PPs and coat

[Birddogz]

I have a DD and love the way she is turning out. No burrs, great coat, great drive, cooperation, nose, etc. The only thing I don't like is her aggression towards cats, and other fur. Lots of Porkies out here, and I know it is just a matter of time. It seems to me that PPs are very similar to DDs with the exception of their temperaments. My DD is a great watch dog, and is great with other dogs. She is a little less trusting of strangers than my Britts, which I don't mind. To get to my point, is it a possibility to tell what kind of coat a PP will have when it is 6 weeks of age? My DD breeder can tell which pups are going to be fury and which ones aren't. Are PPs generally the same? I like a coat that is tight, without all of the long crazy fur. Just curious if the consistency of the PPs coat is improving?

[Ruffshooter]

Birdgz:

I don't know beans about the consistency but would not the parents and grand parents, give you a good indication of the coat? I have seen both ends of the spectrum with the PP. Short tight coats, to longer shaggier. I like the shorter coat. A PP may be in the cards some day.

I am curious as to the responses to your questions.

[JKP]

Both DD and Pp are tested in Germany (and other Euro countries) using the same system. Both are expected to be sharp on small predators and in Europe many Vdogs are used to control fox, which tend to be a bit larger than the North American species. Therefore, I doubt that PP are going to avoid contact with skunk, groundhogs, porkies, feral cats and the like.

Get the PP if you like...its a great breed...but It would seem to me the best way to deal with the issue is to train a dog to point/honor furred game. My dogs point porkies, raccoons, etc and when you see them you know by the attitude that the dog is not on birds!!!. Takes some training buts its the most reliable way to deal with the issue since there are many dogs from all breeds that will mess with fur.

[Birddogz]

The pointing would work well, with the exception of skunks. That would be a pretty stinky surprise in a CRP field.

Actually, she does point cats, for about 4-5 seconds, and then it's "on". She is getting much better through her electric shock therapy sessions.

[Wagonmaster]

The only thing I would add is that you should try come up with a plan to avoid that first confrontation with a porky. You would think that once they have encountered one and gotten quilled, dogs would stay away. But my own experience is the opposite, once they have had a fracas with a porky, they hate the things and they get worse about it.

[JKP]

Wagonmaster, I have seen both cases as well. IMO, the first encounter needs to be a memorable one. My older bitch pointed a HUGE Porkie in ND and dived in on it as I approached. I dragged her right back into the Porkie while my buddy hit the collar every time she tried to lunge. She soon wanted no more of that. We spent 20 minutes pulling quills and then hunted on. She found and pointed a cockbird within the next 300 yds....we killed the bird and praised the dog (10 months old). So far, she has pointed every Porkie we have found since....may give the crouch and hackles but so far no more quills. I have steadied dogs to the flush with deer, hare, coyote, etc...and after a a couple of seasons out west, they point or honor furred game....if I see a dog stopped with that distant stare in front of me, there's usually a whitetail running for cover.

We teach our dogs manners in the presence of feathered game...it can also be done with furred game.

[BillGraves]

What does PP stand for?

[ckirsch]

JKP;

Nicely done. You took an unfortunate situation, recognized it as a training opportunity, and changed what could have been a lifelong obsession with attacking porcs into a permanent aversion to them.

I had a Weim a few years back who was convinced that he would eventually settle the score with porcupines. Can't remember how many times I had to pull quills from that dog, but he never gave up. I wish now that I would have taken advantage of one of those encounters to break the dog of the habit, rather than just hauling him back to the truck to begin the extraction process. In the future, I'll interrupt the hunt for five or ten minutes, utilize your method and hope for similar results.

Thanks for the post....

[Greg Jennings]

What does PP stand for?

Pudel Pointer. Of course, it is often used for Polypropylene, but....