New Here

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Chet
Rank: Just A Pup
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Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2019 1:27 pm

New Here

Post by Chet » Fri Feb 01, 2019 3:05 pm

My name is Chet Cotten and I'm new to GunDog Forums. I'm a lifelong hunter chasing everything from squirrels to elk. I've owned several dogs in my life, including dachschunds and beagles, but we haven't had a dog since a few years after our older daughter was born. Now that they are old enough, (ages 8 and 10) we are looking to get a family pet. But as we are also a hunting household, we want our pet to also be a hunting companion.

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Garrison
Rank: 5X Champion
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Location: Winchester CA

Re: New Here

Post by Garrison » Fri Feb 01, 2019 8:44 pm

Welcome to the forum. I think you will find that most of the hunting breeds will check both of those boxes quite nicely and most of us here expect exactly that of our dogs.
“Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.”
- Mark Twain-

Timewise65
Rank: 2X Champion
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Location: Missouri

Re: New Here

Post by Timewise65 » Sat Feb 02, 2019 12:28 pm

Welcome...I think you will find this website a great resource for you as you go forward. Most on here are well versed on most pointing and flushing breeds and many of us know retrievers. And a few on here have owned and trained both upland dogs and waterfowl dogs....

When talking about families with kids,I personally, after lots of research, choose a Golden Retriever back in the 1980's when my 3 kids were about the same ages are your kids. We have owned Golden's every since. I can attest that if you find a breeder who breeds Golden's for hunting (Field Lines), you will likely have a pup that loves family life, kids, and can also be trained to hunt waterfowl and flush upland game.

I recently lost one of my 3 Golden's (she was 14.5 Years old), and I am thinking of replacing her with a French Brittany, after a few days of research. (I have 6 Grandkids from 3 to 22). So kid friendly is important...and I live in Missouri when we are close to good pheasant and quail fields...

AKC only recognizes one line of Brittanie's, but UKC recognizes both the French and American Brittany. The French is generally smaller and has a lighter coat, not as likely to tangle with briar and such. My recent research led me to these dogs because if you get a good one, they are fine pointers and well known as family dogs that are good with kids.


My life experience is that most Sporting Dogs are good with family, kids, and field...but my personal choice is noted above. Check them out, do your research! Regardless, the most important element on picking a good dog, is finding a good breeder that has a line of dogs that is proven in the field and family (I look for field titles and/or hunt test titles on parents and Grandparents). I am sure that many on here will say you can find a good dog in rescue or at the dog pond, but your odds are substantially increased when you do your own research and find a breeder and line of dogs that meets the standard of what you want....plus a good breeder will have a number of key health certifications done on the parents that will help minimize many of the primary health issue that your dog may have. Rescue dogs and dog pond dogs rarely have these certifications. and finally one caution....stay away from pet store and/or puppy mills as you will get nothing but trouble from those. If you do not know about puppy mills, do some online research and you will find out how to spot a dog coming from one of those....


Have fun and good luck.....
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Steve007
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Re: New Here

Post by Steve007 » Sat Feb 02, 2019 1:18 pm

Chet, welcome to the board! What kind of game do you expect to be hunting? And in what type of cover? As you're probably aware, that makes a big difference in what sort of dog you select. And, if you expect to be primarily an upland bird hunter, are you inclined towards a pointing or a flushing dog?

As stated, almost all of the common hunting breeds are "good with kids", though some of the larger ones can be a little bumptious in their youths. Daily obedience work is likely to be a strong prerequisite if you're going to develop your dog in the best possible way.

Again, welcome to the board. You'll find a number of people here are biased towards their personal breed, which is only to be expected. Nevertheless, what they think is right for them may not be entirely right for the type of hunting you intend. It's worth considering what you expect to be doing with the dog before jumping into a breed.

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