Interested in opinions.

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pierce2988
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Interested in opinions.

Post by pierce2988 » Wed Jun 11, 2014 2:09 pm

Hey guys,

New poster to this forum. Have been at RTF for years, I am interested in getting a pup for upland hunting. I am very undecided as to what breed, other than the fact that my wife does not want a GSP, I love them but thats the only black ball she has given me. My choice to this point is probably a Cocker Spaniel, however I am interested to hear opinions on that choice, and also some other opinions on other breeds that would be good choices for upland hunting. I currently have a 5 year old lab who I have raised from a pup in my college days who is my duck dog. Not saying this new pup could never go but Duck Hunting with this pup is not my main concern.


Thanks in Advance,

Pierce

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deke
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Re: Interested in opinions.

Post by deke » Wed Jun 11, 2014 3:37 pm

If you are hunting pheasants I would look for a springer spaniel or a pointing lab.

Mountaineer
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Re: Interested in opinions.

Post by Mountaineer » Wed Jun 11, 2014 4:26 pm

Lab...any pointing inclination being unimportant...but, if one must name a breed.

However....in-house, kids, time available, experience, preference in what you prefer following afield, wild, cover?.....on and on go the questions which are far more important to precede "what?".

Actually, I would use the lab you have for a few years while taking every opportunity to hunt behind other breed types and breeds and so to develop likes and dislikes to the point of "what?" becoming an unimportant question to ask on a message board.
Help in finding the genetics, et al once you have a better idea of the plusses and minuses of each breed vs. your household/hunting fit is a wiser use of the Internet, to me.
Too many hurry in making a choice of a pup or look at the long term unimportant issues of price or the anecdotes of others.
Good luck....enjoy the journey more than panting for the journey's end.
Last edited by Mountaineer on Wed Jun 11, 2014 4:28 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Gordon Guy
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Re: Interested in opinions.

Post by Gordon Guy » Wed Jun 11, 2014 4:27 pm

English Cockers are an excellent choice for flushing duty, from pheasants to rabbits to grouse and woodcock. In my experience Springers can be too much dog for a lot of folks. That is for folks that don't want to put a lot of time into training them. Be realistic when considering your training time and abilities before making a choice.

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CDN_Cocker
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Re: Interested in opinions.

Post by CDN_Cocker » Wed Jun 11, 2014 7:56 pm

A working cocker is a great choice - they can do it all. My only question is why don't u hunt your current lab in the uplands? A lab is a pretty versatile breed... And that's coming from a cocker guy lol

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Doc E
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Re: Interested in opinions.

Post by Doc E » Wed Jun 11, 2014 8:01 pm

Pointing Lab -- America's most versatile breed.

.

K3Britt
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Re: Interested in opinions.

Post by K3Britt » Wed Jun 11, 2014 8:33 pm

If you like German shorthairs, look into the Braque Francais. Smaller built, share the same looks, and they seem to be fairly easy to train for upland birds

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Sharon
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Re: Interested in opinions.

Post by Sharon » Wed Jun 11, 2014 9:31 pm

pheasant ? - setter

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CTPaul
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Re: Interested in opinions.

Post by CTPaul » Thu Jun 12, 2014 5:22 am

Had a shorthair and he was certainly a good dog but boy am I having fun with this new setter. My vote is setter.

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PntrRookie
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Re: Interested in opinions.

Post by PntrRookie » Thu Jun 12, 2014 7:35 am

pierce2988 wrote:...My choice to this point is probably a Cocker Spaniel, however I am interested to hear opinions on that choice, and also some other opinions on other breeds that would be good choices for upland hunting...
If you like the Cocker and it's size, check out the Americal Water Spaniel. Great dog that loves the water, loves to hunt and retrieve and is a very nice upland dog too. DCG is a very nice breeder of the AWS and has a litter that JUST hit the ground (not even on their site "yet"). http://www.dalecreekgundogs.com/dcgdaws ... rsale.html

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AZ Brittany Guy
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Re: Interested in opinions.

Post by AZ Brittany Guy » Thu Jun 12, 2014 11:06 am

Are you leaning towards a flushing dog rather than a pointer?

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deke
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Re: Interested in opinions.

Post by deke » Thu Jun 12, 2014 11:16 am

CDN_Cocker wrote:A working cocker is a great choice - they can do it all. My only question is why don't u hunt your current lab in the uplands? A lab is a pretty versatile breed... And that's coming from a cocker guy lol


They can do it all is a pretty bold statement. Can they mow lawn? :D

RickB
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Re: Interested in opinions.

Post by RickB » Thu Jun 12, 2014 11:24 am

I think an honest assessment of what game you will be hunting the most would be in order. Or, what game is on your bucket list and you want to be able to hunt with this new dog? And, like what was asked before, do you have a preference between pointing breed and flushing breed?

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AZ Brittany Guy
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Re: Interested in opinions.

Post by AZ Brittany Guy » Thu Jun 12, 2014 1:26 pm

RickB wrote:I think an honest assessment of what game you will be hunting the most would be in order. Or, what game is on your bucket list and you want to be able to hunt with this new dog? And, like what was asked before, do you have a preference between pointing breed and flushing breed?
The question was too open ended to give any sort of reasonable advise. All it comes around to is what is our favorite breed of hunting dog and that question has been asked a thousand times on here. :|

pierce2988
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Re: Interested in opinions.

Post by pierce2988 » Thu Jun 12, 2014 10:16 pm

I'm agreeable the question was too broad and for the most part an opinionated question. Which I am sure has been asked a million time, I most do hunt ducks, and having had labs most of my life I would trust them with anything. I found a litter of crazy good lab pups about 90 miles from me and plan on picking up a female on Wednesday of next week. Will post pictures when I get her, sorry for the much adu about nothing but I appreciate the time you took to post your opinions and any help you were willing to give.

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birddog1968
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Post by birddog1968 » Sat Jun 14, 2014 9:46 am

Why can't your lab do flushing duty in the uplands? I've hunted everything from woodcock and snipe to prairie chickens, quail ....pheasant with my lab.

caneman1
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Re: Interested in opinions.

Post by caneman1 » Sat Jun 14, 2014 9:58 am

Boykin spaniels do very good upland work and are excellent in the house also.

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