Need help choosing a dog breed

[stryker]

I own Chesapeakes. Great family dogs, great animals. They may be a Little out of your size requirements.

I was hoping someone would say Chessie. My male is 105 lbs and my female is 60 and boy is she fast.

Both are certified lap dogs and are great with our clients kids.

[Curly]

Here is a place for poodles   

[pens fan]

Good luck with your research. I'm glad you're spending the time in this. As for flushing vs pointing, think about what you are going to hunt and where.Flusher v pointers are a serious consideration. good luck, ask many more questions. This is more important than a wife! A wife won't retrieve normallly!

[Leanne]

I have a gwp.  I have NEVER owned a better dog.  Bonnie is 1 1/2 years old, she is smart at a whip, she is in love with our daughter who is 5 and she get along well with our beagle.  She weighs in at about 43 pounds (she is missing a leg though).  She sheds less than our beagle......the beagle sheds like a lab sheds...a lot!  She LOVES swimming and chasing ducks in the bay, and she is nuts for grouse.  We got her to be my grouse dog and then she was hit by a car at 9 months, and that put a halt to her bird training, I know it wouldn't take a lot to get her back on track, but sadly life got in the way (wedding, moving, work, daughter started school.....)

She also chases the racoons out of our yard, but I will not let her after them because they are NASTY...

This is one breed of dog I will always have in my home.

I got her out of Bellingham, not papered, but both parents were great looking, good natured dogs.  $400 because of lack of papers.

[L-ofalab]

I have had 3 vizslas that were good at ducks and excellant for upland. I had one that busted 1/2 inch ice to retrieve geese and if they were alive she killed them quick! They have the shortest hair! I'm not recomending them as your best choice, but they have been my favorite for 40 years. I have 1 vizsla now (40 lbs wet) and 2 choc labs (mother & daughter 60 lbs). I hunt all 3 toghether. I would also recomend a Britanny although it's one of the few I haven't owned, they have a very good nose and smaller size.

[Atroxus]

After the pheasant hunt with Stilly Bay today, I am leaning more towards a flusher than pointer. Lab is still my first choice atm if I can convince my wife, though I am willing to change my mind as I research if I find another breed that seems it would work better for me. Which category does a Boykin fall under, flusher or pointer? Pens, any chance you would let me come out hunting with you some time so I can see what a Boykin is like in action?

[greenx1994]

If your looking for a family dog that can also be a hunter, Id go for an English cream retriever. They are a little bit rare and tend to be more expensive, but they are a great dog. I have one that is nine months old right now and she is the most mild mannered loyal dog I have ever owned. The first night I brought her home she slept completely through the night with no issues, and has done so ever since. She always went to the bathroom outside, (with 4 or 5 exceptions that were my fault for not paying attention) She was staying home alone with no kennel by three months and has never once chewed a pair of shoes or showed any signs of constructive behavior. If you don't know this bread, they are completly white and basically a cross between a golden retriever and a lab. Maybe I got extremely lucky with such a good pup I'm not exactly sure since she is the first Ive owned of this bread. Shes flushed many pheasants and grouse already this year and is definatly a great family dog as she is good around all types of people, even little kids. Mine is about 50 pounds right now at nine months but Id say she is smaller than average, and you might have a hard time getting less than that. Her white hair sheds a lot...but its worth it in my opinion.  Do some research on the breed, Im not sure if its what your looking for but I thought Id put my two cents in since Im really happy with my choice. Id be happy to give you the name of the breeder here in washington where I purchased her.

[Atroxus]

If your looking for a family dog that can also be a hunter, Id go for an English cream retriever. They are a little bit rare and tend to be more expensive, but they are a great dog. I have one that is nine months old right now and she is the most mild mannered loyal dog I have ever owned. The first night I brought her home she slept completely through the night with no issues, and has done so ever since. She always went to the bathroom outside, (with 4 or 5 exceptions that were my fault for not paying attention) She was staying home alone with no kennel by three months and has never once chewed a pair of shoes or showed any signs of constructive behavior. If you don't know this bread, they are completly white and basically a cross between a golden retriever and a lab. Maybe I got extremely lucky with such a good pup I'm not exactly sure since she is the first Ive owned of this bread. Shes flushed many pheasants and grouse already this year and is definatly a great family dog as she is good around all types of people, even little kids. Mine is about 50 pounds right now at nine months but Id say she is smaller than average, and you might have a hard time getting less than that. Her white hair sheds a lot...but its worth it in my opinion.  Do some research on the breed, Im not sure if its what your looking for but I thought Id put my two cents in since Im really happy with my choice. Id be happy to give you the name of the breeder here in washington where I purchased her.

 I appreciate the info, if the first site I found on that breed is an indicator then they are way outside my price range though. First site I found for English Creme Retrievers had them priced $2,000-$4,000. Even a Boykin priced at $600-$1000 would really be a stretch for me, which is part of the reason I am still trying to convince my wife to let me get a Lab puppy.

[Stilly bay]

Id go for an English cream retriever.

 I appreciate the info, if the first site I found on that breed is an indicator then they are way outside my price range though. First site I found for English Creme Retrievers had them priced $2,000-$4,000. Even a Boykin priced at $600-$1000 would really be a stretch for me, which is part of the reason I am still trying to convince my wife to let me get a Lab puppy.

get your wife an adorable little yellow lab pup that you can take hunting. heres mine, she isn't from hunting lines but she doesn't know that.

[Atroxus]

Thanks Stilly, that's a mighty cute dog. I showed her the pics but she was unmoved. I'll keep trying though.

[Stilly bay]

I showed her the pics but she was unmoved

tough customer

[Cascade_fisher]

I showed her the pics but she was unmoved

tough customer

No doubt! Almost made me want one - hahaha just kidding!

[abe henderson]

I absolutely love my Duestch Drahthaar.  And so does my wife and my five kids.  Any my hunting buddies who borrow him when I can't go.  A nice little female Draht will fit perfectly every category except price...they are currently going up and are around 1000 from established kennels.  But I layed out a list of criteria very similar to yours and I settled on the Draht after meeting a local breeder and seeing several dogs perform at a training day and I've never looked back.  He pointed everything rock solid as a pup, doesn't LOVE the water, but freakin LOVES retrieving ducks and geese.  He has a tight coat that sheds real light, is extremely tough both physically and mentally (hunts hard, won't give up but is very trainable) and he is an awesome retriever.

When he was eighteen months old I took him duck hunting on a spring creek.  When we got to the creek it was -15 and the high that day was 2 degrees.  We stayed sunup to sundown and he made a dozen or more retrieves in and out of the water that kept icing over, without a vest (I know, I was stupid).  He never whined once and we started calling him plum nuts after that

My best friend just got a little female draht last fall and this will be her first hunting season.  When you sit on the couch she crawls up into your lap and licks your ears and wags her tail.  She is so stinking cute I keep trying to take her home.

Tucker has also been awesome with little kids.  Sometimes he spins his tail end around and bumps one out of the way but that is just when he gets excited in the house.  One day I was on the computer when I heard this funny weak high-pitched whine.  I looked over and my just turned two year old daughter had Tucker's upper lips clenched in her fists and he was laying on the floor looking at me like "please, please get her off me!"

Anyways, thats my sales pitch.  You can google vdd-gna and learn all about them.  A draht is a GWP that is still bred under the strict German breeding system where breeding adults have to pass a series of rigorous hunting tests and physical exams before they can breed.  Its a great system with some very good, generous people involved.

My 2 cents is make your decision based on experience.  Go see dogs doing the kind of hunting you want to do.  See how they are around people and other dogs.  Pick a breed, pick a breeder and wait for a litter and save your money and get set up for a puppy.  Read training books and follow good dog trainers around.  Ask questions, offer to help out.  You will learn a lot and have a rich experience.  Thats the best way to enter into a major 10-15 year commitment and a large part of your life.  My 2 cents.

[pens fan]

I'm off this weekend. Saturday is good. I do have the owner of my dogs brother coming down Sunday. He might be ok with another gun out there. He's coming down from Snoho way. I'll see what he says. And Boykins are flushers...
 

[jetjockey]

I hate to say it, but if $600-$1000 is your price range, you might want to reconsider.  Buying the dog is by far the cheapest part of owning a dog.  Hopefully you have considered that.  One accidental run in with a barbed wire fence or any other numbers of things can cost a LOT of money.  And they are hunting dogs that tend to get hurt if hunted a lot.  My dad spent over $1000 in one month because of a barbed wire fence an another accident....  You may have already thought about that, but if not its something to think about.