Has anyone had a hunting dog?

I have had hunting dogs almost all my life. I love dogs and like to see them hunt. I have at some point in my life or another had rabbit dogs, hog dogs, deer dogs, squirrel dogs, coon dogs and retrievers.

You need to get the dog that is the proper breed for the animal you wish to hunt for. For instance a Lab would make a great dog for duck retrieving. A beagle will make the best rabbit dog you can own, with a desire to run rabbits and open up on the trail ( bark).

A hound will make a great dog for deer, and coon. A pointer will point and retrieve quail and pheasant. A Terrier or Mountain Cur makes a great squirrel dog.

But you need to choose your puppy from good hunting dog stock. In other words, if the puppies mom and dad were good hunters, the odds are the puppy will become good also.

A dog contributes to the enjoyment of a hunt tremendously. And a good dog will add to the total success of what ever you are hunting for. Plus, you can go with several friends, and let the dog find game for you, in other words hunting with a dog or dogs makes for a great social outing with friends or family.

Concentrate on training one dog at a time for whatever you are interested in. Read books or look it up on the net for methods of training your puppy. My favorite method of squirrel hunting or rabbit hunting is with a dog. You can take 2,3, or more people with you and everyone will have a good time.

Just a tip on training- you can trail almost any dog to hunt, but to really get a good dog, you need to get a dog that has a good blood line ( mom and dad good hunting dogs). A dog that comes from a good blood line will be faster trained and will be a better hunting dog after he or she is trained.

And another tip- for some reason, and there are exceptions to every rule, I have found a female dog will be easier to train, with a desire to please you more then the males will.

And I know I am a traitor to my own kind, but I have found the females are usually smarter then the males, but not always....Good luck.

§Over many years of hunting I have owned four Labrador Retrievers. Two of them were superb hunters, two were just nice pets. All were meant to be hunters, however. There are some Labs that have been trained to point. These are specialty animals, mostly Labs are retrievers and they will flush game, though they need to be trained to work in close. If you're not experienced, for your first dog be prepared to spend some good money (maybe a couple thousand) and consider buying a pre-trained dog with good characteristics. Do some research, read the magazines on gun dogs, talk with some trainers and attend some field trials to get an idea of what you will be spending your money on. Even a trained dog needs regular work-outs to keep in shape and to keep skills honed. I agree about the female dogs being easier to handle but be careful about taking an un-fixed dog in the field with males. If you don't intend to breed the dog, have her, or him, fixed and avoid many problems. As far as I'm concerned, the finest hours I've spend hunting have been shooting birds with a good dog. Enjoy.

It relatively relies on the character. There are various motives to love each mutts and purebreds. Mutts are typically extra easygoing and laid again, and will also be so much less difficult to maintain round than purebreds who had been bred for a precise intent. They will not be the neatest, however have a tendency to have fewer wellness disorders and typically outlast purebreds. Mutts make quality pets. Purebreds however, had been bred for a precise intent. They will also be smarter and extra 'high-quality-tuned' for designated matters, like terriers for flushing out sport, hounds for sniffing out trails, shepherd puppies for a top stage of pastime, agility and attention, bully breeds for his or her tenacity and fearlessness. The disposition of every breed has a tendency to fall inside designated instructional materials, so you've a well notion of what to anticipate while you purchase a dog or undertake an grownup puppy. If you desire a puppy that does not require a quality deal of bodily pastime to be glad, you are typically now not going to shop for a terrier or running puppy. With mutts, inspite of visible aspects of breeds, you continue to do not know which detail of the which breed will dominate his persona.

I've had blue ticks, walkers, black & tans, beagles, pit bulls and jack russells. My best dog was a black & tan mutt and the worst was an expensive pure blood blue tick that was scared of coons. I had a good female coon hound to trail and a pit bull to tree. The pit bulls were the smartest followed by the jack. Check the family history of hunting and watch the dog. It can be a crap shoot but blood lines don't always do it. I think a lab - golden retriever mix might do what you want or one of each to do different jobs but like I said you can't just pick one out like a car. You could use them like that and breed them to get what you want. It takes a lot of work and years to train them till you find something that works. Good Luck.

* Yes I have Trained, and had Beagles for Fifty (50+) years.* It is well worth your time and effort.* They make Hunting so much more enjoyable, and successful.* Once you have had a Hunting Dog or Dogs to Hunt with you really never care to hunt again without one.*

If you want to *try* to get a dog that'll have a chance at that sort of 'all-rounder".... research AIREDALE.

I'm not much interested in shooting & have stacked up quarry w/only the dogs & a blade.

It is a sad day at our house when we do not have a gun dog.

I've had a punting dog, chihuahua's are so fun.

I have my wife.