Gun Dog Forum

Stoneface wrote:Much better. Dig the video, man. What was it that made you switch from Labs to Drahts?

Just a good fit I guess. I had hunted with shorthairs, brits, pointers, viszlas and labs of course. But the first time I hunted with a Draht, I new I had to have one!

Started looking back at my old pics and ended up throwing this together.

http://vimeo.com/42446396

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Are all of those retrieves with real ducks? I like to use dummies most of the time and real ducks here and there. Cuts down on the temptation. Anyway, now it's damage control! I would watch the dog VERY closely and if you see any mouthing or chewing at all, command hold and nick with the collar. Goo...

What's the age of the DD? And what are your training goals? Those will help answer the questions you asked. also Does the dog have a lot of pointing instinct? You did the right thing praising the retrieve. But I would stay out of the field until the birds are grown. That will decrease his chances o...

dugger13 wrote:is there a drahthaar lookup anywhere on their site. i have their info... thanks

Here's a list of VDD registered breeders. http://www.vdd-gna.org/breeders_gna.php

Does the puppy have a tattoo in his right ear?

What are the pups and parents full names?

Even though your older dog isn't a hunter. It is a GSP! Born to love birds! The only fair thing to do is move the coop or fence it off or something.

CRP? Might even get paid for it. My brother-in-law is a rancher and told me that the CRP that they plant in his area consists of 7 different plants so that there will be cover in any given year regardless of weather.

Hot dog tracks.

Search for hidden dummies around the yard.

Retrieving on a check cord.

Swimming!

Walks in the field.

Playing with kids and other dogs.

I am and always will be perfectly happy with my EP's because I only hunt pheasant and quail but if I were to begin waterfowl hunting I probably would want a dog who was a better cold water retriever and if there were a dog out there who could run all day long, point and hold quail and pheasant styl...

I took in an older dog (2 1/2 yr. old Drahthaar). Against my better judgement I took him into the field the day after I brought him home. About 50 yards into my walk he jumped across a 6 ft. canal, ran 100 yards across a pasture and into an orchard, caught a big tame goose which he promptly retrieve...

I'm not in a race to get through cover but I do like to keep moving. I've hunted with guys who like to slow way down when the dogs are getting birdy or spend a lot of time in thick cover. I figure the dogs know when to stop or slow down. I don't gauge the fun of a hunt by the # of birds I shoot but ...

My husband got me this one for my birthday a couple of years ago. He found it on ebay of all places. It doesn't have air but we have not had a problem. http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff360/PortnerB/Dogtrailer002.jpg BTW - It is what I asked for :D Nice trailer! Mind if I ask how much it cost you?

I went on the "quest" a while ago. My opinion; the best foods for sporting dogs are the diamond, enhance, pro-plan, black gold, exceed type foods. Give me the by-products and corn any day because with out them we saw our dogs loose weight and stamina and the coats suffered as well.

I agree that you need to have a handle on your dogs, but I believe that applies to all breeds.

Would you like to hear stories of GSP's that I know that bit people??? I know of several but I still don't discount the breed.

Hey everyone, I was curious what some opinions on drahthaars are. I'm simply researching, not looking to get anything tell I'm back in WI next year. I hunt a lot of pheasants,ducks, and geese in the fall, and rabbits in the winter. I also hope to get in to some grouse up in the north woods as well....

Looks like a fun pad! What's the large rectangle to the right os the house? The dog kennels?

Definitely tracking! Some track high and some track low. Sometimes with a good breeze they'll track right in line but be a good 15 yards downwind of the track. I like to pull drags in a U. That keeps dogs from finding the game if they blow down the tracks and then break into a free search. Also set ...

I agree, train backing after whoa to flush and make sure your set up so your dog doesn't wind the bird. Everything else sounds good but I wouldn't give the dog every retrieve. Keep em guessing!

FF. More specifically, hold training would be where you teach the proper behavior.

Can you take her to fields with game in them? Do you have any other bird dogs you can run her with?

Man I feel bad for you guys. Knock on wood I've never had an escape artist. My dogs never once crossed this fence that was maybe 18" above the snow last winter. http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r182/mcballard/DSCN1194.jpg http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r182/mcballard/DSCN1193.jpg http://i144.p...

birdhunter2424 wrote:We can hunt them her in Colorado. I heard they come down like a shot down b-52 bomber. Good luck getting your dog to retrieve one of those huge birds. I also heard they taste pretty bad.

No way bud! They're called "ribeye of the sky" for a reason.

Dogtra!

OUCH! Glad she's O.K.

My advice for your friend would be DO IT!!! I went from labs to DD's and didn't find the transition difficult. I think the testing is fun and facilitates training as well as being important to the breeders. Preparation for the VJP (puppy test) is mainly exposure. The dog would be tested in tracking,...

I just caught back up with this post. Thanks again for all the info. Special thanks to Geezer and others for the photos. I may have stated in other posts that I didn't care one bit what the dog looks like but my wife sure does! So these are invaluable to me in convincing her how nice these pups are...

I teach it a little differently. I teach backing after the dogs are steady to wild flush. I teach them to stop whenever they see a bird flush. I do this by bringing them in upwind of a trap, and pop the bird as they pass, commanding whoa. When they will do this, I intro the plywood dog. Now the lau...

Force fetch him! He is the perfect age. Sounds like you really like him and you will like him even more when he is a reliable retriever!

I can guarantee that's not what would happen at my house!