Dog Breed suggestions??

[GirlsHuntToo]

So I am thinking Golden Retriever, Chocolate Lab, Black Lab, and Yellow Lab, also maybe a Blue Tick coon hound. But I don't think he would get along with my cat.

 

[fluffycrow]

Why not bird dogs?

Because Hounds are better trackers, and although bird dogs are excellent trackers, and highly intelligent dogs, IMO, they don't compare to Hounds, especially if they're not from working lines. This brings me to my next point, which is energy requirements. I think a lot of Hounds have more manageable energy requirements than bird dogs

 

[Knobby]

My votes none.

but you can't train chickens to hunt with you..lol

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

but you can't train chickens to hunt with you..lol

Yeah, they can't track down a deer, find a shed, grab it with their mouth and bring it back to you!

 

[Knobby]

Husky have not been bred to hunt or search. they are known for being difficult to train, escape artists and have a very high prey drive/ unreliable off leash

border collies are another breed you could research they are easy to train and high energy but don’t have any too difficult instincts (I can’t find the right word )

and Labradors as well, they are very easy dogs that are quite versatile

I agree...huskies wouldn't be a great breed to try and train to be a hunting dog. Once they feel that you lost grip of their leash, away they go.

 

[Knobby]

Yeah, they can't track down a deer, find a shed, grab it with their mouth and bring it back to you!

lol

 

[FunClucks]

I have a show line poodle, medium energy, no drive that I can see, although he likes to bark at the chickens, leaves, it may still be puppy stuff. He is starting to sniff more, we'll probably do scent training (I don't hunt, so we don't need that from him, but search and rescue might be something we'll consider if he does well with scent work). His line is bred to be calm on the grooming table, with excellent conformation, although he has some minor faults that cause him to be pet. Poodles were classically water retrievers in Germany, and if you get a hunting line, they still have those instincts. Take away the hair, and you have a dog that looks like a sight hound or a very skinny lab. I love that the hair on him only comes off when I make it. There is no dog hair in my house, and the dog smell is minimal with weekly baths.

I keep 0.5-1.5" hair on him and bathe him weekly. I groom weekly, except body clipping, which I'll get into eventually. We've have him professionally groomed every 4 wks from the time he's fully vaccinated to the first year, so that he has good table manners. It's $80-160 per groom (depending on if it's a full groom or not and his size). It takes 4 hours weekly to do bath, blow dry with high velocity vacuum, and clean feet/face/sanitary area. I do nails mid-week and teeth every day, and hand feed every day during training. We train for 1/2-1 hr daily in multiple sessions, including play time. He has a soft mouth, but was very nippy as a puppy, and required constant reinforcement/redirection not to nip. Most puppies are nippy for the better part of the first year - if you have an issue with that you might consider an older dog. Took the better part of 7 months to mostly train that out, and really I'm still just waiting for him to outgrow it. If I didn't bathe weekly, I'd brush bi-weekly.

I probably spend 10-15 hrs per week on this dog, and could spend more if I had it. He can't be left alone for more that 4 hours during the day, as he has to potty. Even at 7 months old, I"m still getting up every 4 hours throughout the night to take him out to go potty. He's starting to have 6 hr night-time stretches, but only just. We go to weekly classes (manners, obedience, trick dog, rally, etc). I have to introduce a new trick or two every week or so, or he starts to get bored, and have to mix things up often. He doesn't like to be petted much, which is somewhat unique - most poodles want to be all over you most of the time. I've spent probably over 3K in vet bills already in multiple vet visits because he spent some time thinking socks were edible, and another 2-3K in grooming equipment, supplies, and hair products. Thank god he has a great temperament, is moderately calm most of the time (especially for a puppy) and is not reactive. The behavioral vets cost $500+ per visit if you have any serious behavior problems and good luck finding one close to you. His food is ~$75 per bag, and he eats about a bag a month.

On the plus side, he is the best dog I've ever owned, and I've had numerous rescue dogs for 20+ years. I can go fishing for whatever he tried to swallow and he won't bite me, he knows probably 20 commands, we potty trained by about 16 weeks, he's as intelligent as a person but with dog sensibilities. The hardest part was learning what he was trying to tell me using his body language. He doesn't herd, and he doesn't eat poop (some poodles do, heck many dogs do). Any dog you get is going to be an individual more than a representative of the breed, although it will have breed standard traits (hopefully). The more research you do, the better. [Chirag Patel (youtube) is currently my favorite trainer.] Best of luck finding a good dog!

 

[fluffycrow]

Yeah, they can't track down a deer, find a shed, grab it with their mouth and bring it back to you!

Huh. So you want it given back as well. That does mean a retriever might work better. Don't know if that would be too independent for a retriever...they're smart dogs, they should be able to figure it out, probably

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

Huh. So you want it given back as well. That does mean a retriever might work better. Don't know if that would be too independent for a retriever...they're smart dogs, they should be able to figure it out, probably

Not all retrievers retrieve without the right training

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

So I am thinking Golden Retriever, Chocolate Lab, Black Lab, and Yellow Lab, also maybe a Blue Tick coon hound. But I don't think he would get along with my cat.

What would be your vote for this?? React to this post with a for your vote:
Golden Retriever
Black Lab
Chocolate Lab
Yellow Lab
Blue Tick coon hound