What kind of dog should i get?

llewellinsetter · Post by **llewellinsetter** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 10:37 am

So im looking into getting a new friend, he or she will be my first gun dog! Im looking for thoughts on what breed i should get, a little about me, i have had dogs all my life im 23, my grandpa was a police officer and trained german sheps, i have been hunting upland birds and waterfowl all my life, i dont have a ton of training experience so any thoughts on that would help as well. i hunt 75-150 days a year and i have 300+ acres of land to use whenever i want. If i had to choose i would love a dog that has a great point but is also a great family dog. any ideas? im very excited to get a new friend or two.

mobeasto123 · Post by **mobeasto123** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 12:27 pm

Why not a Brittany.. Great hunter, Great pointer, a lot of prey drive.. Really great dog in the house.... It depend on what you need in the house.. If you feel you need a smaller dog the Britt is for you.. if size don't matter A good GSP ( german Shortair pointer) could be a great dog too.. From what they say, those dog born nearly trained.. but the Brittany will do eveything you need and more, If you are patient and you have access to birds. There are no way a Brittany will not perform well...

David

llewellinsetter · Post by **llewellinsetter** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 1:17 pm

I like the bigger breeds, i have as many birds that i want

and i am as patient as they come!

RayGubernat · Post by **RayGubernat** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 2:58 pm

The questionis: "What kind of dog should I get?"

The easy answer is: "The kind you will enjoy hunting behind."

There ae four major breeds(in terms of popularity) of pointing dogs...the Pointer, The German Shorthaired Pointer(or it's continental step brother the DK), the English Setter and the Brittany(American or French).

If you cannot find exactly the kind of dog you want out of each and every one of those four breeds...You ain't lookin'... because they are there.

There are several less popular breeds that still will give you a wide choice in terms of abilities of the dogs. Some that come to mind are Red(Irish) setter, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon(or it's continental step brother the DD) , Vizsla, Weimaraner, Gordon Setter. They will be less available simply because there are less of them being bred. Therefore, finding just exactly what you are looking for might be somewhat harder in one of these minority breeds because you will have less to pick from.

A good bird dog is a good bird dog...it don't matter what kind of skin it is dressed up in.

As far as dogs being housedogs and companions, look at it this way... a bird dog is bred, for generations to be a willing hunting companion and to want to hunt with and for its master. The chances of a dog with that kind of breeding becoming a good pet are kinda high.

Your first task is to decide just exactly what you want your bird dog to do for you in the field. Then go find a breeder that hs a litter from dogs that do what you want. Pick one and take it home.

RayG

Ruffshooter · Post by **Ruffshooter** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 4:43 pm

You have already shown that you are thinking the Llewellin Setter. So go for it.

Rick

DonF · Post by **DonF** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 6:02 pm

Thats what I was thinking!

madmurph · Post by **madmurph** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 6:10 pm

It's hard not to agree with Ray ; get the breed that you want to hunt behind. If chosen from good breeding with parents that are proven in the field, you will have a pup with good natural ability. Most all will adapt well to being kept as house pets. Most people will recommend the breed that they own, so hear what everybody has to say about their favorite breed. There are numerous previous threads on this forum regarding all of the different breeds. However, like Ruffshooter said, it looks like you already have decided on your breed based upon your forum name.

Gertie · Post by **Gertie** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 6:20 pm

I just got my first gun dog a couple of months ago. It took me about a year to decide what breed to go with and I did a lot of homework. In the end I found that every upland breed out there has the potential to be a great hunting partner and a nice pet too. The parents and breeding are really every bit as important, if not more so, than the breed itself. In the end I went with an English setter because when it came right down to it I liked the way they looked when they worked and the dogs I met were a pleasure to be around. Setters, as a rule, seem to mature a little slower than some of the other breeds so if you get one keep that in mind and be patient with your pup. I couldn't be happier with my decision. Good luck and congrats on your decision!

Ryman Gun Dog · Post by **Ryman Gun Dog** » Sat Dec 17, 2011 7:37 pm

llewellSetter,
This week a young man visited our mountain home/training facility here in Potter /Tioga, he had one of the most talented Llewell Setter pups I had seen in 25 years.
The pups name is Roscoe and he is a real nice pup, has some Ryman blood in his line a couple generations back, at 7 months he has learned how to handle spooky Grouse for actual gunning, and from what I understand they are having another litter of pups. Now if you are intersted in a Grouse dog, I will make sure you talk to Roscoes
master. If I was looking for a new Llew Setter pup, this would be the litter I would be picking from.
RGD/Dave

BigShooter · Post by **BigShooter** » Sat Dec 17, 2011 8:22 pm

I see you've already got a couple of cross breeds. Are you looking for a pure bred pup with papers? How much are you willing to spend on the initial purchase (which we all know if a small fraction of the total we spend to keep our dogs)? Otherwise with the economic depression I understand lots of folks have been forced to give up or sell cheaply some pretty decent hunting dogs. They won't all come with papers though.

Onk · Post by **Onk** » Sun Dec 18, 2011 2:27 am

I asked this same question a year ago. I had always had EP's yet for some reason was drawn to the Brit this time and don't regret my choice at all. You and you only can decide what dog you want, research, study differant dogs till you find one that seems right for YOU. Just make sure the dog fits what you want to do!

llewellinsetter · Post by **llewellinsetter** » Sun Dec 18, 2011 12:53 pm

Thanks for all the info so far my lady and i are going to go with a setter, im not even close to buying one yet still a lot of research and watching training videos for myself to do, im more than willing to spend the money on a dog, i want a great dog and i know how much animals cost.
My main goal is to train he or she to hunt pheasant and quail, Are the setters good swimmers? i would love to teach it to duck hunt, what do you guys think of hiring a pro trainer? Should i just train pup myself, i have heard horror stories of bad "pro" trainers. Im so glad to have joined this forum all the info so far has been great!!

terrym · Post by **terrym** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 8:49 am

I would take a look at any of the versatile breeds if you want a waterfowl and pointing dog.

DonF · Post by **DonF** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 11:56 am

I have to agree with Ray but with one exception. You probably have no idea which one you want to hunt with so get the one you like looking at. It would be bad enough if you got a pup that didn't work out, yep that doesw happen, but if you don't like to look at it your kind stuck. I just can't inagine living with an ugly dog that doesn't hunt when I want it to. The odds are that you'll end up with a dog that does what you want if you do your part. Tell me something. How did you pick your lady? I'll bet a dollar to a sugar cookie that looks had a lot to do with it!

Christopher · Post by **Christopher** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 5:26 pm

But looks can be deceiving.

I say pick what you know and have hunted over before. I went the GSP route and am on my second GSP simply because I had hunted with my old friend Jim and he had several GSPs over the years.

The bottom line is that there are good dogs of every stripe and color. I'm thinking about getting another pup in the next year or so and would like to get a setter.

johnboy31 · Post by **johnboy31** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 7:12 pm

i agree with done F. go with what you have been thinking about

phoenix · Post by **phoenix** » Sun Jan 01, 2012 8:42 am

Ryman Gun Dog wrote:llewellSetter,
This week a young man visited our mountain home/training facility here in Potter /Tioga, he had one of the most talented Llewell Setter pups I had seen in 25 years.
The pups name is Roscoe and he is a real nice pup, has some Ryman blood in his line a couple generations back, at 7 months he has learned how to handle spooky Grouse for actual gunning, and from what I understand they are having another litter of pups. Now if you are intersted in a Grouse dog, I will make sure you talk to Roscoes
master. If I was looking for a new Llew Setter pup, this would be the litter I would be picking from.
RGD/Dave

If he has ryman in him he isnt a Llewwllin, no doubt a fine english though! I am a llew guy. I hunt a scarce grause population in VA. I have two llew pups now. My 7 month old Jax was gifted to me by a member here and is turning out to be outstanding. He is an "american" llew with great personality, great looking, DRIVE & INTENSITY is awesome! He has big wheels but no doubt I will get him reeled in a bit. Right now he works about 200-300 yards & is quartering well but a bit hard headed. My female llew is out of Jornada setters in NM. She is built out of a mix of american & european lines and is a great compliment to Jax. I got her started at 10 monts & is now a year old. She is an awsome worker with good style and a powerfull nose. She is close working & thourough casting to about 80-100 yards with persision. I have been fortunate to get both pups on a few grouse this year and they handled them well. Obviously Im a setter guy and perfer the smaller size of the llews as compared to the rymans, pinecobble & such as they live in the house. I say choose the dog you love to look at & watch work and do your homework & you will be happy! Here a are a few pics of my mongrels with one of Saige pinning a grouse at about 20 yards! Good luck!

SetterNut · Post by **SetterNut** » Sun Jan 01, 2012 4:25 pm

If you are looking for a Llewellin, you might want to talk to Charles at High Cotton Llewellins. He has great dogs. He doesn't have many litters a year, but he can also give you good information about other Llewellins.

llewellinsetter · Post by **llewellinsetter** » Mon Jan 02, 2012 1:34 pm

thanks steve and everyone im still doing plenty of research and all that good stuff i want to be more than ready to train when i get he or she!

nldd · Post by **nldd** » Tue Jan 03, 2012 7:38 am

Llewellinsetter from reading your first post, you said you wanted to hunt waterfoul , and upland so with that factored in i think you should be looking more towards a versatile pointer with a good coat for the climate you get in michigan.

bwjohn · Post by **bwjohn** » Tue Jan 03, 2012 10:01 am

How much waterfowl do you plan on doing? If a lot, you may want to look at some of the "Versatile Breeds". I think you can get a Setter to do the retrieves, but if WF is a big part of your hunting you may want to get something a little more accustomed to that kind of hunting.

brandon

nooblet · Post by **nooblet** » Wed Jan 04, 2012 12:46 pm

You live in Michigan, it can be cold. Get a pudelpointer. They are outstnding pointers and great duck dogs. They are also awesome in the house. I have a 7 month old son and she is really gentle with him. I will say, they mature late so she is just now acting like a dog. My dog is 2, she is steady to wing, shot and kill and is a great duck dog and retrieves to hand. They can also be trained to track blood if you are a deer hunter (I know people use them for turkeys too but I've never done it). She is 65 pounds.

Go to http://www.pudelpointers.net. They are great breeders. They only breed dogs that are good on wild birds, that's their focus. It's not all test scores... Check it out.

Another good option for you mightbe a DD but I dont have any experience with them.

noob

llewellinsetter · Post by **llewellinsetter** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 6:53 pm

not doing a ton WF hunting maybe 3 times a year, I am thinking my dog will either be a setter or a GSP from bona kennels, i have met a few people now with pups from there and they are beautiful, i think a good solid GSP will be the best choice. What are the best videos and books that i should read, i really want to get my dog on as many birds as i can from the day i start his training, i have been told by my hunting buddy that it is one of the most important things in a dogs training. but how early is to early!

tahi193 · Post by **tahi193** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 7:15 pm

The English Setters I've known were not particularly fond of water. Might just be my experience and not a breed trait but it's something to consider. Good luck choosing your new friend!

RoostersMom · Post by **RoostersMom** » Fri Jan 06, 2012 11:57 am

llewellinsetter wrote:not doing a ton WF hunting maybe 3 times a year, I am thinking my dog will either be a setter or a GSP from bona kennels, i have met a few people now with pups from there and they are beautiful, i think a good solid GSP will be the best choice. What are the best videos and books that i should read, i really want to get my dog on as many birds as i can from the day i start his training, i have been told by my hunting buddy that it is one of the most important things in a dogs training. but how early is to early!

Best DVD series (especially for GSP's) IMO, is Perfect Start and Perfect Finish by Perfection Kennels out of Missouri. Jon and Cindy are big GSP fans and do a lot of work with the "average" hunting dog as well as field trialing.

I know many setters - none like the water. I do know one that will play in her water bowl, but will not swim. I don't know if this is typical of the breed or just the 20 - 25 I've been around. Or maybe it's just because they're not expected to swim. My EP's are great swimmers, as are my GSP's (the new pup is like a fish in the water) and my Vizsla - heck, even my beagles swim. But I expect the swimming and provide every opportunity for them to swim.

phoenix · Post by **phoenix** » Fri Jan 06, 2012 9:39 pm

Both my llews love the water! I cant keep them out of creeks & ponds! However they dont have the right coat for winter water work nor do they have the size for retrieving a wounded duck in water. If I was a duck/upland hunter I would have gone GWP or WPG. As far as when to into birds 14-16 weeks is a good start! But you have to be carefull not to over do it and let the pup learn bad habbits that you have to undo! Hickox has alot of great litature available on the subject. shoot me your email and I will pass some great articles that were passed on to me on the subject! Here is where my female setter came from, look through the pics & you ill see plenty of water loving setters!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Jornad ... 3044939927

llewellinsetter · Post by **llewellinsetter** » Fri Jan 06, 2012 10:02 pm

What about a deutsch langhaar from what i have been reading they are a good all around dog. just some thoughts from owners of this breed or people with experience would be sweet.

isonychia · Post by **isonychia** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 8:04 pm

you hunt 75 - 150 days of the year? That is a helluva lotta hunting! I am still trying to figure if there are 150 days of legal hunting to be had in a year... yeah I guess there are. Someone should try and hunt every open day of the year here in colorado for whatever is open until they limit or the season ends and write a book about it. What an achievement that would be. And then fish the rest... 365 days of hunting and fishing... whew that might take the fun out of it.

isonychia · Post by **isonychia** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 8:06 pm

llewellinsetter wrote:What about a deutsch langhaar from what i have been reading they are a good all around dog. just some thoughts from owners of this breed or people with experience would be sweet.

For a first time dog trainer it might be best to stick with the more standard breeds and stay away from the more exotic ones, mostly because it is easier to find good lines all over the country and you can start with some confidence. I would go with either a Brittany or GSP

My next dog will be an English Setter though.

llewellinsetter · Post by **llewellinsetter** » Sun Jan 08, 2012 9:18 am

I hunt a lot and here in michigan thats everything from white tail to quail and everything else you can think of! i just love being in the woods thats my home away fro home

nooblet · Post by **nooblet** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 10:14 am

if you are planning to use your dog for deer too, get something that can track blood. if you are not interested in pudelpointers I'd suggest looking at DDs.

Post by **Sharon** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 1:00 pm

llewellinsetter wrote:Thanks for all the info so far my lady and i are going to go with a setter, im not even close to buying one yet still a lot of research and watching training videos for myself to do, im more than willing to spend the money on a dog, i want a great dog and i know how much animals cost.
My main goal is to train he or she to hunt pheasant and quail, Are the setters good swimmers? i would love to teach it to duck hunt, what do you guys think of hiring a pro trainer? Should i just train pup myself, i have heard horror stories of bad "pro" trainers. Im so glad to have joined this forum all the info so far has been great!!

I have 2 setters. They swim like crazy. Sometimes I worry that they won't be able to get back , after swimming across the lake. , but not to worry. "Here she comes."

Both live in the house with no problem.The first setter cost me $800. dollars . She is not a "great setter" but suits me fine . For a "great proven setter", you could be looking at $2000. + or - . When you are just learning it is better not to start with "Muhammed Ali".

The initial 6 + months you can do with some guidance. Personally , after that I would consider a pro, Get a good reference . I occasionally use one here in ON when I am ill or get stuck on a particular problem. He's a fine trainer and a fine man ; take it slowly and enjoy your pup.

PS Some setters have thick , longer coats. Grooming is essential - especially when the burrs are out.

Here are some "great setters" who well may produce "great pups". The price wwill probably be high. ( just as an example)

http://www.llewellin.com/whatis.htm

Post by **Sharon** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 1:16 pm

phoenix wrote:
Ryman Gun Dog wrote:llewellSetter,
This week a young man visited our mountain home/training facility here in Potter /Tioga, he had one of the most talented Llewell Setter pups I had seen in 25 years.
The pups name is Roscoe and he is a real nice pup, has some Ryman blood in his line a couple generations back, at 7 months he has learned how to handle spooky Grouse for actual gunning, and from what I understand they are having another litter of pups. Now if you are intersted in a Grouse dog, I will make sure you talk to Roscoes
master. If I was looking for a new Llew Setter pup, this would be the litter I would be picking from.
RGD/Dave
If he has ryman in him he isnt a Llewwllin, no doubt a fine english though! I am a llew guy. I hunt a scarce grause population in VA. I have two llew pups now. My 7 month old Jax was gifted to me by a member here and is turning out to be outstanding. He is an "american" llew with great personality, great looking, DRIVE & INTENSITY is awesome! He has big wheels but no doubt I will get him reeled in a bit. Right now he works about 200-300 yards & is quartering well but a bit hard headed. My female llew is out of Jornada setters in NM. She is built out of a mix of american & european lines and is a great compliment to Jax. I got her started at 10 monts & is now a year old. She is an awsome worker with good style and a powerfull nose. She is close working & thourough casting to about 80-100 yards with persision. I have been fortunate to get both pups on a few grouse this year and they handled them well. Obviously Im a setter guy and perfer the smaller size of the llews as compared to the rymans, pinecobble & such as they live in the house. I say choose the dog you love to look at & watch work and do your homework & you will be happy! Here a are a few pics of my mongrels with one of Saige pinning a grouse at about 20 yards! Good luck!
/tt119/mrflatrock1/IMG_0501.jpg[/img]

That is one gorgeous dog back a few posts. . Wow.

Jagerherzen · Post by **Jagerherzen** » Wed Feb 22, 2012 4:20 pm

isonychia wrote:
llewellinsetter wrote:What about a deutsch langhaar from what i have been reading they are a good all around dog. just some thoughts from owners of this breed or people with experience would be sweet.
For a first time dog trainer it might be best to stick with the more standard breeds and stay away from the more exotic ones, mostly because it is easier to find good lines all over the country and you can start with some confidence. I would go with either a Brittany or GSP

My next dog will be an English Setter though.

Have you ever actually seen a Deutsch Langhaar? Three of the Deutsch Langhaars certified late last fall were all raised, handled and hunt proven tested by first-time handlers. Every DL has PROVEN lineage traced back to 1879. For more REAL information visit http://www.dl-gna.org. There are also dogs all over the country that you can visit or hunt over for some first hand experience.

AG74 · Post by **AG74** » Wed Feb 22, 2012 6:42 pm

OK, since no one else has said it, I will: forget all the previous advice you've gotten and just get a German Wirehaired Pointer!

You won't be disappointed. Great temperament, good family/house dog, love their family, will hunt 110% all day, every day. mine is an upland machine. I don't hunt waterfowl, but judging by how he loves to retrieve from the water, I'd guess he'd be pretty good at that. Pointin' fool that dog is...

good luck - with the proper research I'm sure you'll find the perfect dog for whatever application you want, in the environment you hunt. Have FUN!!

Post by **ezzy333** » Wed Feb 22, 2012 7:23 pm

There are a couple of things you need to know and it shoud be easy from there. Make sure it is alive, from good breeding and you like it. Pups with the first two qualifications come from every breed in existance, The third one only you can answer. Once you have the rest is easy but expensive.

Ezzy

Hattrick · Post by **Hattrick** » Sun Feb 26, 2012 6:18 pm

Don't think you have to find a local breeder most all good breeders can get the pup to you or you can make a long drive it could be well worth the cost of gas for a fine dog. Good luck I can put you in touch with a vary fine GSP breeder that will more than suit ur needs in a vary hunting dog if ur interested. good luck

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