Pup choices

[fmnjr]

We’re in middle of sorting out what kind of hunt dog to choose. Our list of choices is lab, GSP, drathar, wire haired pointer, vizla, Boykin. Upland birds and ducks would be primary. Help us through the fun of figuring this out thank you.

 

[MTLabrador]

What kind of hunting will you be doing?

 

[mdeerjunkie]

I love labs for waterfowl hunting, but I'm a bit biased.

 

[406dn]

If you insist on two PRIMARY goals that require far different traits from a dog,,, you will have middling performance on each.

Ducks,,, it's no contest, a lab.

Upland birds, either a GSP or vizla, from your choices.

A compromise dog trying to cover everything,,, a Drahthaar, I guess

 

[fmnjr]

so water fowl and upland not possible then? Or just not optimal?

 

[cwitherow]

Look into the NAVHDA breeds. Bred to be versatile. I went with a WPG. Similair to GWP, but known to be a little less "high octane". YMMV.

 

[golfer]

We decided to go with a griffon.

 

[406dn]

so water fowl and upland not possible then? Or just not optimal?

It depends on how seriously you hunt and how integral a dog's performance is to your hunting.

I happen to own pointing dogs,, high octane, I guess. For my purposes, it is what floats my boat. That might not float your boat. Most of the time, I handle my dogs from the back of a horse, not that I do not enjoy hunting them from afoot.

Upland bird dogs are tasked with finding birds. That requires a drive to search for birds. A pointing dog that doesn't search more ground than you are, while hunting, is not really helping you greatly. The scope of their search translates pretty well to how many birds they find.

Retrievers are tasked with retrieving,,,no matter what. While a pointing dog will retrieve they do not compare to a lab. Not only is a lab more driven to retrieve, they handle cold water much more easily.

A versatile dog will do a decent, not great, job doing both. They do not cover the ground or have as deeply ingrained pointing instinct compared to say, pointers, setters, GSP or vizslas. They will not be the equal of a lab when retrieving.

That may be what you want, only you can answer that.

 

[Nick87]

I love labs for waterfowl hunting, but I'm a bit biased.

This

 

[rwc101]

Fair warning on the vizslas. You might get one like this.

 

[cwitherow]

It depends on how seriously you hunt and how integral a dog's performance is to your hunting.

I happen to own pointing dogs,, high octane, I guess. For my purposes, it is what floats my boat. That might not float your boat. Most of the time, I handle my dogs from the back of a horse, not that I do not enjoy hunting them from afoot.

Upland bird dogs are tasked with finding birds. That requires a drive to search for birds. A pointing dog that doesn't search more ground than you are, while hunting, is not really helping you greatly. The scope of their search translates pretty well to how many birds they find.

Retrievers are tasked with retrieving,,,no matter what. While a pointing dog will retrieve they do not compare to a lab. Not only is a lab more driven to retrieve, they handle cold water much more easily.

A versatile dog will do a decent, not great, job doing both. They do not cover the ground or have as deeply ingrained pointing instinct compared to say, pointers, setters, GSP or vizslas. They will not be the equal of a lab when retrieving.

That may be what you want, only you can answer that.

Hunting from horseback just seems so much more badass than any hunt I have ever gone on.

 

[Ajax2744]

I have a black lab for waterfowl but we will be picking up a German wirehair in 2 weeks. The parents are fantastic upland and duck dogs so the new pup will be pulling double duty so the lab can retire.

 

[fmnjr]

I have a black lab for waterfowl but we will be picking up a German wirehair in 2 weeks. The parents are fantastic upland and duck dogs so the new pup will be pulling double duty so the lab can retire.

That sounds like the direction we want to go if we could find a pup like that.

 

[406LIFE]

Pointing, flushing, and retrieving are all different things and require different training.
It's possible to have a dog do most of it, but it's definitely not optimal.

 

[Frenchy]

I would cross off the GSP and Vizla. Just not up to the task for waterfowl hunting (for me personally). Labs are great waterfowl dogs and very competent upland dogs. The Drathaar and Griffon would be my choice over the GWP. They just seem to have a more consistent bloodline for doing both upland and waterfowl (from my limited experience). And I've seen some good Boykins in the HRC hunt tests world (Duck hunt).

If I had to choose, it would be a Drathaar or Griffon first. Lab Close Second. Then Boykin.

 

[406dn]

Hunting from horseback just seems so much more badass than any hunt I have ever gone on.

It's pretty bad ass. When I discovered it, I knew it was special.

 

[fmnjr]

I would cross off the GSP and Vizla. Just not up to the task for waterfowl hunting (for me personally). Labs are great waterfowl dogs and very competent upland dogs. The Drathaar and Griffon would be my choice over the GWP. They just seem to have a more consistent bloodline for doing both upland and waterfowl (from my limited experience). And I've seen some good Boykins in the HRC hunt tests world (Duck hunt).

If I had to choose, it would be a Drathaar or Griffon first. Lab Close Second. Then Boykin.

I’m finding myself really wanting to believe that last line.

 

[JLS]

You know my choice LOL. And, as a previous lab owner I would beg to differ that a Drahthaar cannot compete with a lab for a waterfall dog.I do a mixture of Upland and water fowl, and I really don’t think I could ask for a better dog.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Writing off a Lab for uplands is absolute nonsense! They work great! My young Lab pointed up five pheasants last night ... and caught three of them ... one of those twice. She marked that released hen landing three hundred yards down the coulee and scooped her again. All wild birds on public land. She is unusual in that she's such a fantastic pointer (hunts more like a cat than a dog) but typical Labs work just as well for uplands. They are flushing dogs but they stay very close as opposed to the pointing breeds that are typically all over hell's half acre. There's never any trouble telling when a Lab is birdy and about to push one up! Pointing is really unnecessary. Late season birds especially will not hold very long for the shooter to catch up. And what fun is it trying to watch a pointing bird dog work in the next zip code? Labs don't require force fetch, whoa training, barrels, long leads, live birds, etc., etc. They come to you already packaged to go with just a bit of obedience work. And I mean just a bit. A Lab with an e-collar is wearing it for decoration ... or his handler should be wearing a dunce cap. There is a reason why the Labrador Retriever has been the top selling breed in the AKC for thirty years straight. They are top dog in the field and at home. Very pliable, very loving, very desirous to please, very hard working. What more could you want in a dog? Personally I have seen a few too many GWP and Griffons that I would not let anywhere close to my dogs. Too ornery. GSPs are nice dogs but can be high strung. They can't take the cold weather and can be marginal retrievers. English and Lewelyn setters are good upland dogs and wonderful at home but difficult to maintain with their long hair. Some are not great retrievers. I think a lot of people new to hunting write off Labs because they want to be different. I also like to follow the path least trod ... and I have (I also own a French Brittany) ... but for someone new to the game a Lab is the best answer.

 

[JLS]