# Picking a bird dog breed



## tyce614 (Aug 5, 2009)

Hello I am looking for some advice on selecting a breed to focus my searches on selecting a bird dog. I would mostly focus my hunting on pheasants and grouse. My dad has a beautiful brittany spaniel chocolate lab mix that is just phenomenal in the field. I have also hunted with a unreal english setter. I personally have always been biased to GSP however, any suggestions and rational to why to choose this breed will be greatly appreciated. My temporary list is Brittany, Lab, GSP, English setter, and Viszla.
As always.....Good Huntin'!!!


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## Guest (Aug 5, 2009)

what do you want the other nine months of the year? a pet, a project to keep you busy? kids around your place? a little more info may assist others in makin a helpfull suggestion. (i love my labbies)


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## tyce614 (Aug 5, 2009)

I am looking for a project but also good around a familly which has me leaning towards a lab.


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## ChukarBob (Sep 4, 2006)

Although I have not owned dogs other than Labs, I've hunted around lots of Labs, a few Brits, a Viszla, and a few GSP's. Most of my hunting partners have Labs, but not all. Right now I have 2 yellow Labs, 4 and 13, both females.

I like the versatility of Labs -- waterfowl & upland, flushing & retrieving. I like their trainability. Most of the Labs I've been around have been reasonably calm and under control in the house and field. They are good pets, good family dogs, and good hunters. This is probably why the breed is one of the most popular in America.

It's only anecdotal, but . . . I have 3 friends that I hunt with a number of times each year. Typically we're hunting quail, pheasant and partridge. One guy has a GSP, one a Brit, and the 3rd a Viszla. None of us are fanatical dog trainers, so we all have dogs that are at best fair in terms of those skills that you train your dog for. Their dogs "bump" a lot of birds out of range. My Labs get as many birds up as their pointers, often far more. My Labs stay in shooting range unless I release them on a running rooster.

You get what you pay for, in terms of the dollar cost of the dog, but more so the amount of your time you invest in training your dog.

But I love all these dogs -- Labs and pointers and flushers -- and when my friends and I are sharing a drink at day's end at the motel and discussing that day's hunt and the possibilities for tomorrow, and the dogs are all nosing around the motel room or snoozing, it really doesn't matter what kind of dogs they are. They are all friends.


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## bobert (Jul 26, 2009)

get a working english springer spaniel. i love them i have three and woiuld never have anything else. they are trully amazing dogs,


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## Dak (Feb 28, 2005)

All good breeds. Another to consider as long as you are looking at Brittanies are French Brittanies.

:beer:


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## Springerguy (Sep 10, 2003)

I own a springer spaniel and a brittany - and have hunted often with labs. A lab is the most versatile breed if you are also hunting waterfowl. I use the springer for retrieving waterfowl but they are not made for hunting in cold water like a lab. For upland game I could flip a coin on which breed I like better - which is probably why I have a pointer and flusher. The older I get the more I appreciate the pointer......nice to have a dog holding the bird. But, at the same time, nothing like watching a well trained springer work a field - very dynamic breed to watch.

Never had a lab in the house but can tell you the springer/brittany have a lot of energy when cooped up in the house. Both are good around kids but I've found the springers I've owned make me a bit nervous around other kids - haven't had anyone bit by either springer that I've owned but they can be somewhat dominating.


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## 1littlefeather (Mar 5, 2003)

A Lewellyn Setter is another good breed, not as hyper as the English. It is similar to the English Setter, however it is bread to be a closer ranged dog. I have a LS and she is an awesome dog for hunting pheasant, sharpies, and quail. She is works close enough in that if the bird gets up wild they are in range for a shot. She is also awesome on point. I also have a GSP that is exceptional and they make a good brace for each other. I prefer the GSP but both are good. Either of these two are good for family as well.


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## BIRDSHOOTER (Jul 18, 2005)

Picking a breed is very much a personal choice. You could break it down to flushing or pointing breed, but even then it's still personal preference.

Look at how you will be using the dog. If your the kind of guy who will be hunting strip cover or cattail sloughs late in the season, or any place that has a lot of dense thick cover then a flushing breed makes sense. If your hunting wide open expanses of CRP (sections) a good pointer is going to cover more ground, thus locate more birds. But even so one will work in any circumstance, it's just some are better suited to certain conditions.

With regards to anyone thinking pointers will bust more birds out or range, that has nothing to do whether it is a pointer or even flusher for that matter. Any breed who has not been properly exposed or trained will bust birds out of range. I've seen examples of both that have run out of control from the lack of training or obedience and then the breed gets the blame for bumping birds. Not so guys. Start with sound breeding and the training is just that much easier.

You also have to take into account that even within the same breed there are alot of differences, so selecting the right breeder becomes important. Hunting breeds in general need lots of exercise, i think this is especially so with the pointing breeds (GSP in particular) or they may channel that energy to some unexceptable behavior.

In the end it is still personal preference. Research some of the breeds in each category and learn their strengths and weaknesses then narrow it down. Big dog? smaller dog? outside or indoor living, coat maintenance etc... Lots of criteria

Good luck.


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## backcountry800 (Sep 15, 2009)

English Pointer or setter, but I like a dog whith a tail!


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## kingcanada (Sep 19, 2009)

i am really going to surprise a few people here, but here goes. i hunt over a border collie. they are very intelligent dogs that learn anything you teach them. just be sure to break them into gun fire gently at a very young age. my current little girl will turn eleven in north dakota this year. she has put up thousands of pheasants for me there in the past decade. i can not fault her on her desire to find birds. i have hunted phesants, huns, chukars, sage grouse, blue and ruffed grouse, mearns quail, scaled quail, bobwhites, prairie chickens and doves over her from canada to mexico (well a few feet from canada and 3 mile from mexico!). i hunt 3 to 5 days a week (7 days a week from last week in oct through last day of nov. when my job resumes for the winter)from sept through the end of the seasons and would not hesitate to say that the dog has seen over 500,000 birds in her life time. i am pleased enough that my third dog may also be a border collie, very versatile indeed. an english setter has always struck my fancy too. not much on short haired dogs. nothing to do with performance in the field, i just skin a lot of coyotes every winter and that's what those remind me of without their thick pelt. never been able to get around that. the bottom line is, pick a dog you like personally and invest the necessary time in training it. $$$ will not guarantee you a super dog, only frequent exposure to live birds will do that. sorry, no magic bullet here. the experience will create a strong bond between you and your dog and you will have a dog that hunts the way YOU want it to. time to find a puppy!


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## brandonkuala (May 30, 2010)

For me I would love to suggest you the Mullins Feist. This kind of dog breed is a natural tree dog and loves to hunt. It is silent while trailing and bark well at the tree. They have good scenting ability.


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