My first gundog

[Ali N 0]

This may well cos mass debate but here goes.

I am looking for my first dog, that would be used for picking up and general rough shooting. We have a couple of rivers on our ground which hold plenty duck, so would like to be able to retrieve from the water. We have deer as well, so a nose for blood would be good.

Now the big questions, am i expecting to much from the dog to do all these things and if no what kind of dog should I be looking at.

I dont have the experience or the time required to train a dog to its full potential and feel that it would be unfair.

I know I can buy a trained dog, but can this also be the family pet and live in th ehouse, or would it need kept in a kennel.

Lastly any ideas on where I can buy such a dog, and is there anyone around Aberdeen has the time or the interest to show someone the art of proper dog handling

[Guest ESS]

This may well cos mass debate but here goes.

I am looking for my first dog, that would be used for picking up and general rough shooting. We have a couple of rivers on our ground which hold plenty duck, so would like to be able to retrieve from the water. We have deer as well, so a nose for blood would be good.

Now the big questions, am i expecting to much from the dog to do all these things and if no what kind of dog should I be looking at.

I dont have the experience or the time required to train a dog to its full potential and feel that it would be unfair.

I know I can buy a trained dog, but can this also be the family pet and live in th ehouse, or would it need kept in a kennel.

Lastly any ideas on where I can buy such a dog, and is there anyone around Aberdeen has the time or the interest to show someone the art of proper dog handling

 

Goggle druimmuir spaniels

[lampinglurcher 36]

the majority of well bred gundogs will do this, some better than others. a lab or a retriever for example will do all these things and be good at them. it depends what you want to do most, ie picking up or blood trailing, if you want a picking up dog a spaniel, lab, retriever etc would be your best bet, but if its mostly blood trailing then look into weimaraners, pointersn and so on.

[Ricky-N.p.p 0]

if i were were you i would go for a lab mate, there easier to train/handle than most other breeds and are are bred for retrieving from water ect. i wpuldnt keep it in the house though, it'll just end up spoiled, to much attention can be a bad thing imo for a working gun dog.

 

I'm no expert mind, just training my first gundog myself !

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc165/rickynpp/oak047.jpg

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc165/rickynpp/oak051.jpg

 

what ever you decide on, best of luck

[Ali N 0]

i was thinking lab right enough but never thought about a spaniel. most springers that I have come across are a bit out of control. I know there are good ones, just my experience, which is limited right enough.

The only reason I was thinking in teh house is that we live in teh town and not sure it is fair to have the dog in a kennel with kids running about etc. The risks of barking, or even worse some thieving p***y bar steward pinching it are what worries me.

Keep teh advice coming guys.

Many thanks

Ali

[Back Stabbath 1]

Hi I'm new here

 

I don't know a great deal about hunting, but I know a lot about dogs. I'd love to show you how to handle your dog, but unfortunately I'm in Ireland at the moment. (Going to Hull next year for college)

 

I would agree with the reccommendation of a Labrador as a first working dog. I would definitely stay away from the German and Euro breeds! (Weimaraner, etc.) They can be a lot harder to train. There are exceptions to all rules of course, but as a first time trainer you don't want a dog thats going to give you hassle and challenge you on everything. Don't be tempted by how beautiful they are, haha.

 

Spaniels are good, and I've heard they are the best for raising and retrieving stuff, but as you say, they can be quite mad. They have heaps of energy (Springers anyway) and will be bouncing off the walls if you don't take them out.

 

Now this isn't a hunting website but I GUARANTEE you, you will train your dog a hell of a lot better after reading the relavent articles on it -

Leerburg.com (Highly reccommended for all training/feeding/breeding issues)

 

Whatever type of dog you have (working, pet, etc.), they need good basic obedience, it may save their life one day. Leerburg will help you a lot with that. I wouldn't even bother going anywhere else, or getting training books. You would be surprised at how much bullsh*t training there is out there.

 

The kennel versus house issue... Yes dogs can get spoiled when they're in the house, but that should never happen as long as you establish clear ground rules and pack structure.

Working dogs in a kennel can respect you more - thats because they only get your attention when you take them out and they really want to please you. (my experience with sheepdogs anyway)

 

Just remember, a good handler/dog bond is essential for the dog to work for you.

 

I would say to you don't mollycoddle your dog too much, and don't pet him a lot for no reason. Labradors are generally easy dogs and I doubt you'd have much trouble with one. A good trainer can train a dog to do just about anything. A Lab will track blood, retrieve from water and whatever you want as long as you train him properly, so I'd probably go for a lab. (See the parents, and preferably them working too. Buy from working lines)

 

Use lots of small, high value treats when teaching him the commands (small pieces of cheese or whatever he likes) and never correct him for not doing a command IN THE TEACHING STAGE. By all means give a suitable correction if you're 100% sure the dog knows a command but refuses to do it. (A dog has to repeat something about 30 times I think before he knows it, for a human its 7, so bear that in mind) I wont go into too much detail here, if you want to know something about training you can ask or email me, or better yet go onto the site above. I reccommend a prong collar instead of a choke chain for corrections, they look awful but they are a lot safer, more consistant (v. important) and less damaging to the neck.

 

 

If you're worried about a git stealing your dog - Labradors guarding ability varies greatly, so judge that before leaving him out. I would probably keep the dog in the house, or get a good purpose built pen with a big lock!

 

 

Good luck mate!

[Hannah4181 260]

I agree with Black Sabbath completely. A lab is a good all round working gun dg and if brought from working lines will naturally do all you want him too. Steer clear of chocolate labs!! My uncle has kept, bred and worked gun dogs for over 40 years all his live in the house and it's never been a problem. Having said that, they know the rules and don't have the run of the house, don't go upstairs, on the sofa etc. They sleep in the utility room and generally other than the evening stay in there.

 

Try and find a local shoot near to you and i'm sure lots of people there will happily give you advice on training your dog. Let it be a puppy though, and only focus on basic obedience when it's young, short 3-4 min training sessions, every time you have a spare few mins.

 

Lots of praise and strong smelling treats.

 

Good luck with it. x

[Japesy 0]

Hi

 

A friend of mine swears by labs, I'd agree with him that you can't go wrong with one.

 

Having said that, I've got a Lab x Welsh Springer, she's a complete all rounder and she can work for hours and not tire, doing every job very well, even though she's a bit spoilt compared to some working dogs. She's been living indoors since I've had her from 8 weeks old and have found her very easy to train, very responsive, picking everything up very quickly from very early on. After teaching her the rules, she now lives by them, I leave all the doors inside my house open whenever I leave her alone, she wouldnt dream of getting on the bed, sofa etc. and I could leave a plate of food on the floor and she wouldn't touch it. She's very obedient, keen, energetic, athletic and she'l wait patiently in a hide. But I agree with Black Sabbath, Springers can be quite mad, mine has got a lot of energy so I wouldn't recommend it if you don't have the time to expell all of it. in your case I'd probably go for a Lab.

 

I would recommend a Springer x Lab as a serious working dog to anyone though. After seeing mine in action on a few shoots, the above mentioned friend now owns one, after only ever owning Labs as working dogs!

 

Good luck with whatever you choose