How many generations has your family kept the same breed?

[GSP 4 me]

My GSP is the first and only gun dog that I can say my family has had for several generations. I grew up with a German Shepherd, but it doesn't look like I'll be owning one myself any time soon. I'm curious to see how far back some of you and your families go back owning a particular gun dog.

The more I think about this question, the more I realize how unique it would be for some families to stay with one breed considering all the potential reasons why this may not happen. Reasons such as: Next generation isn't interested in hunting, didn't care for the breed they grew up with, allergic to some dogs, lifestyle is too busy for a dog, living accommodations doesn't allow pets...etc.

I guess I would have to exclude breeders from this inquiry because of the business end of owning a gun dog possibly increasing the likelihood of continuing with the same breed over several generations.

[markj]

My Grandpa did setters, Dad did English Springers, in the early 70s I went hunting with a friend, his Dad had GSP, pure German Blood too. I saw how they worked a field, held the point retrieved all natural, my first was from him, he got a pup from Germany then broke his back and could no longer hunt. His son took the adults I got the pup. He did it all without any training, he held points, retrieved, hunted for the terain not run 200 yards out. Had 2 from them same lines and long for another like them. My son has a shorthair he may continue or not, it is up to him.

[jimbo&rooster]

I cant even keep the same breed of dog in MY kennel ..... my dad had irish setters, i started with about every breed of hound there was coon and coyote hunting. Now Ive got a lab, and a GSP, and Im now looking into an EP and another GSP in the next year...... never satisfied.
Jim

[gittrdonebritts]

My grandpa and dad had Brittanys but i remember them being a lot smaller, more like the french imported Britts they never trained them to hunt just took em out and they always found pheasant and quail some pointed some didn't but there was always birds in the game bag, I have stuck with Brittanys although i have had a GSP and now have an EP with my two Britts. I don't really care what my son decides to have someday when he is older as long as he has bird dogs and enjoys them and hunting as much as i do.

[prairiefirepointers]

I'm the first generation of Hunter / Hunting Dog person in my family that I know of. I didn't have the luxary of growing up amongst seasoned dog handlers, trainers, or owners. My first dog was one my dad had got me, a German Shepard I named "frog dog" when I was just a little boy. However, he was a better alcoholic than a father. When I was like 5 he owed money to someone and gave them the dog. (I'm 32 and still p*sses me off) In a Drunken peace offering he bought me a little baby Goose from the feed store, and brought it home. Mom was thrilled, since we lived in the duplexes in town. I named it "FogHorn" and it was a pretty neat pet... Although I got to look across the block at my beautiful german shepard chained in someone's backyard.

My Dad left when I was 7. Mom remarried and my step-dad was another "winner", and although he hunted, he was (& still is) a raging alcoholic, so father son time wan't something I relished. My Best friends dad took me "under his wing" when I was in middle school. He taught me to hunt and fish. However, Larry didn't have hunting dogs either. So, I longed for the companionship and affection of a dog I could take afield, or have as delightfull company on the many times I spent down by the river messing around, because anywhere was better than being at home. I finally got a hunting dog of my own in my late teens. I read and "self taught" myself to train that dog. I made mistakes, but she was a good ol girl. "Kacey" was a mix breed. Half lab, half pointer.

One Thanksgiving, my older brother came down home to stay the weekend and do some bird hunting with some friends he had brought along. There was about 6-7 of em and they all had birddogs. We put them up in our big metal building (which was heated) and they slept with these big leggy, blocky headed, beautiful dogs. I remember even now thinking how big their "snout" looked. I can picture this one big ol English Pointer out of the group of about half a dozen dogs still today. When you looked at him in the face, his nostrils looked like side by side shotgun bores.

It was then that I fell in love with those dogs & knew someday, when I had enuf money that I would own an English Pointer. I paid $600 for my first English Pointer pup. I was sick at my stomach and couldn't believe I had spent that much money on a dog. I had never paid more than $200 for a dog before, a Lab that I trained into a wonderful waterfowl dog by the "water dog book, by Richard Wolters". I now have several dogs and love and enjoy each one of them. One lab, and the rest Pointers. I hope to pass on the the love and enjoyment of my dogs to my children. I have a daughter, Haley who turns 1 yro the 3rd of November. I can't wait till she can have her first birddog and forever lock into her heart the sheer excitement and joy of her 1st dog making its first wild bird point. I hope I have started a legacy that lasts forever.

[r nickell]

I came from a hunting family dad and granddad had pointers back in the 50's and 60's. My brother got a couple of setters that we hunted all through the 70's. As often happens my borther and my life got busy and we lost many of the connections we had for hunting land so stopped bird hunting for many years. I got back into hunting about 7 yrs ago but for deer both rifle and bow. And then it happened my son was about 13 and starting to get interested in hunting so I took him dove hunting and he loved it. So I figured ok let him try quail and see what he thinks so I called up a local bird farm and set up a hunt for a Saturday morning reserving a guide and dog for the hunt. Big mistake he fell in love with it LOL, and told me we needed to get a dog. Well I figured this would last about as long as most 13 yr olds passions, I did not stop and think about how much I had fallen back in love with it myself. Well I figured ok since I am divorced and the dog would end up staying at my house I really did not have time to rasie a puppy so decided to try and find an adult dog. So shopped around abit and happened to see a listing on petfinders for a 1- 1 1/2 yr old german shorthaired pointer at one of the local shelters. Well later that afternoon I was on my way home with Murphy a well mannered young GSP that later proved to be gun shy LOL. After two years and lots of time and patience my instinct payed off as he turned into a solid hunter besides the great pet he has been since I got him. This summer a friend of mine told me to see if I could find him a dog to adopt as he was impressed wih Murphy after hunting with him last winter. So for a couple of months I would look at petfinders every couple of weeks to see what showed up. Well the last week of July I came across a listing for a wirehair that looked promising and so called him to let him know. He informed me that his brother had just bought a puppy and that he figured I had not really been looking so didn't call me to let me know. Well I figured hey my birthday was just a couple of days before and I had not gotten myself anything so what the heck I loaded up the shorthair and drove up to see the dog. Well best I can figure is god was rewarding me for giving the GSP a good home and all the love and patience I had to get him to show his true potential. Gretta was something else around a yr old and smart as a whip she and Murphy got along great so now I have two dogs driving home in the car. As I stated in a post earlier today turned out Gretta was not a GWP but infact according to her DNA test a WPG. I would never tell anyone they have to adopt a dog but for me it has turned out great, two solid hunting dogs and just as important two great pets.

[BigShooter]

The grandfather that hunted and fished had cocker spaniels. When we were kids our family had a black lab escape artist that got out of the fenced in yard every week, then a GSP we got as a pup that was very sharp with everybody & everything, nearly lost him to a huge coon intent on ending the battle by drowning the dog, then a father-son pair of orange & white Britts we got as adults that had been boarded in a kennel most of their lives. They had epileptic seizures. The GSP & the older of the Britts were good hunting dogs. I assisted with training and showing a pair of Irish Setters owned by a neighbor. Since getting out on our own my two brothers & I have owned GWP, EP, ES, ESS & Weim. Today the three of us own ten GSPs & one very sharp Weim. Our sons own a dull Weim, a GSP, a French Brittany and two longhaired dachsunds. One nephew just lost his ten year old lab to cancer and hasn't replaced it yet. My son with the French Brittany wanted a Lab really badly but we told him none of us would hunt with him if he got a Lab. In retrospect he's very happy he got the FB instead. The current GSPs are the best overall dogs we've owned.

[buckshot0074]

When I was 12 years old I went to live with my Grandparents and they had an English Setter. They had 2 different ones before my time with them. So with all my uncles moved out and I was the only one and Lobo became my dog, he and I were the same age in 'human years'. I started to pheasant hunt with him and my grandpa as soon as I was old enough. I remember once when I was 16 or 17 (Lobo was also 16/17) we had hunted for a few hours that morning and Lobo just laid down in the middle of the field and wouldn't get up. I had to carry him to the truck (lol).

When I was older my buddy had a black lab that we hunted with. Now that I have a family and a house, the wife and kids kept nagging me for a dog (about a year ago). When I finally gave in I told them that we had to get an English Setter, so we got one this last April. Jake is our new pup and as of today he has been out hunting 2 times with no birds YET !!

[SierraMtnBrits]

5 Generations, yes 5! My great grandfather introduced my grandfather to bird hunting when he was a boy, they had a little Brittany. My grandfather had a Golden Retriever here and there but always had a Brittany around. My father and my uncle carried on the tradition as we had several Brittanys growing up. My Dad doesn't have bird dogs anymore, but my uncle still has a couple pointers and wirehairs, but I think he still has a soft spot for the Brits. Now I have my own Brittanys, and adding more all the time and the 5th generation would be my son, he's 5 now but he wants his own pup to train and hunt with. My husband is a 3rd generation Brittany owner as well, his dad and grandpa have always had them. I guess when you find something you like, you stick with it!

[dasia24]

These all post which you can share over here is really very great. He taught me to hunt and fish. However, Larry didn't have hunting dogs either. So, I longed for the companionship and affection of a dog I could take afield, or have as delightfull company on the many times.