Breeds for upland

[Big6bull]

Read up on pudelpointers. Extremely versatile, can do it all!

[Special T]

Ive had 2 chessies. They are great duck dogs but nerver did very good on uplands. One of my hunting partners run German Wire hair Pointers. Great all round hunting dog. If i moved to EWa i would have one or 2. Grat uplands dog and good waterfowl hunters. I think more challenging to train up for duck to sit still but they find cripples in the brush like a machine.

Not super common in the PNW so you would likely have to search hard for a litter. I know of a couple that are planned for after season. I have hunted the release site with his 2 GWP after the feild has been marched with6 labs and 8 shooters.  We kicked up and killed 2 birds5 min after they were gone. Drathars are the German registration.

Additionally I have a friend in AK that waterfowl, permanent, and snow shoe hair hunts with his.

[follow maggie]

It’s tough to beat labs & goldens for all around hunting, especially in the late season. The guy I hunt with has a griffon, and that dog is a pheasant finding machine. We were out about a month ago & he pointed over 50 birds. These were wild birds on a farm. Hell even fetch downed birds of any type from the water. Late season is tougher for him though, because he’s relatively small & has a light coat.

Bottom line- there are a lot of great dog breeds. The key with any of them is time on birds. And match their strengths with how you like to hunt.

[Wetwoodshunter]

Thanks for all the information so far. This is a great starting point for me. There are quite a few breeds in here that were not on my radar that I will need to research.

[Rutnbuxnbulls]

I live in Spokane and hunt mostly upland.  I wanted a mix of two pure breds, so I was watching for a litter like that and when my wife told me that a local guy had a Lab/Springer mix, I jumped at it and got a smaller female.  I like the mix, she is athletic and smaller so fits anywhere, can swim well and has a lab type coat so she stays warm.  Great in the field and in the house.  We had golden retrievers growing up and they were awesome dogs but I didn't quite want that full size dog.  It also seemed like all the purebreds we had over the years had genetic issues and cancers take them away too soon.  The mixed breeds have great genetic strength in my opinion.  Like someone said before me, a good dog can become a great dog if they're trained a bit and can get some time on the birds.  We can't expect much out of them if we go out once a year.  Makes me want to get another dog!! 

[Gettin Birdie]

I would say Golden's if you're gonna hunt both upland and waterfowl, but I am partial to them as I have one and have my whole life, but I only hunt upland.  Like Rutnxnbulls said, they do have health problems and I've had to put two down at 7 & 8.5 due to cancer, so with the last one I got, I made sure to ask about that and look into their pedigree, got him from Lokidog, so due your research if going that way.  My dad has 2 Brittany's and they are good hunters, got the boy from Dayton, WA. & good family pets.  I'm sure that you can't go wrong with any other breeds listed really though, and it is part of a personality/what you find appealing thing.  Good luck, Golden's are hard to beat for family dogs/disposition.   

[shootem]

Check out Boykin Spaniels. They do everything any retriever does, is smaller, and great in the home. They don’t shed much either. That said I’ve got a lab too. I love them both and both will fit your interests. The Boykin handles the heat better. The lab does better in the cold. 

[limpy4]

The American water spaniel can do it all also. My male was bred a little bigger for goose hunting and I've had my male and female covered in ice and still wanting in the water.
They can do everything a lab can do. For upland hunting their noses have got to be the best, they amaze me every hunting trip.