Versatile hunting dog?

[Gunnersdad49]

I’ve always had labs, and my last one would hunt damn near everything. I love upland, but want a dog that can hunt waterfowl too. I have never had a pointer, but all the guys i pheasant hunt with use them. My big issue is they don’t care about downed birds. What breeds should I look at that can do it all, but especially will find a down bird in thick cover?

 

[cod007]

Maybe you want what they call a versatile hunting dog. Point, retrieve, flush, you name it.
I have 2 Large Munsterlanders. Great noses. Great points. Mine love duck hunting. One of the 2 of them will swim in ice water just for the fun of it. ( the other one it takes a bird down and then she forgets how cold it is).
Beautiful dogs. Personalities similar to a golden retriever. (I grew up w two of those and loved them).
Worth a little research if that sounds interesting.

 

[slvrslngr]

Get on the NAVHDA website and cruise through the breed descriptions, that’s how I discovered the pudelpointer.

Recognized Breeds - NAVHDA

www.navhda.org

 

[tops911]

I have had Deutsch Drahthaars (German bred and registered Wirehairs) for about 20 years or so. I think they are one of the best of the versatile dogs out there. The German testing system helps ensure the versatility of the dogs. Mine are great retrievers, retrieving everything from swans, raccoons, all varieties of upland birds, and waterfowl. They dont point just birds, they have pointed black bears, deer, mountain lion cub, rattle snakes, porcupines. I have blood tracked and recovered a couple of wounded deer for hunters.
They are hard core hunting dogs not for everyone, but they work for me.

 

[Centralcoastca]

We’ve had our Pudelpointer for about 5 years. When our lab passed at 14 I was wanting another lab but my wife always had a problem with her allergies around him. I happened to be reading an article about versatile gundogs and the description of the Pudelpointer sounded like it was exactly the right breed for us. Took us about 2 years between researching then getting on 2 different waiting lists. She Points, retrieves land or water, blood tracks, good family dog etc and sheds very very little so my wife diy have allergy issues with her. One thing that I would point out though is that it is a completely different thing having her after the lab. The lab loved to hunt and was a great retriever and when we were done he’d just hang out. The Pudelpointer never stops hunting, she doesn’t really hang out for more than 5min. if she’s awake she’s hunting. It’s very much a handful to deal with. She is always sniffing out every bird, squirrel, rat, cat, etc all the time. In the house she’ll have her nose pressed to the door jam smelling for the cat that hangs out there or is staring out the window pointing at crows on the fence. In the back yard she’s either in the wood pile looking for rats or when the birds who stupidly continue to Nest in our big hedge hatch eggs, she pushes on the hedge until she shakes a baby bird out… she’s like having a toddler with teeth that can run super fast with a crazy prey drive and is on a mission to kill every small animal and bird. Completely different experience than having a lab. That being said, she’s crazy smart and a very sweet dog and we’re thinking about getting another.

 

[Clovis]

Small Munsterlander would fit your criteria too. I have one bred in the German-affiliated club (Kleine Munsterlander GNA) and he has been a great dog for me. Loves the water and ducks, points birds and I use him as a blood tracking dog. For me, the ones that come through the German testing system and breeding regs are the way to go for the reliability and tradition of what they produce as dogs. even if not a perfect match to what we typically do with hunting dogs in the US. Mine has crazy prey drive in the field but can turn it off at home, which is a big plus for me. My advice would be if you think you might be interested in one of the versatile breeds to take your time and try to get experience with the different breeds--there are a fair number of them and they have their differences but the breeds aren't generally well known. A good dog from the German system, whatever the breed, will come with a supportive community of owners/trainers/judges, hunters, etc. Some of that community's focus is on developing skills other than what you necessarily want in a pure bird dog but I dig it.

 

[Tod osier]

I’ve always had labs, and my last one would hunt damn near everything. I love upland, but want a dog that can hunt waterfowl too. I have never had a pointer, but all the guys i pheasant hunt with use them. My big issue is they don’t care about downed birds. What breeds should I look at that can do it all, but especially will find a down bird in thick cover?

It is fun to try something new, but it seems like you have about the most versatile breed out there in a lab. If you are going with an approach that focuses on the limiting factor - waterfowl hunting in the cold is pretty hard on a dog not bred for it and makes it miserable for both the owner and the dog. Keeping with a retriever makes sense to me.

 

[Wallace]

It can be a pain, but get two dogs. One for ducks, one for upland.

I don't care what anyone says, I've never seen a dog that performs as well as a lab when it comes to duck hunting.

 

[Danny Hoey]

Lab.

 

[Superdoo]

If you love upland and that's your primary focus, you should definitely go with a true versatile breed. If you love waterfowl and that's your primary focus, you should definitely go with a true versatile breed!

If you're worried about the cold, you should definitely go with a versatile breed. Just make sure you don't get one that isn't meant for the cold!

 

[Customweld]

I've got a female Pudelpointer and a male Slovakian Rough Haired Pointer. Both are versatile in water and upland. They would both rather hunt upland, but if the boss gets his shotgun and deeks out, they are down with that too.

 

[KurtR]

If upland is the main i would get one of the german wire hairs i have hunted with a few that were studs in the field and did good on waterfowl. If you hunt more days waterfowl i would go with a lab when it comes to straight retrieving they win.

 

[Kindo]

Draht guy here. I've had my first for about 3 years now and she has been everything I wanted and then some. In one weekend I chased and killed roosters, shot some ducks and then tracked a wounded whitetail for over 1400 yards and recovered 12 hours after the shot. She is intense and a phenomenal tracker. A few weeks ago, we shot a double on some roosters, one of which went down soft. As the other dog (another draht) was retrieving the first rooster, mine took off and was 120 yards away across the slough before I knew where she went, collar indicated she went on point and then started moving back towards me. She came back with that other rooster that we winged and ran.

Many breeds are capable of what you're looking for, some just tend to do better in certain categories. I was a former lab guy my whole life as well. I think you'd be happy with a GWP or a draht. PPs are another good option but from what I've seen at testing/training days, they're a little less intense, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Look up your local NAVHDA chapter or JGV-USA and go check out some training/test days and get a feel for whats out there.

 

[WCB]

We have French Britts and are hell on downed birds including ducks in the water. IMO A LOT of it is training. A lost bird in any kind of cover is a rarity for us.

A lab is hard to beat for an all round dog. I also grew up with Springers and if my wife wasn't a French Britt Person that is what I would still have. For me pointer or not I don't care just find a bird for me to shoot and pick it up and anything works.

 

[Mosby]

For waterfowl and all purpose hunting the above recommendations are really solid and you would likely get a great dog from any of the them. Regardless of the breed, not all dogs like to retrieve and it is a skill that you have to work with them on. Some pups are natural at it and some aren't and require more training.

Whatever you decide, don't get a dog from the guy down the street or the Walmart parking lot. There are some good breeders out there who produce real hunting dogs. Take the time to find them and expect to wait. Good breeders have a waiting list for there pups and they will also cost a bit more. Look at organizations like NSTRA(National Shoot to Retrieve Association) or NAVDHA for trials and breeders that participate in it and you will improve your odds of getting a dog that has the ability to do what you are looking for.

 

[KurtR]

For waterfowl and all purpose hunting the above recommendations are really solid and you would likely get a great dog from any of the them. Regardless of the breed, not all dogs like to retrieve and it is a skill that you have to work with them on. Some pups are natural at it and some aren't and require more training.

Whatever you decide, don't get a dog from the guy down the street or the Walmart parking lot. There are some good breeders out there who produce real hunting dogs. Take the time to find them and expect to wait. Good breeders have a waiting list for there pups and they will also cost a bit more. Look at organizations like NSTRA(National Shoot to Retrieve Association) or NAVDHA for trials and breeders that participate in it and you will improve your odds of getting a dog that has the ability to do what you are looking for.

That is spot on. A well bred dog regardless of breed starts you on the right track and is worth every penny. cheapest part of owning a dog is the purchase price.

 

[Vandy321]

DK/DD depending on the climate.

I've heard stories from folks with Drahts about them shutting down in warmer temps, but they are some badass dogs, so assuming that was owner caution and not necessity. But that's the main reason I went DK. I've watched a DK retrieve ducks from the icy Snake River and not bat an eye.

DD/Dk
Wirehair/GSP
Pudelpointer, etc they'll all work and you'll get more of a true pointer that also retrieves.

My uneducated opinions anyhow, based on why I made most recent choice in breeds

 

[Wrench]

My Drahthaar will play dock dogs with the very best labs and then some. She will bail off the bow of my 24' jet boat on command and bring back a grizzly bear if I tell her to. They don't idle well.....but there's few dogs made that can keep up in the field. I love labs and had a fantastic one that could hunt pheasants and hold a point....but these are a whole different beast.

 

[chad.vis]

I vote Draht. I live in Sd and hunt pheasants over 50 days per season have had labs, wirehairs and drahts. In the last two weeks my young draht has retrieved pheasants, geese, coon and a couple coyotes. Oh and he came back with a possum from his kennel break today too. They have a "shutoff" switch in the house to rival a lab and will truly hunt anything you ask it too with relish. A great lab is hard to beat but getting hard to find also where as a draht has a very high probability of being a hunting machine.

 

[Stillkickin]

Been a Draht owner for 30 plus years. They are great dogs for all purposes but not for everyone as they can be a handful if they sense weakness.

They are all highly prey driven but the off switch varies, I purposely seek breeders that work on that as I am getting too old to keep up with a big runner.

Take your time, look at and hunt with as many breeds as you can and then make your decision.

In full disclosure, I love labs and Goldens but family has the same allergy issues which the Drahts solved.