Most Versatile Hunting Dog

[NW-GSP]

Most dogs are purpose built. You can't REALLY say one dog is perfect for both as each breed tends to be just a little better at one than the other. Labs are great all around dogs and can hold up to cold weather. You can buy pointing labs but primarily they are a flushing type dog when it comes to upland. The same goes for Chesapeake. When you start getting into the pointing dogs you start drifting farther away from the waterfowling ability. Can they swim? yes? can they hold up to December temperatures and swim? Not many. Like was said earlier if you plan more upland than waterfowl than go with a pointing breed that also enjoys water. If you plan on more waterfowl or enough waterfowl hunting in the cold go with a Lab. There is a trade off either way you go. None of the short hair dogs can stand up in the cold water! Anybody who try's to make a case for that is IMHO uneducated, irresponsible, and uncaring. Short hair dogs have no place in cold water for long periods of time that is just asking for hypothermia.

For my money and my needs I use Labs. Labs chosen from working lines that tend to be on the smaller size (55-65 pounds). They can deal with the cold water and are small enough to hit the field for upland and no fizzle out like larger dogs do. when looking for a lab do your research and make sure you are getting a working dog. Short legs, big head, fat body means it's a show type lab and not ideal for working or hunting.

I guarentee that a drathaar can handle the cold temps just as well as a lab if not better. They are also tested on water fowl hunting.

[Tyler_C]

German wirehairs seem to be a popular choice so far.

Keep it going, guys.

[wildweeds]

Actually my buddy had a wirehair that was better at duck retrieving and hunting than a good majority of labs and he picked it up and retained the training very well.He was trained at Conway and Brooke actually said the dog was better in ability  than most of the labs he gets in for training.My buddy took that dog on a goose hunt to Alberta,the guide was hesitant to hunt with the dog because his 3 yellow labs who hunt every day of the season were top notch...................Wrong  the wirehair put them to shame in application of difficult retrieves in icy water and manners in the field whereas obeying what was instructed. And they asked where he got the dog from.That dog is retired now,deaf and half blind at 13 years old,He spent 90% of his hunting carreer as a duck dog,field,water and salt water for sea ducks.

Most dogs are purpose built. You can't REALLY say one dog is perfect for both as each breed tends to be just a little better at one than the other. Labs are great all around dogs and can hold up to cold weather. You can buy pointing labs but primarily they are a flushing type dog when it comes to upland. The same goes for Chesapeake. When you start getting into the pointing dogs you start drifting farther away from the waterfowling ability. Can they swim? yes? can they hold up to December temperatures and swim? Not many. Like was said earlier if you plan more upland than waterfowl than go with a pointing breed that also enjoys water. If you plan on more waterfowl or enough waterfowl hunting in the cold go with a Lab. There is a trade off either way you go. None of the short hair dogs can stand up in the cold water! Anybody who try's to make a case for that is IMHO uneducated, irresponsible, and uncaring. Short hair dogs have no place in cold water for long periods of time that is just asking for hypothermia.

For my money and my needs I use Labs. Labs chosen from working lines that tend to be on the smaller size (55-65 pounds). They can deal with the cold water and are small enough to hit the field for upland and no fizzle out like larger dogs do. when looking for a lab do your research and make sure you are getting a working dog. Short legs, big head, fat body means it's a show type lab and not ideal for working or hunting.

[AspenBud]

Wirehaired pointing griffons get a lot of good reviews. I would be leery of lines with Cesky Fousek bred into them without seeing them first however.

[NW-GSP]

Wirehair and Drathaar's are not the same.

[Tyler_C]

What's the difference? 

[NW-GSP]

Take a look at this link. http://www.drahthaaraddiction.com/what-is-a-deutsch-drahthaar.html

[Tyler_C]

thanks for all the info guys! keep it up!  helps a lot.

[walleye1]

Wirehairs do it all.they are fur and feather dogs, tracking, ect.it would take a special lab to hang with them in the upland area. But for water some wirehairs love it some don't

[wildweeds]

And the drahts are sharper in the fur arena if that's possible,I've met more than a few  really owly,grouchy wirehairs.

Wirehairs do it all.they are fur and feather dogs, tracking, ect.it would take a special lab to hang with them in the upland area. But for water some wirehairs love it some don't

[AWS]

Don't forget the little AWS, bred for market hunting in the upper midwest and the Wisconsin State Dog.  Cold water retrieving were a requirement and market hunting didn't stop with ducks, prairie chicken, sharptail, woodcock and ruff grouse were all taken for the market.

My last AWS won the upland hunting competiton at the National Specialty and a number of shoot to retrieve competition.  She was a tireless upland dog that could transition from big CRP sharptails and pheasants to tight cover woodcock and grouse without missing a step.  Even after she went deaf she was able to learn to take commands with the vibration mode on a collar.  We spent 14 years together, her ashes are buried next to our favorite duck hunting spot on Greys Harbour.

Though a quirk of fate I ended up with a GSP/Draat(not sure of lineage as he is a rescue from a hunter that had to give him up).  Again a great upland dog and waterfowl retriever.  I'm sad to say that at eight his upland days are near done due to arthritic hips but the vet thinks we can keep him retrieving waterfowl for many more years.  He lives to hunt and would keep at it till he couldn't move anymore, I'm the one that will be required to protect him from himself.

[wolftrapper]

My best all around was a Weimaraner.  I am 65 years old, and have had hunting dogs all of my life, bluetick hounds, walker hounds, black and tan hounds, airdales, a lab, Chesapeakes, German Shorthair (currently), and the Weim.  They were all good hunting dogs, but I would trade them all for the Weimaraner.  He lived to be twelve, and had hundreds of wild pheasant dropped in front of him.  In his LIFE he failed to retrieve exactly two of them.  I didn't even realize how exceptional this was, at the time.  He tracked a crippled coyote in the snow once, and bayed it under some trees.  When I came up on them I said "git him", and he picked it up right behind the shoulders, and shook it like it was a rat (admittedly, it was weak). He killed lots of cats that way....that caused me some problems, at times, but I couldn't break him of it.  He wasn't the most solid pointer, but if it held tight, he would too.  January retrieves of geese in the Snake river, one of which lasted so long, I was ready to drive to town for the boat, but couldn't leave him like that.  I thought he would drown for sure, but he finally tired the bird out, and brought it in.  Lastly, he was the best friend I ever had.  I used to tell my wife "if old Buck never hunted another day, I would be perfectly happy, just to have him around".  I also hunted moose with him standing quietly by my side, as I glassed bulls less than a hundred yards away.  Never chased a deer, ran into bears and survived, and would gently grasp the hand of anyone walking up behind me, if they were strangers.  He retrieved anything I shot, and never had any formal training.....I just took him hunting, and followed him around.  He taught me well.

[Stickerbush]

tag

[Happy Gilmore]

A well bred and a well trained dog of just about any hunting breed is the best versatile dog.

[Lingcod]

Golden Doodle hands down