Question about bird dogs?

[Alberta Jonny]

A Lab would be a horrible choice for a Hog dog, they are not sharp enough and will be killed in short order. If your not going to be able to work it every day, I would steer clear of most "Birddog" breeds. They get very destructive in short order and will ruin a house or yard in no time flat. I have 3 Setters, 2 Pointers and 2 WPG. they are worked on birds or roaded daily. If I decide to back off for as bit I can plan on filling holes in the yard and replacing the lawn tractor seat.

 

[KurtR]

I'm interested in that I looked up some clubs and my area and there is one close to my city.

Its really good people and willing to teach and you get to watch a bunch of dogs which is fun to

 

[2Aguy74]

Start with a good training program. Plenty of online classes or DVD's. A lab is definitely the way I would go. You can do most of your work at a park. The added benefit is they make great house pets. By far the most loving breed of dogs. Even if you don't hunt the dog it will love to just go to park and retrieve and play. I used the DVD series duck dog by Cris Akins. Very simple and easy to follow.

Thanks I'll look into that.

 

[2Aguy74]

A Lab would be a horrible choice for a Hog dog, they are not sharp enough and will be killed in short order. If your not going to be able to work it every day, I would steer clear of most "Birddog" breeds. They get very destructive in short order and will ruin a house or yard in no time flat. I have 3 Setters, 2 Pointers and 2 WPG. they are worked on birds or roaded daily. If I decide to back off for as bit I can plan on filling holes in the yard and replacing the lawn tractor seat.

well, I was talking about blood trailing but what about jagdterriers?

 

[Buzby]

well, I was talking about blood trailing but what about jagdterriers?


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Now I know you’re trolling

 

[jimh406]

Almost all of the hunting breeds vary in temperament a lot. In the city, it would be better to have one of the more laidback types. Good breeders should be able to tell you if theirs are relatively calm or high strung. The high strung dogs need a lot more activity and more work to train with the payoff usually being higher performance. That isn’t necessarily required for occasional hunting, but great for field trials.

A dog is a big investment. Good breeders will try to steer you right because they don’t want you have a dog that doesn’t fit your situation. I’m not saying you have to buy from someone who breeds several litters a year. You want one that is asking you lots of questions about what you will do with the pup before selling one. Don’t take offense if you aren’t a match for a breeder’s litter. They will probably being doing you a big favor by not letting you have a pup that you aren’t prepared for or matches your use.

One breed that nobody has mentioned is a hunting English Spring Spaniel. They are relatively small and easy to control and work close as a flushing dog and will work for most birds and can tolerate water retrieving in warmer weather.

 

[2Aguy74]

Now I know you’re trolling

https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/jagdterrier/ https://www.ukcdogs.com/jagdterrier

 

[Buzby]

https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/jagdterrier/ https://www.ukcdogs.com/jagdterrier

I know what a jagdterier is. I know it’s not the dog 99.9% of people should own.

 

[NEWHunter]

Maybe try getting a dog and train it to find shed antlers instead of going after birds. Shed hunting can be a very fun and addicting non-lethal hunting activity. Lots of bird dogs make great shed dogs.

 

[2Aguy74]

Maybe try getting a dog and train it to find shed antlers instead of going after birds. Shed hunting can be a very fun and addicting non-lethal hunting activity. Lots of bird dogs make great shed dogs.

I'm interested in it but when do deer shed their antlers and do I need a license to do shed hunting and what breed do you think I should get?

 

[KurtR]

they shed in the spring most eastern states i dont think require a license i know south dakota doesnt. I would get a lab from the right breeder that fits your needs but i am pretty biased and am a lab guy

 

[2Aguy74]

they shed in the spring most eastern states i dont think require a license i know south dakota doesnt. I would get a lab from the right breeder that fits your needs but i am pretty biased and am a lab guy

thank you

 

[displacedtexan]

I've got field trial bred Pointers, three of them living in the house. Two sleep in our bedroom. They're great pets, they learn to "shut it off" in the house. The average GSP is going to be less energetic/driven, and labs even more so.

I do hunt, kill birds, and eat them. But my main passion with them is just running/training them. We do field trial some, the ones I run we don't kill birds. The vast majority of birds they point don't get shot. I pop a blank pistol, release the dog, and move on.

I pay $40 a year membership in a bird dog club, access to 160 acres of good training grounds 45 minutes from the house. I run them at least once a week when it's cool, and do lots of basic training in the yard.

 

[Bearwhisky]

Hi, I'm not a hunter but I'm very into bird dogs, and later on in the future maybe buy one and work one in the field if I can but I don't want to kill birds and eat them I'm not against hunting just not my thing. But I want to work with bird dogs manly labrador retriever is that possible I live in the city and don't have a house with 50 or more acres to fire a gun?

Half of all urban homes have labradors or a cross of a lab. They are very adaptable as house dogs but most of them chew up everything so just be aware. If you want the dog to be a working dog, be prepared to do yard work DAILY for the first year of its life or so, and be prepared to drive weekly or so to train with more ground.


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[Biggie]

well, I was talking about blood trailing but what about jagdterriers?

A Jagd would live a very happy life in the city. Especially if not leashed during walks. As a benefit there would be no feral cats around and you would help out the local song bird population. But it doesn't stop at cats, nothing with fur is safe.

 

[Superdoo]

If you like seeing birds but don't like killing them, perhaps this link will help you...

zoos near me - Google Search

www.google.com

Here's another place you could look:

game birds for sale - Google Search

www.google.com

If that second one catches your eye, you'll love this third one:

build my own huch - Google Search

www.google.com

If you still need a dog after all of those, I'd look here:

can a rescue become a therapy dog? - Google Search

www.google.com

I just hope that those links will help guide you through this important decision.
Good luck in your adventures!

 

[Northern-Nomad]

I got my first GWP when I lived in an apartment in the city. At 2.5 years he was ranked #3 for amature bird dogs where I lived there. And after I moved I guided hunts with him for years after “BUT” I was single and ran him every day on birds. I used to drive around the parking garage at the mall with a fishing net and catch pigeons on my way home from work, then work him in a small construction area where they were building a Home Depot. I never shot the pigeons, caught the same ones weekly, worked him the first year daily on them and when he would point I would toss a frozen bird or a bumper with a wing to retrieve, then on weekends I would travel out to the game preserve and buy a few chukars or pheasants to run him on and shoot those.

A bird dog needs a purpose, it’s just like any working breed. No purpose and it will go crazy. If you don’t plan to hunt it, there are lots of other things to train and run your dog on. Dock dogs, retrieving (fetch) lead control, tracking and so on. Just mix in birds every once in a while and it will make it easier to train him on birds in the future. The first year or two is mainly basic training and fetch anyway.


My pap always told me, “Teach a dog to learn, the rest is easy”

I cannot agree enough with a working dog needing a purpose. I've had the pleasure and pain of working with all sorts of different dogs, from sled dogs to cattle dogs to hunting dogs, and all of them are awesome dogs when given a purpose and all of them will drive you absolutely insane if they do not. Additionally, some dogs will take to a certain job better than others, so part of your job as a handler is to find the purpose that dogs wants to fulfill and not just the one that you want them to fulfill. Obviously you can teach a dog to do a wide range of things, but if you find what they want to do and work on that, it will make everything more enjoyable and you will learn a lot about at that dog, their personality, the way they learn, and how they communicate with you, which in turn helps you teach them other things. For example I have a blue heeler that'll herd pretty well, but her real drive is retrieving. So naturally, I turned her into a duck dog and she's great. In the process though, I have learned a lot about her that has made it easier for both of us to teach her how to herd, hunt, and do agility training. So long story short, in my experience it is absolutely vital to find a purpose for a high drive dog, but keep in mind that the purpose they see for themselves might not always be the purpose you have or that they were bred for, and training to them a little bit will pay dividends in the long run.

 

[Sharptail]

I'll second that..

Unless you want to field trial it..

I agree 100%. Pointers are wire differently. In a good way (mostly).

 

[HuntingGriff907]

I HUNT, test, and breed Wirehaired Pointing Griffons out of Alaska. A high drive hunting dog is a terrible fit for your situation. Any reputable breeder would steer you in another direction immediately based on your first post. You would be doing a great disservice to your family and the dog. These hunting genetics will manifest into destructive behaviors if not exercised appropriately. There are a pile of other breeds to fit your needs. Good luck with your search.