Grandpa looking for a pheasant dog.

[dustysags]

My gramps oldest lab passed away this year at 13+ years and he has another 8 year old lab who is getting up there in age. He has always wanted a smaller dog but always ended up some how getting a lab thrown at him. We both love labs but I want him to finally get a smaller upland dog. Were looking for an older dog because he wants to hunt it this fall with his lab. I've always been interested in the cockers and brittany's but have never hunted with any of them. We just want to get him and smaller dog under 40 pounds. It needs to be a close range dog because even though he hunts 2x a day all season hes not into sprinting. Let me know if you guys know of any dogs or even give me some info on smaller upland dogs with close range habits. thanks

[netcoyote]

tag

[shootem]

Don't know if there is a little Boykin Spaniel available but take a look if there is. There also are some small labs around.

[NW-GSP]

Maybe a Brittany?, I've never owned one but have friends that have them and they are Cool dogs that are smaller.

[Colin]

Saw my first field bred cocker spaniel this past weekend at the UKC Hunt Test. You might try contacting Whistling Wings or Cascade HRCs to get in touch with some owners of the less common types of hunting breeds.

[Blackjaw]

The majority of field bred cockers would fit the under 40 lb bill, but older ones are tough to come by. They are flushing dogs that are meant to quarter the ground in gun range, but they need to be well trained or they will punch out of range (unless you get a 'boot licker', but they aren't very fun to hunt behind.). If I hear of any older ones coming up for sale I'll let you know.

Rick

[pens fan]

A Boykin would be about right. English cockers as well, but both are hard to come by...cockers especially.
I have a line on a ten month old Boykin that was being trained for duck hunting. The owner got transferred to San Diego and can't keep the dog.

[Forks]

Pointing or flushing breed is the first question that needs to get answered I would say.

[pens fan]

That wasn't specifically noted. But I'm thinking he's talking about a flusher.

[T-Bone]

I'm a spaniel fan, but the high energy (exciting to me still at age 62) maybe too much for Grandpa.

Why change breeds? Several strains of Labs come in a smaller 40-45lb. size. With another breed, Grandpa will always be comparing the new dog to his last Labs.

Tom

[dustysags]

He's not picky on pointer vs flusher. He's always had retrievers so I'm not sure a pointer would require more training he might not want to get into. He does pheasant 98% of the time daily during the season then he's on close to 200 acres so the rest of the year would be a farm dog with the lab. He takes the lab daily for walks in pheasant grounds almost daily in the off season so he walks a lot.

[Forks]

French Brittany would be my vote for Gramps.

[AspenBud]

Field bred English Cocker Spaniel sounds like the right choice. Small, hardy, and nice house dogs.

[Man Tracker]

Might try the NW Boykin website or check with Tanwax Kennels

[pens fan]

^^^That would be me. I started Northwest Boykins Spaniel Club and Tanwax Creek Boykins. You can come by and see our dogs anytime. I think you've found your answer.

[wildweeds]

Where does Grandpa live? Eastern or western washington?

[dustysags]

He lives in ferndale wa. About a mile away from the release sites at lake Terrell. Western wa.

[JODakota]

French Brittany would be my vote for Gramps.

x2 but consider this hunting pointers and flushers together can be frustrating.

[SureThing]

Brittney spaniels are wonderful smaller dogs with big dog personalities. If grandpa doesn't have running shoes and wants to walk up on the bird I think he needs to rethink his dog choice. Sounds like he is use to hunting flushing dogs that need to be in range to the hunter as they work. A pointer can work much more ground and hold the birds till you arrive. Release site birds are no change for Britney spaniels. I use to have Brittney's and changed to GSP's. Both are good dogs but notice some differences between them and had to hunt them differently to get there maximum potential out of them. The Brittney's are smaller and tougher then the GSP's. If there is a sent trail going into the thickest nastiest sticker patch the Brittney's jumped in head first and never looked back. The GSP looks at the patch and may run the perimeter to see if the bird exited it then goes looking for an easier bird. They tend to like the big open open country verses the thick and nasty. The short version is they tend to out run the Brittney's.  Brittney's are great family dogs and are very loyal. I do agree with JO and Tbone partially. If Grandpa wants to hunt a pointer like a flusher he won't be happy. It sounds like he wants a change and has to be willing to change as well to hunt to what ever dog he chooses strengths. My Brittney's tended to naturally range closer than my GSP's. But then again I tended to hunt the thicker cover that other dogs don't hunt as effectively with my Brittney's  vs the wide open cover I tend to hunt my GSP's in. Brittney's are ideal for west side release sites but are very smart and tenacious to take on east side wild birds. In fact, Pheasants are not much challenge for either breed I find. Pheasants are stinky birds that are easy for dogs to follow. I personally enjoy watching my dogs hunt a broken covey of quail the best. Grandpa needed worry if he hasn't ever trained a pointer the pointing is natural instinct. You don't train them to do it you only reinforce that behavior with practice.
Good luck and have fun with whatever Grandpa chooses.

[jetjockey]

 

I agree.  It doesn't take much of a dog to become a decent pheasant dog.  To become a great pheasant dog is another story.  But pheasants are big birds with lots of scent. And any dog that has enough time on them will quickly learn how to track them, pin them, and fill your bag.....  My dad also had to learn to let his pointing dog roll and go find birds.  He's 70 and while he still gets around really well,  walking a bunch of fields gets to him now.  He's learned to love letting the dog do the hunting and finding, while he walks over to shoot the birds.