Which hunting dog?

I've had a pointer and english setter. I currently hunt (quail & pheasant) with my weimareiner. The pointer had a good nose and was big enough to crash through the brush. The setter had an excellent nose, but she was the runt of the litter and had a tough time in heavy cover. My current dog is a 4 year old weimareiner. Her nose has not come up to par with the other dogs, but to some extent I blame myself. Any hunting dog must be given the opportunity to hone her instincts. Get your dog out there even if it is not hunting but just for a walk in the country.

I got my weimareiner for three reasons, in order of importance: she is a short hair and very easy to clean up, no burrs etc.., my uncle had a weimareiner. On one trip we had lost contact with her for about 45 min. We crested a hill we saw her near a hedgerow. she appeared to be taking a dump, but as we got closer we determined that she had been on point for so long that she could no longer hold up her hind end. Queeny was a great dog. Thirdly, she is a large breed and does well in heavy brush.

I believe that any dog makes a great companion if you treat her like a member of the family and show her the love. Good luck.
 
GSP without a doubt. Brilliant dogs.

I'd get one with black pads if possible. Find a reputable breeder, no matter with breed you go with. It's worth every penny a good breeder with a documented history of performing dogs.
 
I can't believe EVERYONE didn't recomend the beagle.
When it comes to rabbit hunting.
NOTHING --I mean NOTHING --compares to a beagle!!!
The only thing better than a beagle for rabbits is -------
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-TWO BEAGLES!!

Willy
 
(maybe deer and larger game down the road). Primary targets will be rabbit and squirrel, dove, quail, grouse, pheasant, chukar, duck.
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I can't believe EVERYONE didn't recomend the beagle.
When it comes to rabbit hunting.
NOTHING --I mean NOTHING --compares to a beagle!!!
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It's not just rabbits. Some of the work is scent work. Some is pure retrieve. Some is active.."BANG" immediate retrieve, some is passive..."BANG"...let it lay down and die for a few hours then retrieve. Beagles (at least mine) are thick headed. Too thick headed to learn all the different methods.

IMHO [and it really is humble, because my experience is limited to bird dogs primarily; but sometimes do other hunts (tracking)], the GSP is the best multi-purpose dog. They were carefully choosen though. You don't buy a hunting dog from the Walmart parking lot. The GSP's I am thinking about have a field trial champ in their blood line (direct, Dixie Land: grandfather/granddaughter=offspring.)
 
Most the GSP ive come across just lose the plot and run about clearing game from a 5 sq mile area, ( I know there are some good ones but not many). Labrador every time, great companion, good nose, retreive when you want them to and just an all round great dog. I have trained over twenty of these and a similar number of Springer Spaniels and although I have a very soft spot for the spaniels, the Lab comes in front. Buy from a reputable breeder of hunting dogs, ask to see the parents and see them work.
Then resist trying to teach it anything more than sit and come here until it is six months old ( they are only ever like a 2 year old child when mature) then gently build on those basics, like sit and stay and then sit stay come here when called etc etc. If you havent done it before buy one of the books by a top trainer and follow that. The biggest thing is not to treat it like a human and talk its ears off! more than one word is too many for any command and more than two words it will not understand, it will just pick the most familiar word out and do that. Whistle commands are best as they travel a long way and do not disturb all the game around you. I and most others use one sharp peep for stop and a double peep for come here. I could write a load moe but here isn't the place, just buy a good book.
 
Oh Boy!!!!
Rabbits? Beagles. Ringnecks? Beagles, Grouse, Beagles.
Home Companion? Beagles
When I was growing up, we ALWAYS had a beagle as a house pet BUT, it was a pet one day and a rabbit machine the next.
Fed ONLY bagged dog food the "pet" was spoiled but not by food inducements.
We lived in an area where numerous upland game species thrived and the beagles produced.
I also trained English Pointers which I truly love for bird hunting.
Classic Bird Hunting over points?
A WELLTRAINED pointing breed.
If filling your game bag is of utmost importance, the beagle is your dog, BUT you must spend time afield with your dog in the off- season , both to toughen the rascal and to intune you of your dogs habits.
Beagles are the Greatest tho I really love English Pointers Too!!!!!
Zeke
 
growing up, we always had brittany spaniels. i cannot tell you how many brids they would bring up to the house with them when it was time to come inside. this was just in our suburban backyard too, they would grab the low flying birds from the air sometimes too. it was pretty incredable. one thing with them though is they get separation anxiety fairly bad if you are gone alot, or at least ours did. course, they were house dogs, not outside dogs. We did some hunting with them, but not too much. i will say this though, our boy brittany actually jumped through a screen to get a squirrel that was on a tree. he forgot he was on the second floor though, and fell down and luckily landed on our hot tub hard cover. he was fine though, but as determined as ever to get that squirrel out of the tree. by the way, they are high energy dogs and need to be excercised quite a bit.

As i have gotten older though, my wife and i have chosen to work with beagles. they are great dogs, and have excellent dispositons IMHO. They can be a bit hyper though, so it is best to work with them as much as possible. i like the 15" beagles the best for running game like deer. the 13" is nice for rabbit.

Anyway, many dogs will work for you, and any 2 dogs are better than none, well most of the time. so try out a couple pups. :D
 
I have had 3 labs that I raised and trained and sold they would pick any thing up and were great companions they love their masters and will protect them to any cost I just got my fourth lab and he is here to stay you can never go worng with a lab as far as getting a all prourpse dog I just dont think there is one I have hunted many of diffrent breeds of dog and there are cretian types of dogs for cretian game I dont think you can make a pointer or setter out of a lab or you can not make a coon dog out of a pointer so with that a lab will do most but not all :D :D :D
 
BFF it seams like he might act like yours too He's willing to hunt anything I'm after! He even retrieves my dove He will hunt quail but I have to stay close he wont point and wait! He loves to run hogs just sit and wait and he will soon run them by you! and squirrels whew! he wears me out. when coming up on a snake he goes wild and stays his distance he has found 3 rattlesnake dens so far. and as far as a friend he goes everywhere with me even to work I work at a Yamaha shop and he loves pwc's- seadoos but hates water!
 
See, mine will only go for squirrel, dove, duck and rabbits, he isn't to good at duck when it comes to deeper water but he can get the job done. I never tried using my dog for hogs or anything though, maybe i will have to one day, well im goin hog huntin on the 27.

BFF
 
My name says it all...

Most the GSP ive come across just lose the plot and run about clearing game from a 5 sq mile area, ( I know there are some good ones but not many).
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Interesting statement, given your sig line. I do absolutely agree with the rest of your comments.

Warning: Shepherds make lousy hunters.
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Depends on what you're hunting. If the quarry has two legs they'll just about track, kill, gut and retrieve for you.
United Schutzhund Clubs of America
:D
 
Most the GSP ive come across just lose the plot and run about clearing game from a 5 sq mile area, ( I know there are some good ones but not many).
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That says more about the trainer/hunter than the dog in most cases. The 2 GSP I know will out hunt every other dog in camp (15 in camp is not uncommon.) They are not my dogs, so I have no ego on the line here. I'll conceed that the hard work is front loaded, and the trainer/owner spent an obsene amount of time and patience preparing the dogs. I've seen some good English Setters (by the same trainer/owner), but they can't hold a candle to the GPS.
 
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