All about your dogs.

[Russmill84]

Ok so I have seen bits and pieces here and there about why some of you have Pointers, or GSPs, or Setters, or own more than one breed etc...etc...etc... My questions are why did you choose what you have? What are the characteristics about that certain breed that helps you decide to have or not have it? And last but not least, what lines of the breed do you like the most? I have been interested in seeing this as a collective answer from some of you on here. I have seen it spread out here and there about some of this stuff, but its time to put it down. I feel it could really help some of those on here see the other side of things.

[tommyboy72]

I like English Pointers specifically the Miller and Fiddler lines. They are extremely energetic, intelligent, bird savvy, are natural retrievers, learn very quickly, are more tolerant of harsh punishment when it is required, have awesome noses, run big, they are tough dogs, and they never quit on you when the weather is hot or bad or they are tired. These lines are just what I like when I think about a pointing bird dog. I have owned several different breeds of dogs, hunted over more breeds that what I have owned and also owned Elhew as well as Miller dogs and just like the Miller and Fiddler dogs the most.

[mcbosco]

Mine had to be a dog that was solidly a dual-purpose animal, field & house. In the end it came down to a classic setter, a brit or a Spinone. The choice of setters was quiet lean around here, brits were quite nice, and they are all star dogs in my book, but when I saw my friend's Spinone in upstate NY a few years back hunt grouse and pheasant and play with anyone that was interested in him, I was sold. As large and powerful as he is (and I am not kidding), he is so gentle, engaging and quiet indoors. He is also very tolerant of both hot and very cold weather as well as freezing water. If you live in a cold, rocky, rugged place you could do a lot worse.

Downside: They take long to mature, are very stubborn and tend to move on the slow-side, although a 27 inch dog can cover quite of bit of ground even if it looks slow. And with any bearded dog, you have a dirty mop in and out of the water bowl. The jokes "like when you are done you can ride him home" and 'sounds like ice cream" are beyond annoying. In a group of other bird dogs he is clearly the Baby Huey

So in the end it was balance, but I think any breed in this group can do double duty if raised that way.

[Birddogz]

I have Britts and a DD. Britts seem to range about perfectly for the hunting I do. My male has Ban-dee, NLB, Beans Blaze in him. My female was a back yard breeding, but she actually used to run bigger than my male.(Both parents were papered, but never got them. No need, as I hunted with both parents and was very impressed.) I like a Britts small size and they barely eat anything. My DD eats about 3 times what my Britts do. Britts are extremely thorough in their search, and are very coordinated dogs. Only thing I don't like is their fur. It collects burrs, not like a setter, but more than I like to clean. Their fur does allow them to take cold weather though, and I hunt in some brutal stuff in December and January. Britts also hunt dead very well, and that is super important to me as I hunt a lot of wild roosters. I love their merry dispositions.

I got my DD from Wildflugel Kennels and Jill has imported Di Costa Rubea lines from Italy. (Her bitches) Her mom was Maja di Costa Rubea. Father was Blucher vom Mauntinhoum. I love the toughness and coat of a DD. It really holds up to the weather and cold water. They never have anything stick to their coat. A DD really loves to please their owner, and everyone I have been around was a retrieving/dead bird hunting maniac. They are EXCELLENT watch dogs. Another thing I like is they don't trust strangers and will not go to just anyone, making them difficult to steal. They are the most versatile dog I have ever been around. Blood tracking, upland hunting, waterfowl hunting, hog hunting, etc. To do all those things takes an intelligent dog, and they are very smart dogs.

To be honest, I would like to own just about every kind of a dog if I had the space and I wasn't married.

[Mountaineer]

Setter, in general.
English, by preference.
Field, right now.
Needlepoint but, in actuality, I buy a dog's eyes.

Why Field English Setters?....Because they make me grin and grimace, both...the easiest.

[ecater2218]

GSP..........couch potato with a nose that will not quit. Easy learner, field savy, soft mouth, short hair, docked tail, not afraid of thick cover, great eyes, gun smart, concrete points.

[FrozenTundraGSP]

GSP..........couch potato with a nose that will not quit. Easy learner, field savy, soft mouth, short hair, docked tail, not afraid of thick cover, great eyes, gun smart, concrete points.

ditto +1
It is nice after a long day of hunting to just brush all the burrs and weeds right off before we get in the truck.
Jon

[dakotashooter2]

Since I lived in town I wanted a medium sized dog . The hunting demands would mostly be light but alternating from upland game to waterfowl. A englidh springer seemed to fit that bill.

[ckirsch]

To be honest, I haven't run across too many pointing breeds that I would not enjoy having around. After a couple of Weims and a GWP, I switched to longtails in hopes of stronger and earlier-developing pointing. Tried a setter and a pointer. Both gave me the pointing I was expecting, and were surprisingly solid in retrieving and water work. While setters are indeed beautiful, and have that classic look in the field, I found the long hair to be a significant problem. Often spent 20-30 minutes removing burrs, and worst yet was the strong smell the dog gave off when wet. The pointer is very low-maintenance in terms of coat/grooming, does everything I could ask for in the field, and is the best companion/family dog I've owned. Wouldn't bother me if he became a little more of a watchdog, but other than that, he fits the bill. I also like watching a dog's muscles ripple when they work, so the shorter-haired breeds appeal to me more. The pointer seems to tolerate the heat better than the other dogs I've hunted with, and if he gives anything up in cold weather, I sure have not been able to notice it.

Pointers have a reputation for being independent, aloof, and unaffectionate. That's not at all what I have encountered.

[Birddogz]

cKirsch,
Did you pheasant hunt this year from Dec.20- Jan. 3rd? If your pointers took that weather, then they can take anything. I froze my arse off. My DD and Britts were cold, but made it through. A friend of mine has a GSP and 2 EPs. They did well for an hour or so, and after that they really were affected by the cold. When they started getting wet from busting through the snow is when that wind chill started hurting them. That was extreme weather conditions, just wondering if you hunted through that cold/snow that time of the year? Tough hunting for sure. A couple days were unhuntable, 12 foot drifts, and white outs.

[ACooper]

I have owned vizslas, weims, labs, pointers, and GSPs, also jagd terriers but that is a whole other story! I cant say that I havent like some things about all of them. My v is 13 and due to cataracts and a thorn several years back he is completly blind but for the first 11 years of his life he was maybe the most natural pheasant dog I have ever seen. If I could gurantee I could get another just like him I would buy it in a heart beat regardless of cost. But overall I like the gsps cause they are such good "rounders" take training well and are very personable. Plus I just like the way they look! I also would like to try a DD and I will one day. I have seen a few and like what I have seen so far.

[MTO4Life]

I have 2 Britts. My girl has quite a bit of Kansas Kid in her and some Magnum's Masked Man. My little guy has some Microdot and Beans Blaze in him. He has some big run in him, she's got some serious hunt in her. I picked the Britts as we wanted a fairly small dog in the house, and I wanted a pointer. Very affectionate, easy to please, they just fit the bill. The only downside is the fur when we're in the burs... that keeps me busy for a bit, but such is life.

I have toyed with something like a DD (gasp... don't tell my breeder or trainer!!) for a mutlipurpose hunter, just for fun, but I'm sticking to the britts for now. We'll see what happens when I get more time and money (especially the latter!!).

[Birddogz]

I have 2 Britts. My girl has quite a bit of Kansas Kid in her and some Magnum's Masked Man. My little guy has some Microdot and Beans Blaze in him. He has some big run in him, she's got some serious hunt in her. I picked the Britts as we wanted a fairly small dog in the house, and I wanted a pointer. Very affectionate, easy to please, they just fit the bill. The only downside is the fur when we're in the burs... that keeps me busy for a bit, but such is life.

I have toyed with something like a DD (gasp... don't tell my breeder or trainer!!) for a mutlipurpose hunter, just for fun, but I'm sticking to the britts for now. We'll see what happens when I get more time and money (especially the latter!!).

I have always owned Britts, but I highly recommend a DD. I have one now, and couldn't be happier. Always have both!

[ckirsch]

BirdDogz;

I hunted near Martin, just north of the SD/Nebraska border, between Christmas and New Year's Day, with temps just above zero. We were out for five hours in iced-over sloughs, and while I froze, the dog hunted hard and showed no signs of being uncomfortable. I kept a close eye on him, as he is a South Carolina-bred dog and I'd not previously had him out in that cold of weather. He even retrieved a goose from open water on a spring-fed dam at the end of the day. ( We were close to the truck or I would not have asked him to do that....)

I don't doubt that short-haired breeds are a bit more susceptible to cold than wires, setters, or other longhairs, but in South Dakota, early-season heat is much more of a threat than late-season cold. I've heard of quite a few dogs dying from heat exhaustion, but not many from freezing to death. To be honest, I don't have much fun hunting when temps are sub-zero, so if it's too cold for my pointer, I doubt I would be out in the field anyway. I wouldn't recommend any short-haired breed for breaking ice in late December, but for upland hunting, this dog seems to do fine in the cold.

[jlp8cornell]

Max is my first sporting breed. I used to show in obedience, breed and handling as a kid. I had a German Shepherd and showed mostly herding dogs. I love GSDs but......tons of health problems. So in 2008 when I was thinking about my next dog I started looking around at breeds. Told all my dog friends, none of which have sporting breeds, that I decided on a GSP. All thought it was a great idea. I could do everything I wanted to- obedience, tracking, agility, breed and I started looking. I fell upon an awesome litter of pups and that was that! I never thought about bird work but on the suggestion of a friend, joined a local NAVHDA chapter. What fun.

Awesome breed and the people I have met- amazing!

[Birddogz]

BirdDogz;

I hunted near Martin, just north of the SD/Nebraska border, between Christmas and New Year's Day, with temps just above zero. We were out for five hours in iced-over sloughs, and while I froze, the dog hunted hard and showed no signs of being uncomfortable. I kept a close eye on him, as he is a South Carolina-bred dog and I'd not previously had him out in that cold of weather. He even retrieved a goose from open water on a spring-fed dam at the end of the day. ( We were close to the truck or I would not have asked him to do that....)

I don't doubt that short-haired breeds are a bit more susceptible to cold than wires, setters, or other longhairs, but in South Dakota, early-season heat is much more of a threat than late-season cold. I've heard of quite a few dogs dying from heat exhaustion, but not many from freezing to death. To be honest, I don't have much fun hunting when temps are sub-zero, so if it's too cold for my pointer, I doubt I would be out in the field anyway. I wouldn't recommend any short-haired breed for breaking ice in late December, but for upland hunting, this dog seems to do fine in the cold.

That is awesome. I hunted the same time frame, and at the end of 3 days straight of hunting, my dogs and I both were so cold/wind burned/torn up that I decided to not hunt the 4th day. -40 windchills, YIKES! I bet if a guy hunted pointers with a neoprene vest they could handle about anything.

[Grange]

I own a black lab and english setter. I have my lab because I've wanted a black lab for as long as I can remember. I grew up with chesapeakes and a golden retriever, but never had a lab. She is a great gal and solid at upland bird hunting which is what I do. She hunts pheasant better than almost every dog I've seen, and is good on grouse as well.

I got an english setter because once I got interested in pointing dogs I visited different trial and test venues to get an idea of what I wanted. I considered several different breeds but three really struck out at me, GSP, brittany, english setter. I wanted a fast, light footed, and light colored (easier to see in heavy cover) dog for ruffed grouse. After visiting a cover dog trial the decision was easy. I saw mostly Pointers and while they have everything I wanted I didn't get the "wow" factor like I did watching the english setters. To me the english setters have everything and more. They are so graceful and stylish in the woods and that point, my God that point! It took me over two years to find the right litter and breeder for me. I started trialing her last fall when she was 9 months old. She did well in all three trials, but really shined in the grouse woods while hunting. This spring we'll be in some cover dog puppy stakes to see how she fares againt competition.