Reccommendations for a Waterfowling Dog

I love how this has turned into bread bashing as oppose to helping someone make a good decision from your experiences with hunting dog breads.
I have pits, American bulldogs, Red-bone coonhound and mutts. Never had one try to bit me or anyone else. I've been around and hunted with many other breads without a problem. But I've only had three dogs try to bite/come after me 1 black lab and 2 golden retrievers (sweet family dogs).
It's not the dog it's the owners and how stable they make their dogs. Know your breed and raise them as a calm submissive dog and it will turn out just fine.
 
I love how this has turned into bread bashing as oppose to helping someone make a good decision from your experiences with hunting dog breads.
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Lot's of good suggestions for a waterfowl dog here. A pit bull just didn't happen to be one of them, IMO. I think this has been an opportunity for everybody to be exposed to some tangible facts rather than the marketing and protectionist propaganda put forth by pit bull breeders and dog fighters, which in turn is regurgitated by owners.

If I bash any "bread" it will be Wonder bread. But if I bash any breed it will be pit bulls for sure.

Time for the mods to shut this down. I don't think I can stomach another pit bull owner claiming to have only had problems with retrievers and other docile breeds. That cliché tactic is just too dishonest for my blood.
 
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LNF thanks for basically calling me and anyone else that disagree with you a liar. That's nice. Any dog breed can be dangerous, if you don't believe that it just shows your ignorance.
 
comn-cents thank you for the support. LateNightFlight I respect your views on the subject and you should respect mine. If you don't it doesn't really matter to me. I am done debating this subject and leave it to rest with no hard feelings.
 
Any dog breed can be dangerous
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I don't disagree. I have been nipped and bitten by retrievers, but the odds were good considering I was in a retriever club and came in contact with virtually hundreds of dogs at training days and trials. Over the years I've stepped in for a variety of mishaps and fights, so it happens. But pardon my suspicion of your claim when it is in fact utterly cliche. Why does everyone who owns a pit bull have a story or ten about only ever being attacked by another breed?
 
GunsAreGood; Good man. No hard feelings; I didn't imagine we were going here until we were there. I see both sides of it... or should I say I try until I fail. Most of all, I hope you'll have some really great dogs no matter which dogs you choose.
 
i have 2 dogs that i take hunting with me 1 is my belgum shepard he is the best dog i have ever seen at finding game without spooking it he found me sum verry nice bucks over the years and my second dog is a rhodesian ridgeback yes its a hound and it loves hounding foxes ect but she is also a verry good retreiver and rhodesians have webbed feet good for swimming and she loves it but u have alt of choices when it comes to short haird gun dogs there are bracco italiano english setters german short & wire-haired pointers or my favroute a hungarian vizsla there is also a wire-haired version

i kno u want short hair but what about a nova scotia duck-tolling retreiver if u live in the colder places chesapeake bay retriver is best it has subcutanous fat layer that keeps them warm and oily coat or a weimaraner it just all depends what you can get any dog can bea good retriver if u teach them to be i have a mate who uses a hamiltonstovare looks like a big begal hounds make good HPR dogs its just all about the training you give them

cheers damo
 
Since I'm the one that brought the words pit bull into this thread I'll expound a little. The OP's 3rd criterion was a dog that was good with kids. I said all dogs, even dogs with bad reputations like pit bulls, can be very well mannered, and be child friendly. However, some breeds seem to have propensities to violence. These breeds were bred to be muscular, so adding to their propensity of violence with a strong build spells bad news.

A study said:
... pit bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios and their mixes are responsible for 74% of attacks that were included in the study, 68% of the attacks upon children, 82% of the attacks upon adults, 65% of the deaths, and 68% of the maimings. In more than two-thirds of the cases included in the study, the life-threatening or fatal attack was apparently the first known dangerous behavior by the animal in question.
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Source: http://www.dogbitelaw.com/Dog Attacks 1982 to 2006 Clifton.pdf

We're getting away from the topic though. Again, my vote is Lab.
 
Only spaniel with a long tail.
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Actually, they all have long tails if you don't dock them. My springer was undocked. Used to confuse the heck out of people, but the owners we got him from didn't have the money to get the litter done or the know-how to do it themselves.

Made it a lot easier to keep track of him while I was on the tractor.
 
Although it was a couple decades ago, I have hunted behind a cocker spaniel. As with all dogs it was a better hunter than the guys with the opposable thumbs.

That dog was used for pheasants but there's nothing keeping a cocker from being a good water dog.

The OP was concerned about hair length. There are dog clippers. No reason to lmit your choices if you're willing to give the dog a haircut every few months.
 
I would take a look at the German Wirehair, or other similar versatile gun dog breeds. I currently have both a lab and a German Shorthair Pointer. I will tell you right up front that you won't be able to beat the lab for an all around water dog/family pet.

My shorthair, as well as most of the versatile breeds, are inherently more "high maintenance" than labs around the house. This can be a challenge that will require an understanding and cooporative spouse, as well as plently of time investment to train your young mallard muncher to behave.

The up-side to their obsessive personallities is in the uplands, where they really shine. After spending ten years hunting behind only labs, my first shorthair was an eye opening experience in hunting the open high desert of Central and Eastern Oregon. These dogs never stop! You begin to understand why they can be a bit obnoxious around the house when you see the kind of energy these little rockets have!

I say wirehair/griffon/ect. because the courser coated dogs definitly seem more at home in the water, particularly in cold weather. What ever the breed, make sure you get good instruction on introducing your pup to water, and get them around water early and often.

If I never or rarely hunted uplands, I would without a doubt stick with a lab. The shedding and size will be minor annoyances compared to the "high maintenance" commonly found with the other common water dog breeds. What ever you choose, spend lots of time with pup, and get him in the field often, and you'll have a hunting buddy who always wants to go. Good luck and have a blast!

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The cocker is coming back as far as field work goes. I have a shorthair is black from Germany, his coat is thicker than my FT type dogs, he loves the cold. I would look for this if I was waterfowling a lot it is why I got him.

I hunted over my pit, he would lead me to deer every time. We also ran them italian racing dogs on yotes, they get one to go to ground then the pit did his thing.

hunted in Fla with some cousins of mine, ran pits on hogs, they tore the hog apart. A pit can do a lot of damage, mine never hurt a human tho. Still wouldnt recommend them in this day.

You are from Missouri, A guy name of Sam Clemens wrote a book about some kids, they got some reward money and ol huck was gonna go buy a pit bull dog with his. Lets not forget spanky and his friends, that dog was a pit.

I watch a show called pit boss, I respect the work they are doing. I may go back to pits after my son gets bigger. He needs to know how to train and handle a dog like a pit.

Neighbor has a mastif, now that dog scares the crap outta me when he runs to me while on my motorcycle, he could knock me over easily. His bite is way harder than any pit too.
 
Standard Poodel

The Poodel was bred as a duck dog. Even the goofy haircut is a hunting ap. Trey are smart and eager to make thier owner happy.
 
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