dog recommendation?

[Jekemi]

My old dog Jack is on his last legs. Hate to say it but he's 15 and developing some serious issues. I can't imagine life without Jack.

To sooth my sorrows, when the time comes, I'd like to get a dog that I can use for both upland birds and also to retrieve ducks. Is there such a compromise or hybrid dog breed? I've heard that some labs are cross trained in this way. Any comments or recomendations?

Also, can you recommend a good trainer for such a dog? You guys have probably been asked this before.

[GoldTip]

I have a chocolate lab that I simply trained both for upland and waterfowl, it was simply a matter of training him with pheasant and hun wings.  Basically he just loves to hunt birds, all birds any birds.  I don't think you could go wrong with a Lab for what you want to do.

[C-Money]

I have had great luck with Chesapeake Bay retrievers. They do not develop as fast as a Lab, but give them time to "grow up" and they are amazing dogs. My Chessy's will hunt upland birds or ducks. I think they may like hunting the upland birds better! I have little children and they love my kids.

[Ireland Farms]

Sorry to hear Jack is not doing well. That is one of the hardest things to go through.

I'd always reccommend a lab. Of course I raise them so I'm a little partial. You can check out my website and see the hunting lines that my adult dogs have.

Good luck in whatever dog you decide on.

[EastWaViking]

I'd get a Lab.   

[SnowDog]

+1 on the lab recommendation!

Cheers!
SnowDog

[Ridgerunner]

Look at golden retrievers, especially from the "field" line. 

[whitey]

I also have had great luck with the Chessy's.I have had 8 of them over 20 years of breeding them.They are great and do a fine job on Upland birds.They do a great job on Waterfowl.

But I recently traded Up for My Cooke Canyon Pointing Lab and couldnt be happier.
Either way You go I think You getting Your next hunting partner in line now is a great choice.


Sorry to hear about Your Ol Partner,Jack..Its tough.Good Luck with that.
Whitey

[tlbradford]

Maybe you should read this before listening to all of the lab recommendations  

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,31240.0.html  

I always advise people to select a breed based on living conditions.  How much time you can spend with them, how much yard do you have, kids at home, inside or outside sleeping, etc.  A lab is a great dog for what you are looking for.  

I am not a fan of labs primarily because of the vast majority having a really stubborn streak.  I used a golden retriever for the past 14 years almost entirely for upland.  All I needed was a dog to obey the basic commands, and be able to follow hand signals.  I wanted a wide ranging pointer in my head, but my living situation at college dictated getting something I could keep in a small yard, and would pick up training quickly.  I know Wayne1 does a ton of field trials so you should shoot him a pm to make sure you get his input.

[Jekemi]

Thank you for all your recomendations. Lab or Chessy sounds good.

Jack is a Lab/Greyhound mix. He had great long range eyesight and stamina and he would chase birds on land. He loved the water and he wasn't gun shy. But he didn't have the retrieve thing down. He could run like the wind but unlike our Greyhound, he could go all day.
Now he can't hear, has a few tumors, moves real slow, and can't hold his pee. He is one of the best dogs I ever had.

[addicted]

+1 for lab but look up the family lines for hip displacia(spelling)

[Rowdy]

These tend to get the job done, land and water. 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2794/4067043072_24732d1411_b.jpg

[Sportfury]

Sorry to hear about Jack.

For reccomendations I would try a German Wirehair Pointer (I'm a little biased). They will do it all and make a great family dog at the same time. My girl Sofie loves the water. Her desire to retrieve is unbelievable. I can throw a dummy for an hour or more straight and she will not stop. Lake or no lake. On top of that she has a great nose and you can see her learn everytime she is out and gets into birds. Check out Lee Roots posts and there are some other posts on here about Wirehairs or DD's (Deutsch Drathaars). Main thing is to do your research as tbradford said and make sure you are getting the right dog for you. Make sure it fits your situation and hunting style.

Another place you might get more info on a variety of dogs is at http://www.uplandjournal.com. They have a bulleting board over there and you can get a lot of information on different dogs. Good luck.

[TEX-X]

i'd recommend a GWP.... or even a GSP depending on where you will be hunting...  i have a few GSPs....  my main pup orion does it all....  I bought him a neoprene  jacket....now the cold water doesn't phase him....  the only time i'd be looking into a Chessy would be if you did the mostly sea duck hunting....they are great dogs...  someone said it depends on living situation... the GSPs tend to have to be worked more or they get destructive....  but i can hunt over mine all day long..... I'll be exhausted and the dogs will want to keep going

[luvtohnt]

Being a lab lover I would recommend a lab. However after hunting with a GSP this last weekend I was amazed at the amount of land they can cover. My lab was able to keep the same stamina as the GSP all day,but with the pointer being just that she is trained to cover more ground and hold the bird until you get there. Whereas my lab will flush the bird and I have to be in range of the bird, so she has to stay close to me. I can see some definite advantages to a GSP, but labs have their advantages also. I know from experience watching my lab and now my buddies GSP that the pointers are far more destructive unless you exercise them daily. Another thing I would worry about is the thin hair on a GSP they may like water but you would put the dog under allot of stress with repeated retrieves in frigid water. This is where a lab would be handy as their coat is designed for cold water work. I don't know much about the GWP but maybe their hair would allow for more cold water action. Last thing is Labs are just so darn cute when they are puppies.

Brandon