Versatile hunting dog?

[KurtR]

I trained with a german wire hair this year and he got his Hr title in ukc. Blinds took a little more to get down it seemed but dog did the work well. He is going to run finished this year will be fun to see how he has progressed. Passed his NAVHDA stuff last year also.

 

[Wrench]

If I was splitting time between upland and waterfowl, which I do, then I would have versatile dogs, which I do. Go visit breeders and see their dogs in action before making a decision.

Recognized Breeds - NAVHDA

www.navhda.org

Stay away from english pointers, setters, and braccos if waterfowl is important to you.

Or hunt any cover that you'll have to brush out... or cactus.

 

[slick]

I also have a GWP and would highly recommend. In fact I have two at the house right now. One passed his NA test with a Prz 1 this June... The other I'm just dog sitting but from the same Breeder.

Super loveable dogs, want attention/affection - very biddable, high motors, strong retrieve and water work, and they both love to hunt "dead".

 

[Okhotnik]

My vizsla didn't seem to mind the cold. I like the breed, but like to waterfowl , small game hunt so switched griffs

 

[huck]

Never had a Lab that wood not do it all .In the field , water or at home .

 

[TAGPUNCHER]

You can make a German Drathwer hunt anything from a lost child to a Wild hog. NEVER owned one but been PRIVILEGE to see several hunt and work with Friends from squirrels to DUCKS. They are TRULY a freak of nature. Great with kids also. PRICETAG may scare the shit out of you THO! LOL. Do yourself a service and at least check them out. You will not be sorry.

 

[Tod osier]

Need to get some lab photos in here... Love labs and I've had great luck in the uplands with mine chasing just about everything....

Sage grouse...

Chickens...

Chukar..

Pheasants...

Franklin's…

Valley Quail.

Sharptails and Huns...

Mixed bag...

So easy to train a child can do it...

Obviously waterfowl isn't a problem...

Having said all that, my new dog is a Chesapeake since my labs didn't take the cold of late duck season as well as I'd like. He is doing OK too.

In the uplands...

For ducks…

 

[Stillkickin]

I’ve considered DD for awhile but live in a warmer climate and prefer a bigger running dog. What’s been your experience with the breed in weather 60+ and a normal range?

My dogs do not do well in 60 plus degrees as they have very heavy coats which is a good thing living in our climate.

 

[MOhuntin1990]

Both my GSPs will point and at least find(sometimes retrieve, sometimes stand there over it and wag their tails) fur or feather.

 

[AK_Skeeter]

I started in the 1980s with Vislas and English Setters.
I like labs because they are so versatile....I hunt solo 99.9% of the time.

Pheasants in creek bottoms, lab routinely swims across when scenting birds on the other side.
Late season pheasants, silently keep the lab at heel then release in dense hawthorn thicket at big bends in river.
Pheasants in a sea of cattails...let the dog hot track while I hustle to block.

Chuckars on a steep slope...let the lab run way out of gun range up slope and the birds will flush down over me.
Bring the lab to heel and sneak up on a rimrock chuckar roosting area.

Blue Grouse on steep avalanche chutes...let the lab run way out of gun range up slope and the birds will flush down over me.
Release the lab to run to hawthorn berries on south facing slope, while blue grouse will fly overhead to get to Doug-Fir on N-facing slope.

Huns in big country...let the lab run way out of gun range, whistle sit when he gets birdy.

Plus I enjoy training labs solo with a couple of bumpers and any field or pond (urban, suburban or wild) all summer long.

There is great satisfaction seeing a lab mark a heart shot bird that fell hundreds of yards away,
picking up a bird with a blind retrieve several hundred yards into a lake, etc.

Plus the companionship waiting in the duck blind.

 

[mh1]

Drahthaar for me...my dog can do any type of hunting

 

[Deepwoods]

I have a female GSP that I have trained mainly for upland, but she also does extremely well in a pop-up duck blind. Being a shorthair, she cannot handle extreme cold and if I were in Colorado I would look into a long hair versatile such as a GWP. Great dogs, extremely quick learners but definitely a different dog than a lab. Very independent workers rather than needing a full time leader. They also have TONS of energy. Best of luck in your search!

 

[chizelhead]

My 1 year old female pudelpointer is great. Her main limit is me and getting out enough. She's got great prey drive, does upland and waterfowl well but she's a first year so she has more work ahead of her. She's smart, has a great attitude, and she's a total sweetheart. I wouldn't hesitate to get a pudelpointer especially one where you can get the scores on parents and grandparents. I've also hunted extensively with labs that have done well as well as a german wirehaired pointer that is built like a tank. It's a young dog but it's great watching it work with my PP. I think coat is important. PPs have three types of coat -- medium density wiry (most common), smooth, and fleece or woolly. MD is great except it collects burrs, but she's good at getting them out on her own. Smooth is great bc it doesn't collect burrs, but doesn't provide the best insulation. Woolly/fleece is the one to avoid if you can. It tends to soak and retain water which puts a lot of excess weight on the dog when it's in the water. It's also a burr magnet. Good luck with your decision.

 

[c3cross]

My Drahthaar from the Vom Kervinshof kennels in Oklahoma has been an outstanding pointing in tracking dog. That breed has definitely served me well

 

[WRO]

I'd be looking at a Bone Point GWP, they have great dogs.

 

[qwerksc]

Jagdterriers

Pound per pound the biggest hunt drive.

Natural retrievers land or water, some of the best blood/scent trackers. Have a switch to go from hunt to family dog.
In Mexicali these dogs rule the pheasants in the ditches.
Mine will catch 1-2 birds before they can flush per season. Only the best dogs can do that.

I also hunt with a lot of GSP & Visalia, ducks and upland

The key to any good hunting dog is HUNT DRIVE the rest you can teach

Jagds hunt hard, about as versatile as they come…definitely not for everybody.
Mine will hunt himself to death if I’d let him.
He is relentless on anything that lives, fur or feather.
20lbs of fury.

 

[qwerksc]

My Drahthaar from the Vom Kervinshof kennels in Oklahoma has been an outstanding pointing in tracking dog. That breed has definitely served me well

This kennel breeds Jagds as well.

 

[Mosby]

Picked up my new Vizsla pup yesterday. I started looking for a new Vizsla almost 2 years ago and he is what I ended up with. A nice sized male. His dad has a strong European bloodline and his mom is a tall drink of water, with a strong field trial pedigree. I have been told that European Vizsla's are more natural retrievers than American bred. That is something I hope got passed down.

His name is Goose but he will likely focus on pheasant and grouse. I have a GSP at home too. They should make an awesome combo in the fall.

 

[flacowboy]

I have a Pudelpointer, actually two, I hunted quail and pheasant out west and ducks in Oklahoma and florida the rest of time. I love the breed, very versatile, force fetch helped alot.

 

[Montana Slim]

Jagdterriers

Pound per pound the biggest hunt drive.

Natural retrievers land or water, some of the best blood/scent trackers. Have a switch to go from hunt to family dog.
In Mexicali these dogs rule the pheasants in the ditches.
Mine will catch 1-2 birds before they can flush per season. Only the best dogs can do that.

I also hunt with a lot of GSP & Visalia, ducks and upland

The key to any good hunting dog is HUNT DRIVE the rest you can teach

Awesome dogs. My experience is they wiill hunt/take on ANYTHING (to a fault). "Natural retriever" is not the description I'd choose! Hahaha