family dog vs hunting dog

[Tank]

This question seems to follow a common theme in this section of the forum, but I'm gonna ask it anyway:

What breed is the best compromise for someone looking for a full time family dog/part time cat hunting dog?

[Steeleco]

Excellent question Tank, I've been thinking about a dog for Family first and hunting as a bonus, the few breeds I've checkout so far have been a little bit to "high maintenance" for me just yet. Lets hope some experienced folks post up with some good ideas. My altime favorite pooch is a Rotty. Great family dogs if brought up right, not sure about hunting dog though??

[NEEHAMA]

your going to have a loud family pet then.

[ex bc guide]

I have found the hounds to be great pets as well as hunting dogs,although they can get quit loud at times.
Mike

[Tank]

your going to have a loud family pet then.

This is obviously one of the main issues, but I figure there has to be a reasonable compromise out there.

I'm not expecting a dog that will win any awards for his nose, noise or enthusiasm....but am looking for an animal that is atleast interested in the idea and has the traits to get the job done.

[bsa30-06]

I have a golden retriever she is an excellent family pet, strangers cant get anywhere near the kids she is very protective.She is very loud i can hear her barking at something right now,And with no training she has taken an instant dislike to any bird that lands in her yard.Oh she also doesnt like skunks she found out the hard way that they stink, actually she found that out twice two nights in a row.What a stink!!!. But on the seriuos side i dont think you could go wrong with a golden retriever as a family pet and would probably make a decent hunting dog with the right training.

[Tank]

A Golden Retriever has actually been near the top of my list for a while now simple due to their qualities as a family pet. I just wasn't too sure about their suitability as a trailing dog. That, and I haven't run into any breeders in the caribou yet...

[Sniper]

Hounds can be good family pets but I wouldn't recommend them because they don't listen well at all especially if they pick up the scent of a cat, raccoon ect. I would use 1 dog on Bobcats or Lynx but know way on Cougar, I know I know some guys do it but but your asking an awful lot of a dog to go up against a Cougar alone.

[brotherjack]

German Shepards are AWESEOME pets (ask me how I know), and I know the police use them for tracking purposes all the time, so I would presume they're not the hardest dog in the world to train to follow a trail. Never tried to train mine to hunt or anythning though, so I don't know for sure - just making some assumptions.

[CHilko21]

I'd have to say a labradour retriever. My uncle has one, Gunnar, who's an awesome family dog, he just loves " his" kids, and he's also a good waterfowl dog...don't know that my uncle has used him for other game yet, but he's been great at what he has been used for. Hounds tend to get real loud, and they can be hard to train, lots of energy and all that.