Question: I enjoy a little duck hunting with my husband and I'd like to have a dog to take with. I'm also interested in trying some of the competitive events. More than likely, I'll spend more time training and competing rather than hunting. What breed of dog would you recommend? I want the dog to be a house pet and companion also, and I'm leaning towards a Chesapeake Bay Retriever.

Kathy C., Saginaw.

Answer: I've owned a couple of Chesapeakes, have one now and have trained more than a few. It's my experience that they do better in actual hunting situations rather than in highly structured training exercises. I've heard them described as a primitive breed, and I quite agree. The ones I've worked with didn't enjoy long, laborious training exercises with dummies, where as my Lab can go for hours, enjoying every minute of it. If you were a hard hunter with little or no interest in competition, I'd say the Chessie would be fine.

If you plan on spending more time training and running competition than actual hunting, I'd recommend either a Lab or a well-bred Golden Retriever. If selecting a Golden, make sure you're dealing with a breeder who specializes in hunting dogs.

Charlie Linblade

Mighigan Wing Shooters Hunt Club

Michigan Pheasant Hunting

Michigan Bird Dog Training