Breeds for upland

[Skyvalhunter]

 

[metlhead]

And why would anyone let a wet dog in their house? I towel my every single time. All wet dogs stink. Cannot imagine the birds care.

[C-Money]

I usually call ahead and my wife is waiting with a bath towel. All my chessies have loved being toweled off!

[rainshadow1]

I've got another litter of Labs coming very soon. These are proving out to be awesome dogs! (Son texted me this morning, Milo - our Stud - made a 100yd retrieve in the Yakima River this morning and "... he wasn't even breathing hard!") I started our matriarch, Bella, (grandmother of these pups coming up first of April) on Pheasants, and she loves upland most of all. She gets excited, but she does really well holding back and staying inside gun range.

I just have a hard time putting any gun dog ahead of a Lab!

[kselkhunter]

I opted for two dogs.  A lab and a GSP.  They keep each other company and they burn each other out (those that have had a GSP know they need lots of exercise when young).  Obviously the GSP excels on upland, and the lab excels in the water.  But my GSP loves the water and my lab loves upland. For upland I'd hunt the lab first as he's big and lower stamina, then I'd go back to the truck and have the GSP heat-seeking-missle clean up the birds the lab missed.  Same thing for waterfowl, the lab would stay out all day with me, and I'd go to the truck and bring the GSP to the blind for a few hours at a time (or all day if the weather was good....that dog loves the water).  So they both got hunted alot.  Both are retired couch potatoes now.  But I plan to repeat the process once they've passed and get another GSP and lab pairing. 

My advice is get two! 

[Lady Grouse hunter]

I would post that litter of up-coming Labs in the Classifieds.
BUT This Original poster was just asking ("What breed do YOU all recommend for upland birds?)
Stay on-topic people!

[Lady Grouse hunter]

IF you settle in join the Wenatchee Valley bird dog club!!!

[metlhead]

Someone had GSP/spaniel mix puppies for sale at the Home Depot in Chehalis yesterday. Signs all over the parking lot.

[tank21]

Look at the Pudelpointer. I have had three and probably will never own a different hunting breed. They have the temperament of labs, love the water, and point upland birds. They are the best of both worlds. I use to be a lab guy but I don't see myself ever owning another one.

HERE HERE.  Pudelpointer.  100%  I have a pointing lab and a PP.  Should've got the PP first.

[J-Bone]

Buy Craig koshyk's pointing dog book called "the continentals" will everything you want to know.

No matter what people say, IMO no dog is truly 50/50 waterfowl or upland. And if they are, you hit the lotto. A couple of things you should figure out

1 - is your priority waterfowl or upland?
2 - what size?
3 - what type of coat?
4 - do you want a dog to point instinctually.
5 - what range do you want to hunt at?
6 - what weather will you hunt at?

Also, narrow breeds down based upon breeders close to you. All breeds have variance among them, best thing you can do to zero in on the personality and skills of your dog is hang out with the breeders dogs as much as possible. if they don't allow it, that's a red flag and move on. Another thing I would look for is a personable breeder that will answer all your questions before and after you bring the pup home. some breeders/trainers are really bizarre.


I have a griff. He has an off switch, until new people come over to the house. then he gets a bit jumpy and annoying. Nothing horrible. if the new people aren't dog people, I just crate him. otherwise he sleeps and lounges all the time, has great recall, and an instinctual hunter. He won't stay super still in a duck blind, but he'll retrieve anything, wherever. Nothing against Griffs, but I reckon when it is time to get another one I'll go Small Munsterlander or a Drentsche Patrijshond just bc I want to try something new. 

[mcrawfordaf]

Buy Craig koshyk's pointing dog book called "the continentals" will everything you want to know.

No matter what people say, IMO no dog is truly 50/50 waterfowl or upland. And if they are, you hit the lotto. A couple of things you should figure out

1 - is your priority waterfowl or upland?
2 - what size?
3 - what type of coat?
4 - do you want a dog to point instinctually.
5 - what range do you want to hunt at?
6 - what weather will you hunt at?

Also, narrow breeds down based upon breeders close to you. All breeds have variance among them, best thing you can do to zero in on the personality and skills of your dog is hang out with the breeders dogs as much as possible. if they don't allow it, that's a red flag and move on. Another thing I would look for is a personable breeder that will answer all your questions before and after you bring the pup home. some breeders/trainers are really bizarre.


I have a griff. He has an off switch, until new people come over to the house. then he gets a bit jumpy and annoying. Nothing horrible. if the new people aren't dog people, I just crate him. otherwise he sleeps and lounges all the time, has great recall, and an instinctual hunter. He won't stay super still in a duck blind, but he'll retrieve anything, wherever. Nothing against Griffs, but I reckon when it is time to get another one I'll go Small Munsterlander or a Drentsche Patrijshond just bc I want to try something new.

Agree to disagree but the GSP can and DOES excel at both Waterfowl and Upland hunting. Versatility being the exact objective they were bred for. 

https://projectupland.com/hunting-dogs/german-shorthaired-pointers-for-waterfowl-hunting/#:~:text=The%20GSPs%20were%20bred%20to,when%20they%20have%20a%20job.

Any dog from this https://www.navhda.org/recognized-breeds/ list would perform ideally at both tasks. And if trained to NAVDHA standards would go even further.

The sire of my pup retrieves limits of green heads every year in N Idaho.

[MeepDog]

Here in Washington our winters are cold. If you expect your dog to do water retrieves in December and January, then you better get a dog you can confidently send and not worry about him freezing to death. Big, medium coated retrievers will do that for you, but as another poster mentioned, you better be ready to run because they aren't going to point a rooster they will run straight at it. My Labrador will sit and stay in a duck blind and just watch the ducks and coots (with some whining and dirty looks), but when he smells a pheasant he busts up all the cattails and briars trying to flush it. People say labs can be lazy, but it's about the owner. If you overfeed and under exercise any dog it will be lazy. If I lived in a warmer place I'd love to own a bigger variety of dogs, but here in southeast wa I'm sticking with a big water dog of some type.

[2MANY]

Yup.

[builtfordtough]

Interesting thread for me for sure.   I finally agreed to get another dog (my springer passed 2.5 yrs ago) kids and wife been talking hard about a new puppy for some time now.  I told her, dog has to be able to hunt and I'd like a female.  Like the OP, she will be a spoiled dog that hopefully my son and I can do some upland bird hunting.  Can't remember the breeders name but its outta chelan.  we are getting a English cream retriever.   Her parents are all top show.  Get to bring her home around first of April

[huntnfmly]

Interesting thread for me for sure.   I finally agreed to get another dog (my springer passed 2.5 yrs ago) kids and wife been talking hard about a new puppy for some time now.  I told her, dog has to be able to hunt and I'd like a female.  Like the OP, she will be a spoiled dog that hopefully my son and I can do some upland bird hunting.  Can't remember the breeders name but its outta chelan.  we are getting a English cream retriever.   Her parents are all top show.  Get to bring her home around first of April

Congrats on the new pup