Gun Dog Forum

I have a feeling this will generate some opinions.

Need a dog that will be good with youngish boys, get along with other non hunting dog, and be pretty natural for a rookiebird hunter of quail and chukar. We have a small backyard but large schoolyard across the street, and I'll take dogs running regularly. Emphasis-- needs an off switch for indoors!

I know I need to meet the parents as a given-- but all things equal I could save some time by focusing research on 1-2 breeds and some hints on what to look for in pup, parents, and breeder.

Thank you in advance from central Cali!

I like GSP's

They're all the best, depending who you ask :roll: Just go ahead and pick the breed you think is the prettiest. You can find what you want within any of them.

The three you listed is a great jumping off point. Brits are very high energy, while my Brit does well in the house... He needs a lot of running. If not, problems or annoying tendencies may arise while in the house. That's not to say this isn't the case with all birddog breeds.

GSP. My GSP has a ton of energy but is relatively calm in the house, he does get his moments of crazy when he runs laps between the living room and dining room but for the most part he does well.

GSP. My GSP has a ton of energy but is relatively calm in the house, he does get his moments of crazy when he runs laps between the living room and dining room but for the most part he does well.

I've owned Lab's most my life and this feller here is the easiest going hound around the house that I have ever encountered

Individuals within the breed are more important than the breed............................Cj

Every litter has calmer puppies, ask your breeder to pick you out a calm one.

Don

Had Labs- great family dogs=- shed though- Has GSP- good dog- Have PP's now- as a family dog and a hunting dog- pretty tough to beat.
They stay outside during the day but are inside dogs the rest of the time.

I have a 3 month old GSP and she is great in the house when properly exercised. Still has her moments but all around been good. She plays with my 1 yr old nephew and seems to know to be more gentle while playing with him than she is with me.

I've owned GSP's, Pointers, English Setters, Brit, Labs and once I got into Gordon Setters, only then, did I not have to clean paw prints off my ceilings.

I also believe that there are "calmer" dogs / puppies in every litter. However are they calmer then other breeds of dogs or just calmer than the rest of the litter???

There are always calmer puppies in a litter but that is all relative.

It sounds like you have limited space and this will be an indoor dog as a family/hunting dog.

I really do like all the breeds in the sporting group, but I would recommend;

Vizsla, Spinone Italiano, Bracco Italiano or a Ryman/Old Hemlock-Line English Setter, these are the bigger boned more traditional English Setters. If cleaniless is important, the Viszla, for sure.

All four have excellent temperaments as a rule but the Spinone, Bracco and Setter line I mentioned are larger dogs and maybe be a bit better with boys, but this may not be an issue. Vizslas are not small dogs either. Having been around all three, Bracco, Spinone & Ryman/Old Hemlock Setters, they are very calm dogs in general, very friendly and very social. They go from field to a soccer game and even work at a nursing home very easily.

If swimming is important, the Spinone out of these four breeds without question.

I understand every one wants a "hunting machine", but more dogs are sent to shelters and rescues because the breed-type does not match their needs or familiy situation. Don't get "more" dog than you need or you can train.

The breed of bird dog with the most pronounced "off switch" is the pointer, IMO. They are also just about the easiest breed of dog to turn into a serviceable hunter... again, IMO.

However, any working dog, from any gundog breed, that is worth feeding will probably be a handful as a puppy.

The HUGE(for me) disadvantage to pointers and also other short haired breeds is the fact that their hair gets everywhere indoors and sticks into fabrics like a spear. The white hairs from a pointer tend to show up on fabrics and can be a real PIA to vacuum out. All dogs shed but the longer haired dog"s sheds can be vacuumed up fairly easily.

If you want a nice family dog, I would look for a field trial washout that did not run enough. An eighteen or twenty four month old pointer should be well past the puppy stages(chewing, bouncing off the walls, etc).

AND I have observed, on several different occasions, that an older, kennel kept pointer that is moved into a home very often will behave as if they hit the lottery and will do anything not to mess up their good fortune.

I suspect many kennel kept dogs would react the very same way. Pointers, as a breed, tend to be more able to make a successful transition from one situation to another. They are typically less emotionally tied to one individual.

RayG

This topic comes up like every 3 weeks!

"Emphasis-- needs an off switch for indoors!"

Not completely possible for any sporting breed up to 2??years... they are a young athlete.

Best Family dog?
..Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
Once known as the Nanny dog.

I have raised & sold Llewellin setters puppys for several years almost all reports I have back give them great revuies & praise on how good a family pet & hunting buddy they turned out to be .Personally I do not wont the most Independ puppy out of a litter They seam to be just a little more hard headed Or the mildest they are usally the most timmed .every litter has at least one of each , but the Llewellin is a great breed . By 8 wks. every puppy I have sold would NOT potty inside the sleeping area but go outside in the open kennal At 8 wks they would all piont a bird wing & some retrteve a ball part way . go play with the puppy you by the right one will pick you & wount your att.

I can't speak of the breeds you listed but a springer or cocker spaniel is probably the most lovable family dog you can get. They are like velcro and love children. My english cocker is 11 months old and of course at that age is bouncing off the walls still since he's a puppy, but he's the gentlest dog ever with my 6 year old daughter. I have had a few really nice family dogs, but I must say, even when they're young and wild, spaniels are amazing with kids. And so cuddly with those big eyes and soft ears! They love absolutely every person and every dog they encounter.

I love my V as she is currently under a blanket snoring. She will run laps thru but I find it fun to watch. she definitely calms down quickly and is a pleasure to be round. I think it is all in how you train them. if they get the physical AND mental stimulation they need then they will be good in the house...

Wow great responses! Thanks all. As a runner in the heat during the summer I think I'm leaning towards either gsp or vizsla. Besides the heat I think my boys may also be a limiting factor for a Brit. They may not get gun-shy, but they may get two young hellions on a sugar rush-shy.

I'd be very picky about where and from whom I got the dog. That said, you can likely find what you want in any of those breeds. I've got a nine year old V and have had two GSP's as well as three Pointers. The V is the calmest in the house, with the Pointer coming in second. You can find what you're wanting in any one of these breeds though - just do your due diligence and really research the parents and pick a good breeder that will hook you up with the type of dog you want.

I wouldn't choose a Brit because I don't like the hair! Not that they shed more than the Pointer, cuz I swear, nothing sheds more than a Pointer. I just don't like combing out tangles and working cockleburs off my dogs. Slick - haired for me all the way.

We've had brits my entire life. Love'em. Great temperaments. Perfect size. Biddable. Spark plugs in the field. Darn good in the house. Like all dogs, especially working dogs, they need exercise. I don't have much experience with GSPs and Vizslas but I'm sure they would make great family dogs as well. I think bird dogs in general make great family dogs.

CDN_Cocker wrote:I can't speak of the breeds you listed but a springer or cocker spaniel is probably the most lovable family dog you can get. They are like velcro and love children. My english cocker is 11 months old and of course at that age is bouncing off the walls still since he's a puppy, but he's the gentlest dog ever with my 6 year old daughter. I have had a few really nice family dogs, but I must say, even when they're young and wild, spaniels are amazing with kids. And so cuddly with those big eyes and soft ears! They love absolutely every person and every dog they encounter.

That is a hard picture to argue with

Don't matter the breed, need to find the right breeding. I'd pick gsp or Brit because you have a higher probability of getting a bird dog. Contrary to the stereotypes, my pointer is the laziest dog we have in the house.

You might want to look into Red Setters.

Craig O.

^x2 My irish is super behaved in the house, great off switch and you will not find a breed that is better with young kids and will love the rough housing but be very gentle in return.

Just about any of the breeds listed will make fine family pets... Pick any breed you find attractive with a reputable breeder... Find a line of healthy parents and no genetic history of health issues... and build your family pet from a puppy... you will get the pet you train... just like kids... you build a teenager when they are toddlers... you build the family pet when thy are puppies... good luck!.. and enjoy!

X2

I have been trying to think of a bird dog breed that would be bad with a family, even with proper raising.

I agree that most any bird dog makes a phenominal pet, if trained and disciplined.

My lab is excellent with kids, though the one fault with her is her tail, like a baseball bat, and she's not always cognizant of where it is. It's taken out my nephew a couple times

My hunting friends have GSPs and they are excellent with the kids as well.

My suggestion would be to pick the breed you want then keep up on the training. (both for the dog and the kids)

Dogs are pretty much what you train them to be. If you have a calm quiet household and have a gentle firm manner, your dog will probably turn out to be quiet and gentle. Most of the hunting dogs like people, want to be with people, and really want to please you. Puppies are different.

DougB wrote:Puppies are different.

Yeah... they're pure evil

Its not the breed as much as it is the breeder. Find someone who has been at it a while. Make sure the dogs have the "switch"...that they can turn it off and be calm once they're beyond 2yrs or so. Find the right breeder...then do your part.

I think doing your homework and talking to breeders is your best bet. I have GSP's and they all have off switches in the house, but some turn off faster than others. I try to make the inside house time calm and do very little playing with the dogs in the house. We play and exercise outside. Each litter has calmer ones and less calm ones, but I agree that if the breeding was meant to produce hard going independent dogs they may not make the easiest first time gun dogs. Been around Vizslas and GSP's and V's IMO are more clingy as a whole. Find a breeder that has produced good MH type dogs and meet the dogs. Good luck!

I am laying on the couch reading this post and couldn't resist taking this picture. Obviously ,y vote is for GSP.

rkappes wrote:We've had brits my entire life. Love'em. Great temperaments. Perfect size. Biddable. Spark plugs in the field. Darn good in the house. Like all dogs, especially working dogs, they need exercise. I don't have much experience with GSPs and Vizslas but I'm sure they would make great family dogs as well. I think bird dogs in general make great family dogs.

Seconded. Four Brittany's in our house.

1 vote for GSP

I have owned all three. Flip a coin they are all good. I would personally lean towards the GSP or Vizsla. I owned brits for 20 years and one day just got sick and tired of pulling burs out of their coats. If you don't mind the coat maintenance any of the three are great.

Has anyone found much of a difference in the energy level or "off-switch" between a German versus English pointer?

Have you considered a Pudelpointer?

I have found different level of "affection" with GSP's and V's and now what I have is a French Brit. By and far the french brit is the most loving, affectionate of the bunch. Depends on what you want. some people really like a love machine, others not so much. Every french brit that I have run into has been very people focused and affectionate.

With proper exercise the off switch works. Keep the dog in the house for several days and you can see the rubber bands tighten.

Had the same issue when we looked for a new dog it was my first bird dog I researched all breeds and settled on a gsp my wife was hesitant at first about a gsp because of being high strung I try and get her out in the yard even if it's only for 10 min to run and burn some energy off she was the easiest dog to potty train we have ever had will buy another when the time is right