Gun Dog Forum

Hello
I'm writing an article for dog magazine Crufts about unlikely gun dogs. There was a really interesting thread on this a couple of years ago here but it seems that many of the participants are now not active. I'd love to hear any stories of you either taking a non traditional gun dog breed into the field, or witnessing this happening... Anecdotes, thoughts on this subject and photos most welcome! You can contact me on suzy.bashford@btinternet.com too.
Thank you!
Suzy

Suzy,

I had a half Australian Cattle Dog (blue heeler) and half german shepherd dog in college and into my first few years in my career. He was trained (or learned on his own) to point quail. He assisted with our quail research project (finding roost sites) and was a great swimmer and retriever. He'd go rabbit hunting as well. One of the smartest dogs I've owned to date. He was a retrieving fool.

Elsa - Missouri

I ran across a picture of Huckleberry, the Jack Russell pointing dog, at Hidden Lakes Hunting resort.http://www.hiddenlakeshuntingresort.com/dogs.htm

Crufts Writer wrote:Hello
I'm writing an article for dog magazine Crufts about unlikely gun dogs. There was a really interesting thread on this a couple of years ago here but it seems that many of the participants are now not active. I'd love to hear any stories of you either taking a non traditional gun dog breed into the field, or witnessing this happening... Anecdotes, thoughts on this subject and photos most welcome! You can contact me on suzy.bashford@btinternet.com too.
Thank you!
Suzy

Depends on your definition of a "gun dog". Many a breed will flush up a rabbit by accident or "point" ( hesitate) on a wild bird. My definition of a gun dog is a dog that will work for the gun - find game, hold until its shot and bring it back. Only dogs I've seen do that are flushing breeds, pointing breeds and retrievers.

I really hate these stupid threads. Can you get a hunting dog from a cur? Yes, maybe. Problem is, you may waste all that time on a dog that ends up worthless or marginal. You could have been spending that time on a well bred dog that makes you a tremendous gun dog. Makes no sense to me to waste even two minutes on a mutt.

A trainer in East Texas sold me this dog as a GWP pup, I never got the papers from him either. I think I got ripped off.


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I know of a couple of Rotts and a Boxer that all flush and retrieve pheasants.

My dad had a couple of English Shepherds (farm collie back then) that they hunted quail and rabbits with. Back then the dogs had to move the cattle and hogs. Guard the chickens and house and also work as a hunting dog.

I met some folks with labradooles that were happy as a clam with their hunting dog.

I agree if you want to get a hunting dog get a hunting dog breeding counts huge, but if you have a house dog that you want to hunt with by all means give it a try. Because with an honest effort there is zero downside, the worst outcome is a house dog with better than average OB, and the best case you have a dog that you can go hunting with and have fun doing so just like those doodle folks.

There used to be a very large Newfoundland that worked as a beaters dog at a shoot most Saturdays. It worked as a spaniel to find and flush pheasants from the woodlands . It was a better dog than you might think working in cover. It didn't bother trying to go through the cover, it just flattened whatever got in it's way ! He would also retrieve dead pheasants but very seldom got a retrieve....the spaniels usually got to it first !

I worked a border collie as a gundog and he was a fairly good hunter and retriever .... far better anyway than the show bred springer I also trained . I spent ages training that springer the things that purpose bred spaniels do almost with no training at all and he still was nowhere near as good as the purpose bred dogs.

Bill T.

I think you could probably teach a border collie to do just about anything. Such an intelligent breed