what kind of dog should i get?

deke · Post by **deke** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 3:27 pm

Hi all, I am pretty new to this site and trying to gain as much information as possible. That being said i would like you guys/gals to help me figure out what kind of dog i should get next. Right now i have two labs but one is about to be retired due to bad hips. What i am looking for is a dog that is good on pheasant, can deal with cold and rain, hunts close, good in the house and a little bit easier to train. If you have a certain breed I would like to hear why, any good kennels?

Onk · Post by **Onk** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 3:39 pm

There could be a thousand differant answers to your question. I would say Brittany or GSP but than again I have limited exposure to many of the breeds. I would say you are best off researching and finding what dog is for you. I not so long ago posted almost this very same question! Homework pays off!

GBranch830 · Post by **GBranch830** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 3:45 pm

I just got a GSP and I liker her pretty good

or a lab. Both should be trainable. seen great briits...

mcbosco · Post by **mcbosco** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 3:55 pm

Spinone....you just named several of best attributes of the breed. They also swim as well as your Lab in the worst water and retrieve well enough for anyone. They also deal with the heat quite well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2HHHna6BHQ

This is pretty typical of how they are in the house. The first dog in the crate is a great hunting dog.

These folks live in Idaho and breed a nice dual purpose dog.

http://www.mountainvalleyspinone.com/

Mountaineer · Post by **Mountaineer** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 4:00 pm

Hattrick · Post by **Hattrick** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 7:42 pm

GSP train it to do what ever you want. Bigger engine than the lab, probaly more trainable and better nose. You be good with temps down too low -mid 20s in the water. everybody says they can't take the cold funny i think they take the cold better than most folks can take the cold just be smart..its alot options for ya thats my 2cents

Max2 · Post by **Max2** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 5:21 am

[quote="Hattrick"]everybody says they can't take the cold funny i think they take the cold better than most folks can take the cold just be smart..

They can take the cold

I live in one of the coldest places on earth I think and all Max wants to do is be outside ! Though he does enjoy curling up by the woodburner at the end of the day or hunt....... which ever comes first ! I must admit I am GSP entusiast first but like all the breeds !

Swagg · Post by **Swagg** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 8:56 am

How about an English Spring Spaniel

can easily handle the cold and will be great on the game that you mentioned. Very smart dogs and are easily trained.

I'm willing to bet that you are going to get a ton of pointer suggestions, but be warned that this is a 90% pointer forum

mcbosco · Post by **mcbosco** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 9:05 am

Swagg wrote:How about an English Spring Spaniel can easily handle the cold and will be great on the game that you mentioned. Very smart dogs and are easily trained.

I'm willing to bet that you are going to get a ton of pointer suggestions, but be warned that this is a 90% pointer forum

Springers are easy to train?

The OP seems to be looking for a dog like a Ryman Setter or what I suggested. A Bracco is also another nice idea. The Conrads in Colorado have some nice hunting Bracci.

http://braccousa.com/braccomain.html

jt807 · Post by **jt807** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 12:03 pm

GSP.

I haven't had any other breed, but have been around them.

You can get some that run big, some that hunt close.

They also seem to be one of the easiest breeds to train.

ACooper · Post by **ACooper** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 5:58 pm

Hattrick wrote:GSP train it to do what ever you want. Bigger engine than the lab, probaly more trainable

Hey I love shorthairs and that is all I own, but I cannot agree on them being more trainable than a lab. I have not trained any dogs that picked up things quicker than the labs I have worked with.

mcbosco · Post by **mcbosco** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 6:38 pm

ACooper wrote:
Hattrick wrote:GSP train it to do what ever you want. Bigger engine than the lab, probaly more trainable
Hey I love shorthairs and that is all I own, but I cannot agree on them being more trainable than a lab. I have not trained any dogs that picked up things quicker than the labs I have worked with.

They are easy to work with, relaxed and don't mind repetition. The only issue with Labs is that they run out of gas easily and suffer in the heat. They inherently like a quick burst (makes sense for what they are best at) and that is why they don't have great stamina. I see a ton of good labs at the coast in NJ so maybe there is some regional influences but even in cool weather they can't keep up for long. They tend to be quite large here.

I love them, Bosco was my old Choco.

SHORTFAT · Post by **SHORTFAT** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 7:07 pm

My Lab did all those things well... a Lab is tuff to beat with versitility... just make sure the line is good to avoid increased health issues. mcbosco, I'd like to know more about Ryman Setters... Heard of them, but never been around one. Hear they are great grouse dogs too...

mcbosco · Post by **mcbosco** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 7:31 pm

SHORTFAT wrote:My Lab did all those things well... a Lab is tuff to beat with versitility... just make sure the line is good to avoid increased health issues. mcbosco, I'd like to know more about Ryman Setters... Heard of them, but never been around one. Hear they are great grouse dogs too...

The guy to talk to on here is RymanGunDog. He lives up near Scranton and knows them well. Ryman & Old Hemlocks are the bigger framed, longer coated setters . I remember a line called 'Twombly" in Vermont these were a really big framed setters. The kind you see in paintings.

Slower, foot hunters, big nose, calm dogs. I have the Italian version

http://www.octobersetters.com/rymanhistory.html

Swagg · Post by **Swagg** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 9:40 am

mcbosco wrote:
The OP seems to be looking for a dog like a Ryman Setter or what I suggested. A Bracco is also another nice idea. The Conrads in Colorado have some nice hunting Bracci.

http://braccousa.com/braccomain.html

Not really sure where you got that idea from ???
He posted "What i am looking for is a dog that is good on pheasant, can deal with cold and rain, hunts close, good in the house and a little bit easier to train. If you have a certain breed I would like to hear why, any good kennel"

There are several different breeds that will fit that bill. He was looking for options and i just offered one. :roll:

nikegundog · Post by **nikegundog** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 10:44 am

The only issue with Labs is that they run out of gas easily and suffer in the heat. They inherently like a quick burst (makes sense for what they are best at) and that is why they don't have great stamina.

I owned and hunted behind labs for thirty years and this is news to me. Its usually cool during pheasant season and about 40% of the dogs in the field are labs. We run them sun up till sun down with any stamina issues, seem to run harder, longer in the thick CRP and cattails than any other dog in the field. There are of coarse some guys that bring their house dogs out without any conditioning at all and can make a breed look bad.

mcbosco · Post by **mcbosco** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 10:46 am

I guess you are right. Must be my eastern roots. When someone says "good in the house", we think of the doormats like english setters or similar natured dogs.

Springers are nice dogs.

mcbosco · Post by **mcbosco** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 11:14 am

nikegundog wrote:
The only issue with Labs is that they run out of gas easily and suffer in the heat. They inherently like a quick burst (makes sense for what they are best at) and that is why they don't have great stamina.
I owned and hunted behind labs for thirty years and this is news to me. Its usually cool during pheasant season and about 40% of the dogs in the field are labs. We run them sun up till sun down with any stamina issues, seem to run harder, longer in the thick CRP and cattails than any other dog in the field. There are of coarse some guys that bring their house dogs out without any conditioning at all and can make a breed look bad.

Perhaps the body type common in coastal areas is the reason. Shorter, thicker and wider.

Mountaineer · Post by **Mountaineer** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 11:33 am

SHORTFAT wrote:....I'd like to know more about Ryman Setters... Heard of them, but never been around one. Hear they are great grouse dogs...

There have been no true Rymans for many years.
Some say they ended up and then disappeared in southern West Virginia from an illness, bad decisions and a bad owner....who knows???
DeCoverly had an edition of the type that they marketed heavily as Rymanesque tho what their situation is after the house-clearing, I do not know.
One version of the Ryman story is indeed told in the DeCoverly puff-piece book of several years ago.

That type setter, some call Dual, is sold today.
Old Hemlock would be one outlet for their version tho pups are not easily obtained at times.
SettersWest is another.
There are others.
You will find that "Ryman" is a marketing tool but persevere and the good dogs are out there.

The dogs match the work put into them; they have a look made traditional by eastern upland bird literature; they pick up hunting easily; the ones I have seen have a great nose and take to retrieving well; IMHO, they are best not as kennel dogs.
You will find certain adherants of that type of "serious" grouse setter to be a bit.....glowing...when describing their ability to "set" and work spooky critters.
Bring some salt to the reading of that info and check well the several outlets for that type of setter.
Those setters are a top match for many folks.
Too many do find a joy in putting them down or "bleep" them with faint praise...basically out of either ignorance or jealousy.

mcbosco · Post by **mcbosco** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 11:46 am

Years ago when eastern breeders planned Setter litters looks mattered. The dogs were stunning, great coat and color and they had this wonderful prancing gait. The dog below pretty well sums it up.

http://octobersetters.com/chaco.html

Mountaineer · Post by **Mountaineer** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 1:00 pm

You will find, I believe, that George Ryman's setters were somewhat unlike many of the setters hung with the tag today.
Ryman himself was many things but he did hunt and kill a pot-load of grouse in Pa. and Canada especially.
His dogs saw vast numbers of birds.
Ryman's setters were hunters.

MikeB · Post by **MikeB** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 1:18 pm

Deke,
With your history of Labs, why consider another breed. Has the Lab not been working well for your hunting needs? Tired of the breed, want to try something else? With the right breeding of Lab I think they will do everything you want.

deke · Post by **deke** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 11:40 am

It is not that i dont love labs. And i do have a dynamite pup that i just picked up, he is out of Tiger mountain. I just want a change of scenery. I will always have atleast one lab. They make the duckblind funny and cold days in the phesant field somewhat less miserable.

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