Hunting Dog - what to get?

[Wildman]

Hello,

My wife and kids want a dog...so if I am going to get a dog I figure I might as well get a hunting dog. I don't hunt waterfowl so I'm not really interested in a retriever. I'm not much into upland birds besides grouse so I don't think a pointer will fit. I mainly hunt blacktails here on rugged northern Vancouver Island, with a moose/mulie trip to Williams Lake/Quesnel areas every couple years. This being said what would you suggest as a possible breed I should look at? Oh....I'm thinking of a single dog, not a couple so not sure if that rules some hounds out or not.

Excerpt from the hunting/trapping synopsis:

Dogs
The use of dogs is permitted in the hunting of all game, but dogs
must be on a leash when used to hunt deer, elk, moose, mountain
sheep, mountain goat and caribou. Unleashed dogs may be used to
hunt small game, lynx, bobcat, grizzly bear, black bear or cougar. Any
person may train dogs by allowing them, under supervision, to pursue
game birds from August 1 to April 30.

[Johnnybear]

Get a Lab. Best family dog going and you can use him/her for grouse(excellent). Oh by the way they are the worst guard dogs ever :grin:.

[newhunterette]

we adore our Lab "Hunter" she is a great all around family pooch but our Blue Heeler "Sissy" she is an amazing high endurance pooch and very territorial to her home and masters

[harbinger]

Personally I would recommend a Brittany, also a very loyal family pet and easy to train.

[riflebuilder]

I have a German Wire Hair pointer. She is great with my 4 yr old daughter and they play all day outside. They are very loyal and great pets but they need lots of activity and room to play so they are not a great apartment dog. She is a great hunter and if I wanted she could be trained to trail wounded animals but I want her to only hunt birds. She retreaved her first grouse the other night it was great. Next week it is of to AB to chase Phesants.

[finish]

I have a 2 year old german Shepard!! She loves to chase!!! Wouldn't volunteer her for hunting! LOL

[BEARSLAYER]

I have a springer spaniel and a cocker spanial, both have a great nose for birds and love the family.

[huntergirl270]

A springer (field bred) is a great family dog... Definitely not a guard dog either. After having a german wire haired pointer here for a period of time, I would also recommend one as a family dog. They are very smart and calm. German wirehairs can be a bit stubborn and springers are very soft, require a gentle hand and just want to make their family happy. Both extremely good with children.

Good luck in your search and maybe you want to do a questionnaire online to find the right dog for your entire family. There are many to choose from maybe do a few and cross reference to see what breed comes up most often?
Sherry

A few examples are:

http://www.petnet.com.au/selectapet.asp?at=43 (very simple one)
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/search.htm
http://www.selectsmart.com/DOG/#appearance
http://www.sometests.com/tests/SelfAssessment/BreedSelectorQuiz.html

[muleychaser]

I have had a couple lab / sheperd crosses now and they have been excellent dogs both for the family and outdoors. All of the dogs I have ever owned have been heinz 57 crosses and all have been great. One I had was a collie / sheperd / blue heeler / husky cross and to this date was the best dog I have ever had for a hunting partner. Have never paid over 50 bucks for a dog and so for have been very lucky.

Shane

[Jagermeister]

If you want to hunt elk or moose, get an elkhound or one of the other Spitz dogs from that part of the world. As the name implies, they are used for moose (elg) in the Scandanavian countries.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr8u1HmejMc
Too bad that we cannot use them in this manner as I think this would be pretty exciting. They can be used on leash, you just dont want them barking. As they get closer to the game animal, they will lick the scent from the leaves and this gives to an indication of the closeness of the quarry.
This youtube link is my favorite, I prefer the one with the english subtitles as it translates what he says, I just could not find it.

[Sasquatch]

If you get a versatile dog, you can hunt or track whatever your heart desires.

One advantage of the wirehairs as housepets is that they don't shed.

[Spellow]

In my opinion, deciding on a hunting dog breed depends on the terrain and style you will be huting in...if you hunt in lighter grassy type cover, you will want a dog that can range out and hunt independently of you...such as one of the pointing breeds...

If you hunt thicker cover, you'll want a dog that can push the bush and chase the birds out for you...like a field bred springer or english cocker.

No matter what you decide, make sure you do a little research and buy from a breeder that breeds for temperment and ability to ensure you are getting a good family dog.