disappointed. Take the time to fully decide what is best for you before you decide on a dog.

 

Just my two cents.

NTTF

[john faul]

thanks for the info nttf

[potshot]

You have heard lots of advice and it is not difficult to see that several of the breeds overlap in their ability. You have also been advised that the most important thing is the training you give the gun dog. You can read every book and every video published but they nearly all tell what to do when things are going right not when they are going wrong. So go find some gun dogs clubs/people locally, ask questions and look at their dogs - (I do agree NTTF's post) but last of all.....

 

A retriever is a single discipline dog (yes yes yes it will do lots of other things)

A spaniel is a hunt/retrieve dog

A GSP is a hunt/point/retrieve dog

 

Which one do you think will be easiest for a complete novice to start on................................?