Why did you decide to pick the breed you picked??

[SouthDakotaBound]

So why did you pick the breed that you have now??

Just wondering.

[shepherdtrav]

i narrowed it between a brit and a english setter and then went with the advice of my "mentor"..and also a little beacuse of avaliabilty in my area

[tfbirddog2]

Had family friend that had a britt and gsp,cant remember the britts name cause the gsp Missy worked circles around it(no offense to britt guys).That dog was just awesome and my friend always said to me when I went with him that dogs works better for you than me.Kind hooked me on the breed then.Then when I was 15 a guy my dad worked with gave me his GSp had Bell for 3 weeks she took to me like a duck to water and she got hit by a car when a nieghbor kid let her out when I wasnt home.Just loved the breed for a long time.

[Kiki's Mom]

Had my first Britt given to me as a gift. I was told at the time that i needed a "real" dog. I had Pembroke Welsh Corgis first.

[mudhunter]

I wanted a dog for Ducks and Geese, so I got a lab, didn't know I had any other choices

I Wanted a dog for Grouse and woodcock so I got an Llewellin Setter, Once again I didn't know I had any other options

[Dennmor]

I had just retired my Yellow Lab when I moved from Co. to Fl. After about a year and a half I started to get the "New Dog Blues" bad!
I knew I was heading back to Co. and I decided I wanted to have a "pointing" dog this time around.
I looked at ES's,Llewellin's and GSP's but all the available pups were far away.
Then one day I spotted an add for Large Munsterlander pups and the breeder was 12 mi away! I read up on the breed and went to have a look.
I didn't have a chance! Fell in love and got Moses.
It was very Serendipitouss and I feel very lucky to have found him.
Denn

[big steve46]

I've owned E. Setters or a Llewellin for over 35 years. Nothing prettier and more graceful. and I like a nice full tail. By the way Dennmor, Is your avatar a little disgusting? (no offense intended)

[Greg Jennings]

At the time I got my second dog, NSTRA was what was available to me. I looked hard at the results and picked the winningest NSTRA kennel in the area.

Rick and Brenda were very, very good to me and have been since. It's been the best dog decision that I've ever made.

Greg J.

[zzweims]

Because I'm a lousy housekeeper and decorator. 'Weimaraner Gray' goes with everything

Aline
http://sitekreator.com/zzfarms

[gar-dog]

Assume that it is a given the breed has excellent hunting capabilities, then I chose the breed based upon smaller size, biddability reputation, companion characteristics, white color for visibility in field, some good breeders close by, cute factor for wife and kids.

[ymepointer]

I am tryng to get one of each as I like em all I think my next might be a red from Roger Boser

[h20fwlkillr]

I spent a week in Ks hunting behind a weim and fell in love. I just had to have one. Their personalities are one of a kind.

[CherrystoneWeims]

About 20 years ago when my husband and I moved to WV we had to board our Lab. We found a great boarding kennel that also bred Weims. Our neighbor had a Weim from this kennel and I was fascinated by the dog. Then a friend of mine got one from this kennel also. She was good friends with the woman who owned the kennel. I LOVED this dog. Loved the smartness, the protectiveness, LOL and the dog had prey drive.

When we moved into a house a year later and we had our son we decided to get our Lab a companion to play with since I couldn't spend quite as much time doing things with her. The dogs have always been mine. Hubby likes dogs but didn't grow up doing anything with animals. He's a city boy. I looked at retired Greyhounds- not enough intelligence for me. I looked at GSP's- whew the ones that I looked at were definitely not housedogs! Spinners, jumpers, just plain WILD! I thought about Viszlas. Then I was offered an adult Weim by the kennel where we boarded the Lab. The breeder gave me the choice between two males. One HAD to be kept intact and I would co-own him with her so that she could still use him in her breeding program. The other had lived with her daughter and grandkids. Daughter fell on hard times and the dog had to go back to mom. This dog could be neutered. I didn't want to have to fight with possibly having an intact male jump a 4ft. fence so I chose the one that could be neutered.

That dog worked out perfectly for us!! My hubby was working 120 hrs a week in residency and I was alone with our son a lot at night. Dog was VERY protective. He got along fantastic with our Lab. One thing this dog did have tremendous prey drive. I never hunted with him but man he would kill a cat in a heartbeat. Stray cats would make the mistake of coming into the yard and it was all over for them.

I was hooked on Weims after having him.

[BigShooter]

The same thread topic has been discussed in the polls section for the last couple of months. Check out " What gun dog breed do you currently own and why? "

Mark

[jbogacki76]

A guy down the street had 2 GSP's and I thought they were always cool. When I was 21, I went up to Cadens Kennels on a hunt. We didn't have a dog so we used a guide and dog. That day we hunted behind Windrows Saddle Tramp "Cecil" and I was hooked! I don't think I will ever own a different breed. GSP's are the ultimate athlete in my eye's.

[LEGLIFTER]

I wanted a dog for duck and goose hunting that was affectionate. Labs were on the very top of that list. Affectionate dogs will always get my favor first.

[bobspheasant]

I had been into Airedale Terriers for many years before I knew they could be trained for upland and ducks. I like their smarts, their fun personality and the fact they don't shed. Since I am alergic to dogs, I also like that Airedales are considered a "hypo-alergenic" breed. Then, after I trained a young Airedale for upland, I found I really like his nose, his work ethic, and his steadiness. Mine is one of the rare, naturally pointing Airedales and I love the the more relaxed style of hunting over a pointer. I do not have him trained for ducks since I don't hunt them, but he is very comfortable in water.

[Grange]

For about as long as I can remember I've always wanted a black lab. Not a yellow lab or a chocolate lab, but a black lab. I grew up with chessies and one golden retriever, but everytime I saw a black lab I wanted one.

Well after I left the days of living in an apartment and finally purchased my first home I decided it was time for dog. With the neighborhood having lots of young children, my house being only on a standard residential lot, and my long held desire for a black lab I was leaning toward a lab. When I was talking to a co-worker about getting a dog he mentioned he was going to do a repeat breeding of his lab. So I check with owners of the pups from the first breeding and after the stellar reviews, well I finally got myself a black lab .

[Georgia Boy]

I hunt a variety of different game from upland to waterfowl and small and large game. Instead of having four or five different breeds of dogs, I chose the DD. One dog hunts it all and does a good job of it.

[Kube]

I grew up with a mutt that was half beagle and half German shorthair. He had the hieght and colors of a tri color beagle and the body size of a big male shorthair. He never hunted except we caught baby bunnies in the back yard. He and I were the youngest in our big family, and he was older than me by one year. He was my best buddy growing up. Our encyclopedias in our house had the coolest picture of a Shorthair on point that I'd show my friends and tell 'em "that's what my dog's dad looked like," even though I never saw him. That picture just kind of set in me that is what a hunting dog looked like. I buried him when I was 12. A few years back, shortly after deciding to start shopping for my first house, I started researching the kind of breed that I wanted my family hunting dog to be. I wanted to make an educated decision without being biased to my old half-breed dog. I read a few things that made me think that a Shorthair might be too much hunt and not enough family. I considered Vislas, Brittanys, and Weimaraners also. Then I found Wildrose's kennel website where he described his dogs as being "the perfect Versatile, Family Hunting Companion." Then I found this forum and read a lot of it. I found that a lot of other people along with Mr. Rose believed that a Shorthair could be fine family dog that a novice trainer like me could be successful with. After that I just had to sell the idea to my wife. Speaking of... thank you all for posting your puppy pics.

[Ruffshooter]

When I was a kid my great uncle had Brittanies, always loved how they could rough house and hunt and just be a buddy. Other than labs it was my only real exposure to gun dogs until my twenties. So I was kind of a no brainer. Then I saw in Uncle Henries magazine "French Brittaines" Thinking no kidding. I need to see what the difference was. Stupid me went after I cashed my pay check. The little evil Black creature attacked me and went home with me.He was the best grouse dog I have ever seen. Since then i just liked how they hunt with such little training, they seem to be one of the more consistent hunting dogs I have been around. Then the GSP, My buddy raised them. He has a knack for putting the right dogs together for a litter. He had held out two pups, (he felt they were the picks of the litter and wanted who he felt was the right person to have them. He kept letting the pups loose each time I came to visit. That little female would tear up the yard pointing chasing carrying things, Finally I could not resist. Bob said I knew I would get you. She has proven to be the best all around dog I have owned. Wish I could breed her, she is 7 now and in heat, but once again timing is wrong.

[Don]

I've had GSP's, EP's, Springer Spaniels and Labs; not counting an assortment of other breeds and non-breeds! I always liked E. Setters and figured it was time to get one.

[Chief_dog]

The first birddog I ever remember was my grandfather's GSP Lady. I grew up hunting mostly over my uncle's britts and setters, but I could never forget that GSP. When I got out of college, my uncle gave me a pointer. She was a nice gyp, double bred Fiddler's Ace. She taught me a lot about dogs. A couple years later, I got my first GSP. They made a good combination of a longer range dog and a closer working dog.

A year later, I bought Chief, a son of Rawhide's Clown, to go with my other two dogs. He was a natural. I didn't know much about training dogs at the time, but it didn't matter. He was born in August, and I was killing wild quail and pheasants over him in December. He was a lot of dog for a beginner. But he consistently produced more birds than all my other dogs combined. That turned me to the dark side. I've had field trial bred GSP's ever since.

[mikebill11]

Growing up I did most of my hunting with an older cousin of mine who had and has some of the best EP's. I always enjoyed hunting behind his dogs. About three years ago he made me an offer on one of his pups that I couldn't turn down. After 2 1/2 yrs of training him, I don't think I would train him for the world. Maybe its because he's my first dog, but I enjoy watching him work. To me that's hunting, watching a good dog find birds

[Dennmor]

I've owned E. Setters or a Llewellin for over 35 years. Nothing prettier and more graceful. and I like a nice full tail. By the way Dennmor, Is your avatar a little disgusting? (no offense intended)

By the way Big Steve, it's not disgusting, but it is out of date and I should change it.
No offense taken.
BTW, I like a nice full tail as well.
Dennmor