Dog choices?

[Atroxus]

I have been thinking about trying some small game hunting and from what people have been telling me it seems like most of the small game hunting in this state goes a lot easier/better when hunting with a dog or dogs. I was wondering would it be possible to train a dog as a bird dog, and also train it to hunt raccoons and other game animals as well? Or would a person have to get different dogs to train for different types of hunting?

[Shannon]

Get a deutch draathaar or a pudelpointer. They are both bred to hunt fur and feathers. The DD may be a little more common to find fur hunters.

[Atroxus]

Thanks for the info. I have never even heard of either of those breeds breeds though. They pretty expensive and/or rare?

[Shannon]

The DD is a german wirehair that has a lot of training and breed test before they can be bred. Part of the test is on fur so it insures you of at least the parents liking to hunt fur. Contact Lee Root on this site. He is a breeder of them in Omak. They are not any more money than a quality breeding of a lab. They are more than a back yard breeder though.

[Curly]

I think you'd be better off with different dogs for your different types of hunts.  I've just never heard of a bird dog being used for raccoon hunting or a coon dog being used for bird hunting...........but I suppose anything is possible.

I think Machias has a wirehair though and he is a trapper, so he should be able to give you his opinion on Shannon's suggestion.

[Stilly bay]

I would try small game hunting first and then think about a dog if that really floats your boat.  you may decide that racoons and bunnies aren't your thing and then you would have to break your pup from chasing those critters which are a little more common than game birds in a lot of areas. vice versa for upland birds. never teach a dog something you will have to correct later.

[RC3]

Here is what a wirehair looks like.............this one in particular is Rockie

She is getting ready to do the field portion of her hunting aptitude evaluation

wet day!

[wildweeds]

I know a guy who was a very active hound hunter,he used to make a living in the winter from the pelts he got off bobcats and cougars in the 70's.Fast forward 30 years..................He's got a German Shorthair trained to hunt birds and ....................run cats and give voice when he's got em treed,He claims the birddog gets em up the tree faster because he doesn't start barking the second he smells em to give a heads up warning,He thinks the dog pretty much slinks up on them,scares the cat up the tree quick because there is no warning.Once he hears the shorthair bark he cuts his 3 hounds loose and the party is almost over.

I think you'd be better off with different dogs for your different types of hunts.  I've just never heard of a bird dog being used for raccoon hunting or a coon dog being used for bird hunting...........but I suppose anything is possible.

I think Machias has a wirehair though and he is a trapper, so he should be able to give you his opinion on Shannon's suggestion.

[Shannon]

Machias has a Griffon which isn't as sharp on fur as a DD on average.

[RC3]

They are tough dogs my pup found a porcupine last weekend and didn't want to stop hunting with a mouth full of quills!

[Machias]

I have a Griffon pup and acgtually I've heard they are little more aggressive with fur. They spend quite a little bit of time in the Griff books talking about getting them around cats when they are pups.  When I was talking to a local trainer and told him about getting my Griff pup he said oh so you like them cat dogs! 

[Sportfury]

I have both a wirehair and a shorthair and both are fur sharp. My shorthair has taken out a couple cats even though he was raised with them (they were neighbor cats though). My wirehair was raised with cats also and as soon as you pick a cat up she will come over and grab a quick bite. Not fun when holding a cat. I don't think you would have any trouble training a wirehair to run coons and hunt birds too. Look at the what the Europeans do with Deustch Drathaars.

[high country]

I have a draht, I got mine from lee root. I can tell you for a FACT that they will hunt fur and feather equally fiercly. I watched my dog kill a coyote and try to bring it to me.....they are hell on critters.