Hunting Washington Forum
Other Hunting => Bird Dogs => Topic started by: BIGINNER on August 02, 2010, 09:51:28 PM
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I KNOW A GUY SELLING A BRITTANY SPANIEL. HE DOG IS 7 YEARS OLD. ITS GUN BROKEN, AND A GOOD HUNTING DOG. MY QUESTION IS... HOW MUCH IS I WORTH? I HAVE NO EXPERIENCE WITH HUNTING DOGS. AND I DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO HAVE SOMEONE TRAIN A DOG FOR ME. SO I WANTED TO GET A DOG THAT IS ALREADY A GOOD HUNTING DOG. THIS DOG IS TRAINED AND HUNTS WELL. THANKS FOR ANY INPUT
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A well trained hunting dog can cost in the thousands of dollars. I don't have an example right off the top of my head, but $2500 and up is what I have seen in the past.
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A well trained hunting dog can cost in the thousands of dollars. I don't have an example right off the top of my head, but $2500 and up is what I have seen in the past.
i talked to the guy today. the dog points, is gun broken, but hasn't hunted in alittle over a year. so he said her retreiving may need a little work. and since i am always short on money, (and my wife would kill me if i spent alot on a dog) :chuckle: this guy is giving me a pretty good deal. but how hard would it be to get its retreiving up to parr? i will go take a look at the dog today. (i've only seen pics so far.)
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Pointing dogs aren't always natural retrievers. That could take some training. If you really want a dog to retrieve, get a retriever. But perfect retrieving isn't absolutely necessary. If the dog finds and point birds, that's the main thing. My Brittany will pick up dead birds and sometimes only brings them part of the way to me, then loses interest and drops the bird. If it's still alive then she's more interested in holding on to it. I guess she figures if it's dead she's done her job and it's time to move on and find more birds. It can be a problem because if the dog goes to a fallen bird, picks it up, then drops it, and you can't see the dog, you may then have a problem finding the bird. So it's important to keep an eye on the dog and try to stay as close as possible.
Anyway, if you want an older dog there's no reason you shouldn't get that dog if the price is right. Hopefully it's house broken if you plan on having it in your house. At 7 years old it's really getting past its prime, so I personally wouldn't pay a whole lot of money for it, probably no more than what a puppy would cost. So say around $300 to $500 max. You also have to remember, veterinarian bills with a dog that age, especially during hunting season, can get expensive.
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:yeah:
My Brittany (RIP) was the same way. She was a pointer and loved to point. She would usually partial retrieve. She would also retrieve out of the water but just bring it to the shore and was off to find another bird. So if you get a dog that would retrieve you are getting a pretty good Brittany.
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Oh, by the way, it's not "Brittany Spaniel" anymore... they changed the name to just "Brittany."
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Also why are you yelling this???????
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sorry
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I love my brittany, I never had her formaly trained but she does pretty well. You can get most any hunting dog to do a pretty good job with nothing more than hunting them. They may not win any trials but will do what you need, money is not the key, time and consistency is. With that said, a 7 year old dog is towards the end of it's hunting years. You will certainly get a few more years out of her no doubt about it, but know that she is getting older which also leads to more vet bills. I would not rule out the option but really weigh out the pros and cons. Either way good luck with whatever you do.
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$500.00 At 7 years old she is going past her prime, still may have a few years in her but not as many as she once did.
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the main reason i want this paticular dog, is,.. well i love brittanys, and this one is a trained hunting dog. i looked at severl pups, i would love to get a pup, but i have no experience training a hunting dog, i don't know what to expect when training a brittany, what are your guys's experiences with brittanys? how hard is it to get them to hunt?
i have experience training dogs, 9basic stuff) i have a dog, but its not a hunting dog, and i trained it pretty well, he sits, fetches, heals, leaves other dogs alone when i tell him to, does handshakes, and will not start eating the treats i put in front of him untill i tell him to. so i can train the dog to do basic stuff, but i have absolutely no idea about hunting training.
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I wouldn't pay more than $400. as stated before the dog may be in its prime but how many quality hard hunting years does this dog have left? maybe 7 more maybe 3 more? when one of my dogs gets that age I bring a new pup into the mix to prepare for the older dogs retirement.
IMO spending a bundle on a started/finished dog will pay big returns in the field for the next 10-14 years of your life.
personally I am curious why he is selling a 7 year old dog? hopefully you know the guy and his dog well enough to be sure you aren't getting problems passed your way.
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I have had only one pointer prior to my brittany now. My brittany is now great field trial dog, but she finds birds and holds point as long and as steady as I need her to. If the dog has decent bloodlines and you have a little luck of the draw that pup you get will teach you more about how and when to teach a hunting dog then any trainer ever will. Books and the internet will give you a great start, or outline but live and learn. You will develop a great bond with your pup if your fair and it will want to please you.
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Don't worry about the retreiving part. I had a brittney that was a killer hunter. She would always swim out to bring the ducks to shore. And never failed to find any bird on the ground. She just hated to retreive. I learned that I would jsut have to walk over and pick up the bird. NOT that hard. It was like she was saying hey i did all the hard work get your lazy butt over here and do your part. If this dog can find the birds, and make them hold, buy it..... Tell the wife that they make great family dogs too and are easy on the food bill.
Get a 80 pound lab, they can go thru the groceries, especially if you work them hard in cold weather.....
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thanks guys. the reason they're selling the dog is the guys wife (she is the hunter) had shoulder sergery and can't hunt anymore. they say they are in no hurry to sell the dog, but they would like her too go to a home where she will be able to hunt and have plenty of exersize
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So were they giving you a number, or did they say come up with one? Is this some acquaintance or someone you know well? It sounds like they just want something to make sure whom ever gets it appreciates it...
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i just met the people, i'm gonna go to their place next week to check out the dog, from what they tell me i'm getting a really good deal, but i still need to go see for myself.
what should i look for mostly when i go to see the dog?
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I've had two Brittanies- love those dogs but they are high energy and always want to be doing something. My lab is content to sit and lean on my feet. 8)
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I've had two Brittanies- love those dogs but they are high energy and always want to be doing something. My lab is content to sit and lean on my feet. 8)
That's like saying all blond's are dumb, not always the case. Labs can be high strung and brittany's can be lazy
