Hunting Dog

[Sewer Rat]

Lab or Drathaar

 

[Derwood]

Thanks for the input. Some of you questioned having a dog for deer tracking--this would only be to help me track blood with the dog on a leash. I bow hunt quite a lot and although I enjoy trailing blood sometimes and the excitement of finding that next speck of blood...I've also fantasized quite a bit of having the assistance of a dog's nose.

If any of you can recommend a particular breeder/bloodline, I'd be very interested. Or maybe the best resource to find a good breeder? I've been browsing gundogbreeders.com a bit.

 

[PJDiesel]

I've only ever hunted over labs, not great at pointing/holding, but have awesome noses. My neighbors growing up (on the C&D Canal) had a CBR, totally awesome companion, but somewhat protective (like,... showing teeth) around the house when people he didn't know came around. Live to 17 years old, killed itself by flipping over a trashcan full of food and eating it all.

My neighbor now has one, when they walk it up the lane it has muzzle (not a very positive sign).

Now, that's just one persons experience with them. If I was allowed to have another dog in the house it would be a German Shorthaired Pointer. Very versatile for both upland and water retrieving, less cumbersome around the house and WAY less hairy. Our last dog was a Chocolate, shed what seemed like her entire coat every week, freaking hair clumps everywhere (for 14 years).

 

[Biggfoot44]

Most breeds are suited to one type of hunting, likewise most hunters prefer a dog specialized to do one th8ng very well.

That said, in a certain era, there was much interest in europe for highly versatile hunting dogs. Somewhat the German Shorthair, but the Wiemarauner was specifically created to be a do all hunting dog. ( And I've owned two, and I can't remember how to spell it.)

 

[PJDiesel]

Weimaraner is an awesome choice too, little on the big side, and can be somewhat stubborn/knows more than you type of dog.

For a MAINLY family pet, I'd have a Weimaraner.

 

[Yingpin]

I am in the same boat as you are currently and will be following this thread. I am considering a Brittany (which I owned as a kid), GSP or Chocolate lab. Primarily looking for waterfowl, mostly in fields but some water retrieves in the creeks. I hunt pheasant and quail in Kansas every year but don't know how likely I would be to fly my dog out given the cost. Wanting a family dog since my kids are 7 and 3. I have 1.3 acres but it is not yet fences but would be installing an electric fence. Leaning toward Chocolate but my wife is concerned about shedding and allergies.


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[Derwood]

Drathaar looks awesome. http://altmoor.com/Drahthaar/ddfaqs.html

Man, I just love dogs so this will be so hard. I had a Corgi as a kid and when he died in my late teens my parents got an American Cocker Spaniel that I took hunting a few times but never had the opportunity to properly train. The Spaniel is still around and a great friend, but he pretty much sticks to relentlessly retrieving tennis balls. Cockers are too small for what I want to do anyway. So many choices. What a great problem to have.

 

[54rndball]

I had a wired-haired Dachshund with strong German bloodlines some years ago. It was raised for blood tracking and had a very fierce prey drive. He would not want to give up anything once he got hold of something good. Even rawhide chewies or anything else. He was a bit aggressive and would bite in such instances. Not good! We ended up taking him back to the breeder. Hounds are usually used for blood trackers. I have heard that other dogs such as labs can do it as well. But usually they are different breeds for bird hunting (retrievers) and tracking (hounds). My BIL is a big duckhunter and he has had Golden Retrievers and Labs over the years. I think he has settled on Labs, now that he is on his second one now. They are great dogs, but it helps to have some know-how in dog training.

 

[Erno86]

May I suggest a Chocolate Labrador, but a brace of fine hunting beagles would be just the ticket for running & huntin rabbits.

 

[traveller]

I had a wired-haired Dachshund with strong German bloodlines some years ago. It was raised for blood tracking and had a very fierce prey drive. He would not want to give up anything once he got hold of something good. Even rawhide chewies or anything else. He was a bit aggressive and would bite in such instances.

The only dog that ever bit me (requiring stitches) was a Dachshund.

They are bred to hunt burrowing animals like badgers. 'Not letting go' until they have dragged their fighting and biting prey out of its burrows is what they do.

 

[webb297]

Weimaraner is an awesome choice too, little on the big side, and can be somewhat stubborn/knows more than you type of dog.

For a MAINLY family pet, I'd have a Weimaraner.

I agree! They are phenomenal bird dogs, and can be trained to track scent (don't need blood, if they are on the scent). They are absolutely pack animals, and need somebody who knows how to be the alpha, or they will attempt to fill the role. They are very active, and require a yard/ regular exercise. They are awesome with babies. If you are interested in them let me know, I have contacts in the local community.

 

[Derwood]

Weimerainer was also on my list (I also don't know how to spell it).

This video of a drathaar hunting a duck is awesome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7wnDYOaJX4

 

[milwriter]

Look at the Boykin

Derwood, I'm so glad you asked this question as I'd been wanting to write some kind of review or evaluation of my Boykin but just hadn't found the motivation to do it...until now.

I am very much in the same situation as you...wanted a dog with a good nose who could track my bowhunted deer, wanted one that was workable for shed hunting, love to waterfowl hunt, so check on that...and toy with kick and shoot hunts here and there so wanted one that could do that as well...

I wanted all that PLUS a family-friendly dog that would be just as happy chilling with the kids on the couch as he would be jumping into the icy waters of deep waterfowl season. AND (more caveats) I didn't want a gigantic dog that took up the entire back seat and had a tail that swept everything off the coffee table when he's saying hello...

A lot of criteria I know. I've owned a ton of dogs over the years (and as a kid) of every shape and size, so I have some experience with different breeds and am a fairly good obedience trainer. So I brought some perspective to this problem.

After years of whittling it down, I arrived at either the American Water Spaniel or the Boykin. The AWS is an awesome "all around" hunting dog that has the added coolness of being a 100 percent American breed. But they are fairly rare and I found it difficult and expensive to get a puppy.

So I zeroed in on the Boykin. I talked to several breeders and trainers over the last 18 months. Some are $ssh@les but most were pretty darn cool and helped me along the way. I found a breeder on gundogbreeders.com, double checked him with a trainer and got my puppy back in July.

I am a beginner retriever trainer so the Boykin has a couple challenges over the Lab, which pretty much comes pre programmed. But I must say Scooter is one of the coolest damned dogs I've ever had. He is smart, gentle, great with the kids, only gets a little jittery if he's cooped up in the house for too long and is in LOVE with hunting. He's softer, so a gentler approach to training is the best path, but I suck at it and he's made me look like a darned pro. We're not even at a year and he's doing some advanced stuff in training and we'll embark on shed training and tracking soon. In fact, I brought him along on a cull hunt in VA where we were man-driving and the pooch got on the trail and sounded like a gosh darn Beagle...impressed the rest of the crew and I admitted it wasn't me it was all him. I just can't advocate enough for this breed.

In summary: soft disposition, easy to train (sometimes hard headed tho), great family dog, birdy, loves hunting, gun shy never an issue, perfect size (40 lbs), all around versatility, cool looks, not super high energy.

Downside: lacks the "turbo" drive of a lab, might have a bit more challenge carrying a goose, doesn't have the ice-proof coat of a Chessie, is a bit softer than some breeds so a firm hand will shut him down, picks up burrs in his coat like velcro (a pain to deal with after a run in the woods).

Thanks for giving me an excuse for reviewing my new favorite breed.

 

[Overboost44]

FWIW, we had two Weimaraners growing up. One was the best dog ever according to my family. I was only 5 when she passed, but I understand she was very protective of my younger brother and I and a great pet. We got another when we moved out to HoCo and she was not a good dog. She bit a kid and the mailman. Again, I was still young enough to not know why, but I think she came from a home where she was abused.

I am also looking for a pup that can be trained for hunting so I am keeping an eye on this thread. Always wanted a GSP, but not sure that won't have too much energy for us to keep up with. We had a Yellow Lab most recently and I don't think we are going that route again.

 

[Derwood]

Last month I had the privilege to hunt in South Carolina on an immaculate, well-managed shooting preserve. They had a lot of boykins there. I'd never even heard of them before. I had a boykin assigned to me for a pheasant hunt and it got the job done and was really fun to watch.

 

[george g.]

My bassett is a great rabbit dog,he catches them and proceeds to eat them.

 

[PJDiesel]

My bassett is a great rabbit dog,he catches them and proceeds to eat them.

My chocolate was good for that, left the remains on our deck as if they were a trophy.

 

[bladehack]

Lot's of good suggestions for pointers (English, German Shorthair, Weimarainer), so if your thinking about a pointer you owe it to yourself to check out a Vizsla; otherwise known as a Hungarian Pointer. It looks like a copper colored Weimarainer except slightly smaller.

 

[iggy]

I have a 7 yo goldendoodle that I got as a pup. She has a great nose and is as determined as they come. A very birdy dog that doesn't shed.
Before this I had labs and I would put her against any of them.

 

[gtodave]

I can't imagine waterfowling with a German short hair....they have no fur to protect from cold water. The dog would probably freeze to death in 30 degree air.