Which Gun Dog

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HarrietAnne

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I am thinking of adding to the family & doing field trials & tests, with a working lines gun dog,

now i have a pet Lab so don't want one of these!!
& prefer larger breeds so what would you recommend as a first timer in this field ?

Thank you in advance

Harriet
 
How about an English Setter or a Pointer, although my working pointer is totally pointless.............!!
 
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I have a pet wire haired pointer...he was trained before we took him on as a rescue....and he never stops working even when out for a walk
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he is self exercising
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which is handy, ....but he is constantly on the ball....he does make a lovely loyal pet though and he is very clever.
 
I like English Springers or Large Munsterlanders. As mentioned in previous post the English Springer would be a good choice. I dont know alot about Munsterlanders but they look stunning.
 
If you want something thorough that is easy to train, how about a Hungarian Wirehaired Pointer? They're easier to train than the GWP as they're not as headstrong/self willed and they're steadier than the Spaniels. Mum's friend had a Spaniel and a HWV and he said that the Spaniel misses a lot of game.

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Gosh that is a beautiful dog!!

OP I was going to suggest a german pointer, I have a 1/2 pointer and he is the smartest dog I have ever had, he has worked a little rough shooting with my OH, I also have a lab, and a 3/4 lab 1/4 pointer bitch, The pointers are definitelt headstrong and willful, but once you have cracked them they are very loyal (unlike labs who are ruled by their stomach!).
 
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Gosh that is a beautiful dog!!




(unlike labs who are ruled by their stomach!).

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Thanks
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Not sure about yours, but we've had GWPs since before I was born (nearly 21yrs), they're quite into following their stomachs
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Though they tend to suffer more from selective hearing. I think having had experiance with both that they are fantastic breeds and they also get on very well together, we've had the HWVs for about 14yrs.

We've never worked our dogs but have bred several that have gone into working homes and proved themselves and know people who work both breeds.
 
I'm totaly biased. I love the GSP. They are excellent working dogs and excellent companions to boot. They love working, and training them, although time consuming and at times frustrating, is interesting and character building. They love to learn, but are not as bouncy as a springer. Nor so one track minded as a lab. Not so delicate as a hungarian visla or so pig headed as a wiemeraner. They want to please but at the same time have that streak of "I know best" that is challanging and certainly not boring. I personally would never have any other type of gundog to work with. I belong to a gundog training club, so have a fair idea (imo) of what other dogs are like. Musterlanders can be hard mouthed and noisy. Oh dear I can see I am going to have irate owners shouting at me now....
 
Thank you all, so far if i was going on images alone it would have to be a Hungarian Wirehaired Pointer so am going to do some more research & find out about if my trainer is willing & able to do this with me, fingers crossed

Harriet
 
Don't forget that the best FT dogs are bred extremely fast and flightly and are often difficult to train - they don't always make good every day, steady working gun dogs. The best working gundogs have to think for themselves, FTCH's don't do this - they have to be completely obedient to the handler and instructed on every move. If you specifically want to go into FT and not everyday working you will need a good trainer. If you can join your local affiliated Gundog Club, they often do training in the summer and run working tests which is a great place to start.

It can be an advantage to choose a rarer breed such as a vizla or Spinone as you can enter the AV classes, the lab and spaniel classes are usually so over subscribed its hard to get a run.

Good luck with it all - its very exciting and check out this site - they are the real experts and very helpful.

http://gundogandbirddogforums.yuku.com/
 
I have a wire hair as well, interesting that Echo found them into following their stomachs as ours didn't until very recently and I think that is cos she is in pup!
I adore the breed and found her quite easy to train though she definitely has selective hearing and is ball obsessed!
Good at killing crows though.

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and this is Dad

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I think Cockers look great and work wonderfully but yet aren't the easiest to train by far
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! Springers are easy (or certainly easier) to train. I have a lab at the moment and have to say i'm finding it a whole new experience training her as i've always had springers. They're totally different. Anyway ... if i was brave enough to enter into a FT i would use my springer !! Altho for the time being i'll leave that to my OH!!
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I have a wire hair as well, interesting that Echo found them into following their stomachs as ours didn't until very recently and I think that is cos she is in pup!
I adore the breed and found her quite easy to train though she definitely has selective hearing and is ball obsessed!
Good at killing crows though.

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and this is Dad

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We had a black and white bitch who would jump and swipe pigeons out of the air!
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Do you mind me asking where you got her from and who her sire is? Just being nosey
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Hi Echo, she came from Harrogate and her sire is the great Normbar Valhalle (Dyson to his friends!)
I am very excited about her pups now, around 2 weeks to go!
 
I am very biased as we have labs and cockers, however there is a big difference between a FTC/FTW dog and a dog who actually works on a shoot.

Trials dogs are like robots, the work from the whistle and hand signals, points are awarded for different things, but if a rabbit gets up and the dog looks towards it rather than were he is supposed to be he will be penelised. Also if a dog makes a noise (yelps/barks/whimpers) he will be disqualified.

Where as if you go to an organised driven shoot it is very different, one dog works per peg (gun) and retrieves on that peg. As long as he doesn't run in or intrude on another peg tha'ts fine. Labs are commonly used on driven shoots.

Rough shoots are diffent, you usually find spanials (cockers/springers) as they are harder workers and will go all day, (the Lab will have his feet up in the car by lunch time!).

Generally Labs are very easy to train, cocker are too if you can control the energy! They are far brighter than the average lab!

Also remember that you will always come across the different types within the breeds. A show strain Lab/cocker will never make a gun dog, show Labs are heavy and square with a short coat which is not very good when they get wet. A working strain Lab will probably have a thicker coat, sometimes with a wave through it, if you part the hair you can see the under coat which keeps them dry in water.
Show cockers look completely differnt to a worker, higher domed head, longer ears, docked very short. A working cocker will have a flatter head, longer back, and huge paws!!!

Good luck with your search, you can sometimes pick up a failed trials dog who hasn't made the grade, will be fully trained just maybe not up to passing all the tight rules/regulations for trials
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