What kind of dog would prefer for a "non-pointing" type hunting dog? And why?

[akirkland]

LABRADORK all the way. I have a Labs since 97 and my world is a way better place because of them. They are amazing in the field, on the water or at home.

[Stilly bay]

That's what good vests with flotation are for.  I'd be willing to bet there are more labs that have lost their lives due to the same thing.....   We hunt over springers every year for pheasants in PA.  Those dogs are awesome.  I've also hunted over a fair amount of labs, and Id take a springer every day in the uplands.  I know this will stir the pot with many, but labs do not impress me in the upland fields.  Plus I love the size of a well bred field springer.  40-50 lbs is nearly perfect IMO.

ANY dog hunting ducks in severe winter conditions needs a good vest for insulation and floatation. I don't care if its a German shorthair or a Chessie! Some dogs may handle the cold much better than others but they all can get hypothermia once they are wet.

Sorry but, Springers just aren't built for extreme conditions like sea duck hunting in the dead of winter, even with a vest. They can technically do it but it doesn't mean they should.

I do agree that most labs have nothing on a Springer Spaniel in the uplands. They are the masters of pheasants in heavy brush and one of the baddest bird dogs you could ever want.

[Bullkllr]

Personally I think a golden retriever is just about the perfect dog, and could never imagine being without one.  I genuninely am curious, though, why anyone would choose a lab over a golden retriever?  Not that labs are bad, but I'm curious why people would choose one when they could have a golden retriever?  I think the only thing that has been mentioned is fur...maybe we haven't ever had really furry ones though. 

Anyway, just curious.... 

I've heard  it has been somewhat difficult to find field-bred goldens for quite awhile, whereas field-bred labs are all over the place.

Most will say labs are "tougher"...

Labs absolutely dominate field trials compared to goldens and all other retriever breeds combined.

And then there's the coat. You could drop my yellow lab in a festering mud bog full of thistles, and in 10 minutes he would automatically be spotless.

[MadMooner]

Big dog- Chessie
Smaller dog- Spaniel

[AspenBud]

Personally I think a golden retriever is just about the perfect dog, and could never imagine being without one.  I genuninely am curious, though, why anyone would choose a lab over a golden retriever?  Not that labs are bad, but I'm curious why people would choose one when they could have a golden retriever?  I think the only thing that has been mentioned is fur...maybe we haven't ever had really furry ones though. 

Anyway, just curious.... 

I've heard  it has been somewhat difficult to find field-bred goldens for quite awhile, whereas field-bred labs are all over the place.

Most will say labs are "tougher"...

Labs absolutely dominate field trials compared to goldens and all other retriever breeds combined.

And then there's the coat. You could drop my yellow lab in a festering mud bog full of thistles, and in 10 minutes he would automatically be spotless.

Labs are also a more diverse breed than goldens. There really is a line of lab for everyone.

I tend to look at it like this. Chessies, Labradors, Springers, English Cockers, Pointers, English Setters, Brittanys, German Shorthairs, and German Wirehaired Pointers are arguably the most popular gun dog breeds among bird hunters in this country. There is a reason for that, lots of choices in breeding and they just work.

When you get into the more obscure breeds, or breeds that are less popular as hunting dogs, you have to really look to find what you want and be prepared to open your wallet. That's not meant to detract from those breeds, it's just that you have less choice within them than you do with the aforementioned.

[pens fan]

So you guys with experience, what is up with the Boykin Spaniel? They seem like an interesting breed.

They are half the size of a lab and can do anything a lab can. Or a chessie, or a golden, or an english. BUT, they are spaniels...totally different personality. They are not for everyone.

[pens fan]

Labs dominating the field trials is a reality. But when there are 400 dogs in a trial, and 390 of them are labs...well...you figure the odds.

[cem3434]

Big dog- Chessie
Smaller dog- Spaniel

All around dog - Lab

[cem3434]

So you guys with experience, what is up with the Boykin Spaniel? They seem like an interesting breed.

They are half the size of a lab and can do anything a lab can. Or a chessie, or a golden, or an english. BUT, they are spaniels...totally different personality. They are not for everyone.

Overall they are great dogs, but they can be tempermental in the field. My buddy has one and its great in the upland fields, but if another dog beats him to a retreive then he is useless the rest of the day.  They are also a little undersized for retrieving geese.

[clindsayrun]

My Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever was/is a heck of a duck and pheasant dog.
He's a scosh small to be wrasslin with those big honkers though... but don't tell him that... he put on more than one great show trying to drag one back to the blind.

I lived in Seattle from '99-'03 and he was a great dog to hunk with out at Cherry Valley and Stillwater. We'd get birds up that other peoples dogs would miss, and we used to have quite a few guys ask for our dog to work out in front of them. Great memories!

He's 15 years old now, and I think fall 2012 might have been his last season... he'd work for a while, but we mostly were just out to walk. He's all heart though.

I'll stick to slightly larger dogs from here on out. Have a spastic lab now and am interested in a springer once my Novi's gone.

[Special T]

I couldn't find the info quick, but i remember reading that labs have 70k registered each year and Chessies only 5k In the sporting group labs dominated in sheer numbers on "new" dogs to the pool.

[Stilly bay]

My Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever was/is a heck of a duck and pheasant dog.

Post some pics! Duck tollers are cool dogs.

[Bullkllr]

Labs dominating the field trials is a reality. But when there are 400 dogs in a trial, and 390 of them are labs...well...you figure the odds.

So, if someone wanted to win a retriever trial, and they could choose any retriever breed...I'm thinking there must be reasons beyond availability/popularity.
Kinda like if I wanted to put together a basketball team... I wouldn't get a bunch of short fat w**** guys, even though more of them are available

Not that field trial traits are the only things to look for in a personal hunting dog. Speed and "desire" labs have in spades.

[Stilly bay]

Labs dominating the field trials is a reality. But when there are 400 dogs in a trial, and 390 of them are labs...well...you figure the odds.

So, if someone wanted to win a retriever trial, and they could choose any retriever breed...I'm thinking there must be reasons beyond availability/popularity.
Kinda like if I wanted to put together a basketball team... I wouldn't get a bunch of short fat w**** guys, even though more of them are available

Not that field trial traits are the only things to look for in a personal hunting dog. Speed and "desire" labs have in spades.

I think you see more labs because they have been bred to mature and be trained quickly and most of them can handle a lot of pressure and bounce back, thats a great combo for pro trainers and trailers that have to work with a truck load of dogs everyday and produce results.  For many of the same reasons you see english pointers dominating pointing trials.
The right trainer with the right dog -from any breed- could potentially win a trial, its just with labs there is a much bigger pool to choose from and lots of pro trainers trailers want to hedge their bets since you don't make a name for yourself with losses. on the flip side decades ago there was a much bigger pool of chessies and other breeds that are somewhat obscure today and labs were almost a minority compared to today.

On the same note flooding the field trial world with labs ( mostly black labs btw) can cause some misconceptions.
I lost count of how many times I heard that chocolate labs just aren't as capable as blacks because they aren't winning nearly as many trials. fact of the matter is there aren't nearly as many chocolate labs as black labs so of course there will be fewer in the winners circle.
Or that because Labs are winning they are the only breed that can.
Dog people and hunters love to cling to misconceptions and old wives tales , and many will -for the most part- continue to follow what is working for the other guy with all those ribbons on his wall or all those amazing pics on the internet and the lab will continue to grow in popularity while there are many other breeds that are overlooked.

[wildweeds]

Plenty of junk labs too,I watched about a dozen dogs go at a test yesterday,Of a dozen I considered only one to be a candidate for ownership by me.I don't find it appealing to saunter up to waters edge,slip in easy,swim so slow that satelite navigation is  almost needed to even see forward progress,then return at the same speed hit the bank,drop the bird,shake off,and then need to be commanded to pick the bird back up. It's got to be the pointer/setter guy in me that has to have the stand the hair up on the back of your neck lightning.