Need help choosing a dog breed

[skinzner]

Has anyone mentioned Pudelpointers yet? I have an 18 month old female and am very happy with her. She is great around the house and sheds very little and is 48 pounds. We just came back from montana and she did really good but i still have to get her out duck hunting to see how that will go. There is another guy shannon on here that has 2 pudelpointers .Below is the link to bob at cedarwoods in boise which is where i got my dog. My dog is on the hairier side but you can get them that almost look like a liver german shorthair.


http://cedarwoodgundogs.com/

[Happy Gilmore]

I'll just throw this idea out there, don't know about them......I'd rather have a lab, but what about a Labradoodle???    Could that be a compromise that would work? 

(Or maybe get a pure bread, smallish lab female puppy and tell the wife it is a labradoodle.  Then after it gets larger and continues to look like a pure bread lab...........it's too late and the wife would already be attached to the lab).   

I did a little looking on Labradoodles and one sentence on wikipedia has me concerned. "Because the Labradoodle is a hybrid and not a breed, puppies do not have consistently predictable characteristics." I would hate to get a dog then find out it won't hunt. I don't know how hard it would be to find a labradoodle that I could verify that both parents are from good hunting lines.

Passing a lab off as a Labradoodle is tempting, but I'm not really comfortable lying to my wife about it to get a lab. So far Boykin or maybe poodle seem like the best compromise. Poodle only if I can get a chance to hunt with one and find a breeder that has a verifiable hunting line.

You can get away with telling her it's a Labradoodle for a while...LOL...

[Sportfury]

Atroxus I would suggest the GWP. Of course I am partial to that breed as that is what I own (x2). We have had labs and a GSP also, but I like the GWP the best. There temperament, their will to please, their will drive to hunt (anything and bad for cats, raccoons, and such). They can do water, they dive in the deepest brush, and are an all around great dog. They do need to be run everyday, so make sure they get their exercise.

 If money is an issue then try the GWP rescue http://www.gwprescue.com/. Right now they have a couple of dogs and they put you through the ringer "somewhat" to make sure that the dog is going to a good home.

I checked out that rescue site and am thinking gwp may not work for me. The site said they are not good for people who are away from home long hours. Due to my commute I leave home at 5am for work and don't get back until 5:30-6.

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Atroxus I leave the house at 4:30 am and don't make it home until 4:00 pm. The pups do good, but they do have an outside kennel and each other. I just make sure when I get home that they have lots of time to run to burn off some of that energy.
I would look at Abe's post on Drahthaars. If I hadn't been in such an all fired hurry to get a new pup I would have got a Draht instead of the GWP. Some people would say that their is no difference, but the Draht does go by the german standards where the GWP doesn't have to. However, most reputable breeders of the GWP do a good breeding for the right traits. There is another member on here who has Drahts/GWP named Lee Root. He would be good to look up.

I also wanted a rescue dog at first due to price, but doing the research, learning about the breed, researching breeders, putting a down payment down, saving the money was well worth the time spent. I think you are doing the right thing going out with other people and checking out their dogs. I don't have any trips for birds planned soon, but in November I may have something going in Yakima. Maybe we could get together and you could learn about the ugly dogs. Just remember once you go ugly you don't go back (and for you wisecrackers were talking dogs not the bar  ).

[Kola16]

Atroxus, you are coming hunting with me on the 4th, (or is it the 3rd  ). My lab is fairly small, and she sheds very little. Maybe you can take a lot of pictures of her while we are hunting or something  When she is standing, she comes to my knees. From the trailer to the ground is about 19 inches

[Atroxus]

Atroxus, you are coming hunting with me on the 4th, (or is it the 3rd  ). My lab is fairly small, and she sheds very little. Maybe you can take a lot of pictures of her while we are hunting or something  When she is standing, she comes to my knees. From the trailer to the ground is about 19 inches

The 4th, it's worth a shot though. I am not holding my breath for it to change her mind though.

[runamuk]

if it was just a duck dog I'd suggest a Toller....small like a miniature golden retriever in looks to some extent

http://www.nsdtrc-usa.org/

[Atroxus]

if it was just a duck dog I'd suggest a Toller....small like a miniature golden retriever in looks to some extent

http://www.nsdtrc-usa.org/

I enjoyed pheasant hunting, so I really want a dog that can do both waterfowl and upland game. Though there is the possibility I could hate duck hunting, then I would be happy with just an upland dog. Like that's gonna happen.

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[Kola16]

if it was just a duck dog I'd suggest a Toller....small like a miniature golden retriever in looks to some extent

http://www.nsdtrc-usa.org/

I enjoyed pheasant hunting, so I really want a dog that can do both waterfowl and upland game. Though there is the possibility I could hate duck hunting, then I would be happy with just an upland dog. Like that's gonna happen.

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Did you eat the duck that you got on your pheasant hunt  You should search some recipes on here. Chances are.....you probably won't like the taste of duck plain 

[Atroxus]

I tried the duck with just some bacon wrapped around it, and now I understand why shovelers are considered undesirable. I would have had to be starving to eat it. Next duck I want to try a meat ball recipe I found.

This weekend I am making pheasant and dumplings though. I hope that tastes better than bacon wrapped shoveler...though I can't imagine it tasting worse. :shudder:

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[Curly]

Pheasant tastes way better than duck.

I didn't find much difference in taste between shoveler or mallards........

[Happy Gilmore]

if it was just a duck dog I'd suggest a Toller....small like a miniature golden retriever in looks to some extent

http://www.nsdtrc-usa.org/

Tollers job was never to retrieve. That's why they owned Chesapeakes.

[Kola16]

I tried the duck with just some bacon wrapped around it, and now I understand why shovelers are considered undesirable. I would have had to be starving to eat it. Next duck I want to try a meat ball recipe I found.

This weekend I am making pheasant and dumplings though. I hope that tastes better than bacon wrapped shoveler...though I can't imagine it tasting worse. :shudder:

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The joke is wrap the duck in bacon, cook it, then throw the duck out, and eat the bacon 

It all depends on how you cook it  http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,63551.msg791460.html#msg791460

Wacenturion has a great recipe 

So does Malardman except soak the breasts in soda water for a day first 

Jerky is great too

But now I got you off topic.....back to getting your wife to love a lab 

[Stilly bay]

dang I didn't realize how big boykins are. thats no little dog!

your average field springer would be a good bit smaller and more favorable to the wifey.

[Happy Gilmore]

Kaie in the middle snubbing her nose at the sight is about 80lbs. Ty was just a youngster in the picture(right) at probably 70ish. Elroy's Earl is probably about 50 somthing?  . Earl is about the same size as my friends black and white springer. About the same size as a short legged Brit. You're cutting turds when the dogs get that small IMO>

[Atroxus]

Now I'm starting to think my wife is just being contrary. I finally started making progress on the lab, then she went from "it's to big" to "i don't want a puppy, i want a dog that is already potty trained." to "I don't want to think about it now cause we aren't getting a dog until summer". 

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