Bird Dog Expense

[RockSlinger671]

To me it’s almost like a lottery, you can go a find a person selling a gun dog (puppy) for a cheaper price and it may have a 25% of being an excellent hunting dog. But going to a reputable breeder that evaluates their stock for multiple attributes (temperament, nose, retrieve, hunt titles, etc) and has been selective breeding for a couple of dog generations you’ll have a 96% of a getting an excellent hunting dog for a higher price. I made of these percentages, but this is how I look at it. You can no doubt get a good gun dog for cheap, but you’ll have a better chance with a well bred pup, just my $0.000002. Check out how Drathaars are evaluated for breeding, it’s probably on of the most extreme cases of evaluating a dog for breeding.

 

[frank church guy]

The original cost i never blinked at. The vet bill for over four or five hundred stitches (100 +, three layers in her chest on Sunday afternoon in eagle county colorado is quite expensive), the travel costs to hunt and all the other things added up and I never blinked at the cost. And a side cost of purchasing two nice over/under's (without her I never would of bought those shotguns). Having a reliable hunting buddy was priceless. And I bought my girl when I was not at a financial place in my life where should of been making those purchases.

But sixteen years, 1 month and 2 days, she was part of my life. There thru thick and thin and always loyal to me. That bond between your hunting buddy is pretty cool. So the upfront cost and all the other cost (I spent more on her health care than I did on my self during her lifetime). are just background "noise" to having a good hunting buddy. Remember unlike people, they are always ready to go. It is never to cold, to rainy or just don't feel like it.

this is the reward..... 2003 she was only 16 months... north of Dodge City a real cold day after X-mas.

 

[BravoNovember]

I live in SD my whole life and while I was growing up all we did was hunt pheasants and waterfowl, literally every weekend. My dad always trained our labs himself and we do hunt test/field trials. I still do a lot of bird hunting and train my own labs. I’m pretty partial to candlewoods linage from Mary Howley. A good quote from her is “Your dogs can be whatever you want them to be”. I’ve hunted with farm dogs that out hunt dogs that guys have spent 5-15k to train but only hunt once a year. Pick a reputable breeder and the rest is up too you! Time spent training and time in the field are most important. If you don’t have patience, you’ll develop it very soon! It is not just an investment in a dog, it’s an investment in yourself too.

My last lab had to undergo three major surgeries over her life. A month after the last one, she devolved a brain tumor which resulted in seizures and she had to be put down, while I cried my eyes out.

Owning a bird dog isn’t for the faint of heart. When you get to their final days, You’ll never think about the money you spent, just the memories you have with your best friend. It will be one of the best things you do though! View attachment 405828

It's definitely not for the faint of heart, that being said, I'd do it all again with each one even though the last days are not fun.

 

[Squincher]

To me it’s almost like a lottery, you can go a find a person selling a gun dog (puppy) for a cheaper price and it may have a 25% of being an excellent hunting dog. But going to a reputable breeder that evaluates their stock for multiple attributes (temperament, nose, retrieve, hunt titles, etc) and has been selective breeding for a couple of dog generations you’ll have a 96% of a getting an excellent hunting dog for a higher price. I made of these percentages, but this is how I look at it. You can no doubt get a good gun dog for cheap, but you’ll have a better chance with a well bred pup, just my $0.000002. Check out how Drathaars are evaluated for breeding, it’s probably on of the most extreme cases of evaluating a dog for breeding.

Buying a started dog is probably the only absolute guarantee a dog will turn out, but I'll bet the percentage of pointing dogs out of registered parents that don't turn out is in the very low single digits, regardless of where you get them.

 

[KurtR]

I live in SD my whole life and while I was growing up all we did was hunt pheasants and waterfowl, literally every weekend. My dad always trained our labs himself and we do hunt test/field trials. I still do a lot of bird hunting and train my own labs. I’m pretty partial to candlewoods linage from Mary Howley. A good quote from her is “Your dogs can be whatever you want them to be”. I’ve hunted with farm dogs that out hunt dogs that guys have spent 5-15k to train but only hunt once a year. Pick a reputable breeder and the rest is up too you! Time spent training and time in the field are most important. If you don’t have patience, you’ll develop it very soon! It is not just an investment in a dog, it’s an investment in yourself too.

My last lab had to undergo three major surgeries over her life. A month after the last one, she devolved a brain tumor which resulted in seizures and she had to be put down, while I cried my eyes out.

Owning a bird dog isn’t for the faint of heart. When you get to their final days, You’ll never think about the money you spent, just the memories you have with your best friend. It will be one of the best things you do though! View attachment 405828

Where do you train at im kinda on an island in mobridge being 180 miles from the club do alot of training by my self. I agree those candlewoods lines are tough to beat. Would have loved to see Lotty run back in the day

 

[PredatorSlayer]

3 months and $3k to train a dog to do what almost every 12 week old pointer that ever lived will do naturally? I think I just found my retirement scam........er job, I mean.

I have never understood this. I hunt GSPs, and outside of general obedience, I haven’t had to do anything with them. They point, retrieve - its in their genes, its what they were bred to do. Current one is a total machine. Never paid a dime for training. These are all wild birds…you go out with large groups and he gets a ton of work.

 

[Dmann]

$1,500 is a small price to pay for the years of loyalty and companionship you will get out of a well trained dog.

 

[Greenduck18]

Where do you train at im kinda on an island in mobridge being 180 miles from the club do alot of training by my self. I agree those candlewoods lines are tough to beat. Would have loved to see Lotty run back in the day

I’m from Aberdeen now and do most my training around here. I’m a member of the Jim river HRC club but I haven’t gone to a training day for a couple years. My current lab just turned 1 and is out of candlewoods lotta black pepper and Lotie isn’t too far down the line! Ill send you a pm and maybe we could meet up for a training day

 

[KurtR]

I’m from Aberdeen now and do most my training around here. I’m a member of the Jim river HRC club but I haven’t gone to a training day for a couple years. My current lab just turned 1 and is out of candlewoods lotta black pepper and Lotie isn’t too far down the line! Ill send you a pm and maybe we could meet up for a training day

Thats sounds good. I actually joined that club 2 years ago and who i train with when i can.

 

[chukar_chaser]

I personally stay away from "breeders". They are motivated to breed dogs and sale puppies. Find a hardcore amateur that hunts the way you do and buy a dog from him. I would be classified a "backyard breeder" especially considering that I just bred two pointers in my backyard yesterday! lol. I also hunt over 100 days a year in multiple states and compete in field trials. Find hardcore hunters and buy dogs from them, stay away from "breeders" IMO.

And dont buy a niche dog, buy a breed that is established and proven.

 

[jmez]

Teach a pointer to come when called, every time. Whoa means whoa right now, every time, until I release you. Heel, sit, place, etc if you want.

They must come when called and stop when you say whoa. That is 99% of training a pointer to be a gun dog. That takes nothing other than time and consistency.

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[mporter012]

Ok here is my take.
1. I was not a dedicated bird hunter, but i bought a GSP pup on craigslist last March and now all i really think about is bird hunting. His Dad was AKC master hunter, otherwise he was only $600 and seems to have all the goods to be really good. He was $600. I love him to death, but if i was to do it again, i'd buy from a reputable, dedicated upland breeder, bc he's had some unusual health issues, which have seemed to clear up, but it was not a grand first year, and cost way more than the extra cost of going with a good breeder.
2. I would not even remotely go without insurance. I use Wagmo. He got a serious leg injury, which cost me almost 10k. I was discouraged from a lot of upland folks on the insurance, absolute bullshit, buy the insurance, it's like $40/month. These dogs are going to get hurt, and let me tell, $10k hurts.
3. $3500 on training. i set him to NAVDA cert trainer cuz i didn't know what i was doing. $1000/month. He went off for collar conditioning, and he is there now for steadiness, which is a 2 month program. He has a great retreive drive, so probably doesn't need Forced Fetch, but many guys send off for another 2 months for forced fetch, with would total about $5k for the 3 phases of training.
4. Bumpers/GPS collar/first aid kit/kennel/puppy vet appointments. I'd say you're looking at $1500+/-there, depending on what route you go, but you don't need the GPS collar right off the bat.

All that to say, it's not cheap. Hunting dogs are probably 5x the cost of some household lap dog, and i didn't really consider that fact. 100% worth it, really changed my life getting my pup, but you should be aware that the costs over the course of the first year if you do all that i did (minus the $10k vet bill!!!).

Best of luck!

 

[WRO]

I have never understood this. I hunt GSPs, and outside of general obedience, I haven’t had to do anything with them. They point, retrieve - its in their genes, its what they were bred to do. Current one is a total machine. Never paid a dime for training. These are all wild birds…you go out with large groups and he gets a ton of work.

I've seen a few lately at the kennel I train at that were lacking natural ability pretty bad.

As we're seeing more color breeding and show insertion, I'd be tearing over that pedigree like crazy.

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[mporter012]

I've seen a few lately at the kennel I train at that were lacking natural ability pretty bad.

As we're seeing more color breeding and show insertion, I'd be tearing over that pedigree like crazy.

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I think you are right that the genetics are so strong in gsps that you can probably just take them out, but I got to tell you man I was scared to death of losing my dog, so at a minimum I wanted someone to collar condition because I had no clue what I was doing. Other than that, steadiness training is important of course, and I wouldn't assume a dog is going to learn to hold steady without proper training, whether by you or someone else.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I've seen a few lately at the kennel I train at that were lacking natural ability pretty bad.

As we're seeing more color breeding and show insertion, I'd be tearing over that pedigree like crazy.

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I feel like that is the key. Good genes…You can train border collies to point and retrieve - thats isn’t what they were bred to do. If your dog has no drive or doesn’t point or retrieve naturally, I don’t feel like any amount of training will make up for that.

 

[Montana Slim]

Agree with the above, if the cost of $1000 for a pup is too high, then maybe not do it yet. Cost of food, crates, chew toys, training, etc etc makes the initial purchase look like nothing.

This is sage advice, and what most experienced 'dog people' will come here to tell you...
Don't underestimate the needs of a dog, and make sure you are in a good place to provide 'ALL of it'.
You won't be thinking about the purchase price after buying food and vet care for a few months!

That said - if you are in a good place - take the leap. Life is better with dogs, as much as you will want to murder them sometimes

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I think you are right that the genetics are so strong in gsps that you can probably just take them out, but I got to tell you man I was scared to death of losing my dog, so at a minimum I wanted someone to collar condition because I had no clue what I was doing. Other than that, steadiness training is important of course, and I wouldn't assume a dog is going to learn to hold steady without proper training, whether by you or someone else.

I condition all my dogs to ecollars myself and I personally think steadiness is over rated. I didn’t use to think that and my dog will do it. If they can understand the stay command and have a release word, steadiness is easy. Wild birds can be tough and if your dog sits there until the bird falls and you winged it that bird will be 200 yards away by the time your dog get to where he marked it down. I started letting my dog go on flush and have never lost a bird since. It looks cool on pen raised birds on pheasant farms, but in real life its not very practical.

Also, I trained my dog to operate solely on vibrations from the ecollar so I am not yelling commands. Those guys out there blowing whistles and using the stupid beepers or yelling commands to their dogs drive me nuts. You will shoot way more birds and they will sit tighter if you stay quiet - thats for wild birds anyway.

 

[WRO]

I feel like that is the key. Good genes…You can train border collies to point and retrieve - thats isn’t what they were bred to do. If your dog has no drive or doesn’t point or retrieve naturally, I don’t feel like any amount of training will make up for that.

I'd say 20 years ago, all gsps would hunt, now it's 80-90%.

Vislas, Weims, Irish setters, Gordons, and other breeds have fallen to show breeding and housewives wanting running companions..

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[WRO]

I condition all my dogs to ecollars myself and I personally think steadiness is over rated. I didn’t use to think that and my dog will do it. If they can understand the stay command and have a release word, steadiness is easy. Wild birds can be tough and if your dog sits there until the bird falls and you winged it that bird will be 200 yards away by the time your dog get to where he marked it down. I started letting my dog go on flush and have never lost a bird since. It looks cool on pen raised birds on pheasant farms, but in real life its not very practical. .

It's extremely practical of you're not hunting ditch parrots. I've literally seen one bird get up on coveys of huns and chukars, dog break and blow the whole covey out out of range, conversely I've hunted over broke dogs and gotten 2 or 3 goes on coveys due to stragglers getting up, late flushes, etc.

My dogs probably run a little bigger than the average pheasant dog to be fair, it's not uncommon for us to have dogs locked up 200-700 yards out.

 

[mporter012]

I condition all my dogs to ecollars myself and I personally think steadiness is over rated. I didn’t use to think that and my dog will do it. If they can understand the stay command and have a release word, steadiness is easy. Wild birds can be tough and if your dog sits there until the bird falls and you winged it that bird will be 200 yards away by the time your dog get to where he marked it down. I started letting my dog go on flush and have never lost a bird since. It looks cool on pen raised birds on pheasant farms, but in real life its not very practical.

Also, I trained my dog to operate solely on vibrations from the ecollar so I am not yelling commands. Those guys out there blowing whistles and using the stupid beepers or yelling commands to their dogs drive me nuts. You will shoot way more birds and they will sit tighter if you stay quiet - thats for wild birds anyway.

I am not very seasoned on this because I'm only one year in, so I don't know if I agree or disagree with you! That said, one observation I've made is that there are a lot of people that are more interested in their dogs getting accolades than they are actually getting out there to hunt wild birds as much as possible