Bird Dogs

[RyeGuy74]

Any recommendations on dog breeds for someone who pheasant hunts and lives in an apartment? In the past, growing up, I've used Goldens and Springers but I also didn't live in an apartment back then

 

[rideold]

Depends on your schedule. If you can come home at lunch for walks and training then there are a lot of breeds. If the dog will be kenneled all day then I'd say it isn't fair to the dog and wait. Nothing wrong with another Springer if you are partial to flushers. In the pointy dog world you might like a GSP.

 

[fishing4sanity]

Welcome to the forum! Will your dog be an indoor/house dog? One of my sons has a German shorthaired pointer and another has a black lab. Both dogs are indoor dogs, but the black lab sure leaves a lot more hair behind. GSP's tend to be pretty active, but my son's GSP has turned out to be very well behaved.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Go with the Labrador/Chihuahua mix.Lab for birds and Chihuahua for size.Ha!,Ha!

I'd go with Med. size Black Lab.We had a female in Cal, and she was great around people.
Very mellow,but get her in the field or around water and she was in her element.
Welcome to the Forum from Az.

 

[JLS]

My drahthaar is an absolute joy to have around the house, and I don't say that lightly. I've owned a number of dogs, and except for the blue heeler i had in college, he is by far the easiest to have as a house dog.

They key is how much time you spend with him when you are home. Get them exercise and training daily.

 

[Sawtooth]

My wife and I had a GSP in an apartment when we were first married. We had a small patio and grass yard which he stayed in during the day. My wife would take him for a run each morning and I would take him in the evening. This system worked fine, but is quite a time commitment. If you can't commit to exercising a bird dog at least once a day I would hold off until you had a larger backyard and can make the commitment. Otherwise, your pup will find a way to exercise itself and we have all heard stories of how destructive dogs can be chewing up or digging up their owners property.

 

[Gunner46]

Believe it or not, back in my teen days, I had a Beagle that loved to flush pheasants....but wouldn't even blink on a rabbit, or deer track.

 

[jtm307]

I'd focus less on the breed and more on the breeding/breeder. I have two Brittany's a month apart in age. One is a couch potato who is content to lay around all day. The other is a fence-climbing chicken-killing high-octane maniac. Meet the parents of your puppy. If the parents seem like they'd be a good fit, get one of their puppies regardless of breed. Every bird dog is going to need regular and vigorous exercise, regardless of temperament.

 

[Irrelevant]

There is zero chance I would have my GSP in an apartment. Even with daily runs she needed more exercise until just recently (age 11). I'd spend some time at a shelter and find a chill dog that looks like he's got a little bird dog in him and work on emphasizing that.

 

[Frenchy]

Go with what you know and get another Golden. Second Choice would be a Griffon.

 

[TheDudeAbides]

There are a lot of breeds that you can go with, but almost none of them will be happy confined to a apartment unless you exercise them daily.

One of the interesting things about apartment dogs vs house w/ backyard dogs from my experience is that apartment dogs get more exercise.

People think that a dog will be entertained with a large backyard to run and around and play in, but some dogs get bored after a while and that is when they get into trouble.

I had a GWP in an apartment before and I just set a routine to walk him after I got home and have 0 issues.

I had another GWP in a house w/ a yard and I set the same routine, but he was a destructive puppy. My routine changed from coming home and walking him to coming home and cleaning up his mess. He grew out of it, but he was a nightmare puppy.

Each dog is going to be different in that regard.

I do think that dogs more prone to separation anxiety should be avoided in favor of dogs that are less prone to it.

If I had to suggest breeds to avoid in an apartment it would be GSP's, GWP's, Vizslas, and Chessies. Labs are also hit or miss with this.

If I had to suggest breeds to look into for an apartment, it would be Italian Braccos, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons, Brittany, Boykin Spaniel, and Spinone Italiano.

Granted, you can have one of the former without Sep Anx and ones in the latter with Sep Anx - The likeihood may go down.

Find a good breeder and explain your situation to the breeder and see if you are a right fit.

 

[rideold]

Good points there! Remember that exercise is not just physical for a bird dog. Gotta stretch their minds as well. My dog stays home in the house during the day. She gets 2-3 mile walk first thing in the morning, another 2-3 miles at lunch and then the same before bed. That gets supplemented with 2-3 runs off leash in the fields a week. She's a pretty happy dog and I get a decent amount of exercise as well!

 

[JLS]

One of the interesting things about apartment dogs vs house w/ backyard dogs from my experience is that apartment dogs get more exercise.

People think that a dog will be entertained with a large backyard to run and around and play in, but some dogs get bored after a while and that is when they get into trouble.

Excellent points. Some of the worst behaved dogs I've ever seen were backyard dogs. I've been a backyard dog owner as well, and never again. They are in the house, crate, or in an outdoor kennel. Unsupervised dogs get in trouble.

Remember that exercise is not just physical for a bird dog. Gotta stretch their minds as well

Yes! Good hunting dogs need work to do. Training should be an EVERYDAY thing. if you're not instilling and reinforcing good obedience, you are instilling and reinforcing poor obedience. Keep them in shape. They will thank you for it. Overweight dogs are more susceptible to a whole host of health issues.

 

[PawPawWPG]

Can’t speak highly enough of a Griff. Fantastic on/off switch at home, but still tons of bird drive. She also does not shed at all.

As long as I give her exercise, she’s happy to lounge around all day. I’ve also found that mentally taxing training tires her out much better than then pure physical. I can take her for a five mile run and she bounces back in 30 minutes, but bird work and retrieves knock her out.

 

[dragginwood]

I have an 8 year old GSP and she is still a maniac that requires significant amounts of exercise to keep her mind stable. Great dog all around though; she'll work a field all day long and hold a point, she'll retrieve ducks on land or water for me and can turn it off at the house and be a great family dog for the wife and baby.

I would look at a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon as well. They seem to have a bit of a calmer disposition but very similar to a GSP.. My brother in-law has one. He messed up the gun shot training, so the dog heads for the hills at any sight of the boom stick. So I can't attest to their ability afield.

 

[VikingsGuy]

English-style labs are great. You get 100% of the lab hunting skill and effort with 20% of the 1-4 year old lab crazy.

 

[Baerman]

I used to be a lab guy but after hunting behind and being around more Griffon's, I will myself be getting a Griff next. They are great hunters, don't shed and fantastic family/house dogs...at least the one's I've been around.

 

[VikingsGuy]

I’ve been intrigued by the puddlepointers but haven’t gotten further than curiosity (but I unsuccessfully did try talking my son in law to get one - he was onboard it was my daughter was the one who quashed, so in some way this one is one me)

 

[lr123]

I'm partial to labs but the two I have are certainly completely different dogs. One is much more of an alpha, head harded, and hard to work with while other one lives to please you. A lot depends on the litter and the individual dog.

 

[HuntSleepEatDream]

I run dogs in field trials and have had lots of exposure to different breeds. I agree with much of what’s been said here. I will add that having a bird dog isn’t about taking it on leash walks. That is mental stimulation but it is not exercise for them. They need fields to run in and edges to hunt. I live only a 10min drive from a huge public park that is friendly to offleash dogs and my bird dogs love it. We go there every day. And if they didn’t have that, they would live a sad existence. My sister has a littermate of one of my pups, and hers has developed bad behaviors out of boredom because they don’t work their dog out aside from throwing it a tennis ball.

Edit: If you do get a dog, I would wholeheartedly recommend a field bred Labrador. There’s usually intelligence there to turn off the hunting switch. I can’t say the same for my English pointers or my friends’ Brittanys or Viszlas or GSPs.