hunting dog

as a kid my uncle always had german shorthair pointers they were great dogs.

looked up the german short haired pointer. looks like a great dog. but still lokking for options. dont want to settle for the first breed recomended. not saying that even if there are 100 recomended dogs i wont go this rought. just saying i want to know my options.

beagle are great rabbit dogs but not sure about duck or pheasent actually I don't know if there are many breads out there to do it all usually labs for duck pointers for pheasent & beagles are probably the best for rabbits
don't know a lot about hunting w dog just what My Uncle had for different critters & what I see people using

Yeah I dont know if there is an all around dog that can be trained to do all those different types of hunting.

The only one I know is a rabbit dog. And that would for sure be a beagle.

Pointers are one of the smartest dogs out there and they usually always are used as bird dogs only.

Will hard to find a one dog fits all hunting. A lab will take care of everything but rabbits. A beagle will not take to water. A german shorthair won't do much on rabbits. Good luck! Raven and Gunnar said go lab!

rabbits are my lowest prioraty, and phesent is the hightest as far as game gose. ease of training is also verry high on the prioraty list, as well as good with kids. my kids are 6 and 7.

Nothing better for family than labs, the most loving dogs I've ever owned. Really good duck/goose and upland game birds as long as flushing at close range is ok for you. There are some expensive labs that are bred with pointing instincts but costly. I've had 4 shepards, 4 labs, 2 shorthairs. Problem with all dogs is no garranty of having any brains. Sometimes you get lucky and a really smart one pops up. My black lab Raven is way too smart almost scary, Gunnar is not so brainy but makes up for it with love. A golden retriever is a really good looking dog but its hard to find a smart one. Puppies and kids go hand and hand. Good luck on your purchase.

Hunting Man said:

Problem with all dogs is no garranty of having any brains.

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Very true. Ever heard that sayin "You can't teach an old dog new tricks"? Well, you can't teach a stupid dog anything.

Labs are great dogs for the family and easy to teach, but no good for rabbits or pheasants. Great duck dogs tho.

Beagles will make a good family dog, but only good for rabbits. They'll run a deer too if your not careful. Not as easy to teach as a Lab.

Setters and pointers are good bird dogs. I never have had any of these but have hunted with a bunch.

I'd go with a lab, for a buddy

Nowadays its common to use labs used for pheasants, excellent close range flushing dogs and they'll retrieve what you shoot.

nh if ur looking for a companion with the kids i agree with hm go with a lab,just get a reputable breeder they have been so overbred some are just housepets,do your homework.if you want a bird dog first and companion second the german shorthair is hard to beat.hm is also rt dogs are like people some good some bad,some hunt good &listen and some dont .good luck

Hunting Man said:

Nowadays its common to use labs used for pheasants, excellent close range flushing dogs and they'll retrieve what you shoot.

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I didn't know that. I can see the flushing and retrieving. Well there you have it, makes a lab even more valuable.

hunted over some English setters for quail and pheasant. very good noses. had 1 for awhile but the wife said he was too high strung. have also hunted over a lab. worked in pairs with the setters. made an awesome flush and retrieve dog. the easiest way to train them is to put them down with dogs that already hunt. if it is in the blood , instinct will take over. i have found in my experience, the further removed a dog is generation wise from hunting the more training needed to bring out the natural instinct. if you can get a puppy from dogs that are active hunters it should be easier to train the puppy.

thanks for all the great input. cant wait to be able to own a dog again. its nice for me to have a good idea what i want to get. i live in a trailer park right now that does not alow dogs. but my wife will be starting work soon as an LNA after not working for the last 8 years because she has been a home maker. and our first order of buisness is buying a home on our own land so no one can tell us what to do at our own home. and we bolth want dogs as soon as that happens.