How often do you have to hunt to justify having a bird dog?

[BIGINNER]

I've been thinking.....  (pretty dangerous)

I've been getting more and more busy at work, and at home with family/house stuff,...  so have been very very limited on the amount of hunting I can do.

I honestly don't see that changing anytime soon. 

so now i'm worried about my dogs not getting to hunt much.  they live for hunting, and I feel horrible not being able to take them.

how much times per season would a cutoff point be for your guys's dogs before you start looking for a new hunting home for your pups?

[Birdguy]

Entirely up to you. One of the reasons we went with labs over shorthairs was this exact thought. I know there are several guys with GSPs that will tell you different but I know my labs ejnoy playing fetch in the yard, at the lake or anywhere else. They love chasing the kids, pigeons and rabbits. The GSP I had was not near as family oriented, she hunted and played alone which lead to her being bored, when she got bored she would hunt mice (that happen to be inside my quad which she destroyed  ) or little hard shelled bugs that mad noise in the wireing harness on my tractor (which she pulled out and chewed off  ). It was our fault as we did not exercise her properly  but she also required different exercise the teh labs we have always had  . It is tough to get rid of part of the family, make your decision based on what you feel is best for the dog. Good luck 

[hollymaster]

Dogs are part of the family first, bird dog is just an added benefit.    Helps that the kids take them for walks and play fetch with them to burn energy.

[Mfowl]

Though my dog loves and lives to hunt he is my pal and even if I couldn't hunt anymore he would stay with me.

[bobcat]

Holly master,

Funny picture. My Brittany happens to be laying on the couch right now too. And the couch looks the same! So I had to take a picture. Yes, she thinks it's her couch. And to answer the original post, it all depends on the dog. I haven't taken my dog hunting in 3 or 4 years now. I just don't have the time or the money anymore. I COULD do it, but would have to give up big game hunting.

Anyway, here's the picture of my lazy "bird" dog.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KFhunter]

get one a trials guy culls - still great dogs but might not have matured fast enough or had that bonkers drive they are looking for.

Still great dogs, and being not quite up to snuff for the trials might mean a better family dog, and you wouldn't feel guilty for not taking it hunting enough.

I got the last one of the litter, the smallest little female britt and was half the cost of her littermates.  Couldn't ask for a better family dog, but she'd never make a big running trials dog, nor would I breed her.

 

[Labs07]

I hunt about twice a week but if I stopped hunting tomorrow I would still have a Lab.  Like others have said, most of the time they are a family dog and the other small portion of the year they are a hunting dog. 

[stevemiller]

As few as none in my op.Ill explain when i hunt i use my dog when i dont my family and i play (retreival training that is) with the dog,great family intertainment.several times a year.Go camping take the decoys to the lake oh yeeeaaahhh.   

[Hunting7mm]

Ok.  I have a 10 year old yellow that hunts with me every weekend or as much as I can go.  We also have a three year old chocolate my oldest daughter has been using for 4h since she was a pup.  I take her with me when I can as she will hunt and loves to go.  I still train her with my older yellow just harder since she is a 4h lab, and just yesterday I picked up an 8 month old chocolate.  He's a great lab but has absolutely zero training.  I'll be working him as much as I can as my ten year old yellow is wearing down.  I go to work when it's dark and get home when it's dark in the winter months which means not much getting out during the week.  We have the weekends to hunt but also I take them when checking trail cams or sometimes fishing.  Their part of the family.  They are inside and outside labs.  I wouldn't try to justify anything.  Work them and hunt them when you can.  They just love being a part of the family.

[Don Fischer]

I can't imagine life without a dog. The dog justify's hunting for me. No dog, I'd quit hunting!

[Stilly bay]

Dogs, even hunting dogs don't live for hunting. They live in the moment at hand. Your dogs will never be sitting at home wishing they were they were in the field, they aren't capable of it. They merely react to what is going on around them.

If I quit hunting tomorrow I would always have hunting dogs and never regret it for a second, the dogs, well they wouldn't know the difference as long as they were near me and got plenty of food and exercise.

[Kola16]

I think everyone else nailed it I have a dog.....that happens to hunt too

[runamuk]

Rex went hunting last fall... twice..... he has gone shed hunting and rather stinks at it so far... he loves to go out hiking, going to the river to swim and stuff in summer, and he likes to walk to the farmers market and play ball in the yard.  Yeah he is a bird dog and would hunt his paws off if given the opportunity but he is also a pet and a pretty good one.