# Pointer/retriever combo.



## 94NDTA (May 28, 2005)

All my life we have had setters. I love setters. Strong willed, awesome noses, excellent pointers.

The only downside is they are not the BEST retrive the best, and usually have a little tougher time in the thick stuff.

Has anyone ever had a 1-2 punch combo w/ 1 pointer (brittney or setter) and one retreiver (lab, golden, chesepeke)?

In theory it seems like it would work well. Does anyone do this, or had luck with this?

EDIT: I only hunt upland game.


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

German Shorthair is the best all around upland pointer and tracking retriever which is why they are so popular, German wirehair would be the next choice. Both of them would complement a setter nicely and unlike retrievers their hunting style is the same.

Depending on what you are looking for a GWP might even be better up there because of the cold late season, the shorthairs especially white ones would have the edge early season, and tend to be bigger ranging dogs in the ones I've seen.

This is just my opinion.


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## mmartin (Oct 12, 2007)

I run a setter and a lab. The setter does the pointing and a lot of the times the lab will come in and do the flushing. My setter will not retrieve when he is around other dogs, Just isn't competive, unlike my lab that thinks he needs every bird in his mouth. I personally don't care if my setter doesn't retrieve, Thats what my lab is for so it works out pretty good.


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## gundogguru (Oct 7, 2003)

German Wirehair would be my choice.


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## gonedoggin (Mar 20, 2008)

I know of several South Texas quail hunters/guides who use English Cockers to flush and retrieve for their pointers. The advantages are: the handler doesn't have to be in front of the guns (who they often don't know well), the cockers push the quail out more effectively than a human, more and more often even bobwhites seem to run out from under a pointing dog so the cocker trails the running covey. This is especially helpful on blue/scaled quail. And the most obvious advantage is for retrieving shot birds. Many/most pointers are more interested in hunting than in retrieving.

The guys I know also enjoy having a "personal" dog who can ride in the front of the truck w/ them and be a pet as well.

I've always been concerned that a flushing dog "stealing" the point from the pointers would cause the pointers to become less staunch but everybody who does it this way claims that doesn't happen.


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## redlabel (Mar 7, 2002)

I run a setter and a springer together and it worked well for 3 years. The setter points and the springer flushes and retrieves.

As I said it worked well for three years but last year the setter started creeping so I discontinued hunting them together.

May look and ask for some pointers about it Saturday at Game Fair, unless I just stay and play 36 at Bunker Hills.


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## Stu_Loves_His_GSP (May 6, 2008)

My 2 choices have been mentioned.

I have a GSP, and my buddy has a Wirehair

My dog has a better nose and a prettier point and retrieves ok but she is a poor swimmer.

My buds Wirehair swims like a lab and is a retrieving machine


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